Shenhua: The time has come to test Slutsky's wisdom against the Jinmen Tigers after 73 hours of derby

Contributing Writer / Gan Hui Shanghai Shenhua, who just suffered their second defeat in the Chinese Super League this season in Shenzhen, will usher in an important battle at 6 p.m. on June 22 - the FA Cup quarter-final away against Harbour. This is the third meeting between the two sides this season, with Shenhua winning the Super Cup and a draw in the first leg of the league.

lost his wife and broke his soldiers

On the evening of June 14, at the football stadium of Shenzhen Sports Center, the ecstasy of Shenzhen Xinpeng City and the loss of Shenhua formed a sharp contrast. Before this round of the league, Shenhua ranked first in the league, and Shenzhen Xinpeng City was third from the bottom, and the leader suffered the biggest upset in Shenzhen so far in the Chinese Super League so far this season.

Judging from the game, the current state and physical condition of the whole Shenhua team are worrying. Andre, who scored the only goal for Shenhua, said after the game: "It was a very unfortunate game, in the first 20 minutes of the game, we controlled the tempo, but the team lost form at the end. It's not my personal form that matters, it's the condition of the whole team. ”

In the second half, when the score was behind, Shenhua, who was eager to chase the score, seemed powerless. When Slutsky took charge of the team, fitness was a major strength of the team, and the team was often able to drag down the opponent with high-intensity and fast-paced play in the final stages of the game, so as to draw and kill the opponent in difficult situations. However, Shenhua did not show this characteristic in this game, and the team was obviously not physically strong in the second half of the second half, resulting in a disconnect between the front and back courts, and it was difficult to organize an effective continuous attack. On the contrary, Shenzhen Xinpeng City showed better physical condition in the final stage of the game and scored a third goal at the end of the game to completely kill the suspense.

What's more troublesome is that foreign striker Mineiro left the field injured, and right wing-back Manafa also suffered an injury, and after returning to Shanghai, Shenhua will do a further examination of the injury of foreign aid. In addition, although Zhu Chenjie, who was injured in the national football game, recovered quickly, he did not reach the best physical condition, and he was also replaced in advance in the game with Shenzhen Xinpengcheng.

Fortunately, Teixeira and Jiang Shenglong, who did not travel to Shenzhen with the team due to injury, are expected to return from injury in the "derby" of the FA Cup. Speaking ahead of the match against Shenzhen Xinpengcheng, Slutsky said: "Jiang Shenglong and Teixeira will both miss the game against Shenzhen due to injury, Wang Shilong may be more seriously injured, and hopefully he can return after the next international break." ”

Be prepared for the most difficult

Shenhua lost to Shenzhen Xinpeng City away, while Beijing Guoan defeated Yatai, who has 29 points, only three points behind Shenhua. On the evening of June 17, Guoan will play the 6th round of the league with Qingdao West Coast at home, and a win will tie Shenhua in points, thus surpassing Shenhua on goal difference to become the new leader of the league.

Obviously, the unexpected defeat to Shenzhen Xinpeng City made Shenhua have no room for error in the league. In terms of schedule, there is only 73 hours between the FA Cup derby and the 15th round of the league when Shenhua plays Tianjin Jinmen Tigers at home. In last year's Chinese Super League, Shenhua was forced to draw by Tianjin Jinmen Tigers away. In the duel at home, Shenhua once fell behind in the game, and finally relied on the magical play of the Han Super League substitute to win the thrilling reversal. Obviously, Tianjin Jinmen Tigers are not an easy team to deal with.

At the beginning of this season's league, Tianjin Jinmen Tigers showed good combat effectiveness - defeated Chengdu Rongcheng away, shook hands with Beijing Guoan at home, and won Shandong Taishan in this round. After 14 rounds of league games, Tianjin Jinmen Tigers ranked 5th in the league with a record of 6 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses and 22 points, second only to Shanghai Shenhua, Chengdu Rongcheng, Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Port.

With the team in poor form and a league game against Tianjin Jinmen Tigers in 73 hours, how to better deal with the "FA Cup derby" against Harbour will test Slutsky's intelligence and coaching ability.

Last season, Shenhua was eliminated by Harbour in the semi-finals and missed out on the FA Cup final. Now, the two teams meet again in the FA Cup, and Shenhua naturally wants to avenge last year's one-shot victory. However, judging from the physical fitness of the team in the battle with Shenzhen Xinpengcheng, it is difficult to play these two games well with a set of lineups, so Slutsky may need to reasonably match personnel and make better use of Shenhua's bench depth, so as to make the best use of talents, materials and things.

In the last year or so, Shenhua has a certain advantage against Harbour. Since last season, the two teams have met 6 times, with Shenhua winning 3, drawing 2 and losing 1. Of course, the record only represents the past, and if Slutsky and Shenhua want to continue their advantage, they must be solid and well-prepared, after all, no victory will be easy.