The Chinese Football Association announced yesterday the relevant policies of the new season's three-tier leagues. In the new season, the size of the Chinese Super League is 18 clubs, and the size of the Chinese League A is 18 clubs. The Chinese Super League and the Chinese First Division implement the policy of "three up, three down three".
# Downgrade places increased #
This season, the Chinese Super League has completed the expansion of the army, and the number of teams is two more than last season. Correspondingly, the number of relegation places has also increased by 1. Previously, 1/8 of the teams were relegated, and now the 1/6 team is relegated, and the probability of relegation has increased.
The number of relegations for 3 teams is already the same as in professional leagues with 20 teams in the Premier League and La Liga. Among the five major leagues, the Bundesliga still maintains the size of 18 participating teams. There are 2 direct relegation spots in the Bundesliga, with the penultimate third place play-offs play-off for the third place in the second division.
As far as we have received, in order to ensure that the entire season can be completed within the year, there will be no relegation play-offs in the Chinese Super League this season. Therefore, for most teams in the Chinese Super League, the difficulty of relegation this season is undoubtedly increased.
# Shenhua needs to be vigilant #
With the exception of minorities like Taishan and Harbor, most teams in the Chinese Super League are currently in financial crisis. Shenhua was recently punished by FIFA for not being able to register new players. Whether Li Songyi and Shi Xiaotian, who were introduced in the transfer window, can be registered, the Football Association has not yet given a conclusion. Shenhua can only compete in the form of an all-Chinese class in the new season. However, Shenhua can still register players such as Liu Ruovan, Jiang Shenglong and Zhou Junchen who ended their loan.
On March 3, 2022, Shanghai Shenhua Base held an open class in Shanghai. Shenhua head coach Wu Jingui
Another disadvantage for Shenhua is that there are more U23 players in the team. After the end of the men's national team's round of 12, the focus of the FOOTBALL association has shifted to the U23 men's football team. This year, the U23 men's team will participate in the East Asian Cup and the Hangzhou Asian Games. Shenhua is likely to be the main target of the U23 men's football team. Six players like Wu Xi (as an overage player), Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Shenglong, Wen Jiabao, Zhou Junchen and Sun Qinhan are likely to join the U23 men's football team and participate in two major competitions.
According to the Oriental Sports Daily, the U23 national football team must undergo two medical isolation observations for at least two weeks after returning from the "East Asian Cup" and after the Hangzhou Asian Games, when many of Shenhua's players will be absent from the league for nearly four months. This poses a challenge to Shenhua to play well in the league.