The final of the 2022 Chinese FA Cup will be played at 15:30pm on January 15 against defending champions Shandong Taishan and Chinese Super League promoted Ma Zhejiang, with local coach Hao Wei and Spain's Jodi respectively.
The Taishan team has reached the final for five consecutive years, this time winning the FA Cup for three consecutive years; Zhejiang reached the FA Cup final for the first time, attacking the club's first title, and coach Jody's words in an interview seemed to imply that the title belonged.
According to the latest official schedule, the FA Cup final will be a one-legged tiebreaker, that is, if the two teams draw for 90 minutes of regular time, then play 30 minutes of extra time, and if the end of the 120 minutes is still a draw, then a brutal penalty shootout will be played.
The penalty game is not purely lucky, it is not only a test of the order of the head coach, the pre-game training and prediction level of the goalkeeper coach, but also a comprehensive test of the footwork, mentality and technical actions of the goalkeeper of the main penalty point player, and a more comprehensive evaluation yardstick for the strength of a team.
The Taishan team has two advantages in defending the championship: first, the FA Cup final is experienced, and it is an old and strong team, with strong strength, winning the runner-up of the Chinese Super League in the 2022 season; Second, the team has a crowd of big-name players, except for foreign aid, such as Wu Xinghan, Liu Binbin, Guo Tianyu, Jin Jingdao, Liao Lisheng, Duan Liuyu, Liu Yang, Zheng Zheng, Ji Xiang, Shi Ke, Wang Dalei, Wang Tong, Dai Lin, Abdul Rouli-Abdul Lamu, Fang Hao, etc. are all "national brand" players.
Zhejiang reached the FA Cup final for the first time in history, is a league promotion horse, is a civilian team, and was still in the Chinese League One last season. In addition to foreign aid, the team is slightly famous for goalkeeper Gu Chao, Hong Kong's Leung Nuoheng, Zhang Jiaqi, Yao Junsheng and so on.
Zhejiang's biggest advantage is that there is no psychological pressure, Jodi can bring the team from the Chinese League One to the Chinese Super League, and win the third place in the 2022 Chinese Super League season, qualify for next season's AFC Champions League, and the FA Cup semi-finals have exceeded the task by eliminating the favorites Shanghai Port through a penalty shootout.
Of course, Zhejiang also has a psychological advantage over the Chinese Super League score.
In the 2022 season, the two sides met twice in the league, the first leg was June 3 last year, Taishan 1-0 Zhejiang, foreign aid Judson scored, this game Hao Wei arranged Moises, Son Junhao and Judson 3 foreign aid to start, in the second half sent Cressan, Kim Kyung-do assisted Judson to score in the 75th minute.
Zhejiang's starting 11 includes four foreign signings: Evolo, Matthews, Frank and Lucas. The data of the two sides shows that Zhejiang's possession rate is 51%, the number of shots and shots on target is almost equal, and the shots in the penalty area are 5, and the scene has the smell of close match.
The second leg was on June 25, Zhejiang 2-0 Taishan. In this game, Hao Wei's starting lineup includes Cressan, Moisés, Son Junhao and Judson, all four foreign helpers started, and Fellaini was sent in the 46th minute of the second half, and central defender Judson left the field due to injury in the 35th minute and replaced Liu Yang.
Jody arranged for Frank, Evolo and Mushekoy to start three foreign aids, and Cameroonian foreign aid Donovan Evolo completed two assists in the 46th and 65th minutes, with one goal each from captain Frank and Mushekwe, and defeated Taishan at home. From the score point of view, the total score of the two sides should be 2-1, and Zhejiang team has the psychological advantage of the score.
In fact, at the pre-match press conference, Hao Wei said: "Because the time is relatively short, we can only adjust the personnel, and I hope that tomorrow (January 15) can achieve the goal." Fellaini is an old injury due to his previous shoulder injury and needs three weeks to adjust, so it is impossible to play. Judson did the event yesterday, and if he can play, it will be 20-30 minutes. ”
Coach Hao also said: "The Zhejiang team has broken through history... He is also a very respectable opponent... Their foreign aid is relatively neat, and we will try to limit it... I watched the match between Zhejiang and Port before, but it is a pity that the penalty kick in the cup is very important, and we have been preparing for the penalty since the beginning of the FA Cup. ”
Boss Tarzan's words reveal at least two aspects:
On the one hand, foreign aid Cressan was punished by the Chinese Football Association for 3 games suspended, definitely missed the final, Fellaini is absent, the current ironclad is Moisés and Sun Junhao, defensive stalwart Judson may have to decide when he will play depending on the process of the game.
For example, 60 minutes after the second half, Tarzan's lead or draw, 0-0, 1-0, 1-1 or 2-1, etc., Judson may come on around the 70th minute to hold the draw or win. On the other hand, Judson's actual playing time is about 60 minutes, including overtime.
On the other hand, Hao Wei has fully realized the arduousness of the final, due to the lack of foreign aid personnel, dragging the game into overtime, dragging into a penalty shootout is a more ideal result, and he has begun to consider the penalty shootout candidate.
In fact, as far as the Zhejiang team is concerned, the advantage lies in the foreign aid and the command ability of head coach Jodi.
On the one hand, Zhejiang team foreign aid is in order, in addition to Matthews leaving the team, such as Zimbabwean striker Mushekoy who scored 18 league goals and assisted 3 goals, Donovan Evolo who scored 10 goals and assisted 3 goals, and Croatian foreign aid Frank who scored 13 goals and assisted 6 and Brazilian foreign aid Lucas Posino and other 4 foreign aides, all can start.
In addition, Gaudí, who scored 6 goals in the league, Liang Nuoheng, a defender who scored 4 goals, Dong Yu, who assisted 6 goals, and midfielder Yao Junsheng (scored 3 goals, assisted 4 goals) are all more threatening. From the perspective of command skills, the Spaniard Jodi is slightly better than Hao Wei, and his on-the-spot command is more resilient.
It is worth mentioning that Zhejiang goalkeeper Zhao Bo, who started 2 games against Taishan in the league, and performed well in the FA Cup, saving a single knife and saving a penalty The technique is completely comparable to Taishan National Gate King Dalei.
On the other hand, Jody said in his pre-match press conference: "Tomorrow (January 15) is the last game of our season, and I think maybe before the start of the season, we didn't expect today's results, but now it seems to be deserved. We will have the biggest dreams and show what we have done all season... ”
The Jody boss added: "I'm sorry that the opponents can't use all their players. ”
This paragraph actually contains two meanings: one is that the Taishan team is incomplete with foreign aid, like Cressan, who ranks second in the league scorers list and scored 2 goals, is suspended, Fellaini is absent due to injury, like the two meetings in the league, Taishan failed to win when the four major foreign aides all played, then, the FA Cup final Zhejiang team has a greater winning surface.
Second, if Zhejiang can beat Taishan to win the FA Cup trophy, but from Jodi's heart, it seems to be a bit of victory, he may be more eager for the opponent's foreign aid to play all, such a victory is more convincing, and more proof of his ability, maybe it will add chips to the future coaching of the Chinese national team.
Zhejiang team's reaching the final is already the best gift, "not only to the club, but also to the fans, our first time in the final, it is also the 25th anniversary of the club." Jody said.
What is more interesting is that the opening match of the 2022 Chinese Super League season is Taishan 1-0 Zhejiang, Zheng Zheng red card, and the final of the last match of the 2022 Chinese FA Cup is still Taishan VS Zhejiang, one end and one end, what will be the score of the 2022 season finale?
Let's complain about the FA Cup format, which is more bizarre.
This season, the third round of the FA Cup knockout round was a single game, and the quarter-finals became two legs, but there was no away goal winning principle; The semifinals became a one-legged tiebreaker, with a 90-minute tie, a direct penalty shootout, no 30 minutes of extra time; The FA Cup final was a tie-breaker, a 90-minute tie, another 30-minute overtime, still a draw, and then a penalty shootout.
Looking at the 2018 season FA Cup format, the 5th round of the knockout round is a single game to determine the winner, starting from the quarterfinals, all are two legs, there are home and away, and away goals win more principle, that year Guoan VS Taishan, home 1-1, away 2-2, the total score is 3-3, Guoan people won the FA Cup with away goal advantage.
Objectively speaking, events like the Chinese FA Cup, starting from the knockout round, adopt a two-legged format, plus away goals and win more principles, more scientific, of course, the 2022 season is a special year, because the Spring Festival is approaching, the schedule and time do not allow, looking forward to 2023 is more reasonable.