The 2023 season of domestic teams has all ended, and many teams have no game tasks after the league, and have started preparations for the new season early, including recruitment, coach change, etc. Especially like Shandong Taishan, Shanghai Port and Shanghai Shenhua, the three teams, there is no survival problem, and the admission materials are submitted at one time, so you can put your mind on team upgrading and reinforcement. Shanghai Port was the first team to make personnel changes, and the team coach Xavier officially announced the departure of team coach Xavier.
The news of Javier's departure was sudden, but not surprising. Xavier only signed a one-year contract with Harbour, and the two sides decided not to renew the contract after negotiation, mainly because the Harbour side was not very satisfied with Xavier's results, and the failure to change the coach in the middle of the season was also due to the military spirit and stability. Espanyol's record at Harbour this year has not been consistent, although they won the final league title, but in the closing stages of the league Harbour dropped points in a row, and finally almost lost the title after leading by more than 10 points, and even in the AFC Champions League qualifying, they were eliminated at home by Pathum United, who were knocked out of the group stage with 0 points, which was quite a shame for Harbour.
Most of the responsibility for Harbour's exit from the AFC Champions League qualifying round was on Xavier, who had a dense schedule at the time, but did not rotate, resulting in a very poor team during that period, and there was no need for foreign reinforcements. The main factors for Xavier's dismissal were the exit from the AFC Champions League qualifying round and the FA Cup round of eight, which should not be comfortable for such a luxurious team. If there are problems in one game or two, it can be attributed to luck or form, but a series of slumps in the later stages are inseparable from the responsibility of the manager.
The Harbour fans were very happy about Xavier's dismissal, but the fans of the other teams were generally disappointed. The relationship between Xavier and Harbour is a one-plus-one, and if Harbour play properly after the change of manager, they will still be serious contenders for the league title. And Xavier's successor has long been reported, he is Yokohama Mariners coach Muscat. In fact, before Javier was out of class, Harbour had already completed negotiations with Muscat who also rejected many other potential next home, because Harbour offered a very attractive annual salary.
According to Japanese media sources, the harbor offered Muscat an annual salary of 500 million yen, equivalent to 25 million yuan, which allows Muscat to reach the level of the coach of the middle and upper reaches of Europe's top five leagues. Muscato's resume is not impressive, with the 50-year-old Australian having only managed the Australian Premier League Melbourne Victory, St. Truiden and Yokohama Mariners. This season, Yokohama Mariners played well, ranking 2nd in the league and topping the group in the AFC Champions League. Muscat has only been officially announced to join Harbour.