2 to 2, witnessed by more than 50,000 fans, Guoan and SIPG played the fastest and most enjoyable game since the beginning of the Chinese Super League this season. Wu Lei's brace pulled SIPG back from the brink of defeat.
Even though SIPG was the side that struggled to draw in the final stage, they did not steal one point, but conceded two points throughout the game. For most of the game, SIPG dominated the game, suppressing Guoan on the field and creating far more chances than Guoan, a game they should have won but didn't.
Behind this somewhat regrettable draw, we saw Wu Lei, who fell into a slump from the second half of last season to the Asian Cup, and was once sprayed as if he should not go to the national team again, has a second spring under Muscat . Not only did he get his shooting boots back, but he also regained his confidence up front.
However, compared with Wu Lei's recovery in form, there are many veterans of SIPG who have not performed well in this fast-paced tug-of-war. For example, Feng Jin, who has been reused by Muscat this season, plays like a headless fly on the field.
Of course, if Feng Jin was originally responsible for fighting a war of attrition on the field, he at least had the effect of consuming the opponent. Then the performance of some players on the field obviously did not meet the expectations of the head coach, such as Cai Huikang.
After this game, some SIPG fans completely pointed the finger at Cai Huikang. We objectively say that the defense depends on the whole, and it is a fact that Cai Huikang was easily eliminated by Bai Yang, but when Cai Huikang made up to the right, the arc of the penalty area became a problem for the prairie.
Obviously, SIPG's first goal conceded, focusing only on the side with the ball, and ignoring the side without the ball, Guga's Chitadini inserted in the back, and Oscar, who walked in front of the penalty area, should bear more responsibility than Cai Huikang. But even so, Cai Huikang's performance on the field still has to be described as very unsatisfactory.
His problem is not that he missed the first few games of the season due to suspension and did not find his form, but that SIPG has been playing faster and faster since Muscat took over, which puts a very high demand on the ability of midfielders and wide players to go back and forth. With Cai Huikang's age + size, if you let him play in Xavier's drag-like slow pace, he can make his position a good barrier, but let him play in the supercar mode of Australian baldness, running a few times in a row, he is a little unbearable.
It can be said that in this kind of game that enters the tug-of-war as soon as he comes up and keeps going back and forth, he is really not suitable for the starter...
SIPG conceded the first goal, which was a problem with the organization of the entire defensive line. SIPG's second goal conceded, Zhang Linpeng really has to bear a lot of responsibility. In the face of Fang Hao's breakthrough, Zhang Linpeng's brain could no longer keep up with his body, and his kick was obviously slow before he gave away a penalty.
When Cai Huikang and Zhang Linpeng were very embarrassed in front of the young juniors, they had to serve the old. Of course, they have no shortage of replacements within the team. It can be said that the decline in the form of these two veterans will not have a particularly big impact on the prospects of SIPG to challenge for the championship this season. However, the impact of Oscar's aging on SIPG can be said to be immeasurable.
has been playing in the Chinese Super League for 8 years, and it is an indisputable fact that Oscar's competitive form has declined. But even so, he still has the ability to play wherever he plays in the middle of the field many times. In the case that injuries have affected his playing time, he still gave Wu Lei two assists in the first 4 rounds, and he will still be the biggest favorite for the assist king of the Chinese Super League this year.
But at the same time, we can also see that after Muscat took over SIPG, there has been an emphasis on speeding up. In Oscar's absence this season, SIPG, which played with Vargas as the core, actually played at a faster pace and with stronger impact, which will make the opponent feel more pressure. On the other hand, when Oscar is on the field, everyone is still used to handing the ball to Oscar more. Although Oscar's finesse in handling the ball is still the top level of the Chinese Super League, the current Oscar's mistakes on the field have also begun to compete; Some of Oscar's seemingly safe handling has also invisibly become a delayed fighter.
When Oscar is not in good shape and still plays the whole game, perhaps in a game that has not been attacked for a long time, Muscat still has expectations for Oscar's "flash of inspiration". But Australia's bald head has come to a crossroads for the transformation of Shanghai Port.
If you still play completely around Oscar as Xavier led the team, and adopt the usual slowness, it will be almost impossible to defend the title this season.
If you blindly pursue fast, and lack the refined scheduling of the Oscars, it will be equally difficult to defend the title this year.
Between emphasizing that Oscar, who is playing faster and not being fast, how to find a good balance between Muscat, who wants to lead the team to defend the title?