On May 11, Tianjin Jinmen Tigers will host league leaders Shanghai Shenhua in the 11th round of the Chinese Super League. This game is also the 100th game of Jinmen Tigers coach Yu Genwei in charge of the team.
Over the past three years, the Jinmen Tigers have grown from a team that barely relegated to a team that no opponent in the Chinese Super League dares to underestimate.
In this process, Yu Genwei's guidance is naturally indispensable. On the occasion of the milestone of 100 games of coaching, Yu Gui also expressed his gratitude to the fans of Tianjin Gate for their continuous support.
Yu Genwei
Head coach of Tianjin Jinmen Tigers football team
I don't have much to say other than thanks, because there are a lot of loyal fans who have really supported me and the team a lot along the way. I know you have high expectations for this team and for me and I think I and the team will definitely continue to maintain our style, keep some of our plans and we can work together to play well in the next games.
Before this game of special significance, the Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, who were previously absent due to injury, Kompagno and Grant, the two foreign aids, recovered from injuries more ideally.
Among them, Kompagno, who has been with the team, has been able to train with the team for part of the team, but it is still unknown whether he will be able to play in this round.
Yu Genwei
Head coach of Tianjin Jinmen Tigers football team
Vincent Kompagno is recovering well and has been part of the training session with the team this week, but I think he may not be up to the game and we need to be careful. Grant has returned to Tianjin today, and after further diagnosis, he will have an updated plan for his condition, whether it will be surgery or not. All in all, both players have been very positive since their injuries and want to recover as soon as possible and come back to the team to help the team.
In his 100th game in charge of the Jinmen Tigers, the team will also face a severe test. After ten rounds of the 2024 Chinese Super League, Shanghai Shenhua grabbed 26 points and led the standings with an unbeaten record of 8 wins and 2 draws.
At both ends of the pitch, Shenhua's 25 goals were less than Shanghai Port's 27 and conceded just four goals in ten games, with the defensive performance topping the top 16 in the Chinese Super League.
In addition, Shanghai Shenhua's offensive statistics such as shots, shots on target, key passes, and goal opportunities created are also among the best in the Chinese Super League, and their position as a leader is well deserved.
Yu Genwei
Head coach of Tianjin Jinmen Tigers football team
We know the weight of this game because Shenhua is the best team in the first 10 rounds, so we have to have an attitude of learning and training. At the same time, I believe that this game against Shenhua will also stimulate the fighting spirit of the players, and we still hope that the players can play this game well with the best condition and the fullest spirit. I also hope we can get a good result at home.
Shenhua's data is leading and has a strong foundation of strength. This season, Shanghai Shenhua has played a 4-3-1-2 formation under the palm print of Russian coach Slutsky.
First of all, this formation is very aggressive in the defensive position of two strikers and a forward midfielder when executing high pressing tactics.
The two strikers can interfere with the ball from the opposition's two centre-backs, and the midfielders can mark the backs who are responsible for organising the tandem in the opposition lineup.
Behind them, three midfielders and two full-backs will control the other points of contact in the opposition's midfield, so Shenhua's high pressing has made many teams suffer.
In connection with the high pressing, it is a rapid transition from defense to attack. This tactical concept is no stranger to the Jinmen Tigers.
However, Shenhua relied on a stronger personnel reserve to execute more thoroughly and in layers.
Not only were the first attackers able to storm into the defensive hinterland and use their individual abilities to finish the attack, but there were also players who stepped in to provide further fire support.
Even if they adopt a dense defensive strategy and do not leave strategic depth for Shenhua, their set-piece attack is worthy of the attention of the Jinmen Tigers.
Xie Pengfei's footwork, combined with the high points of Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Shenglong and others, coupled with some tactical design, can often form a threat.
In the face of the vast majority of situations, Shenhua has a way to break the game, which is their capital to lead the Super League. In the 2023 season, Shanghai Shenhua pursued a "1-to-0 doctrine" with an average of 1.13 goals per game.
This season, their statistic has increased to 2.5 goals, and in the eight Chinese Super League games in which they have grabbed three points, except for a narrow 2-1 win over Changchun Yatai, the remaining seven games have won by at least two goals, and as many as four games with three goals or more.
Analysing Shanghai Shenhua's goal distribution, the duo of strikers Luis and Malele and striker Teixeira accounted for 18 of the team's 25 goals.
In terms of assists, these three players also contributed 6 assists together, which shows that Shenhua's offense relies heavily on the foreign trident.
In the last round against Zhejiang, Malele received two yellow cards and left the field in red, and was suspended in this round. Teixeira, on the other hand, suffered a leg injury and faced a truce.
Although the absence of these two attacking foreign players will have a certain impact on Shenhua's offensive organization, considering Shenhua's relatively thick squad reserves, the impact of their absence is limited.
Slutsky
Head coach of Shanghai Shenhua football team
It's a very important away game for us as well. We have injured players and suspended players, but it's important how we play as a team and show our quality as a team. Hopefully we can have the best tomorrow.
In the positions of Teixeira and Malele, current or quasi-international players such as Xie Pengfei, Dai Weijun and Xu Haoyang, as well as veterans such as Yu Hanchao and Cao Yunding, can be seamlessly connected.
In particular, Xie Pengfei, No. 10 of the national football team, although he only started 5 times in the first 10 rounds of the league, has scored 1 goal and 5 assists, and 1 goal and 4 assists of which all occurred in his first game.
Looking forward to the battle between Tianjin and Shanghai, Xie Pengfei is expected to replace Teixeira as the main forward of Shanghai Shenhua, and the defensive pressure that Tianjin Jinmen Tigers will face may still be very great.
With Malele and Teixeira absent, Brazilian striker Luiz is bound to take on more responsibility in attack.
So far this season, Luis has scored nine goals and four assists in his first ten league games, and has been directly involved in a total of 13 goals, the highest of any player.
Luiz also became the first player to score or assist in his first 10 Super League games since data was collected in 2012.
In terms of individual technical characteristics, Luiz is quite versatile, whether he can act as a fulcrum, play the ball for his teammates, finish the final blow in front of goal, or solve problems with his individual ability.
He also has a decent header and some speed, and his 38 shots on goal translate into nine goals, an average of 4.22 shots to score a goal.
In terms of competitive form, Luis has scored twice in the last two league games, and how to limit his performance will be a big issue for Tianjin Jinmen Tigers.
Defensively, Shanghai Shenhua's performance in the first 10 rounds of the season has been very consistent, with the average goals conceded per game dropping from 1.03 goals last season to 0.4 goals so far this season.
In the four-back system, Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Shenglong and Yang Zexiang basically maintained full attendance, only foreign aid Manafa missed the last three rounds of games due to injury, and was slightly absent, and Shenhua captain Wu Xi played a cameo right back position.
The latest news shows that Manafa has come to Tianjin with the team and is expected to return from injury in a game with Tianjin Jinmen Tigers.
Slutsky
Head coach of Shanghai Shenhua football team
Manafa is ready to play and he will be in tomorrow's squad. We've had our team miss out before, Teixeira was the first time, but as a strong team we can't rely on one or two strong signings. We have a lot of good players in the squad and we will aim to show our overall quality tomorrow.
Whether in terms of fame or ability, Yang Zexiang, who plays as a left wing-back and played for Jinmen, may be the weakest link in Shanghai Shenhua's back four.
So far in the new season, including the Super Cup against Shanghai Port, Shanghai Shenhua has only conceded a total of 4 goals in 11 official matches, but as many as 3 of these 4 goals have occurred on the left side of Yang Zexiang's guard.
In the fourth round against Changchun Yatai, Guilherme sent a cross along the way and assisted Tan Long's head to score.
As for Shenhua's goals against Wuhan Three Towns and Shanghai Port, they were all due to free kicks and corner kicks created by opponents on the right flank.
It is worth mentioning that Tianjin Jinmen Tiger's right attack is also stronger than the left. In total, 11 of the 16 goals, including free-kicks and penalties, have come from the right flank.
In terms of individual players, the main right wing-back of the Jinmen Tigers has already provided three assists tomorrow, and half of the six assists provided by Barton and Ademi combined have come from the right side.
From this point of view, if the Tianjin Jinmen Tigers can attack their weaknesses with their own strengths, they may be able to create surprises on the offensive end.
Slutsky
Head coach of Shanghai Shenhua football team
In every game, we will focus on the opponent and carefully study their technical and tactical play. We know the structure of the opponent's personnel and the quality of the opposing players, but the process of the game is difficult to predict because I know that Tianjin is a strong team, and they are very resilient in attack and defense. They have very good foreign players in the squad, there are also very good Chinese players, and a few of them are international players of the national team, so this game will not be easy.
During the race, the temperature was around 21 degrees Celsius, making it more suitable for the race.