With an unfavorable start and the main force injured, can the Jinmen Tigers reverse the decline?
The 2024 Chinese Super League season has passed 9 rounds, and Tianjin Jinmen Tigers currently have 11 points and are temporarily in 8th place in the standings. Compared with the Meizhou Hakka team in the relegation zone, the Jinmen Tigers are only 4 points higher. The unfavorable results at the beginning made the team panic. The main striker Vincent Kompagno and the core of the defense Grant have been injured and are expected to be out for a while, which undoubtedly adds to the team's defensive burden.
The Tigers brought in five foreign players this summer, including striker Vincent Kompagno, midfielder Fiorilic and defender Grant. Head coach Yu Genwei hopes to improve the team's overall tactical literacy by introducing these technical players. However, since the start of the game, the performance of foreign players has been uneven and disappointing.
As the team's top scorer, Kompagno was in hot form for a while, scoring four goals in the first five rounds. However, he has recently suffered an injury and is expected to be out for at least a month. The other main striker, Zhang Xiaotong, scored less efficiently, scoring only one goal in nine games.
Fioririch, the core of the midfield, has comprehensive skills and can be described as the brain of the team's midfield. However, in the last two games, his performance has been extremely hidden, and he is almost nowhere to be seen. It is believed that he may have been affected by some factors, such as private matters such as reuniting with his family.
At the back, Grant has been the backbone of the team, but he was injured in the last round and is likely to be out for some time. Other defensive players such as Zhang Qipeng and Wang Xiaolong performed averagely, and there were frequent holes in the defensive line.
In addition to the main foreign aid, the performance of the substitute foreign aid was also unsatisfactory. Midfielder Brazilian Kaka, striker Uruguayan Suarez and others did not play much time and it was difficult to maintain their form.
When the Jinmen Tigers introduced foreign aid, Yu Genwei's coaching staff seemed to overestimate their selection vision. Although these foreign players have good skills, they lack experience in the Chinese Super League, coupled with language and cultural differences and other factors, it is difficult to fully integrate into the team in the short term.
What's even more worrying is that in the last round of the match with Beijing Guoan, the Jinmen Tigers fell into chaos with the advantage of personnel, and could only get one point in the end. It is believed that this may have something to do with Yu Genwei's tactical set-up, and the players may not be able to understand and execute his tactical intentions.
Faced with a poor start to the game, the Jinmen Tigers began to self-reflect. Some people believe that perhaps Yu Genwei's tactical concept should be temporarily abandoned, and the all-Chinese team should return to play the main role of Chinese players. However, some people are worried that the combat strength of the all-Chinese class may be difficult to relegate.
Faced with a poor start to the game, the Jinmen Tigers began to reflect on whether Yu Genwei's tactical concept was appropriate. Some people believe that perhaps Yu Genwei's tactical arrangement should be temporarily abandoned, and the all-Chinese squad should return to fight and play the main role of Chinese players.
The argument for supporting the all-Chinese squad is that Chinese players are more aware of the intensity and pace of the Chinese Super League, and are more easily adapted than foreign players. Moreover, the all-Chinese class operation is conducive to strengthening the tacit understanding between players and improving the ability to adapt on the spot.
There were also those who were skeptical about the all-Chinese class operation. They believe that the overall strength of Chinese players is limited, and it is difficult to block foreign aid alone, and the combat strength of the all-Chinese class may be difficult to relegate. Moreover, the Jinmen Tigers spent a lot of money to bring in foreign aid this summer, and if the whole Chinese class fights, the investment of these foreign aid may be wasted.
In addition to the all-Chinese operation, there are a number of other possible countermeasures. For example, Yu Genwei can appropriately simplify tactics to reduce the psychological pressure of players; Or start foreign aid against weak teams, and fight in the all-Chinese class against strong teams, and take advantage of the situation.
Yu Genwei needs to adjust in time, otherwise the poor start will only make it worse. The next game against Henan Jianye will be a good opportunity to reverse the decline.
Henan Jianye is a midstream team, with the same strength as the Jinmen Tigers. They are currently 10th with 10 points, and the situation is not too good. This match, which is the equivalent of a civil war, is a good opportunity for both sides to get out of the situation.
Judging from the comparison of strength, Jinmen Tiger occupies a certain advantage. Their main foreign players such as Vincent Kompagno and Fioririch are strong and will be expected to contribute to the team as long as their form returns. Henan Jianye's foreign aid is of uneven quality and lacks killer features.
The injury problems of the Jinmen Tigers are also worrying. If Kompagno, Grant and others can't return from injury as soon as possible, then the team's offensive and defensive strength will be greatly reduced.
Henan Jianye is fighting on the ground, and they will go all out. The Jinmen Tigers have always had a mediocre record on the road, and if they don't win this game, the team's confidence will be further frustrated.
The chances of winning this game are five or five. For them who suffered a setback at the beginning, this is a good opportunity to turn the tide and must give it their all.
If the Jinmen Tigers can beat Henan Jianye, then the relegation situation will be optimistic again. They are currently just four points off the relegation zone and have a number of opponents remaining in the fixtures. As long as you adjust your condition, relegation is just around the corner.
If this one loses again, the situation of the Jinmen Tigers will be even worse. The point gap with the relegation zone will be further widened, and the psychological pressure will also increase day by day. At that point, the team may be stuck in a vicious circle and collapse.