"That's right, it's a shame today. As a veteran player, I apologize to the fans in Shandong. I'm sorry to have wronged you! On the evening of July 6, Shandong Taishan team lost to Shanghai Shenhua with a huge score of 0-6 and lost to the beach. The fans of the Taishan team, who witnessed the fiasco at the scene, shouted "Shame on you" after the game to express their dissatisfaction. Taishan team goalkeeper Wang Dalei spoke out late at night and apologized to the fans.
For all those who care about and love the Tarzan team, it is destined to be a sleepless night.
On the morning of July 7, the Taishan team issued an apology letter through its official social media account to apologize to the fans. In the apology letter, the Taishan team wrote: "The team's recent poor results have made all fans who care about and support the Shandong Taishan team feel extremely disappointed and sad. The club sincerely accepts criticism from all walks of life and sincerely apologizes to the fans. At the beginning of the season, the Taishan team once made the majority of fans full of hope and pride, but the performance in recent times has been worrying. Clubs and teams have been trying to solve various difficulties and problems. We will take this painful defeat as a lesson, learn lessons, reflect deeply, conscientiously summarize, truly identify the causes and solutions to the problems, restore morale, and make every effort to play every game. ”
This letter of apology shows the attitude of the team. But what fans are more concerned about is undoubtedly the team's next move. There are three big questions about the future of this team.
How does the "Summer Window" adjustment work?In the away game against Shanghai Shenhua, there are still only two foreign aides in the starting list of the Taishan team, Cressan and Kazaishvili. In stark contrast, Shanghai Shenhua sent five foreign aides to the battle. In this big win, Shanghai Shenhua's five foreign players showed their skills - Malele scored a hat-trick for the first time in the Chinese Super League, Luiz scored again after two months, and Manafa contributed an assist.
In the last round of the game, the Taishan team sent three foreign players in the starting lineup. Beijing Guoan, which was fighting at home, sent five foreign aids. Fabio and Adebenro teamed up to contribute a "lightning double attack" after the opening to help Beijing Guoan win the second round of this season's "Jinglu Battle". Taishan foreign player Judson was injured in the game and left the field. In this way, the Taishan team can only start with double foreign aid in the "Battle of Lushen".
For the team's use of foreign aid, "less enemy more", Taishan fans have become accustomed to it. The Chinese Super League has officially entered the "era of five foreign aids" this season. However, Taishan fans rarely have the opportunity to see the team send five foreign players at the same time. Statistics show that the Taishan team is the team with the lowest "foreign aid utilization rate" in the Chinese Super League, and there is no one. And the total playing time of the foreign aid of the Taishan team, "cliff-like" lags behind the second-to-last team in the Super League in this statistical situation. The disadvantage in the number of foreign aid makes the Taishan team fall behind in strength against the championship team, and it is difficult to occupy an absolute advantage on the field against the relegation team.
Pato was embarrassed, Judson suffered frequent injuries, and "Jinan Guy" Delgado played as a foreign aid...... The problems of the Taishan team in the allocation of foreign aid are really unacceptable to fans. And these problems also directly affected the performance of the Taishan team.
For the Taishan team, the "summer window" is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to adjust. But so far, the Taishan team has only officially announced the "return date" of Brazilian center forward Zeka. According to the plan, Zeka, who has returned from injury, will arrive in Jinan on July 20. But how long it will take him to regain his form is still a question mark. Cayo, a midfielder from Sporting Brasil, has already arrived for a tryout. The 21-year-old has been playing in Brazil and has no overseas experience. Whether his ability will be recognized by the coaching staff and whether he can help the team is unknown for the time being.
After the "Battle of Lushen", Taishan team coach Cui Kangxi said when talking about the topic of recruitment: "Regarding the introduction of players, we have to communicate with the team again. "In less than 10 days, the "summer window" will close. If the Taishan team can't use the "summer window" to complete the reinforcement, it will still be trapped in the old problem of "less enemy more" in the next game.
Can the rejuvenation process be promoted?The phenomenon that young players rarely have the opportunity to play is also difficult for many Taishan fans to accept. In the away game against Shanghai Shenhua, Jia Feifei and Abdul Suli came on as substitutes in the second half of the game. But this is more like a temporary arrangement made by the coaching staff for the next round of games, rather than out of early planning.
Due to the task of the AFC Champions League, the Taishan team is the first team in the entire Chinese Super League to start the new season. The team was exhausted and plagued by injuries. After the break, the Tarzan team suffered a four-game winless run in the league. In these 4 games, the team has scored only 2 goals and conceded 10 goals.
At present, it seems that the Taishan team is gradually falling behind in the league and has withdrawn from the battle for the title of the Chinese Super League this season. Now that there is little hope of "winning now", does the Taishan team need to plan for the future and give more opportunities for young players to play? In recent times, many Taishan fans have been calling on the team to actively promote the youth of the team. The team's coaching staff remained unmoved and still insisted on the "regular rotation". But it turns out that the physically and mentally exhausted "regular rotation" is no longer able to play to the level of the opening stage of the season. And the "30+" veterans brought in by the team in the offseason are also difficult to continue to contribute on the court.
Players such as Xie Wenneng, Jia Feifei, Abdu Rousuli, Yu Jinyong, and Mai Wulang are all leaders in their age groups. If they are given more playing time, they have every chance to grow faster. Keeping the squad young in an orderly manner will also help the team stay competitive in the future.
For a professional team, it's either about the results of the present or about the future. Will the Taishan team, which has no hope of winning the championship and worrying about relegation, start the "training plan" in the next Chinese Super League? It's worth paying attention to.
Is there any clarity on the future plan?After the fiasco, Chen Yong, a senior reporter of the "Football" newspaper, wrote an article saying that the score of 0-6 was the superposition of all the negative factors affecting the Taishan team: "From the overall operation of the club and the share reform and funds, there have been big problems after the share reform, and the funds have always been at the critical point. ”
No matter from which point of view, the management and coaching staff of the Taishan team need to solve the existing problems in a timely manner and adjust the overall mentality and game status of the team as soon as possible.
On July 13, the Taishan team will sit at home in the 19th round of the Chinese Super League to face Qingdao Manatee. On July 17th, the Taishan team will be a guest in Qingdao and stage the FA Cup version of the "Qilu Derby" with the west coast of Qingdao. And on August 13, the Taishan team will usher in the AFC Champions League classic play-offs, hosting Thai team Bangkok United. If they win against Bangkok United, Taishan will advance to the main stage of the AFC Champions League Classic. If they can't win, Taishan will also play in the second division of the AFC Champions League.
In the case that the team has no hope of winning the league championship, Taishan fans expect the team to make a difference in the FA Cup and AFC Champions League. However, if the Taishan team cannot solve the problem as soon as possible and make a clear plan for the future, it will be difficult to have a good state to deal with the challenges brought by the FA Cup and the AFC Champions League. Judging from the results of the draw for the FA Cup, the Taishan team has good luck, and the fans of the Taishan team hope that the team will not live up to such luck.
On July 7, Beijing time, in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Copa America, Uruguay eliminated Brazil through a penalty shootout. At the pre-match press conference, Uruguay coach Bielsa was somewhat pessimistic about the fact that as football becomes more and more commercial, the appeal of the sport will continue to decrease. For Bielsa, the proliferation of short video clips and highlights of all kinds has made football more accessible, but it has also obscured the essence of the game: "Football is more than just five minutes of excitement. Football is much more than that – it's a cultural expression, a way of identity......"
Whether Bielsa's argument is well founded is a matter of course, but football is a cultural expression, a form of identity, as he claims. Just like the Taishan team, it is not just a football team, a veteran team with a long history and glorious tradition, she is the love and belief of many people, and the emotional connection between many Shandong people in a foreign land and their hometown. In every away game of the Taishan team, there will always be fans who are unfamiliar with each other in the away team's fan area, speaking familiar country accents, singing unified war songs, fighting side by side, like brothers and sisters. The south and the north of the world, all over the world, the world Qilu, the same vein "orange". This, but the Tarzan team!
All Tarzan fans are looking forward to the team getting out of the predicament as soon as possible and getting back on the right track, looking forward to a rainbow in the clear sky after the storm, and everyone is honored for her.
Reporter: Yao Zheng Editor: Li Fujie Photographer: Sun Changqing Proofreader: Li Li