The 2023 Chinese Super League season is winding down, and before we know it, the final round of matches is about to kick off. Shandong Luneng are at home to Henan Jianye, and no matter what the result is, it's almost certain that they'll be sitting in second place in the Chinese Super League.
Looking at the whole season, Shandong Luneng's performance has fluctuated, but under the leadership of Korean coach Cui Kangxi, the team's overall status has been maintained quite stable. Facing the trough at the beginning of the season, Cui Kangxi skillfully reversed the team's decline.
On the forward line, the rise of rising star Xie Wenneng has been a highlight of the season for Shandong Luneng. Although he was once overlooked until the end of the season when he was rehired by Cui Kangxi, Xie Wenneng scored 4 goals in only 8 games, demonstrating an offensive efficiency rarely seen in young players.
In contrast, another player's experience is very different. Hu Jinghang, the former star of the national football team and transferred to Shandong Luneng from Shanghai Harbor, has become the team's "chicken ribs" this season. In Cui Kangxi's tactical system, Hu Jinghang rarely had the opportunity to play, only three times in 29 rounds of the Chinese Super League, and all in the game at the end of the bench.
Fans familiar with Hu Jinghang may know that the soccer prodigy nurtured by the Genbao Soccer Base was once one of Xu Genbao's prized pupils. As a striker, Hu possessed excellent physical qualities and speed, and was promoted to the Shanghai Port team at the age of 18. In 2017, he went on loan to Henan Jianye, ushering in the peak of his career. That season, he made 27 appearances, contributing three goals and four assists, showing amazing ability and destructive power in front of goal.
Hu Jinghang, as a local player of the Chinese Super League, was called up by the U23 national team several times and became a hopeful star of the national soccer team, attracting much attention. However, in the next few seasons, he gradually fell into the fringe of the Chinese Super League. Especially after joining Shandong Luneng this year, under Cui Kangxi's command, he was even more neglected and became a dispensable player.
Now 26-year-old Hu Jinghang is in the prime of his career, but at this critical moment was neglected, his talent failed to get due display. In the face of such an embarrassing situation, people can not help but feel sorry for the former national soccer hopeful.
