Shandong Taishan suffered an unexpected 0-1 defeat in the AFC Champions League group stage, which not only dropped them from tied for the lead to third, but also exposed the crisis of their group exit. Yokohama Mariners' strength and Incheon United's undefeated myth have cast a shadow over Shandong Taishan's prospects. The loss in the group stage has undoubtedly made Shandong Taishan deeply reflect on their strength. The performance of the Chinese Super League (CSL) dominant team in the Asian tournament seems to reveal that the overall level of the CSL is yet to be improved. Under the leadership of Cui Kangxi, Shandong Taishan has not made a qualitative leap this season, and they are in dire need of more high-level matches to test themselves.
Nonetheless, Shandong Taishan is full of confidence for the upcoming match. Compared to the Yokohama Mariners, who have been demoralized lately, Shandong Taishan have shown a very different attitude. Their recent performance has been quite solid, with 4 wins and 1 draw in 5 matches, defeating tough opponents such as Qingdao, Kaya, Wuhan and Dalianjin. However, this loss has once again sounded the alarm about the low standard of the Chinese Super League.
Shandong Taishan seem to be caught in the illusion that there are no failures, and they desperately need to prove themselves in the AFC Champions League. Lacking quality matches, they can only find a chance to improve their strength in the Asian competition. The strength gap between domestic players and foreigners, as well as the Yokohama Mariners' local players' proximity to their foreigners, are challenges that Shandong Taishan will need to face.
Shandong Taishan team coached by Cui Kangxi did not show significant progress in this tournament. Next season, Cui Kangxi will face a more severe test, including the replacement of foreign aid, the selection of young players. How to maintain the stability of the team's strength in the turbulence will become a problem that Cui Kangxi must solve. Although Shandong Taishan team is strong in the Chinese Super League, but how to really improve the strength of the team is still a difficult problem.
However, with the limited number of matches in the AFC Champions League and the low level of the domestic league, how Shandong Taishan can improve the quality of their matches has become a major problem for Cui Kangxi. Hopefully, the Chinese Super League will improve as a whole, like Shanghai Port, and be on par with the early Serie A and now the English Premier League. The joint progress of the league and the teams, as well as the introduction of more good coaches like Cui Kangxi, will be an effective way to improve the level of the league. What do you think?
