On November 30th, Zhejiang Province was ravaged by a cold front and the temperature plummeted. In this bad snow and ice weather, Zhejiang soccer team ushered in the 28th round of the Chinese Super League: hosting Beijing Guoan.
Beijing Guoan have been in turmoil recently. In their FA Cup match against Chinese Championship side Jingchuan Wenhui, they drew with their opponents for 90 minutes, only to lose on penalties. Despite the fact that the all-Chinese team won and lost against each other, it reflects that the power gap between Chinese players is not that big. Even with many international players, the strength of the team is still in doubt.
The FA Cup controversy has sparked ridicule from fans. Some media published news about Guoan's complaint to the FA, claiming that the name of the Jingchuan Wenhui team was unneutral and asking for a change of judgment, which was obviously fabricated to attract attention. Unfortunately, there are still many people who are convinced by this.
In addition to the media, many rival fans inside and outside the stadium shouted "Jingchuan Wenhui" to disturb the players, and even appeared to write slogans and chant slogans, which affected the players' performance to a certain extent.
Nonetheless, Guoan's team performed solidly in the league. They beat Guangzhou City 2-1 in the 26th round and Shanghai Shenhua by the same score in the 27th round. Although Shenhua's strength has been reduced due to the wage arrears fiasco, their overall strength is still not to be underestimated. In the second half, Zhang Xizhe shot vigorously on goal and Zhang Yuning shot brilliantly. The two players helped Guoan to reverse the Beijing-Shanghai battle.
From an objective point of view, Guoan's team is highly anticipated with the strength of foreigners such as Adebenelo, Kang Xiangyu and Memishevich. However, the overall performance was average due to other factors. Kang Xiangyou failed to be selected for the Korean national team, Memishevich was not far from Hebei, and Adeben Lo did not play the role of a killer. This has led to an up and down record, with three consecutive losses followed by an eight-game unbeaten streak. With an impressive six wins and one loss in seven league games, Guoan quietly climbed to fifth place in the standings, tied with Zhejiang and Shanghai Port, which are battling with Chengdu Rongcheng and Henan Songshan Longmen for third place.
Looking at the last nine rounds of the schedule, Beijing Guoan's opponents are average. In addition to Zhejiang, Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Port, the other teams are all middle and lower-tier teams. From the recent state of view, as long as the normal play, Guoan fight for the third place hope is greater.
Zhejiang's schedule is roughly similar. In addition to Guoan, there are Shanghai Shenhua, Chengdu Rongcheng and Meizhou Hakka. All four of these teams drew with Zhejiang in the first round. In addition, there is also Wuhan Sanzhen, the leading team. Even though Zhejiang won in the first round, Wuhan Sanzhen will not want to lose to Zhejiang again in order to win the championship. It's a tough battle, and it won't be easy for either team to win.
Of course, the most important thing for Zhejiang is to beat Beijing Guoan at the moment to secure the lead. In the other match, Shanghai Port will play against Henan Songshan Longmen, who are currently in poor form. Therefore, if they beat Beijing Guoan, Zhejiang is expected to finish third. Third place in the league is getting closer to reality.
Zhejiang's morale is booming.
In the match against Shanghai, Zhejiang beat their opponents 2-1 in an unexpected match when Zhang Jiaqi was sent off. With one man less, the players performed more aggressively. Mu Xiekui and Evolo played a huge role. Cheng Jin's planning and attacking was just right, and Evolo's reliance on defenders to score in difficult situations was a huge achievement. Jordy was smiling even after the game and the players were very happy. Games like this are a huge asset to the team.
In the final round of the tournament, Zhejiang beat Hebei 6-1 in what could be described as a bloody battle. Of course, scoring six goals is not much for a weaker opponent. The victory was also deserved. However, Zhejiang conceded one goal in a game that still requires vigilance. Hebei made three passes and passed the ball to the front of the penalty area, and the back line was practically helpless. Zhang Wei and Gao Huaze entered no man's land and scored easily. This is worse.
Greentown veteran Gao Huazhe broke through the old main gate in a surprising move. And Zhang Wei hit the crossbar in a game where Zhejiang had almost no defense. Judging from these situations, Zhejiang has a lot of room for improvement in their defense. That's how it is against weaker teams, so what about stronger teams? If you don't pay attention to the details, it will affect the whole situation.
Therefore, Zhejiang's backline is crucial in this round against Beijing Guoan. Compared with the strongest teams in the Chinese Super League, Zhejiang's defense line has conceded 25 goals, ranking in the top four, trailing Shanghai Seaport and Shandong Taishan by 21 goals, and Wuhan Sanzhen by 22 goals. There is obviously still a gap. We must remain vigilant. And Beijing Guoan's offensive ability is particularly strong, Zhejiang team defense is more difficult.
Zhejiang drew 2-2 on the road in the first round.
It was a game of ups and downs. Zhejiang scored first by Frank and Zhang Yuning equalized. In the second half, Guoan's foreigner Daburo hit the crossbar, then Zhang Yuning scored another goal to put the game beyond reach. In the last minute, Mu Xiekui was brought down in the penalty area. After the referee watched var penalty kicks, Matthews slotted home the spot kick.
From the course of the game, Zhejiang's possession, shots and shots on goal slightly prevailed, indicating that Zhejiang's control was still good. However, the result of the game was a tie between the two sides, indicating that Zhejiang team needs to improve the ability of clinical goal. Shooting is more important, shooting is more important. Of course, in general, the number of goals scored by Zhejiang team is still relatively objective. So far this season, Zhejiang scored 50 goals in 27 rounds, only behind Wuhan Sanzhen 77 goals, and Shandong Taishan 66 goals is basically the same.
In fact, what Zhejiang lacks is the ability to finish. The league has reached the 27th round, Zhejiang has played 10 draws, tied with Changchun Yatai and Cangzhou Lions. This excessive number of draws shows that the team's determination to win is not strong enough to work out the temperament of a strong team. The initial plan was to accomplish the top ten goals, play in the upper mid-table, and recently finish in the top six.
In the third round of the World Cup, the Iranians wanted to keep the tie, but they were broken by a beautiful country. So did it keep the draw, or did it affect the victory?
This requires the club to reposition itself. It's not about making players feel afloat, it's about finding a way forward. And the game, or treating themselves as the underdogs, one game at a time.
Never shrink from a cold snap. The veterans are coming on strong and don't need to be polite on the field.
Zhejiang team, punch punch punch!
