The drums of the season are beating, and Shamrocks are showing off their strengths.
The Chinese Super League (CSL) 2021 season kicks off on April 20, and with only half a month to go, all the big players are gearing up for the season. This weekend, a number of teams will usher in the new season before the opening game of the warm-up competition to test the results of winter training. Warm-up matches do not fully reflect the strength of the team, but they are still an opportunity to get a glimpse of the team. Which team is expected to lead the pack after the first five rounds this year? Let's look for "clues" from the warm-up performance.
Although the Football Association has yet to announce the full schedule for the new season, the first round of the Chinese Super League is tentatively scheduled for five rounds on the premise of making way for the National Football League's Top 40 tournament. At present, Guangzhou, Shanghai Harbor, Beijing Guoan, Shandong Taishan is regarded as the favorite to compete for the title, while Shenzhen and Shanghai Shenhua also joined the fray. Especially the Shenzhen team, the winter window big action reinforcements, the goal is directly referring to the qualification of the AFC Champions League.
Since mid-March, the results of the warm-up matches show that Shanghai Harbor, Shenzhen and Shanghai Shenhua have the strength to hit the leaders. However, Guangzhou, the eight champion, has suffered from a lack of personnel. Shandong Taishan's recent situation is not good, only 1 win, 1 draw and 2 losses in 4 warm-up matches, conceding 13 goals, the absence of the main foreign aid has a huge impact. Beijing Guoan's two warm-up matches were poor performance, first 2:3 defeated the Central League team Nantong Zhiyun, and then 0:0 draw Zhejiang team.
Guangzhou team prepares for battle in low key as main foreign aiders fail to return
As eight-time Chinese Super League champions, Guangzhou have played a low-key season, with injuries and some players' national team training resulting in no warm-up matches. In their most recent warm-up match, Guangzhou beat Zhejiang 6-2. Currently, Guangzhou has played 4 warm-up matches with a record of 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, with their only loss coming on February 27th when they were unexpectedly defeated by Cangzhou Lions. Factors such as player injuries, Talisca and Paulinho's inability to return could lead to a decline in Guangzhou's fighting power in the new season.
Shanghai Harbor is in great shape
In contrast to Guangzhou, Shanghai's two teams have performed better in their warm-up matches, with all their foreign supporters in place. on April 3, Shanghai Seaport won 4:1 against Suzhou Dongwu in the Central League, and is undefeated in eight warm-up matches. Shanghai Seaport also beat Qingdao 3:0 and swept Shandong Taishan 5:0 in the warm-up matches they have played. The only concern for Shanghai Seaport is that foreign aid Mystorovic is out for the season due to an injury, but it will have little impact on the team as a whole. Shanghai Shenhua also beat Henan Songshan Longmen 2:1 in a warm-up match on the same day, with some of their main players absent due to national team training and injuries.
