How should Premier League teams lay out their plans to face the challenge of the AFC Champions League in the coming years? This is undoubtedly a tricky question, but it is also a reality that teams competing for league and cup titles must face. Take Shandong Taishan for example, when they encountered a bottleneck in their Champions League campaign, they resolutely shifted their focus to the AFC Champions League and the F.A.C.A. Cup, and are now doing well on both fronts. However, what cannot be ignored is Shandong Taishan's desire to win in the AFC Champions League, where they often have to give 150% or even 200% of their league effort to compete with the best teams from Japan, South Korea and Italy.
Looking back on Shandong Taishan's performance in the AFC Champions League over the past year, behind every victory is a reflection of the players' high-intensity struggle and physical exhaustion. Even if the team lineup is deep, which team in the Chinese Super League dares to claim that a set of lineups can dominate the AFC Champions League? Therefore, the Chinese Super League team in the future of the Asian Championship journey, must pay attention to tactical adjustments and willpower development, and make wise strategic choices between games. This is not for nothing. Yokohama Mariners and Jeonbuk Hyundai, who made a splash in the AFC Champions League last year, are ranked 10th in the league and 10th in the same position.
As one seaport fan put it, "the AFC Champions League is a litmus test," yet it is a litmus test that often costs teams dearly as well.
