On the late autumn night of November 27th, the fifth round of the East Asian Champions League saw Chinese Super League powerhouse Shanghai Shenhua take on South Korea's K-League side Gwangju on the road. After a thrilling battle, Shenhua suffered their first defeat of the season and their second loss in the AFC Champions League, slipping to sixth place in the East Asian region in the standings, and the road to promotion was foggy for a while.
This battle is not only a severe test of Shenhua's technical and tactical skills, but also an exposure of the team's long-term lack of real-world experience. After the match, Shenhua manager Slutsky analyzed the key to the team's loss in the press conference.
Slutsky said that Shenhua lagged behind in terms of offense and defense transition and speed in the match against Gwangju. He said: "Watching the whole game, we were slow in both offense and defense, and it was difficult for us to synchronize with our opponents. Gwangju showed a faster tempo and stronger teamwork, making us look slightly passive on the pitch."
Slutsky's speech was directed at the current situation of the team, and he believed that Shenhua's form was low due to the long period of time they hadn't participated in official matches. He believes that the players' on-field rhythm is obviously behind the opponents, and the starting players and substitutes are difficult to quickly adapt to the game rhythm, which makes Shenhua's offense and defense are not smooth enough, and fail to play to the strength of the team. Slutsky's words can be regarded as the crux of Shenhua's defeat to Gwangju.
Talking about the team's performance, Slutsky pointed out that "the players were a bit slow in the game, and there was a gap between their reaction speed and the frequency of their movements and those of the opponents. This put us at a disadvantage when we were fighting for the ball, defending against the opposing team's attacks and counterattacks. In addition, our lack of passing and receiving accuracy further exacerbated the passive situation on the field."
Although Slutsky led the team to a loss, he still has confidence in the team. He emphasized that Shenhua players will be more clear about their deficiencies and room for improvement after the loss. Next week, the team will return home to meet the challenge of the AFC Champions League, facing the lowest ranked team in East Asia, South Korea's Ulsan HD, Shenhua is expected to meet the game in a higher state of mind. According to the schedule of the elite AFC Champions League, Shenhua's home match against Ulsan HD is very likely to be a win as long as they play at their normal level. Let's hope Shanghai Shenhua will not disappoint the Chinese fans again.
