In the second round of the AFC Elite League, Shanghai Seaport lost 0-3 to South Korean powerhouse Pohang Ironmen on the road, a result that surprised many fans on the night of October 1st. After the match, Shanghai Seaport's head coach Muscat gave an in-depth analysis of the game in a press conference.
Muscat's expression was unusually calm in the face of the 0-3 loss. He frankly said that a loss is a loss and there is no need to make excuses for a game. In contrast, some coaches always look for all kinds of excuses after a loss, and Muscat's mentality is admirable.
Muscat pointed out that although Shanghai Seaport showed good offensive momentum in the game and created many chances in the first half, they failed to capitalize on the good opportunities to score. If those chances had been seized, the result of the match could have been different. As to why Shanghai Seaport lost the game, Muscat also told the reason.
According to Muscat, the main reason why Shanghai Seaport failed to win was because Pohang Ironmen played much better in the second half, which made Shanghai Seaport have to accept the fate of defeat. Although on the surface he said that Pohang Ironmen played better in the second half, he was actually implying that Shanghai Seaport's performance in the second half was unsatisfactory. It was the poor second half performance that led to the final 0-3 loss.
Why did Shanghai Seaport perform so differently in the first and second halves? Muscat did not give a specific explanation. However, those who know the game know that it is closely related to Muscat's tactical arrangement.
This season, Muscat has pushed the passionate attacking tactics of the whole team at Shanghai Seaport. He is keen to start a fierce battle with the opponents, eager to put them in a difficult situation. However, this kind of tactic often leads to excessive physical exertion of the players. If the first half can quickly solve the battle, Shanghai Seaport may be able to win easily; however, if the first half fails to break the stalemate, Shanghai Seaport may be in trouble in the second half when they are physically exhausted. Considering that the overall strength of the Chinese Super League teams is limited, most of them are not the rivals of Shanghai Seaport. Therefore, Muscat's tactics have suffered many defeats in the Chinese Super League, and this tragic defeat to Pohang Ironmen is a wake-up call for the manager.
In this match, if Muscat could adjust his tactics, lower the tempo of the attack and focus on defensive counterattacks, there might have been a different result. Therefore, the 0-3 loss in this match will hopefully wake up Muscat so that he can adjust his tactics and formation more scientifically and flexibly in the future.
