Xie Pengfei has been in a troubling situation of late, with his lackluster performances seemingly closely linked to a lack of fixtures. As we enter the second half of the 2024 season, his role at Shanghai Shenhua has slipped from that of a starter to that of a substitute. Since September, he has made only nine appearances on the Shenhua bench, accumulating a total of 133 minutes with no goals or assists. At the same time, the player who once wore the No. 10 of the national football team, in the team coached by coach Ivan, the chances of being selected are also becoming more and more scarce.
Xie Pengfei's style of soccer seems to struggle with Ivan's tactical blueprint. In the Chinese Super League, he is touted as a technically proficient frontcourt core, but athletic and defensively he is out of his depth. Because of this, Ivan did not include him in his lineup for the recent Top 18 tournament. Coupled with his place on the bench at Shanghai Shenhua, Xie Pengfei's position in the national team has become increasingly precarious.
In fact, if the 31-year-old Xie Pengfei still harbors soccer dreams and is looking for a breakthrough, then he should probably find another way out next season. If he stays at Shanghai Shenhua, he will be confined to the bench for the rest of his career. Shanghai Shenhua's midfield is already highly dependent on foreign aid, and a local attacking midfielder like Xie Pengfei can only suffer the fate of being a substitute. The longer he sits on the bench, the more likely Xie Pengfei's form will deteriorate, creating a vicious cycle.
