Shandong Taishan FC is making strategic adjustments following a period of contention with the Cui Kangxi coaching team. This off-season has seen significant personnel changes, with multiple players either transferring or retiring, providing the team with more room for adjustment. The strategic shifts from foreign to domestic players are particularly evident, with the club leveraging its relationship with Brazilian sports to implement changes in foreign player recruitment. Additionally, the plan to rely on the domestic training program at Luneng Football School is taking shape.
Currently, it appears that the scale of domestic player acquisitions for Shandong Taishan will shrink significantly, and in extreme cases, they may not make any new signings at all. At least for now, all the domestic players nominated by Cui Kangxi have been rejected. Regardless of who the head coach is next season, young players are expected to receive more opportunities.
Looking solely at the current player reserves, several players should enter the Chinese Super League's radar next season. If not for the National Games, this scale would likely be even larger. However, even with the National Games, the rise of young players should still be evident. At present, there are at least five players worth looking forward to.
The most anticipated are the defensive duo of Shi Songchen and Peng Xiao, who are also the two core central defenders of the national youth team. Fans familiar with Shandong Taishan know that the team's domestic training program has been most lacking in central defenders over the years. Luneng Football School has not produced a national-level central defender in recent years, and even qualified ones are rare; Zhao Jianfei, who remains with the team, is the best example. Shandong Taishan has always relied on transfers to address the central defender position, from domestic to foreign players, a situation that has persisted for many years.
This situation has fundamentally changed due to the emergence of Shi Songchen and Peng Xiao. As captain of the national youth team, Shi Songchen has quickly grown into a core defender akin to Zhu Chenjie of Shanghai Greenland Shenhua. He is an indispensable mainstay of the team, known for his strong judgment, accurate positioning, and ability to play the ball out. His partner, Peng Xiao, has also grown rapidly and is currently Shi Songchen's best partner. Peng is physically strong, excels in duels, and has a high success rate in aerial battles. These two players' appearance can significantly improve the shortage of defensive personnel and the generational gap in Shandong Taishan's backline.
Another promising defender is Yang Ruiqi, who stands at 188 cm tall. Yang, who was loaned to Shaanxi last season, has returned to the team and is undergoing evaluation by the first team.
In midfield, the player fans are most interested in is undoubtedly Yimulan, who shone recently in national youth team matches. His precise passing has won over many discerning fans, making him the most distinctive player in terms of technical features for Team B of Shandong Taishan. As a midfield general, Yimulan has a broad vision, and many youth training coaches evaluate him as having excellent spatial awareness!
In national youth team games, he passes quickly and accurately, never hesitating, and is the decisive core of offensive organization. His potential easily reminds people of Zhou Haibin, one of the most successful products of Taishan's youth training. However, Yimulan has a stronger rhythm and faster passing speed than Zhou Haibin.
Yimulan is also a mainstay of the national youth team, missing many games last season mainly due to injuries.
The growth of Yimulan easily invites comparisons with Chen Zeshi, who already has experience in the Chinese Super League. Compared to Chen Zeshi, Yimulan's technical characteristics are more pronounced.
The tradition of tall forwards in Shandong Taishan is set to return
Among the new forwards, Lu Yongtao, who has returned from a loan spell at Nantong Zhiyun, should become an immediate contributor next season. He is also the first player from this group of newcomers to return after gaining experience in the Chinese Super League. Of course, he is also the oldest among these newcomers, with 25-year-old Lu Yongtao entering his mid-career stage. Standing at 186 cm tall, with ample size, strength, and excellent physicality, these were the features Lu Yongtao displayed at Nantong Zhiyun. Last season, he scored five goals and provided two assists, becoming the top domestic scorer for his team.
Another promising forward is Yan Hengye, who transitioned from defense to center-forward. At 190 cm tall, Yan can be seen as a corrected version of Guo Tianyu in terms of physique. With strong impact and heading abilities, he represents a new embodiment of Shandong Taishan's tradition of tall forwards.
It can be said that both Lu Yongtao and Yan Hengye are very representative of Shandong football, especially in carrying on the tradition of tall forwards, which is deeply imprinted with the Taishan team's hallmark. They both employ a standard hard-impact playing style with ample striking power.
Of course, Shandong Taishan's front line also includes Liu Guobao, who has returned from injury. He was the team's top scorer last season and the league's top scorer! He is truly someone to look forward to!
(Note: The National Games preparation and competition may restrict the playing time of young players next season.)
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