Shandong Taishan has recently managed to resolve the issue with Leonardo, but Shi Ke, who is even more troublesome than Leonardo, is now a burden that the club finds hard to shake off. They are unable to sell him or find a team willing to take him on loan, causing significant headaches for the club.
Shi Ke was well-regarded during his time at Hangzhou Greentown's youth training program, where he was considered a promising talent. Later, when he played for Shanghai Port, he performed well and even helped the team win the league championship in 2018. At that time, no one could have predicted his current situation.
Hao Wei recognized Shi Ke's abilities and brought him to Shandong Taishan, offering him a substantial contract of 1 plus 4 years. This decision seemed reasonable at the time, considering Shi Ke's strong performance at Shanghai Port.
During his first two years at Shandong Taishan, Shi Ke lived up to expectations, starting in almost every match and performing well defensively. Fans had positive opinions about him during this period.
However, from last year onwards, Shi Ke's form began to decline, with an increasing number of mistakes. Sometimes, he would make several low-level errors in a single game, causing fans to shake their heads in disbelief.
In this year's AFC Champions League match against Yokohama F. Marinos, Shi Ke's performance was shocking. As an experienced player, he made numerous mistakes in just one game.
At the beginning of the match, Shi Ke made a catastrophic error by backpassing outside the penalty area to Wang Dalei, only to pass it directly to the feet of the opposing forward, Lopes. If not for Wang Dalei's quick reflexes, the ball would have been lost.
Even more absurdly, at the 24th minute of the game, Shi Ke suffered a sudden injury while defending the opposing forward and stopped pursuing the play. Once again, Wang Dalei had to step in to save the day.
This level of performance has led the coaching staff at Shandong Taishan to lose confidence in him. He now mostly sits on the bench, occasionally playing for a few minutes.
The problem with Shi Ke is not just his declining technical ability; his temperament has also deteriorated. He sometimes gets into arguments with fans over minor comments.
Shandong Taishan is currently trying to sell or loan out Shi Ke, but other teams, considering his current form and age, are unwilling to take him on.
For Shandong Taishan, they can only wait until the contract expires next year to resolve this issue. Until then, they must continue to pay his salary.
Shi Ke's situation is quite common in the Chinese Super League (CSL). Many players experience a decline in form as they age, yet their contracts remain, leaving clubs with limited options.
With the overall level of the CSL declining, veterans like Shi Ke are finding it increasingly difficult to secure new teams, often waiting until their contracts expire before moving on.
For young players, Shi Ke's experience serves as a warning. Career planning is crucial, and they should not focus solely on immediate contracts.
Shandong Taishan is also reevaluating its recruitment strategy and may become more cautious in the future, avoiding giving players excessively long contracts.
Shi Ke's strained relationship with fans is another reason for his difficult situation. Without fan support, it's challenging for a player to maintain their standing within the team.
Some fans believe that Shi Ke is simply going through the motions, secure in the knowledge that his contract protects him from unemployment. While this view may be extreme, it does reflect certain issues.
For professional players, maintaining a good relationship with fans is essential, as fan support can influence club decisions.
Currently, Shi Ke is trapped in a vicious cycle: the worse his form, the less support he receives from fans; the less support he gets, the worse his mentality becomes, leading to even poorer performances.