Good News, Fans' Favorite Coach Choi Kang-hee Returns to the Team, Zhang Chi Seems to Be Heading to Football School?
Hello fellow fans, your old friend Coach Choi Kang-hee has quietly returned to Shanghai with his little backpack, ready to lead our Shandong Taishan team on an impromptu winter training session! However, some players may still be dreaming, after all, they were exhausted last season, so it's understandable that they're returning late. Don't misunderstand, the players who didn't appear on the list haven't run away from home; they're just there, waiting quietly to be called upon. As for the new foreign aid, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you - he might have gotten lost on his way here, so he won't be joining the winter training squad.
This is actually normal, as some of the team's players haven't had a break and finally have some rest time. If we do well in this phase, we can still achieve great results. Now, the focus is on the return of Coach Choi Kang-hee, the favorite of the players.
Speaking of Zhang Chi, this friend seems to have a special fondness for football school and plans to go there for further studies. Our second team was utterly defeated in a friendly match against Brazilian Sports, failing to score a single goal, which is truly heart-wrenching. Zhang Chi no longer has a player contract and will look into coaching at the football school, which is also a good choice.
However, Coach Choi Kang-hee has returned, and he is the "white moonlight" in the hearts of most fans! But, there's a little secret to tell you: the team hasn't conducted a season review, meaning they haven't had time to reflect on the glories and shortcomings of last season. Moreover, the team hasn't set any new season goals for Choi Kang-hee. Why is this? You'll have to savor it yourself. A season without a summary, and transfers not discussed with Choi Kang-hee, what exactly is going on?
The new season is bound to be an interesting one, with the team's attitude towards the coach seemingly being "as long as you're happy," but not completely indifferent. As for what interesting things will happen during the winter training period, let's wait and see! The coach's position is now as stable as Mount Tai, but how the players view him is unknown. Anyway, the issue with the coach is, how much does the team like the coach? Let's see what happens next.
Some players are still enjoying their vacations, so their absence is normal. Xie Weneng should still be wandering in England; we don't know if he's going straight to the national team training or reporting back to the club first. Of course, Xie Weneng has been training to maintain his form. Some other players are also enjoying their vacations because they were really tired last season. Therefore, the final team roster will need to be confirmed in about a week.
Zhang Chi seems to be heading to the football school for further studies, but it's unclear what work he'll be doing there. Our second team suffered a crushing defeat against Brazilian Sports, with the Brazilian Sports base players performing exceptionally well. It appears there's a clear gap between our second team and these Brazilian players, leaving us with few opportunities. But this is a good thing, as the team can identify the differences and figure out how to improve our domestic players by sending them there. After all, the Brazilian Sports base has already cultivated Brazilian internationals like Bremer and Ederson, both a central defender and a midfielder, capable of producing midfield cores. Although the selection criteria aren't the same.
This match showed us the gap, but also gave us hope. If the players from the Brazilian Sports base can play for China League One teams or even make a mark in European leagues and the Brazilian league, the base will have more room for development. After all, young trainees all aspire to play professional football, and the best way to prove your abilities is to see which league your players end up in and at what level. So now, the Brazilian Sports base seems to have a clear direction: cultivate players for Europe and Brazil, and those of slightly lower caliber can go to China League One. Isn't that a suitable choice?