Zhejiang Team Enters Winter Break: Major Roster Overhaul and Strategic Decisions
After entering the winter break, Zhejiang Team is not only looking to strengthen its lineup but also to overhaul its existing roster. This includes players who performed averagely last season and are likely to be cleaned out and adjusted by the Zhejiang Club.
According to a well-informed sports blogger, there are four disappointed Zhejiang Team players who are highly likely to be cleaned out and adjusted, leaving the team in the new season. These four players are Gu Bin, Wang Dongsheng, Jin Haohang, and Zheng Xuejian. The scale of this cleaning and adjustment is quite drastic.
Let's start with Gu Bin, the 33-year-old veteran midfielder who made 11 appearances in the Chinese Super League last season, starting 5 times. Despite limited playing time, he contributed an impressive 1 goal and 2 assists for the team. Technically, Gu Bin is experienced and has his own rhythm in midfield distribution. He can rely on years of accumulated game sense to stabilize possession in key moments and play a role in controlling the team's offensive tempo. However, as age catches up with him, his physical disadvantages become more apparent, with insufficient endurance under high-intensity confrontations. In a tight schedule, he often struggles to maintain high-level performance in the latter stages. Zhejiang Team is letting him go to inject fresh blood into the midfield. Younger players' vitality and drive can bring a faster pace change to the team; on the other hand, it also optimizes the salary structure, investing funds into the cultivation of players with greater potential.
Wang Dongsheng, 27 years old, played as a defender last season, making 22 appearances with 11 starts and contributing 1 assist. Wang Dongsheng has strong defensive awareness and excellent positional sense. He can accurately predict opponents' passing routes during one-on-one defense and timely interrupt attacks. However, his weakness lies in not being physically tough enough, making it easy for him to lose position when facing powerful forwards. The team may introduce defenders with better physical qualities in the new season to deal with different styles of opponents. By letting Wang Dongsheng go, the team can strengthen the overall hardness of the backline, providing more security in defending high balls and strong breakthroughs, reducing defensive risks.
Jin Haohang, a 25-year-old young defender, made only 6 substitute appearances last season. He is fast and has strong recovery ability, putting pressure on opponents' wing breaks from the full-back position. However, his technique is not delicate enough, and his cross quality is poor, resulting in limited contributions to the team's offense. Zhejiang Team is letting him go to find a more balanced full-back who can both restrain opponents defensively and deliver precise passes when the team needs to open up the flanks, enriching the team's tactical system.
Finally, let's talk about Zheng Xuejian, 23 years old, who did not get any playing opportunities last season and became a spectator for the team. This means that under the current competitive system of the team, he has not yet shown enough ability to impress the coach. Perhaps his performance in training did not meet expectations, and with abundant midfield talent in the team, Zhejiang Team chose to let him leave to seek new opportunities, which is also a natural decision to streamline the squad and make the locker room atmosphere more compact and efficient.
In summary, Zhejiang Team's adjustments to these players during the winter break are not arbitrary. Looking at the overall development of the team, they are comprehensive considerations combining tactical upgrades, salary management, and player development. Letting them go is to clear redundancy, allowing the team to embark lightly with a new and more competitive lineup to face the challenges of the new season. We look forward to Zhejiang Team's impressive performance in the upcoming new season.