Shuffling Continues! The first departure in 2025 is officially announced, sidelining Choi Kang-hee, and the World Cup captain lands at Mount Tai.
Why did Pato leave? How was Choi Kang-hee "sidelined"? With the addition of the World Cup captain, can this Shandong Taishan team return to its former glory? At the beginning of 2025, Shandong Taishan has been exposed to big news one after another. First, Pato announced his departure, then the power of head coach Choi Kang-hee was weakened, and the addition of World Cup star Aboubakar reignited fans' hopes. On one side is the team's reorganization drama, and on the other side is the management game behind it. Taishan's winter looks more exciting than the matches.
At the beginning of 2025, Pato released a retirement statement through his personal Weibo, thanking the club and fans in the article, but it can be seen from the lines that this journey was not smooth. This superstar who once dominated the European arena has been lukewarm since joining Taishan, far from meeting external expectations.
Pato's departure is actually not surprising. Data doesn't lie: throughout the 2024 season, his goal count was meager, and he often disappeared in key moments. Even though his personal ability is still there, he never integrated into Taishan's tactical system. He is a technical player who needs the whole team to revolve around him, but Taishan's past tactical core was obviously not like this.
Some say this is a problem of "incompatibility"; others think that Taishan relies too much on foreign aid without considering the players' personalities and actual fit with the team. I tend to agree with the latter. Pato's failure is not entirely his own problem, but rather the club's pursuit of big-name effects in recruitment while ignoring what kind of players the team needs. The fame of superstar players is a halo, but sometimes the halo can become a burden.
Soon after the news of Pato's departure broke, rumors about Choi Kang-hee being sidelined quickly topped the hot search. According to internal sources, the club reduced his authority in transfers and renewals, which is equivalent to "promoting in name but demoting in reality," turning this famous coach into a "puppet" with hollowed-out power.
Who is Choi Kang-hee? This Korean master coach coached Jeonbuk Hyundai for many years, helping the team win multiple K League titles and was even the champion coach of the 2016 AFC Champions League. His tactics are known for stable defense and quick counterattacks, and he is very good at leading teams with balanced overall abilities. However, such tactics seem incompatible with Shandong Taishan.
From the 2023 season to the 2024 season, Choi Kang-hee's team tactics have always been criticized for being too conservative. In the CSL, which relies on powerful foreign aid, his tactics seem too restrained. Especially when the team gets stuck, his lineup lacks highlights, often making fans feel helpless.
And this power reduction is not only a challenge to him personally but also a game of management within the club. Some people might say this is "letting professionals do professional things"; others believe it is due to excessive interference from the club's management in the coach. No matter how you look at it, Choi Kang-hee's position in Taishan is already precarious.
In the midst of the storm of team adjustments, Shandong Taishan welcomed a heavyweight new recruit - Cameroon's World Cup captain Aboubakar. This shooter, who gained fame during the World Cup, is known to fans for his passionate personality and key goal-scoring ability.
During the 2022 World Cup, his decisive goal against Brazil made the world remember his name. Although he later received a red card for celebrating by taking off his shirt, this "wildness" has instead become part of his personal brand.
However, Aboubakar's addition is not without controversy. There is no doubt about his personal ability, but whether this strong personal style can integrate into Taishan's overall system is still unknown. Moreover, such passionate players need a stable environment to perform better. And Taishan, with its internal conflicts, does not seem to be his ideal destination.
In addition to Pato, veterans like Tong Lei and Liao Li-sheng have also been successively included in the "cleaning" list. Tong Lei was once an outstanding right-back, but injuries and tactical adjustments have made his performance far worse than before. And Liao Li-sheng, once hailed as "Zheng Zhi's successor," had an unremarkable performance at Taishan.
The departure of these players is not only a signal of Taishan's renewal but also makes people feel the cruelty of professional football. Heroes grow old, newcomers emerge, this is the inevitable process of a team's development. But the key is that Taishan needs a clearer strategy, not just simple "blood replacement."
At the same time, Taishan's new recruits are also eye-catching. The 24-year-old Brazilian young midfielder Madruga became famous for scoring a Puskás Award-winning goal. He is known as the "midfield metronome," with outstanding attacking ability and solid organizational skills. More importantly, his arrival has brought vitality and hope for the future to the team.
Compared to Aboubakar's dazzling starlight, Madruga may be more suitable to be the core of Taishan's future. After all, a stable midfield is more important to a team than a pure frontline superstar.
Taishan's goal for this season is already very clear: to overthrow Shanghai Port and compete for the league championship. In the past two seasons, the Port team has always been Taishan's biggest competitor, but with the departure of foreign players like Oscar, the Port's strength is far less than before.
In contrast, Taishan's operations in this winter window are obviously more proactive. If they can quickly integrate their lineup at the beginning of the season, they will have a chance to take the initiative in the new season. However, football matches are never just a contest of paper strength; stable tactical execution and internal management are equally critical.
Choi Kang-hee's plight is actually not an isolated case. Looking at Chinese football as a whole, the conflict between coaches and management has long been commonplace. For example, Evergrande replaced the coach directly due to disagreements between Fabio Cannavaro and the top management. Such a division of power often leads the team into endless turmoil.
Shandong Taishan's current management issues, on the surface, are Choi Kang-hee's "loss of power," but in fact, it is a strategic direction issue for the entire club. If a trust mechanism cannot be established between the coach and management, even if the recruitment is big-name and the lineup is luxurious, the final result may still be disappointing.
In the new season, Shandong Taishan has reached a new crossroads. Every match is an answer sheet, and the content of this answer sheet is not just the victory or defeat on the field but also the wisdom of management outside the field.
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