The Super Cup, the first high-profile event in Chinese football in 2024, is about to kick off on February 25, and the match cleverly arranges the showdown between Shanghai's two giants, Haigang and Shenhua, adding a lot of highlights to the whole tournament. The Shanghai derby between Harbour and Shenhua undoubtedly added more spark and suspense to this game, and fans are waiting to see what happens. As the first official matchup of the new season between the two major teams in Shanghai, the Super Cup has undoubtedly attracted much attention. And a controversial poster launched by the Football Association before the game sparked heated discussions among fans. Let's dive into this matchup between Harbor and Shenhua, analyze the strength of both sides and who will have the last laugh in the end.
Ahead of the high-profile Super Cup, the Football Association has released a creative poster with a deep mystery. Harbor fans saw the eagle on the left side of the poster, which means "respect for the left", implying that Harbor will win the game; Shenhua fans believe that the poster is full of blue accents, symbolizing that Shenhua will have the last laugh. Fans from other places complained about the performance of the team emblems of the two sides in the poster, and felt that the mascots of the two sides looked a little arrogant, as if it was a carnival scene in KTV. Such multiple interpretations make the poster more mysterious and arouse heated discussions among fans.
(1) The introduction of the seaport and Shenhua Xinshuai
Both teams have welcomed the arrival of new coaches in the new season. Shenhua's new coach Slutsky showed a different style and made a splash in the Equality Cup, with the players quickly understanding and implementing the coach's intentions and showing a quick adaptation to the coach's tactics. In contrast, the new coach of the harbor, Muscat, is low-key and down-to-earth, and does not appear in public much, while although the warm-up matches of the harbor have won several victories, but these are internal games, and the outside world still has doubts about the strength of the new harbor, and the true face of Lushan is still unknown.
Expanding: It's worth noting that the impact of a new manager on a team is often far-reaching. The arrival of Slutsky has injected a new tactical concept into Shenhua, and the players have quickly implemented his coaching intentions, and this tacit understanding and cooperation relationship will be an important guarantee for Shenhua to impact all competitions in the new season. It is also interesting to see if Muscat's low-key style can lead Harbour to better results. The next game will be a test of the tactics of the two new managers, whose strategy and scheduling will have a direct impact on the team's performance.
(2) Comparison of the two sides' recruitment
In terms of recruitment, Shenhua's actions this year are quite bold, introducing international players Gao Tianyi and Xie Pengfei, as well as foreign aides Luis and Manafa, etc., and the team's internal strength has been significantly improved; The harbor is relatively low-key in terms of recruitment, only the official announcement of Shen Zigui, and other new signings such as Wang Zhenao have not yet made their official debut. Judging from the overall strength of recruitment, Shenhua seems to be ahead of Haigang in terms of foreign aid and domestic player introduction, which also makes Haigang face a greater test.
Expansion: The team's recruitment policy is directly related to the improvement of its strength. Shenhua has introduced high-level players this time, especially the joining of international players Gao Tianyi and Xie Pengfei, which has injected more vitality and strength into the team. In contrast, Harbour's relatively conservative signings show the team's trust in the existing squad on the one hand, and there may be some risks on the other. How to give full play to the role of recruiting players on the field will be one of the important factors that determine the success or failure of both sides.
(3) Comparison of the strength of domestic players
Shenhua has six active international players, including Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Shenglong, Gao Tianyi, etc., and their strength cannot be underestimated; The harbor has an international lineup including Wu Lei and Zhang Linpeng, which are also domestic powerful players. Although Shenhua has a slight advantage in terms of domestic players, the specific strength comparison and whether it can actually play its potential is also one of the suspense in the game between the two sides.
Expansion: The strength and performance of domestic players are often directly related to the team's performance on the field. The lineup of the six international players of Shenhua has a deep heritage, and their performance will directly determine the team's offensive and defensive effectiveness. The domestic players of the harbor are not inferior, Wu Lei, Zhang Linpeng and others are all powerful players, and whether they can play their best level in the game will also directly affect the overall performance of the team.
(4) Comparison of the estimated starting lineups of the two sides
Judging from the current situation, Harbour's starting lineup may be filled with players such as Gustavo, Vargas, Oscar, and Wu Lei, while Shenhua may be made up of players such as Luis, Malele, Teixeira, and Xie Pengfei. However, there are still some variables in the line-up of both sides, such as Wang Shenchao and Wei Zhen in the Harbour backline may have a chance to start, while Shenhua's left-back position has some problems and needs to be further adjusted.
Expand: The selection of the starting line-up is related to the performance of the whole team. The tactical arrangement of Harbour and Shenhua will directly determine the offensive and defensive strategies of both sides, and the on-the-spot scheduling in the game will test the wisdom and determination of the coaches of the two teams. The performance of key players such as Gustavo and Luis will determine the outcome of the game, and the "hidden dangers" and "bright spots" in their respective lineups also make people look forward to the wonderful performance of the game.
To sum up, the Super Cup matchup between Harbour and Shenhua is not only a football event, but also a contest of strength between two giant teams. The two sides have highlighted the new coach, recruitment, strength of domestic players and starting lineups, which also adds more highlights and suspense to this game. Regardless of the final outcome of the game, every detail on the pitch will make or break the difference between the two sides, so let's wait and see what the Shanghai derby will be all about. In your mind, who will win the final victory, Haigang or Shenhua? We look forward to your views and analysis.