Reporter Chen Yong reportsWhen the teams of the Chinese Super League began to review the first round of the Chinese Super League, the attention of the Taishan team had completely shifted from the league to the AFC Champions League. This Wednesday, Shandong Taishan at home against Yokohama Mariners, this is the first leg of the AFC Champions League 1 4 finals, on the 13th, Shandong Taishan will also play away against Yokohama Mariners, during the 9th, Shandong Taishan will also play in the second round of the Chinese Super League and Beijing Guoan.
The schedule is intensive, especially the opponent Yokohama Mariner also postponed the domestic game on the 9th, in this context, the goal of the Taishan team fighting at home in the first leg is naturally to win.
The match with Yokohama Mariner on March 6 was the fourth game of the season for the Taishan team, and in the previous three games, the Taishan team performed well: on February 13, the first leg of the AFC Champions League 1 8 finals lost 2-3 at home to Kawasaki Frontale; On the 20th, he defeated Kawasaki Frontale 4-2 in the second leg and advanced to the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League; On March 1, in the first round of the Chinese Super League, Shandong Taishan defeated Changchun Yatai 4-2 at home.
After two consecutive wins, the situation of Shandong Taishan is generally good. First of all, in terms of tactical system, the technical and tactical performance of the Taishan team in the two games of the AFC Champions League is completely different, the first leg of the home game, the possession rate of nearly 6 percent, the shooting data and corner kicks are much higher than the Kawasaki Frontale, and the second leg of the Taishan team possession rate is only 34%, and finally won 4-2 with excellent counterattacks. The match with Changchun Yatai was closer to the first leg of the Taishan team and Kawasaki Frontale, mainly pressing from a high position, and finally won 4-2, during which it led 4-0 at one point, and conceded 2 goals after replacing a number of main players.
Compared with last season, the tactical characteristics of the Taishan team this season are more distinct, and high pressing is the main tactic, or the tactics of the home team, but the Taishan team also has excellent counterattack ability, mainly relying on the tacit cooperation of Cressan, Kazaishvili and Pato. Generally speaking, the current tactics of the Taishan team can basically be retracted and released freely.
The six goals of the Taishan team in the AFC Champions League are Cressan 2 goals, Judson 2 goals, Fernando 1 goal, Gao Zhunyi 1 goal, and the four goals in the league came from Cressan, Judson, Kazaishvili and Pato. Needless to say, Cressan is the core attack point of the Tarzan team, and Kazaishvili, Fernando, and Pato also have some scoring ability. In addition, Judson is definitely a surprise, 3 goals in 3 games, can not only be called "defender with a knife", fans laughing at him is "Jia center".
Scored 10 goals in 3 games, the Taishan team's attack power is excellent and stable, but conceding 7 goals in 3 games is also somewhat worrying. The back and back line are the problems of the Taishan team, and the reason for this is naturally the lack of defensive experience against the Japanese team, that is, the Taishan team can rarely encounter such a fine attack as the Japanese team in the Chinese Super League, and there are also factors such as the rotation of the Taishan team in the Chinese Super League. But it is an indisputable fact that the lack of foreign aid back, coupled with the slight lack of concentration in the rotation ability of the Taishan team's defensive line, will definitely affect the quality of defense to a certain extent.
Another problem for the Taishan team comes from the schedule, and in this game at home against Yokohama Mariner on March 6, the Taishan team will definitely be able to give it their all, as there are 4 days of rest and fitness is not a big problem. However, in the game with Beijing Guoan on March 9, the Taishan team may have to rotate to a certain extent, and in the away game with the Yokohama Mariner on the 13th, it is natural to go all out, but the physical fitness may be challenged.
Because the league is suspended, the rotation of right-back is not a problem, and there are plenty of rotation players in the winger position, and the key is how Cressan, Kazaishvili and the two midfielders are rotated.
Confidence is always the first, with the AFC Champions League to advance to the quarterfinals, but also with the league to get off to a good start, the current mentality of the Taishan team is very positive. As far as the game situation is concerned, because of the schedule of the AFC Champions League 1 4 finals first home and then away, the Taishan team is naturally seeking to win at home.
Yokohama Mariners is the old rival of the Taishan team, this season's AFC Champions League group stage, the Taishan team lost 0-1 at home, 0-3 away loss, the home loss has a certain luck factor, the Taishan team hit the post twice, lost 0-3 away, the team's foreign aid Fellaini and Moises left, the team's mentality was also more fatigued at that time, and the score was not a reflection of the team's real strength.
Yokohama Mariners finished runners-up in the J-League in the 2023 season, but after the season, head coach Muscat left the team and switched to Shanghai Port, and the team's lineup, especially the defensive lineup, has also been greatly adjusted. In the previous AFC Champions League 1 8 finals, Yokohama Mariner drew home and away with Bangkok United, and finally relied on a penalty kick in extra time to advance. In the J League, Yokohama Mariner defeated promoted Tokyo Green (3rd in the J2 League last season) in the first round, lost at home to Fukuoka Hornets who finished 7th last season, and last season Yokohama Mariner beat their opponents 2-0 at home and 4-0 away.
It is widely believed that the overall strength of the Yokohama Mariner this season has decreased slightly compared to last season. Of course, the J-League competition is extremely cruel, and after two rounds, no team in the J-League has won two consecutive games, so the record does not fully explain the strength of Yokohama Marinos.
The advantage of Yokohama Mariner is also very obvious, they can play on the 13th, first at home, and secondly, they have 6 days of rest and adjustment, while Taishan only has 3 days. The two-legged blockbuster battle, for the Taishan team, in addition to the play of skills and tactics, the more important thing is the mentality and willpower.