Thanks to Wu Lei's outstanding performance, Shanghai Port successfully counterattacked with a score of 3-1 at home, defeating Wuhan's Three Towns team. Not only did it earn Muscat his first Super League victory, but it also marked the first of his Harbour career.
Muscat, who made his debut in charge of Harbour, lost to Shenhua in the Super Cup, and missed the opening of his career. According to **, when the team has an injury crisis, when the three main players of Gustavo, Li Shenglong and Jiang Guangtai are absent, Muscat's self-centered strategy is not advisable.
Chen Hua, a well-known journalist, analyzed, "Although Muscat only has 3 foreign players in his hands, he still firmly chooses to attack on the ground and launches a fierce attack with Shenhua, which is equipped with 5 foreign aids, which seems to have a certain idealistic color." ”
It wasn't until after the Super Bowl defeat that Harbour signed fifth foreign player Chitadini. It is important to note that Gustavo, Rusa, Shen Zigui and Wang Zhenao all joined as freelancers, while Citardini joined on a lease basis. Even so, Harbour are still considered the favourites to win the title this season.
It is worth mentioning that the first opponents of the harbor in the Chinese Super League for three consecutive seasons are all from Wuhan Three Towns. In the first round of the 2022 season, Harbour lost 0-1 at home to Wuhan, while Xu Xin left the field due to red staining. In the opening round of last season's Chinese Super League, Harbour defeated defending champions Wuhan Three Towns 2-0 away.
The home side of the Harbour continued their slump in the Super Cup, opening the scoring in the 19th minute of the match with Wuhan Three Towns. Lu Wenjun was swept by Wu Lei to score the first goal of the Harbour season when he was heading in the 31st minute.
In the first half, the two veterans, Zhang Linpeng and Lu Wenjun, were injured and retreated. In the 75th minute of the game, Wu Lei scored a winning goal with a header. In two minutes of stoppage time, Wang Chao broke through with his head and sealed the victory for the harbor. After defeating Wuhan Three Towns, Shanghai Port ushered in a good start to the Chinese Super League and kicked off the title defense. It was also Muscat's first win in charge of Harbour.
At the same time, Harbour also broke the curse of winless at home, winning for the first time in the Chinese Super League after September 15, 2023. The second is that in the 2022 season, after being killed by Wuhan Three Towns at home and away, Haigang defeated Wuhan Three Towns three times. When the Super League got off to a good start, the harbor also exposed a series of problems. First, the harbor failed to solve the problem of replacement last season, under the leadership of Wu Lei, the Chongming Six Tigers are 1 year older, except for Oscar, it is unclear whether foreign aid can play a role.
The second is that it will take time for Muscat to let the players understand the tactical system, but judging from the first two games, the older Harbour main team is obviously a little difficult. Liu Wenchao, a well-known journalist, analyzed, "Things that have just started have not yet matured, and things that are immature will bring turmoil, because things that have just started are still focused on control, and once they are fragile, opponents will come to attack." ”
However, as long as Harbour continue to win, the confidence of the players will grow and Muscat's problems will gradually be resolved. Come on Harbor!