China News Service Client Beijing, September 12 (Bian Liqun) 1-0 victory over Wuhan Zall, the three main players missed Shijiazhuang Yongchang, in the evening of the 11th game with a little surprise to take all three points.
This night belonged to Yongchang. They won the first three-game winning streak in the Super League for the first time in team history. It happened to be the veteran Matthews who played 100 games on behalf of the team.
More importantly, after this battle, Yongchang has surpassed Zall to rank third in Group B.
As newly promoted, they are the biggest dark horses in the Super League this season.
Matthews, who scored a goal in a hundred milestones, made a 100 gesture with his teammates when celebrating the goal.
Looking at the performance of the Yongchang team so far this season, it can be described as stunning. 10 rounds of matches have 4 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses. The three teams of Guangzhou Evergrande, Shanghai SIPG and Beijing Guoan have lost more than one game. A championship-level giant team.
In the face of Guoan and SIPG in the same group, Yongchang was tied with the opponent.
Before the start of the season, Yongchang coach Gutby once said that he wanted to transform Yongchang from a promoted horse into the biggest dark horse of the Chinese Super League in the new season. Now in retrospect, perhaps the plot at this time has already laid the groundwork, but at that time, not many people were optimistic about this. The rhetoric can be fulfilled, and some fans even ridicule the remarks.
You know, Shijiazhuang Yongchang is the lowest-priced team in the Super League. According to the latest data from the German transfer market website, their value is even nearly 10 million yuan lower than that of the Chinese First-Class team Changchun Yatai.
It is such a "civilian team" that has a record second only to the top three in the Super League.
The Super League Group B standings where Yongchang is located
Yongchang has always had the "DNA" of a dark horse in its bones. In the first season of their team history in the Super League in 2015, they played the role of a dark horse. At that time, the Super League "BIG4" Evergrande, Guoan, SIPG and Luneng visited their home courts. At that time, the collective did not win.
In that season, Yongchang once ranked 5th, and then finished the season with 7th.
If it hadn’t been for another civilian team, Henan Jianye, to finish in 5th place, Yongchang would be the biggest dark horse of that season.
Five years later, Yongchang dropped to the Chinese Premier League and then promoted to the Super League. Now there is only one player left in the team, Wang Peng, who was on the team, but the dark horse temperament seems to remain unchanged.
On the German transfer market website, Yongchang has the lowest value among the Super League teams.
In fact, it is not so much that the dark horse temperament has not changed, as it is that the team's super cost-effective business model has not changed.
This season, Shijiazhuang Yongchang's local players have basically used the lineup from the Chinese League period. Wang Peng, who returned from the deep football team, and Liao Chengjian, who were introduced from the Chinese League team Heilongjiang FC, are one of the few additions to the main lineup.
In terms of foreign aid, Yongchang introduced the Ligue 1 team Metz’s abandoned player Su Zu to add defense. In the 2015 season, he briefly played for Shanghai Shenhua.
In addition, they also introduced Brazil's foreign aid Romulo to supplement the midfielder, the Golden Boot Oscar in the First Division replaced Moreno who left the team, and the foreign aids Muric and Matthews in the First Division stay in the team.
Matthews (right) holds up 100 memorial jerseys.
Image source: official photo courtesy of Chinese Super League/IC photo
Yongchang's stunning performance today is inseparable from these cost-effective foreign aids.
Su Zu, who is almost at full attendance this season, is the backbone of Yongchang's defense. He also contributed 2 goals and 1 assist on the offensive end.
Muric and Matthews are the heroes carrying this newly promoted horse. The former scored 4 goals and contributed 1 assist in 9 games. At the age of 34, he has transformed from a Cheetah in the Evergrande period to a middle class The metronome in the front court.
Almost full attendance Matthews contributed more. He scored 3 goals and 5 assists in 10 games. At the age of 37, he can often run long distances at the end of the game.
As for the Oscar, there are also 2 goals in the account. Under the leadership of Muric and Matthews, he is still integrating into the team. Another foreign aid Romulo plays the role of the fifth foreign aid, which is now reflected. Also getting bigger.
Oscar (left) is the only foreign aid that Yongchang has paid for this season.
Image source: official photo courtesy of Chinese Super League/IC photo
Among these 5 foreign aids, only Oscar was introduced by Yongchang at the expense of transfer fees, and the remaining 4 foreign aids were free transfers this season or previous seasons.
Their total worth is only 3 million pounds, which is not even as good as the foreign aid Anautović of SIPG (worth 14.4 million pounds).
Yongchang seemed to possess average magic power, perfectly splicing the most ordinary of them, and they played the greatest role in the chemical reaction.
And like Matthews and Muric, players with very strong mental attributes, under their lead, the whole team is full of resilience.
The 37-year-old Matthews (first from left) can often stage long-distance attacks at the end of the game in the starting field.
Image source: official photo courtesy of Chinese Super League/IC photo
In addition to the super cost-effective operation, Yongchang's performance this season is also inseparable from their complete preparations before the game.
Affected by the epidemic, many Chinese Super League teams have faced situations where foreign teachers and foreign aids have been stranded abroad and unable to join the team.
For example, in Beijing Guoan, coach Genesio and foreign aid Vieira joined the team only 2 weeks before the start of the season. Augusto and Fernando returned to the team less than a week after the start of the game. This is more or less affected. Guoan's performance this season.
On the other hand, Yongchang is more like a clear stream of the Chinese Super League. During the preparation period, it has been in a state of full attendance with 5 foreign aids. It is the only team in the Super League that has fully prepared for the game. It has laid a solid foundation in physical fitness and technical tactics. .
This inherent advantage naturally manifests itself quickly after the start of the Chinese Super League. Not only does it quickly enter the state, but the team's physical fitness is still maintained. After many teams enter the fatigue period, Yongchang can continue to keep moving forward.
In fact, thinking about it this way, coach Gutby’s pre-season rhetoric is not out of thin air.
During the match between Yongchang and Zall.
Image source: official photo courtesy of Chinese Super League/IC photo
In the next four rounds, Shijiazhuang Yongchang will face Tianjin Teda, Shanghai SIPG, Chongqing Dangdai and Beijing Guoan who are the bottom of Group B.
Judging from the schedule, it is relatively "friendly". In addition to the small chance of winning against Shanghai SIPG, if Yongchang can play normally, it will not be too suspenseful to defeat TEDA. As for Chongqing and Guoan, it is very likely that they have already won in the last two rounds. In a state of desperation and desperation, Yongchang, who is eager to keep the top four, puts his best, and there should be no bad results.
There are also external conditions that are also very friendly to Yongchang. After all, the four rivals Hebei Huaxia Happiness will face Beijing Guoan in the next round, and direct dialogue with Wuhan Zall will help Yongchang regardless of the outcome. Keep the top four and enter the championship group as desired.
Data map: Although a certain degree of update has been carried out, the defending champion Guangzhou Evergrande is still the strongest team in the Super League.
Photo by Zhang Hengwei
The third or fourth end of the first stage in Group B will determine to a large extent whether they can continue their dark horse performance in the second stage.
If you finally get No. 4 in Group B, you will face Guangzhou Evergrande, the top of Group A. For Yongchang, the chance of upset is minimal.
If you get third in Group B, you will have a high probability against Suning or Luneng, but facing a solid opponent, Yongchang's chance of counterattack is still not too high.
However, even if they lose in the first round of the second stage, it does not matter. If they can get 7th in the second stage of the qualifying, they will be equal to the 2015 season record. With this ranking, they are enough to become the season. The biggest dark horse.
(Finish)