he Chinese Super
League kicked off to
the usual fanfare in
March, but strange
new policies have
again cast a shadow
over the country’s football.
This season the battle for the title is
likely to be a three-way fight between
holders Shanghai SIPG, seven-time
winners Guangzhou Evergrande and
a resurgent Beijing Guoan.
In a bid to regain the championship
that they failed to win last year for the
first time since 2010, Evergrande were
particularly busy in the winter transfer
window. They signed no fewer than five
China internationals, all aged 24 or
under, the most notable of whom was
Beijing Guoan winger Wei Shihao. They
also signed Everton defender Tyias
Browning who is set to take Chinesenationality through his grandfather later
this season; by registering as a domestic
player he will free up one of the club’s
four foreign-player slots.
Evergrande’s youth-focused transfer
dealings were a response to the core
of their seven-in-a-row championship
side ageing. Captain Zheng Zhi, formerly
of Charlton Athletic, is now 38, while
stalwarts such as national-team stars Gao
Lin, Feng Xiaoting, Yu Hanchao and Zhan
Linpeng will all be on the wrong side of
30 by the end of the season.
In a transitional year, coach Fabio
Cannavaro has a task on his hands
moulding the newly acquired talent to
replace the highly successful veteran
spine of the team. However, in ex-Benfica
striker Talisca he has a powerful weapon.
The Brazil under-23 international scored
16 goals in 18 league games last year
after joining on loan and he has nowThree-way fight
for league title
CSL big guns line up naturalised players
signed a permanent deal, along with
ex Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona
midfielder Paulinho, who is undoubtedly
one of the league’s top playmakers.
This year, however, Evergrande will be
fighting with one hand voluntarily tied
behind their back. In a bizarre statement,
chairman Xu Jiayin said the team would
start each league game with just two
foreigners, instead of the maximum
permitted three, in order to give Chinese
talent as much chance as possible to
develop. Notwithstanding concerns about
the calibre of player that such talent will
play alongside, Evergrande can still field
a very strong starting XI and rumours of
their demise as a force in the Chinese
game are premature.
Beijing Guoan are touted by some
as favourites to take their first CSL title
since 2009. The capital side focused on
foreign talent in the winter window – but
with a twist. Former Arsenal youth NicoPlaymaker...
Paulinho has
a permanent
deal with
Guangzhou
EvergrandeT
China
CAMERON WILSONKEY
DATES
Season started
March 1, 2019
Season ends
December 1,
2019