After Drawing with Beijing Guoan in Round 26, Shanghai Port Are Unbeaten in Seven Matches, with Five Foreign Players in Strong Condition

The Beijing-Guangzhou-style derby between Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Port in Chinese Super League Round 26 ended in a 0-0 draw. After the match, some fans said that Beijing Guoan earning one point could also be considered a victory, because they only fielded one foreign player, Ramos, while Shanghai Port started with five foreign players. Jiang Guangtai, Wu Lei, and Yan Junling were also in the lineup, and all of them have previously been important figures for the national team.

The writer believes that although Beijing Guoan, with an incomplete squad, earned one point away at Shanghai Port’s home ground, they did not defeat Shanghai Port, and Shanghai Port have continued to show strong form. Since losing to Shandong Taishan on August 1, Shanghai Port have remained unbeaten for seven consecutive matches. The key factor is still that their five foreign players remain in good condition. Data does not lie; what lies is false data.

On August 9, Chongqing Tongliang Dragon lost 2-3 to Shanghai Port at home; on August 14, Wuhan Three Towns lost 1-2 to Shanghai Port at home; on August 19, Shanghai Port drew 1-1 with Dalian Yingbo at home; they won 2-1 against Hai Niu at home, defeated Shenzhen 1-0 away, beat Shandong Taishan 3-0 away in the FA Cup, and drew with Beijing Guoan in the September league match. Looking at the 90-minute performance, Shanghai Port maintained the initiative and an advantageous rhythm throughout. Yan Junling’s performance also showed that Beijing Guoan did not create enough pressure on the opposing goalkeeper.

After the league ends, Shanghai Port will have a 10-day break to prepare for their AFC Champions League Elite first-round match against Ratchaburi on September 15. Last season, Shanghai Port recorded four draws and four defeats in eight Elite matches because they did not have powerful stars such as Oscar and Vargas. During this summer transfer window, they brought in two midfield and defensive foreign players, Jaime Grau and Miguel Campos, allowing them to use seven foreign players in the AFC Champions League schedule.

The writer believes that besides the seven-match unbeaten run, the more important point for Shanghai Port is that their five foreign players remain in good condition. In comparison, Shenhua’s Mineiro finally recovered from injury but then received a red card and was suspended for three matches. Beijing Guoan have faced even more difficulties. At the start of the second half of the season, they could use five foreign players, but after two matches, Spajic became unavailable, followed by Conte, and then Dawan was suspended for seven matches. Therefore, ensuring that all five foreign players are available is not easy.

In the new season’s AFC Champions League matches, Shanghai Port’s biggest advantage is that they have avoided all Japanese club opponents. Their opponents are mainly teams built around players from Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. If they still cannot defeat these opponents, then there is really little that can be done.