Is It All Worth It?

There is a lot to talk about these days regarding Beijing Guoan: the squad's new players, including one of the league's top scorers last year, Otto, and the exciting young player, Wang Xiaolong, as well as the potential addition of "China's Beckham", Xu Liang, and the Griffiths trifecta now that Joel has officially signed for the squad and brother Adam, a defender, is on trial with the side. That's not what I'm talking about today, and honestly, I'm wondering what the point is even in continuing this blog.

A few weeks back, I taunted those who want to talk about corruption, at the time, the arrests and questioning seemed fairly limited and didn't appear significant, however today the appearance is far different. With the removal of Nan Yong and Yang Yimin and the two being called in for questioning (as well as former Shanghai manager Jia Xiuquan), and with the likes of even China Daily discussing their possible execution, one wonders what to make of Chinese soccer these days. Less than 10 years since the black whistle scandal that rocked Chinese soccer, this current one seems to go even deeper and be even more problematic. It appeared that Chinese soccer had cleaned up its image in recent years and was past that scandal, but now those reforms seem only face deep, and the internal problems that led to that scandal have only continued to fester.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately for the fans), the extent of the police investigation and what exactly they are investigating or charging has been largely kept under wraps. How deep this scandal goes is completely unknown and with little more than a month before a new domestic season begins, the police investigation must be wrapped up before the 2010 CSL season kicks off. How can fans be expected to commit themselves to watching another season, to "live and die" over matches that could very well be fixed. It is hard watching nightly news coverage of Beijing Guoan while knowing a police investigation into the very highest level of the CFA is going on. Perhaps this corruption and match fixing can be used to explain why China's national team is so bad. Perhaps the change at the top of the CFA, combined with the current investigation, will revolutionize soccer in China.

Is there reason for optimism? Realistically, no. Until we know the extent of the corruption, its easy to imagine it as all encompassing and it truly casts a pall on the upcoming season.

A Beautiful Day

It's now 2 weeks since that wonderful Saturday late fall afternoon at Gongti, what a wonderful way to end the season.

The mood in the stands was great, everyone was happy and there was a rare spirit inside and outside the venue. The number of people who lined up outside the North Gate in full regalia but without tickets, settling for hanging outside the stadium listening to the match and hearing the sounds from inside was startling. In 16 years the club never won a title and, though on the verge of it on Saturday, the job was far from being finished. The fans were in full voice, louder than I've ever heard Gongti before and from the very beginning, the team responded with a goal 2 minutes in.

From that point on, it was pretty much over. Any fans worried about the pressure being too much for this team doesn't know how much players like Tao Wei and Xu Yunlong have been through, or how strong Matic and Yang Zhi were mentally. Only up 1-nil,not overwhelming, but early on the news went through the stands that Shenzhen also got an early goal, it seemed we were in the clear. One more goal for us in the final moments of the 1st half put away the match, again thanks to Martinez, the celebrations could begin.

Two more goals in the 2nd half, through Martinez once again and Zhou Ting, finished off an overwhelmed Hangzhou squad, while Shenzhen beat Henan 3-1. The celebration began on the Guoan bench with 5 minutes left and when the final whistle went, it was pandemonium amongst the fans and players. The fans remained inside the stadium, singing and just soaking it in for over an hour after the match, then took the celebration to the streets, bars, and little restaurants all over the city.

A truly amazing Halloween that I'll never forget, it took 16 years to get there, hopefully it won't take that long before we get to celebrate again. I think I said everything I could about how meaningful the match was before the game, now I can only say, still 2 weeks on, I'm walking around happier than usual because Beijing is the champions. I've never enjoyed Gloria Gaynor's "I will Survive" (played over and over before and after the match) and Queen's "We Are the Champions" that much before.

For pictures, head to Beijing Guoan - Hangzhou Greentown photos.

Matchday 9 Preview : Shenzhen

6 points.

That's what the next week is about. 3 points tonight and 3 points a week from Sunday. Guoan has what is arguably its easiest run of games (though Nagoya Grampus 8 is stuck in between) this week and next, facing off against Shenzhen and Qingdao, both at home. If Beijing wants to be a title contender, its pretty simple, you. must. win. these. matches. When you play weaker teams, especially one like Shenzhen with only one win, its simple, get 3 points.

After the huge win last weekend and today's match, we should be talking about football, but instead, we're talking about a text message. What you say? That's right, a f!@^# SMS sent to a Beijing reporter by a member of the Beijing coaching staff is at the center of newspaper reports these days.

I don't want to discuss that, I don't think its a big deal and its between Wei Kexing (the coach involved) and the reporters, hopefully this issue will be removed from the locker room and the players won't have it in their minds. This is part of the problem with the media blackout in the locker room that Guoan called for a few weeks ago, it means reporters aren't getting what they want and perhaps its led to some negative coverage.

Anyways, to the match, as of right now its not raining in the capital, though the skies are threatening, we'll see what happens tonight, but bad weather could favor Shenzhen, as it will slow down the match and our speedy side. In the CSL era, Guoan only lost to Shenzhen twice, with both of those losses coming during Shenzhen's 2004 championship season. Since then, they've earned 5 wins and 3 draws, this year should be no different.

I'm fairly confident about this one, its going to be interesting what kind of lineup Lee puts out considering the suspensions/injuries and what he used in Changchun. I hope the guys take this one seriously, yes, they should win it, though we've seen before how a team like Shenzhen can sneak up on you (just ask Shandong), so hopefully they will keep focused and play like last week.

T minus 3 hours to kick off!

CSL Matchday 9 Preview

We have a big day of football today and once again are treated to 3 days of football with the first match kicking off in less than an hour. Right now I'm at 29-27 for the season, hopefully this week will be a big winner for me as we're finally starting to see signs that the teams are separating. Here goes:

5.15 15:30 Guangzhou Baiyunshan - Shandong Luneng
Guangzhou's coming off a difficult loss last weekend in Chengdu, whereas Shandong won big against a very strong side. How will Guangzhou recover from that? This Guangzhou side is strong and they should be near the top of the table, but Shandong is fighting to repeat and they have the horses. Guangzhou needs a solid home performance, but I don't think they have the skill at the end of the day. Prediction: Guangzhou 1-2 Shandong.

5.15 19:30 Beijing Guoan - Shenzhen
Full preview to be up in an hour, should be an easy one for Guoan, especially after the Changchun victory, but they can't take the foot off the pedal. Prediction: Guoan 3-0 Shenzhen.

5.15 19:30 Tianjin Teda - Shanghai Shenhua
What can I say about this one? It's definitely the match of the day (though Guangzhou-Shandong should be exciting) though both teams need to regroup from some recent weak performances. It seems there are some problems within the Shanghai camp, it will be interesting to see if they can patch things up, this should be fairly even, though if it starts to rain, things could get wild. Prediction: Tianjin 1-1 Shanghai.

5.16 14:30 Dalian Shide - Chengdu Blades
Chengdu's coming off a big win while Dalian lost last week. Chengdu, I think I have pegged pretty fairly as a relegation candidate, Dalian is a middle of the table side, that potentially could be in the top half, namely due to its attackers like Ahn Junghwan and Zhao Xuri, though Chengdu can surprise some teams. If they win this one, Dalian's in trouble. Prediction: Dalian 1-0 Chengdu.

5.16 16:00 Qingdao Zhongneng - Changchun Yatai
Changchun goes on the road hoping to regain their mojo after getting trounced by Beijing; Qingdao has a rare home match and has some threats, namely Qu Bo, who can be explosive. However, I think Changchun shouldn't have a problem and will cruise to an easy win. Prediction: Qingdao 0-2 Changchun.

5.16 19:30 Henan Construction - Shaanxi Zhongxin
A decent primetime affair with Shaanxi going to Zhengzhou to battle a Henan side looking for a win after going down to Shandong last week. The "Northwestern Wolves" are capable of poaching points from time to time, expectations may have been a little higher at the start, but this team will stay safe, but not do much more. Henan, on the other hand, is a top side and should be able to handle this one, especially at home. Prediction: Henan 1-0 Shaanxi.

5.16 19:30 Hangzhou Greentown - Jiangsu Sainty
Can we call this one a derby? Separated only by a few hours train ride and a single point in the table, the crowd in Hangzhou is sure to be pumped up for this one. Jiangsu's been surprisingly consistent, playing hard and always in the game, Hangzhou's a different story though they should be ready for this one, I have a feeling it's going to be a close, close 1 goal game, and I'm going to give it to Jiangsu. Prediction: Hangzhou 0-1 Jiangsu.

5.17 15:30 Chongqing Lifan - Changsha Jinde
CCTV has to be kind of sad that this will be the featured match on Sunday (and why does it seem that Changsha is ALWAYS the Sunday game?!?). Chongqing, sitting bottom of the table, hosts Changsha in what should be a battle between these two sides who are both afraid of relegation. I'm guessing they're going to fight to a stalemate. Chongqing 1-1 Changsha.

Today will be a great day of football, followed by some decent matchups tomorrow and an interesting battle for points on Sunday, enjoy!

CSL Matchday 8 Recap

We're finally starting to see some separation at the top of the table with Shandong alone on top, though things are still fairly close. With 2 weeks left before the first international break of the season, things will get a little more clear and predictions should become slightly easier. Enough of that, to the action:

Shenzhen 1 - 0 Chongqing Lifan : WRONG
I'm always kinda happy to watch Shenzhen win and this weekend they were able to come up with a home win. Both teams had decent chances in the 1st half, though neither were able to score. Then in the 2nd half, a long throw in (surprisingly lots of throw-in goals this weekend) and a sweet header off it put Shenzen up. Guinee had a number of good opportunities, but couldn't convert. Shenzhen had another chance before the end of the match, what probably should have been a penalty kick, but a non-call. This time around, it didn't matter, as they secured 3 points. Original prediction: Shenzhen 1-1 Chongqing.

Chengdu Blades 2 - 1 Guangzhou Baiyunshan : WRONG
Hmm...I wasn't so serious about the "spirit of Wenchuan" in my review, but they definitely played that aspect up before the match and it worked, Chengdu having seized on this and played one of the best games they've played all year. That spirit led to them jumping out right away and scoring in the first 10 minutes, they followed it up with a goal 5 minutes into the 2nd half, and all Guangzhou could muster was a late goal to make things look a little closer. Original prediction: Chengdu 0-2 Guangzhou.

Changsha Jinde 1 - 0 Hangzhou Greentown : WRONG
This was more of what you'd expect from Changsha, though the win was a little surprising. They jumped out to the lead 6 minutes into the match through their Korean pair, and from there, they focused on defense the rest of the game, with total shots for both sides combined still remaining in single digits, a surprise that this side is still moving up the table. Original prediction: Changsha 0-0 Hangzhou.

Jiangsu Sainty 2 - 1 Dalian Shide : RIGHT
Jiangsu's a plucky side that wants to not only stay up, but impress, and they did this week. A great free kick chance early that was foiled led to another free kick moments later and this time Jiangsu put it away to start a frenetic 10 minutes of football. 3 minutes after the Jiangsu goal, Zhao Xuri responded with a nice header off a free kick to equalize, though 7 minutes later, Jiangsu took back the lead, again off a free kick, this time with a header better than Zhao's. Jiangsu had multiple great chances the rest of the match, but hit posts or were just wide, Ahn alone had 2 good chances for Dalian in the 2nd half, but was unable to convert. Then there was the crazy ending, where 4 yellow cards and 2 reds were shown (one red for each team) in the last 10 minutes, in what ended as a very rough affair. Original prediction: Jiangsu 2-1 Dalian.


Shaanxi Zhongxin 0 - 1 Tianjin Teda : RIGHT
It was a wet day in Xian and it turned out to be a sad one too as the home side couldn't keep the magic they had 2 weeks ago against Guoan and instead were simply outplayed by a Tianjin side. Teda had a number of excellent chances, including a controversial call 10 minutes in when Hao Junmin was called offside. They dominated 1st half chances, though were unable to score. Shaanxi played a little better in the 2nd, with a few decent chances, but Tianjin was finally able to score 2 minutes from time when the keeper came up with the 1st save, but gave up a rebound which Tianjin put away. Original prediction: Shaanxi 0-1 Tianjin.

Changchun Yatai 2 - 6 Beijing Guoan : RIGHT
For the full write-up, go here. A beautiful day! Original prediction: Changchun 0-1 Beijing.


Henan Construction 1 - 3 Shandong Luneng : RIGHT
In another high scoring game, again in rainy weather, it was an interesting clash between 2 sides tied for top spot. Olisadebe had a number of chances for Henan, and although he was able to set up Henan's 1st goal, I bet he rues those misses. Shandong had a sudden burst of action a little after the hour mark, scoring the 1st goal off a beautiful long shot that Henan claimed didn't cross the line, followed up by a Han Peng flying header that has to be one of the goals of the season, knocked in just minutes later. Antar killed off any hope the home fans may have had in extra time, putting the game on ice. Original prediction: Henan 1-2 Shandong.

Shanghai Shenhua 1 - 1 Qingdao Zhongneng : WRONG
Any weekend Shanghai loses (or in this case doesn't win) is a happy one for me, and this time around it was especially sweet as Guoan was able to jump over them in the standings. There were plenty of chances for both sides, though Shanghai especially had a fair number of bad mistakes. Qingdao struck first in the 71st minute off a decent shot, but nothing too challenging and surprisingly they kept up the pressure, coming close a few more times. However, in the end it was a long throw in to a wide open Mao Jianqing, massively blown defense on Qingdao's part, who knocked in a header just before the game's conclusion. This Shanghai team has some serious problems, especially considering this was a home performance. Original Prediction: Shanghai 2-0 Qingdao.

So some surprises means I go 4-4 yet again, putting the season total at 29-27. More Friday football this week, I'm ready for a good one.

Matchday 8 Review : Changchun Yatai

Finally!

How long have we been waiting for this? Okay, maybe it's not a rhetorical question, the obvious answer is since the start of the season. This team went straight up ape shit all upside Changchun's head. 6 goals?!? This Guoan side only had 8 goals coming into this game and yet came up with 6 in this single effort.

The results came right from the start, despite keeping 8 players in Beijing midweek, 5 players who made the trip to Australia still featured in yesterday's lineup. Yang Pu, Paul, Ryan Griffiths, Yan Xiangchuang, and of course, Yang Zhi, all remained in the Guoan lineup this week, with the addition of Martinez, Zhang Xinxin, Tao Wei, Yang Hao, Matic, and Zhang Yonghai.

Changchun came out of the gate motivated in front of a decent home crowd and had a great chance, which Yang Zhi just barely was able to parry wide. Guoan was equal to Changchun's attack, responding with a Martinez shot from outside the box that went just high. The shot was a harbinger of things to come, with Guoan finally deciding to challenge the keeper with longer shots from outside the box, where up until this game, more often than not, they were always trying to work the ball into the box, instead of make sure the keeper stays honest with some long, hard shots.

Shortly after the Martinez shot, Tao Wei played it to Yang Hao, who ripped a shot from the top of the box and into the back of the net. Changchun went back on the attack, but once again Yang Zhi was able to meet the challenge, and started Guoan's response, this time coming from a Griffiths long shot that was nailed upper 90, 2-nil Guoan on 2 great shots from outside the box. Once again, Changchun responded with a strong chance, a breakaway which Yang Zhi shut down. Seriously folks, if Guoan didn't have Yang in net, this side would be absolutely horrible. As was the pattern, Guoan went back down field and well, Martinez was pulled down in the box, should have been a yellow card at least, probably a penalty shot, instead, he was called for offsides and given a yellow card, very strange, but fortunately it didn't matter in the end.

Going into the locker room at the half, Guoan had to be excited about being in the lead, though Changchun threatened a number of times and 2 goals still wasn't going to be enough for comfort. It didn't matter, Beijing came out pumped and ready to kill off the game, going straight at Changchun, this time it was Griffiths again from a little closer this time, but still outside the box, 5 minutes into the 2nd half. Before you knew it, Yan was headed back down the field and got one of his own, to put them up 4-0.

Sui Dongliang, who came on as a 2nd half substitute, added another in the 70th minute to pile onto Changchun. Changchun finally responded 10 minutes later, but it was too little, too late AND it motivated Guoan to get one more, once again it was Yan who stepped up, going all 90 minutes after going 90 midweek in Australia and then flying the 20 hours back to Beijing. Changchun added one more in added time to make the result a little more respectable, but still, 6-2 to Beijing, earning 3 points and the most goals scored in one game by any team in the CSL so far this year.

It's easy to get excited about this result, but I'm staying reserved. I've hoped for this, waited for it, expected it all season long, but only been disappointed. I also got fairly excited after the victory in Chengdu only to be let down with a spell of crappy play. This was only one game, an exciting one, but just one. It was good to see the midfield step up and it was especially good to see that we can win without Huang Bowen and, especially, Joel Griffiths.

I hope this match serves as a turning point and, in theory, it should be relatively smooth sailing, with Shenzhen coming up at Gongti on Friday and then Qingdao (also at home), leading into the 2 week international break. I also think this match answers some questions for Lee, namely Griffiths and Yan are responding to the time they spent out of the lineup, these guys want in and they deserve to continue to start.

Anyways, 3 points in convincing fashion, sitting only 4 points back, finally gives Guoan fans something to celebrate.

CSL Matchday 8 Previer

Looking forward to an interesting weekend of football? Right now, I'm 25-23 on the season, hoping for a good week this time around, though there are a number of tough games to call. Only 2 matches on Saturday, though a handful of interesting clashes on Sunday. This league is one where parody definitely exists, as things stand right now, only 10 points separate first and last place. Currently, 3 teams are tied at the top of the table, so it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out over the weekend:

5.9 15:30 Shenzhen - Chongqing Lifan
Here we go, our first game of the week and while it probably won't be a pretty one, its a tough one to call. It's still early days, but this is an important game in the relegation battle, with Shenzhen in dead last on 4 points and Chongqing only a point better. Shenzhen's been struggling a lot lately, after having a good start. Chongqing was able to get a result last week and should be able to get one this week (or at least a draw, damn its tough), especially due to my main man Guinee. Prediction: Shenzhen 1 - 1 Chongqing.

5.9 15:30 Chengdu Blades - Guangzhou Baiyunshan
There's always talk about how sports are important for healing, well, if that's true, then this Chengdu home game, coming just a few days before the 1 year anniversary of the Wenchuan earthquake, should help motivate the squad to get a home win. Unfortunately for Chengdu, they face a team at the opposite end of the table, and Guangzhou will be looking to capitalize as they are definitely making a play for the title. Prediction: Chengdu 0 - 2 Guangzhou.

5.10 15:30 Changsha Jinde - Hangzhou Greentown
Changsha's back at home? What the hell is up with their schedule? Their fans have to be extremely worried as they'll be on the road a ton during the second half of the season. Hangzhou is another team looking to capitalize against a weaker side on paper, and only sit 4 points away from the lead. I don't think Hangzhou has enough, though, to break through Changsha's trap, especially on the road. Prediction: Changsha 0 - 0 Hangzhou.

5.10 15:30 Jiangsu Sainty - Dalian Shide
This is one of the better games on Sunday, as Jiangsu's flying high and playing at home against a Dalian side that can't figure out if they want to be good or not (yet they have earned 12 points). I'm giving the edge to Jiangsu, their defense is solid and should be able to shut down Ahn, even though he's been coming on strong as of late. Jiangsu should be able to poach a goal or two in this one. Prediction: Jiangsu 2 - 1 Dalian.

5.10 15:30 Shaanxi Zhongxin - Tianjin Teda
Which Shaanxi team is going to come to the party? Which Tianjin team? Shaanxi does a solid job of earning results when playing at home, but turns to crap when going on the road. Tianjin will be pumped up having earned their first ever Champions League win in midweek, though this team is too hard to understand, good up front, but weak at the back, anything can happen in this one. Prediction: Shaanxi 0 - 1 Tianjin.

5.10 15:30 Changchun Yatai - Beijing Guoan
>One of the better clashes of the weekend, (tied) top of the table Changchun welcomes Beijing to the Northeast, for a full preview, watch this space. I'm going purely with my heart on this one... Prediction: Changchun 0 - 1 Beijing.

5.10 19:30 Henan Construction - Shandong Luneng
Yet another excellent match, arguably the best of the weekend, these two teams are tied at the top of the table and will be going head to head in Zhengzhou. Henan's attack is strong, but will they be able to deal with Shandong's size, namely Han Peng and Antar? Despite going on the road, Shandong has enough to get by Henan, though it should be close. Prediction: Henan 1 - 2 Shandong.

5.10 19:45 Shanghai Shenhua - Qingdao Zhongneng
Shanghai gets an easy home fixture after a few tough road ones both domestic and internationally. Qingdao is coming off a victory last week, but it would be too much to expect 3 points from them in this one. This match should (argh) help Shanghai get back to winning ways and get them closer to the top in a fighting position for the title. Prediction: Shanghai 2 - 0 Qingdao.

CSL Matchday 7 Recap

I started out this week 21-19, an average week this week with a couple of close games saw me go 4-4, for a total of 25-23 on the season. The big Friday night games were exciting and led the way for a really great weekend of football, let's get to it:

Beijing Guoan 0 - 0 Shanghai Shenhua : RIGHT
The full write up's here. Great, hard fought game, bad refereeing, and good goalkeeping meant Guoan walked away with a disappointing draw. Original Prediction: Beijing 1-1 Shanghai.

Tianjin Teda 0 - 1 Shandong Luneng : RIGHT
In the other Friday night action, Tianjin got off to a good start, pumped up by the home holiday crowd, with 2 excellent 1st half chances that they failed to put away, one of them, in the 21st minute, was on an open net. It was a tough game for Hao Junmin and Wu Wei'an and the rest of the Tianjin squad as chance after chance went just wide or was saved by big Li Leilei. After all that frustration, it had to kill them being beaten by a beautiful header from Han Peng with only 5 minutes left in the match. Original Prediction: Tianjin 1-2 Shandong.

Changchun Yatai 3 - 1 Shenzhen : RIGHT
This game got very exciting very early with Shenzhen stunning the home side with a headed goal 7 minutes into the game. It took Changchun almost the entire half, but they responded in the 41st minute when Du Zhenyu set up Cao Tianbao for the goal. The two combined on the other side of half time when Du to Cao equalled the go-ahead goal in the 49th minute. Ai Zhibo added a 3rd, and once again the goal was set up by Du, the home team walked away with an easy 3 points. Original prediction: Changchun 2-0 Shenzhen.

Qingdao Zhongneng 2 - 1 Shaanxi Zhongxin : WRONG
A perfect example of the age old expression, this is why they play the games. Shaanxi came into this game looking strong after beating Beijing the week before and even though they were on the road, they were licking their chops to play this fairly weak Qingdao side. However, Qingdao and veteran Qu Bo had different plans for this one. Qu was a promising youth player who came to prominence as a part of Milutinovic's 2002 World Cup, but since then he hasn't gotten a lot of attention and has remained with Qingdao, despite interest from other clubs. The first goal was a strange one, coming 10 minutes in, when a failed Shaanxi clearance was played back into the box, the defense was all ball watching and thought Qu was offside, the goalie was also asleep and Qu beat him to the ball and tucked it away on an empty net. Shaanxi came back with a great opportunistic header by Marvin Avila to level the game, though Qu put it away with a header in the last 10 minutes to give Qingdao all 3 points. Original Prediction: Qingdao 0-1 Shaanxi.

Guangzhou Baiyunshan 1 - 0 Jiangsu Sainty : WRONG
As was expected, these two teams went at each other in a very even match, with both sides getting good chances. That venue in Guangzhou is a very nice one, unlike a lot of the stadiums, fans seem really close to the pitch and there seems to be a nice slant so even the highest seats are still close to the action, I hope I can check it out at some point. Fortunately it seems like the Guangzhou fans are pretty civilized, if that was in Beijing, the field would be so covered with debris that it would be impossible to play. Anyways, back to the match, while Guangzhou had a few more chances than Jiangsu, both teams deserved a point, however, a questionable penalty kick was given to Guangzhou in the 84th minute. There were two fouls, one just outside the box that was more obvious and one inside the box that was a lot less so. Xu Liang stepped up and coolly knocked the penalty in, his league leading 6th goal (though half have been penalty kicks) to secure 3 points. Original Prediction: Guangzhou 1-1 Jiangsu.

Hangzhou Greentown 1 - 1 Chongqing Lifan : WRONG
On a rainy Saturday in Hangzhou, the home team disappointed the (small) crowd that came out. The highlight of the 1st half was Otto converting a penalty kick in the 24th minute after a Hangzhou player was pulled down in the box. The 2nd half was also fairly uneventful, except for a Chongqing goal scored not by Guinee, but he was important in setting it up, with a sweet pass across the middle and his fellow foreigner burying it to equalize the game and earn Chongqing a point. Original Prediction: Hangzhou 2-1 Chongqing.

Henan Construction 1 - 1 Chengdu Blades : WRONG
In the biggest surprise of the weekend, league leaders Henan only managed a point at home against cellar dwellers Chengdu. Right off the bat Chengdu opened things up with a goal in the 7th minute when Shi Jun shocked the home team off a free kick. Henan immediately went on the attack to equalize with their two headed attack of Netto and Olisadebe both producing good chances though it was Xu Yang who finally netted the equalizer in the 28th minute. From then on Henan dominated the chances, though they were unable to get another one past and were forced to settle for one point. Original Prediction: Henan 2-0 Chengdu.

Dalian Shide 1 - 0 Changsha Jinde : RIGHT
Changsha had to go on the road for only the 2nd time this season. Both teams were able to create some decent chances in the 1st half, with Changsha surprisingly looking like the better side (or at least the one with the more threatening attack). In the 2nd half, Dalian regrouped and looked the better side, finally scoring in the 60th minute when Dong Fangzhuo headed on a nice cross to Ahn Junghwan put it away. Whether or not Ahn was offside is something that can be debated, but the goal stood and Changsha was unable to respond. Original Prediction: Dalian 1-0 Changsha.

Matchday 7 Review : Shanghai Shenhua

In front of the largest crowds Gongti has seen in many years for a CSL match and the largest crowd at any CSL match this season (42,355), Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua engaged in a classic battle. The crowd was unusually energetic, hyped up by the presence of 75 or so Shanghai Shenhua supporters in the south end. Many fans came waving their 9-1 signs and a banner held up asking "What's a Shanghai Man?" received lots of cheers.

Due to injuries and suspensions, Guoan had to make a number of changes, including the first action all season for Guoan hero, Yang Pu, who played at left back. Sui Dongliang was also used for the first time this season in the midfield. Lee played Du Wenhui alone up top with Tao Wei and Martinez in attacking positions in the midfield, along with Sui and Yan Xiangchuang on the wings.

I am not one who complains about the referee very often, when they are bad, they're typically bad for both teams and while Guoan hasn't always gotten calls this season, the referees have also missed a few (though the Disciplinary Committee usually nails Guoan for it ala Griffiths). However, Chen Honghui,the referee for this match, was horrible. I've talked about how Shanghai has played like a bunch of thugs all year, leading the CSL with 24 yellow cards in 7 matches and this game was no different. Unfortunately, more often than not, the referee missed the first foul, but only got the Guoan player reacting.

Anyways, to the match, and Guoan started out controlling the ball, with a number of solid chances, Yan Xiangchuang made a nice, mazy run into the box and crossed the ball, it looked very much like a handball, but the referee failed to call it. Shortly after, Shanghai went on the attack off a Xu Yunlong defensive error, however the Shanghai shot failed to challenge Yang Zhi. Du Wenhui was given a sudden breakaway opportunity, though he was pushed down, the referee failing to call it. Shortly after, Shanghai committed what looked like another obvious handball in the box that went uncalled.

At the end of the first half, while the game was extremely exciting, the game was scoreless. Both keepers came up with a few good saves on some decent chances, though Guoan controlled the match and had the majority of chances. Shenhua was focused on counter attacking and did a good job of it.

Early in the 2nd half, Yan Xiangchuang got nailed by a Shenhua player, while it should have been an obvious yellow, it went uncalled, though minutes later, Yan started an attack with a "hand of God" play for which he was yellow carded. The referee must have realized the ludicrous nature of that yellow because 10 minutes or so later Yan hammered a Shenhua player, definitely a yellow card, but the ref only granted a foul.

In matches like this, especially between such major rivals, the referee needs to have an even hand and control the match. When he doesn't make all the calls, especially when he just "lets them play" it leads to extremely rough play and potential for injuries. On top of the fouls on Yan (and his lashing out), Martinez was nailed with a blatent elbow that went uncalled, while late in the 2nd Ryan Griffiths nailed a Shenhua player (to loud applause) and rightfully got a yellow.

The ref did catch a blatant foul on Martinez, which was followed up by a beautiful free kick by Tao Wei and an equally pretty save by Shanghai keeper Qiu Shenjiong. Qiu had an excellent game and made a huge save on Griffiths late in the match as well. There was a moment of exctasy for Shanghai fans late in the 2nd when they put the ball into the net, though the play had already been whistled dead for a foul.

So both teams earn a point in this hotly contested China Derby, though Guoan probably deserved the win, they weren't able to challenge Qiu as much as they would have liked. This also means that Guoan has gone 270 minutes (and 3 matches) without scoring a goal, a massive problem. Lee's job is safe for the time being, as the massive crowd's anger was more focused at the referee and the visiting fans.

I've complained a lot about nil-nil CSL matches, but this one was a fairly exciting one, definitely one to remember and there will be some scores to settle when these two teams meet again at Hongkou in September.

CSL Matchday 7 Preview

A 3 day weekend means 3 days of football, so lots of action for the fans

5.1 19:30 Beijing Guoan - Shanghai Shenhua
This will be one of the hardest games for me to predict all year. I so want to go with my heart here, but both sides have been all over the place this season. Fuck it, I'm still going with my heart. Umm, no... Prediction: Beijing 1 - 1 Shanghai.

5.1 19:30 Tianjin Teda - Shandong Luneng
In the other big May Day face off, the other two Chinese sides in the Champions League face off against each other in Tianjin. Shandong has been going strong as of late and top to bottom they still look like one of the league's best teams. On the other hand, Tianjin's defense is almost non-existant, despite their solid attack. This is going to be an important match early on to decide on positioning as Tianjin's in 2nd and Shandong is in 3rd right now. Prediction: Tianjin 1 - 2 Shandong.

5.2 14:00 Changchun Yatai - Shenzhen
Changchun's done well at home this season and I've already sworn off picking Shenzhen in almost all situations. I have little confidence in what Shenzhen will do on the road and expect Changchun to continue their success this week. Prediction: Changchun 2 - 0 Shenzhen.

5.2 15:30 Qingdao Zhongneng - Shaanxi Zhongxin
Shaanxi's coming off a big win against Beijing as they face off against a Qingdao side that is trying to get themselves clear of the relegation zone. Qingdao's been on the road a lot this year and so having a home matchup will be beneficial but they don't have enough firepower to win this one. Prediction: Qingdao 0 - 1 Shaanxi.

5.2 15:30 Guangzhou Baiyunshan - Jiangsu Sainty
This will be a very interesting game as Jiangsu heads down south to face off against Guangzhou, it's definitely Saturday's best matchup. Guangzhou is a very decent team, while Jiangsu has been the plucky outsiders all year long, they could easily be much higher in the standings than they currently are. This could very well be your nil-nil CSL snorefest as Jiangsu's defense is strong enough to shut down the Guangzhou attack and probably won't get many counterattack opportunities. Prediction: Guangzhou 1 - 1 Jiangsu.

5.2 19:30 Hangzhou Greentown - Chongqing Lifan
This is one that looks like it could be fairly easy to predict, Hangzhou should have a fairly easy waltz on their way to 3 points at home, but its never easy to predict against Chongqing. Chongqing's Guinee is a grown ass man who is single handedly an offensive weapon, a real goal threat, but the goals don't come from many other spots. Hangzhou has their own scoring threats, this one could get interesting. Prediction: Hangzhou 2 - 1 Chongqing.

5.2 19:35 Henan Construction - Chengdu Blades
Henan is sitting at the top of the table right now and it doesn't look like much will change after this weekend. Their attack is one of the better ones in the league and they are facing off against the team at the very bottom of the table, a Chengdu team that has managed a meager 2 goals in 6 matches. This one should be pretty one sided. Prediction: Henan 2 - 0 Chengdu.

5.3 15:30 Dalian Shide - Changsha Jinde
Why is Changsha always playing in the lone Sunday match? I'm sick of seeing them on tv as the only match in town on Sunday afternoons, especially because they are so incredibly boring. Can't someone at CSL fix this massive scheduling problem? Changsha's finally traveling again and hopefully this will cause them to actually play some football. Unfortunately, I don't expect that to be the case. They should, however, be the perfect side for Dalian to regroup against after losing to Chongqing last week. Expect a low scoring game, but Ahn to play a part in the goal that makes the difference. Prediction: Dalian 1 - 0 Changsha.

Matchday 7 Preview : Shanghai Shenhua

It's finally here, one of the biggest games of the year for a Guoan fan, made all the more important because of our recent form. Shanghai is also struggling as of late so they are sure to be hungry too making this holiday clash all the more exciting. If you only plan on going to one game this season, this is the one you need to attend.

First team news, and something we didn't discuss last week. Joel Griffiths and Zhou Ting were suspended got 5 and 6 games, respectively, by the CSL Disciplinary committe. Griffiths was suspended for the elbow that went unpenalized in the Shandong match. How you can get 5 games for something that went completely unpunished by the referee is beyond me. Zhou was given 6 games for his "cao ni ma" confrontation with the referee (for which he was red carded). Rumor is he swore at the ref in Dalian dialect, unfortunately the ref was from Dalian so he understood it. It also could be debated whose behavior was more dangerous and should be punished more harshly, but this is just one of those highly annoying things CSL fans must deal with. On top of those 2 being out, Tao Wei is a gametime decision and, of course, Huang Bowen's still out for a few months.

Shanghai also has some concerns with Mao Jianqing not traveling with the team to Beijinng due to a high fever and Chen Tao, who suffered a bit of knack, being a gametime decision. Shanghai has played just as many matches as Guoan this year, so fitness should not be a big issue. Also, while there has been some intermittent rain in Beijing so far today, for the time being it's beautiful, so weather probably won't play a big part in this one.

This is a massive rivalry, the China derby, with most these players growing up knowing what this game means to their respective teams and cities. One man in particular who might step up is Martinez, a superstar in Shanghai, but yet to show the same form since joining Guoan. Both managers are sure to have their players up for this one as both are on thin ice right now. The preseason expectations of the media and fans have not been met and both have been underperforming.

I don't know why but I'm feeling very nrvous about this one, perhaps it's because of our recent formbor because wjhat this game means. Then again, it's easy to forget Shanghai fans are just as worried and, even worse, they are on the road. That fact hasn't mattered much as of late as Shanghai won every time they visited Fengtai, but with Guoan back at Gongti, where last time these teams met Guoan won 4-0, hopefully the magic of a home tie at Gongti will make the difference.

No matter what, get ready for a great night of football!

CSL Attendance Statistics

Now that we're 6 games into the season, I decided it was time to take a look at how attendance is going so far this year. The figures in Shaanxi and Beijing are very encouraging, and Jiangsu is very impressive for a newly promoted team. One wonders what is going on in Shanghai, however its mainly due to their weak attendance at their first game. Changsha is a joke and it was always expected to be that way, but hopefully Qingdao will improve after a few more home matches. Here's the list:

Shaanxi Zhongxin : Average = 37,196
Round 1 - 38,000
Round 4 - 35,000
Round 6 - 38,588

Beijing Guoan : Average = 35,000
Round 1 - 40,000
Round 3 - 30,000

Jiangsu Sainty : Average = 22,772
Round 2 - 21,000
Round 4 - 21,000
Round 6 - 26,315

Shandong Luneng : Average = 20,952
Round 1 - 18,000
Round 2 - 20,457
Round 4 - 21,735
Round 5 - 24,523
Round 6 - 20,044

Guangzhou Baiyunshan : Average = 19,000
Round 3 - 20,000
Round 5 - 18,000

Henan Construction : Average = 17,661
Round 1 - 23,000
Round 3 - 13,396
Round 5 - 16,588

Chengdu Blades : Average = 17,333
Round 3 - 18,000
Round 4 - 22,000
Round 6 - 12,000

Tianjin Teda : Average = 15,552
Round 1 - 15,000
Round 3 - 20,030
Round 5 - 11,626

Hangzhou Greentown : Average = 15,297
Round 1 - 15,000
Round 2 - 16,235
Round 4 - 14,656

Shanghai Shenhua : Average = 14,667
Round 1 - 11,000
Round 3 - 17,400
Round 5 - 15,600

Chongqing Lifan : Average = 13,867
Round 2 - 12,000
Round 4 - 14,000
Round 6 - 15,600

Dalian Shide : Average = 13,500
Round 2 - 12,000
Round 5 - 15,000

Shenzhen : Average = 12,750
Round 2 - 16,000
Round 3 - 11,000
Round 4 - 16,500
Round 6 - 7,500

Changchun Yatai : Average = 11,872
Round 3 - 12,000
Round 5 - 11,317
Round 6 - 12,300

Changsha Jinde : Average = 6,892
Round 1 - 8,000
Round 2 - 8,230
Round 3 - 4,200
Round 4 - 6,500
Round 6 - 7,532

Qingdao Zhongneng : Average = 6,500
Round 5 - 6,500

CSL Matchday 6 Recap

What a rough week! I go 2-6 and only 6 goals scored in 8 matches made for some pretty piss poor football. Nothing more needs to be said, let's go to the games:


Changsha Jinde 0 - 0 Guangzhou Baiyunshan : WRONG
What a way to start! This crappy snorefest shows that Changsha got their mojo back and are once again playing their anti-football as the masters of the nil-nil draw. Some decent chances for both teams, but not much to talk about. Original Prediction: Changsha 0 - 1 Guangzhou.

Jiangsu Sainty 0 - 0 Henan Construction : WRONG
Saturday was all about the nil-nil as upstarts Jiangsu faced off against top of the table Henan. The home side outshot the visitors, but it was Netto's header just wide that was the best scoring chance in the 1st half. Jiangsu dominated the 2nd half chances, but still came up short as both teams walk away with a point and Henan stays on top. Original Prediction: Jiangsu 2 - 3 Henan.


Shenzhen 0 - 1 Hangzhou Greentown : WRONG
Okay, so I have a soft spot for Shenzhen that has been exposed week in, week out. If I go with my heart instead of my brain again this year, I deserve to be punched. Shenzhen is a bad football team, they just escaped going down last year and it would be no surprise if they fall this year. In the rainy conditions in Shenzhen, they failed to convert on a 1st half penalty kick, and then were beaten by an Otto goal minutes into the 2nd half. Original Prediction: Shenzhen 1 - 1 Hangzhou.


Chongqing Lifan 1 - 0 Dalian Shide : WRONG
I thought Dalian's performance last week was a turning point in their season, it seemed like some of their squad were finally starting to come together, however a road defeat in Chongqing is a massive disappointment. Chongqing isn't a very good team, but Guinee is a damn good forward and his bulk and power make him extremely difficult to stop. Good chances fell to him as well as Dalian's Ahn in the 1st half, but it was Guinee's early 2nd half goal that made the difference. The goal was on a penalty kick, coming off a good scoring chance where he was pushed in the back. Dalian tried to get back into it, but didn't have enough to equalize. Original Prediction: Chongqing 0 - 2 Dalian.


Chengdu Blades 0 - 1 Tianjin Teda : RIGHT
Tianjin needed to regroup and facing Chengdu would be a fairly easy way to do that, however they didn't make things easy for themselves. Much of the 1st half was controlled by Chengdu, though Tianjin had a decent counterattack. In the 2nd half, Hao Junmin was able to make some moves on a defender and knock in a goal midway through the half that was enough to secure them 3 points and move them into 2nd place. Original Prediction: Chengdu 1 - 2 Tianjin.


Changchun Yatai 1 - 0 Shanghai Shenhua : WRONG
Yes, I was wrong, but this is one I love to be wrong about. Cao Tianbao's header off a 1st half corner was enough in what was a fairly rough game, as has been Shanghai's trend this year, Changchun received 4 yellow cards and Shanghai received 6, Yu Tao personally received 2 of the cards and so was shown red in the 51st minute. Actually going down a man helped Shanghai briefly as they quickly came up with 2 solid chances, but neither made it past the keeper. Changchun regrouped and made some substitutions and was able to claim a nice victory over Shenhua. Original Prediction: Changchun 1 - 1 Shanghai.


Shaanxi Zhongxin 1 - 0 Beijing Guoan : WRONG
See the full, miserable write-up on this here. Sad...Original Prediction: Shaanxi 0 - 1 Beijing.

Shandong Luneng 1 - 0 Qingdao Zhongneng : RIGHT
The Shandong derby should have been full of fireworks, though as expected Qingdao was a little more pumped up to play in this one. Qingdao went on the attack early and probably should have been given a penalty kick, though Shandong quickly responded with some chances of its own. The lone goal came early in the first half off a beautifully delivered Wang Yongpo free kick from just outside the box. Shandong continued to press, but was unable to get another goal, while Qingdao came up with a few counter attacking opportunities, game ends, Shandong wins, end of story. Original Prediction: Shandong 3 - 1 Qingdao.

2-6 for the week, but maintaining my 21-19 winning record for the season...

CSL Matchday 6 Preview Part 2

Due to some personal obligations, I sort of took a few days off, but I'm back and (almost) better than ever. Like a lot of Guoan fans, I'm looking forward to May 1, not for the holiday, but for our match against 9-1. Yes, it's about that time, the team formerly known as Shanghai Shenhua will now go by 9-1. My predictions were shit yesterday, so was the football, but there are some pretty tasty matchups to look forward to today, here goes:

4.26  15:30    Chongqing Lifan - Dalian Shide

However you want to slice or dice it, Chongqing's a crap football team.  Dalian is not, they've been mediocre for much of the season, but it seems like Ahn Junghwan is finally adjusting to the CSL and getting more opportunities.  While it's not always easy to play in Chongqing, this one should be pretty cut and dry.  Prediction: Chongqing 0-2 Dalian.

4.26  15:30     Chengdu Blades - Tianjin Teda

There was a time a few weeks back that Tianjin coming to town would be something to fear, now its nothing special.  This Tianjin side has been totally exposed as a solid attacking team with absolutely no defense.  Fortunately for them, Chengdu's attack isn't very strong and so Tianjin should have no problem outscoring them.  It's going to be a fight, but Tianjin should win in the end.  Prediction: Chengdu 1 - 2 Tianjin.

4.26  15:30     Changchun Yatai - 9-1

Changchun delivered an excellent fixture when they went head to head against Shandong, can they do the same against 9-1?  9-1 is coming off a midweek loss in Korea and will hope to regroup, their inconsistency over the season makes it hard to predict which 9-1 side will come out.  This being in Changchun, I have a feeling its going to be a pretty tight match.  Prediction: Changchun 1 - 1 Shanghai.

4.26  16:00     Shaanxi Zhongxin - Beijing Guoan

Our guys in green take on the northwest wolves on the road (full preview here), they're up for it, but this has been a pretty screwy weekend so far, I could definitely see this ending in a draw, but I'm confident in Guoan.  Prediction: Shaanxi 1 - 2 Guoan.

4.26  19:30     Shandong Luneng - Qingdao Zhongneng

We have derby day in Jinan as Shandong and Qingdao do battle in prime time.  Shandong only managed a midweek draw in Seoul, while Qingdao has struggled all season.  There's always talk about throwing the records out for a derby, and you gotta expect a lot of effort from Qingdao, but it takes more than effort to win a football match.  Shandong should cruise to a win, with Antar putting in one of the goals.  Prediction: Shandong 3 - 1 Qingdao.

CSL Matchday 6 Preview Part 1

Changsha Jinde - Guangzhou Baiyunshan
Changsha is back at home and that's a scary thing for football fans. Guangzhou's attack is solid, led by the CSL's leading scorer, Xu Liang, while Changsha's defense can hold back many defenses, Guangzhou will be too much. Prediction: Changsha 0-1 Guangzhou.

Jiangsu Sainty - Henan Construction
Henan is at the top of the table and upstarts Jiangsu have been playing excellent football. The foreign heavy Henan attack should just squeak past Jiangsu's Wuhan pair. Prediction: Jiangsu 2-3 Henan.

Shenzhen - Hangzhou Greentown
Can Shenzhen finally take advantage of being at home? Hangzhou is a beatable side, but Shenzhen will have to play more like they did against Shandong rather than their nightmare against Shanghai. For Hangzhou, this is a match that decides what kind of season they will have, signs point to it not being good. Prediction: Shenzhen 1-1 Hangzhou.

Sorry for the brief post shying away from the format, but this is done entirely on an iPhone as I try to get these out before tomorrow's games. Special thanks to Pass By Bar, whose wireless i'm using to write this. It's nice to have visitors but everything will be back to normal and my full preview of Guoan's match will be up.

Wherever you are this Friday night, raise a glass, cheers Beijing.

CSL Matchday 5 Preview

Here we go again, 12-12 on the season, hoping for a winning weekend. We've got CSL football, the FA Cup, the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the NBA too, what a weekend for sports. But by far the most exciting game of the weekend will be the first one, let's do this thing:

4.17 19:30 Shandong Luneng - Beijing Guoan
Unfortunately (I shouldn't be using that word), I have something called a job, which means I'll be watching this one from Beijing instead of sitting in Jinan, but such is life. For the full match preview, go here. I'm in a pickle, I want to predict this one for Guoan, but I also don't want to jinx them, therefore, its a draw. Prediction: Shandong 1 - 1 Beijing.

4.17 19:30 Tianjin Teda - Jiangsu Sainty
What am I to think of these 2 sides? Can Tianjin's defeat last week be ignored, chalked up to the bad weather? Jiangsu's squad isn't looking like a newly promoted team, they're looking solid, and it seems almost every year a newly promoted team makes a respectable showing. It's going to be an interesting match, but I think Tianjin's just got more firepower. Prediction: Tianjin 2 - 1 Jiangsu.

4.17 19:45 Shanghai Shenhua - Shenzhen
I really hate Shanghai and really hope Shenzhen can earn a result in this one, I really want to predict that they will, but....I just don't see it happening. Shenzhen will be going to Hongkou, a tough place to play, and they just don't have the horses. Prediction: Shanghai 1 - 0 Shenzhen.

4.18 14:30 Dalian Shide - Hangzhou Greentown
Both these sides have 2 wins and 2 losses and both won last week. Dalian isn't what they used to be, but they still have a lot of talent, and while Otto is a heck of a player, Hangzhou's squad isn't strong enough to get this tough win on the road. Prediction: Dalian 2 - 0 Hangzhou.

4.18 15:30 Changchun Yatai - Shaanxi Zhongxin
Changchun was a sleeper pick for this year's league title, but they've looked far from impressive in this year's first 4 matches. Shaanxi is always going to give you a difficult match, but they are a few players short of being a title contender. Changchun's struggles will continue as Shaanxi has just enough to hold them off. Prediction: Changchun 1 - 1 Shaanxi.

4.18 16:00 Henan Construction - Changsha Jinde
It had to happen at some point this season and this is the week it does, Changsha will finally leave the comforts of home and travel to Zhengzhou. Changsha earned their 1st win of the season against Tianjin last week, but that was an odd game due to the torrential downpour. Henan is high flying with 3 wins and is currently sitting top of the table, alongside Tianjin. I can't see Changsha pulling off 2 upsets in a row and even their defensive minded football won't be enough against Netto and Olisadebe. Prediction: Henan 1 - 0 Changsha.

4.18 19:30 Guangzhou Baiyunshan - Chongqing Lifan
Chonqing has some attacking skill, but beyond that, they aren't a very good team and this newly promoted team could be yo-yoing back down fairly quickly. Guangzhou is a mid-table side with some definite talent. Prediction: Guangzhou 2 - 0 Chongqing

4.19 15:30 Qingdao Zhongneng - Chengdu Blades
The Sunday spotlight falls to these two average sides as they go head to head in Qingdao. These two are both hoping not to be relegated this season, but I have a feeling (more just a hope, but oh well) Chengdu's going down. Prediction: Qingdao 2 - 1 Chengdu.

So there you go, I have a feeling a number of these will go wrong, but let's hope all the action isn't just on Friday night.

Matchday 4 Preview : Chengdu Blades

Hi all, hope you're having a great weekend so far, yesterday certainly was an interesting day in the CSL.  I'm moving today and so this is going to be a shorter post than usual, so let's get to it.

Guoan's on the road in Sichuan this weekend looking to get back its form after losing its first game of the season, a midweek Champions League defeat in Korea.  Guoan's struggled on the road this year and Chengdu came up with a big upset in their only home clash, against Shanghai Shenhua.

Don't expect to see many changes to Guoan's lineup, most likely Martinez will be in for Guo Hui and that's about it, though perhaps we'll see a few changes to the bench.  Lee Jangsoo is very unhappy (as well he should be) with the team's performance as of late, but because of fitness issues there just aren't that many changes to make and its too early to start seriously worrying.  

Let's hope for 3 points out of Guoan and no player having to apologize for stupid mistakes.  This is a team with high expectations placed on it by the media and internally high expectationsof themselves, but its time for them to relax a little and play with passion instead of pressure.  

Matchday 4 League Preview

Thank God its Friday, which means we'll have football tomorrow to continue this incredible week. If you're here, you're a football fan, and what a week, eh? A weekend of CSL and European football, including a Monday CSL match, the European and Asian Champions League midweek, and now a full weekend of football, doesn't get much better! Match of the week? I'd say first or last, Shenzhen-Dalian or Shandong-Changchun. Last week I pulled even on predictions, here's hoping I can keep the momentum:

4.11 15:30 Shenzhen - Dalian Shide
Hmm, this is a hard one to call...Shenzhen has showed some promise so far this year and Dalian is coming off an embarassing loss in nearby Guangzhou. Both squads have been mediocre this year, this is a chance for one to step up. Prediction: Shenzhen 1 - 0 Dalian.

4.11 15:30 Jiangsu Sainty - Qingdao Zhongneng
Jiangsu finally earned its first point of the year last week while Qingdao suffered through a draw in Changsha. Jiangsu has looked dangerous so far this year, the same can't really be said for Qingdao, I have a feeling that they will struggle on the road this weekend. Prediction: Jiangsu 2 - 1 Qingdao.

4.11 19:30 Hangzhou Greentown - Guangzhou Baiyunshan
Guangzhou has gotten off to a good start under former Guoan and national team manager Shen Xiangfu, Xu Liang's currently on top of the scoring charts after his hat trick last week, Hangzhou's been up and down so far. Much like the 2 matches above, these are two squads that are looking at midtable finishes, but have aspirations for more, its this kind of match that will decide exactly how good their season will be. Prediction: Hangzhou 1 - 2 Guangzhou.

4.12 15:30 Chongqing Lifan - Henan Jianye
Henan's won twice this year against average teams, but have done so at home. Chongqing is a team that is likely to go down unless big foreigners like Guinee will be able to carry them to some goals, I have a feeling its not going to happen this weekend. Prediction: Chongqing 0 - 2 Henan.

4.12 15:30 Shaanxi Zhongxin - Shanghai Shenhua
Shanghai's coming off of two big wins in the domestic and Champions League, but haven't faired well away from the comforts of Hongkou. Shaanxi's in a similar situation having done well at home, but struggling on the road, while I don't think they'll be able to upset Shenhua, this could very well be a draw. Prediction: Shaanxi 1 -1 Shanghai.

4.12 16:05 Chengdu Blades - Beijing Guoan
I've predicted Guoan in every one of their matches so far, going with my heart, this one will be no different, though they really should win this one (full preview of the match coming later). Prediction: Chengdu 0 - 1 Beijing.

4.12 19:30 Changsha Jinde - Tianjin Teda
Ahh, another home match in Changsha, this is their 4th straight match at home, the only team with such a comfortable opening. The masters of the scoreless draw are going up against the team that has scored the most so far this year. How powerful is Changsha's kungfu? I think Tianjin's going to be able to maintain their spot on top, though they won't be able to fully expose Changsha's 11 behind the ball. Prediction: Changsha 0 - 1 Tianjin.

4.12 19:30 Shandong Luneng - Changchun Yatai
And finally, the 2007 champions travel to the 2008 Champions. Shandong licked their wounds after the shellacking they took in Shanghai by winning in the Champions League midweek, but still look to be seriously missing Zhou Haibin. Changchun's started strong with 2 wins and a draw to sit in 3rd place. This is a tough one to call, but I have a feeling Changchun will hammer out a tough fought road win. Prediction: Shandong 1 - 2 Changchun.

That's it for now, have a great weekend and enjoy the football (and hopefully nice weather too)!

Matchday 3 Recap

Results this week were very interesting, especially Shanghai's stunning victory, so let's not wait:

Tianjin Teda 2 - 0 Chongqing Lifan: RIGHT

Tianjin netted two 1st half goals, one by Wang Xinxin, and then cruised through the 2nd half, this team's league performance is head and shoulders above everyone else.  Original prediction: Tianjin 3 - 0 Chongqing.

Beijing Guoan 1 - Jiangsu Sainty: WRONG

The matchday review says it all.

Shanghai Shenhua 4 - 1 Shandong Luneng: WRONG

Shandong's Antar scored yet another CSL goal, opening up the scoring, but Shenhua came back with 2 very lucky goals in the last 5 minutes of the half.  Adding two more in the 2nd half killed the game and gave Shanghai a big boost going into Champions League matchday 3.  Original prediction: Shangha 1 - 1 Shandong

Shenzhen 2 - 1 Shaanxi Zhongxin: RIGHT

Shenzhen had a magical 5 minutes, scoring goals in the 27th and 30th minutes of the 1st half to jump ahead of Shaanxi, whose 2nd half response wasn't enough to make up the difference, I got this one on the button.  Original prediction: Shenzhen 2 - 1 Shaanxi

Changchun Yatai 2 - 0 Chengdu Blades: RIGHT

Another crazy game, Changchun broke the scorelessness in the 85th minute and then followed it up with another two minutes later.  Chengdu came back with a great free kick chance in stoppage time, but to no avail.  Original prediction: Changchun 1 - 0 Chengdu

Changsha Jinde 1 - 1 Qingdao Zhongneng: RIGHT

Another big bingo!  Yet this one was easy to call, so far Changsha has managed 3 draws, only scoring 1 goal, its pretty easy to guess what their anti-football will produce, this time Qingdao was the victim.  Original prediction Changsha 1 - 1 Qingdao.

Henan Jianye 2 - 0 Hangzhou Greentown: RIGHT

Another game where the score was kept even for a long time and then was shocked by a sudden scoring spree.  The former Polish international Olisadebe knocked in a brace with goals in the 79th and 84th minutes of the match.  Only good thing I can say for Hangzhou is that they were all wearing the same jersey this time around.  Original prediction: Henan 2 - 1 Hangzhou

Guangzhou Baiyunshan 3 - 1 Dalian Shide: WRONG

What can I say, I thought Dalian was a better squad than what it turns out they are.  I knew this team was rebuilding, but I thought it would be better.  At the half the score was 1-1 after a Xu Liang spot kick goal and then one of Dalian's Korean exports knocking one past the keeper 10 minutes later.  Xu added 2 more in the 2nd half, one off yet another penalty, the other from a free kick that has to be one of the prettiest goals scored to date.  Original prediction: Guangzhou 0 - 2 Dalian.

A 5-3 week, a major improvement from last week, but it still leaves me only 8-8 on the season.  Here's hoping for more great football this week.

Matchday 3 Review : Jiangsu Sainty

Greetings from beautiful Beijing!  It's such a lovely evening tonight and we're now coming to the end of an absolutely gorgeous holiday weekend, if not for Friday's result (and our fair city being overwhelmed by waidi ren over the past few days) I'd be able to enjoy it even more.  Let's stop beating around the bush and go straight into the details...

The starting 11 for Guoan featured a few minor adjustments this week, mostly expected.  At the back, Zhang Yonghai was given a run out after finally being approved as fit by the training staff, replacing Lang Zheng at center back.  The only other adjustment was Guo Hui starting in place of Joel Griffiths, who was out after that insane red card last week.

At home, a big crowd, a Friday night, against a team yet to earn a point in 2 matches, pretty straightforward, right?  Despite their record, we knew Jiangsu was still a decent squad, but I don't think any Guoan fan would have expected the end result.  

Jiangsu went on the attack early and only 6 minutes in, one of their foreign forwards got the ball on the left wing and put what should have been a very easily blocked centering pass past Xu Yunlong (defensive error 1), Zhang Yonghai was frozen in place by the ball (perhaps because this was his first match back (defensive error 2)) and Lu Jiang stood watching as the other Jiangsu foreign striker went unchallenged and tapped the ball past Yang Zhi to make it 1-nil to Jiangsu.  What. the. fuck.  Lots of fans had yet to sit down and we're already losing?!?  

Guoan picked up the pace and had two really good opportunities, one in the 27th minute when the ball fell to Xu Yunlong from a corner, the other in the 33rd minute when Wang Changqing knocked it wide.  A few minutes later a Jiangsu forward had his own good opportunity when the defense fell asleep again.  Shortly after the whistle sounded and Guoan went into the change room down a goal.

Manager Lee decided it was time for a change in the 2nd half, bringing Tao Wei and Du Wenhui on for Wang and Guo Hui.  The moves seemed to pay off as Guoan went on the attack and Tao had a great opportunity squandered after a big rebound on a Du shot.  In the 65th, Matic played a good ball in to Du, but the keeper came up with a nice save.  Guoan had chance after chance but they just kept going wide.  However, a minute later, the ball was crossed into the box, mayhem ensued as it bounced around, finally falling between Tao and Du, Tao swung at it and knocked it in to equalize and get the Gongti crowd excited again.

It looked like Guoan would take the lead only 3 minutes later when Martinez played a great ball in to Ryan Griffiths, though his header went just wide.  In the 75 minute, Lee took Lu off and put on Yan Xiangchuang hoping to take all 3 points off of Jiangsu, but it was for naught as the Jiangsu keeper kept his wits about him and made a huge save on Yan in the 87th minute.

1-1, another 2 points dropped.  What can I say?  Another Monday and once again feeling depressed about a game that we could have so easily won, instead beaten by a weaker side's defensive strategy and good goaltending. Jiangsu also did everything they possibly could to delay the game late in the 2nd half, but I'm used to that after having watched Chinese football for awhile.

It might get harder to provide a look into the minds of the players as after this draw, needing to change something, the players have agreed to a gag order and will not talk to the media.  Secretly, one team member is quoted as saying that in the locker room the player's moods are positive, its just that the media is constantly talking about all the pressure on the team.  Also, yet another game and yet another player stepping up and saying it was his fault, this time Zhang accepted blame for his mistake on the Jiangsu goal.

Over the course of the past 2 games, Guoan continuously plays long balls or crosses in from the wing, but to no avail.  The CSL is somewhat unique in that while the majority of players are Chinese, many of the center forwards and defenders are foreign, typically over 1.85 meters.  Jiangsu's central defenders were 1.86 and 1.88, respectively, whereas the tallest Guoan forward on the pitch was only 1.82 meters.  It's a problem that Lee recognizes and, according to him, the perfect scenario would be Guoan bringing in a striker who is at least 1.87 meters.  Will it happen?  Who knows at this point, but at least the manager recognizes this problem.

5 points in 3 matches, leaving us 4 points away from Tianjin, in first.  Tianjin's opponents so far this year have been fairly weak (Dalian, Hangzhou, and Chongqing), though ours have been equally weak.  I feel like I'm repeating myself, its still early in the season, but dropping points to teams like Jiangsu and Changsha, especially at home this week, is going to make things a real uphill battle as we get deeper in the season.  

A break for the Champions League on Wednesday as we head to Korea midweek.  Here's to a good start of the week tomorrow.