Derby "Formation Change" Backfires, Shenhua's Consecutive Losses Sound the Alarm

Special Correspondent/Gan Hui A 0-2 defeat not only cost Shenhua the second leg of this season's Shanghai derby but also triggered a warning. Following back-to-back losses to Tianjin Jinmen Tigers and Shanghai Port, Shenhua is now fifth from the bottom in the standings, only five points clear of the relegation zone—a margin of less than two games. If the sluggish performance persists, the team could slip into an even more precarious situation.

Last night's starting defensive lineup for Shenhua was a shocker—Chen Jinyi, widely regarded as the best left-back in the Chinese Super League for his attacking contributions, was shifted to left-center-back, while Manafa, who has primarily played right-back since joining Shenhua, was moved to the left side as left-back.

Although a similar arrangement was tried in the previous FA Cup round of 16 match against Qingdao Hainiu, it had already exposed many issues. Just three minutes into that game, Ye Boya broke through Shenhua's defense. Perhaps Slutsky was blinded by the subsequent 4-1 comeback victory in the FA Cup; or maybe it's just his nature—in his personnel thinking, he only has a certain level of trust in these players.

But football isn't just about trust. Different positions on the field come with their own specific demands. Chen Jinyi is naturally a player who excels more in attack than defense. Moving him to center-back essentially nullifies his strengths. Judging by the match, Slutsky's adjustment indeed backfired.

When Chen Jinyi and Manafa were stationed on the left and right respectively, Shenhua had decent attacking threat from both flanks. In this game, with Chen Jinyi moved to the center, he had to focus on defending. Meanwhile, Manafa, shifted from right to left, seemed uncomfortable and played awkwardly. Not only was the attacking output from the flanks severely affected, but the defense itself, lacking time to gel, was full of holes. This was especially evident in Shanghai Port's second goal—a cross from the left to the far post, where Manafa completely failed to notice the attacking player sprinting behind him, leaving Li Xinxiang unmarked to easily tap in.

Even more puzzling was that after trailing 0-2 at halftime, Slutsky did not choose to correct his own mistake during the break, despite having other center-back options on the bench—Yang Shuai and Li Songyi are both natural center-backs.

In fact, the first substitution of the entire match was made by Shanghai Port's head coach Muscat. It was only three minutes after Port's substitution that Slutsky made his first change of the game. Not until the 78th minute did Slutsky begin to adjust the defense, bringing on Li Songyi to replace Zhu Chenjie.

After the loss, Slutsky's series of decisions drew heavy criticism. The Russian coach attributed the defeat to the whole team's responsibility. When asked whether the two goals conceded were related to the major defensive adjustment, Slutsky said, "I think the loss should be the responsibility of the entire team, not just the defense or the forwards. To be fair, we created more chances than our opponents today."

When another journalist asked Slutsky to evaluate Chen Jinyi and Manafa's performances in their new positions, Slutsky again emphasized that the team created many chances in the game. "On the second goal, they did make mistakes, but on the flip side, we also had five or six good scoring opportunities. It's unfortunate we didn't capitalize on them."

This season, Shenhua has been plagued by injuries, especially among foreign players. In last night's match, Shenhua's squad finally included all five foreign players, marking the first time this has happened in the Chinese Super League this season. However, judging by the game, the two foreign players who returned from injury—Teixeira and Mineiro—were in poor form and failed to play their expected roles, which to some extent affected the team's overall combat effectiveness and performance.

This was Teixeira's fourth appearance since returning from injury and his second consecutive start, but his performance remained lackluster. Throughout the match, Teixeira made only one key pass but lost possession 17 times and was dribbled past four times. Moreover, he did not show the usual intensity in his play, contributing little to both attack and defense. In the 65th minute of the second half, Slutsky's first substitution of the game was to replace Teixeira with Xie Pengfei.

Additionally, in the 78th minute, Slutsky brought on Mineiro to replace Gao Tianyi, aiming for a desperate push—Mineiro's last appearance was about four months ago, on March 21 in the third round of the league, when he returned from injury and started, playing 75 minutes before suffering another thigh muscle strain and being sidelined for about four months.

Last night, in his brief minutes on the pitch, Mineiro also had little impact. In a post-match interview, Mineiro said, "For me, returning to the field is an exciting moment, and I have worked hard for it. It's unfortunate that after coming on, we ultimately didn't win the game, but there's no denying that both teams are very strong. I hope we can quickly forget this loss and focus more on the upcoming matches."

Next, Shenhua will face two consecutive away games, against Liaoning Tieren and Qingdao Hainiu. The team must stop the losing streak as soon as possible and secure enough points for survival in the league.