Reporter Chen Yong reports. After navigating the intense schedule in mid to late July, the recent league fixtures seem to have calmed down considerably. However, the pressure faced by each team does not diminish; the hot and humid weather along with extended stoppage time are challenges that all teams must contend with. Moreover, the four teams—Beijing Guoan, Chengdu Rongcheng, Henan Club, and Yunnan Yukun—will also have to participate in the FA Cup semifinals around August 19.
Previously, Beijing Guoan experienced a hectic week: on July 19, in the Jinghu showdown, Beijing Guoan lost to Shanghai Shenhua. On the 22nd, in the FA Cup quarterfinals away against Qingdao West Coast, they triumphed after extra time and penalties. However, on the 26th, they suffered a 0-2 defeat away to Chengdu Rongcheng. At the end of Round 16 of the league, Beijing Guoan was still at the top, but by the end of Round 18, they had fallen behind Shanghai Shenhua by 6 points.
Shanghai Shenhua leads the league by 6 points, but they were eliminated from the FA Cup during the same congested schedule. Their match against Henan Club's Jiu Zu Du Kang also went to extra time and penalties, but this time Shanghai Shenhua was knocked out.
Throughout August, the Chinese Super League will have 5 rounds of matches, essentially one match per week. Theoretically, the schedule is relatively relaxed, but in reality, teams face four levels of difficulties: first, the exhaustion caused by the previous congested schedule. In past AFC Champions League seasons, teams could still manage during double-line battles, but after those ended, their performance rapidly declined due to the aftereffects of exhaustion, including negative impacts from mental relaxation.
The second issue is the hot and humid weather. This year, various regions across the country have first experienced high temperatures, and now, with increased rainfall, the sweltering heat has transformed into oppressive humidity, which is even more difficult to endure and can severely impact player fatigue.
The third problem is the extended stoppage time. Recent fans of the Chinese Super League have noticed that stoppage times have once again increased. For instance, in the match between Shandong Taishan and Meizhou Hakka, the first half had 6 minutes of stoppage time, while the second half had 14 minutes. In Round 18 of the league, statistics showed that in three matches, stoppage time exceeded 20 minutes, with the match between Shanghai Port and Qingdao West Coast having 22 minutes of stoppage time. In Round 17, the match between Zhejiang Club Green Town and Yunnan Yukun had a staggering 25 minutes of stoppage time, with 10 minutes in the first half and 15 minutes in the second.
The extended stoppage time does not merely mean more time; under conditions where players are already fatigued, it effectively results in double the physical exhaustion.
The fourth issue is naturally injuries, especially as the season enters its intense mid-to-late phase, the injury situation for teams is also concerning.
Thus, although the Chinese Super League has returned to a one-match-per-week format, for the vast majority of teams, a single lineup will likely be completely inadequate to cope with the matches, making rotation essential. Shandong Taishan, which did not participate in the FA Cup quarterfinals, has actually prepared for rotation, and teams competing in the FA Cup have even greater necessity for it.