As the Chinese Super League returns this weekend, fans of the league will be hoping that this year will represent a return to normality after the last few seasons were heavily disrupted by the pandemic.
There is a definite sense of optimism surrounding the league with fans set to return to games and a reversion to a normal home and away fixture format. Financial worries do continue to hang over a lot of the league’s teams however and overall spending amongst CSL clubs is a shadow of what it was during the league’s boom years.
Guangzhou City were amongst the teams most badly affected by financial problems and they finally dissolved this off-season after their off-the-field issues finally got the better of them.
Their dissolution coupled with the relegation of Guangzhou FC (formerly Evergrande) last season means this season will be the first since 2010 where there will be no Guangzhou club in the top flight.
Guangzhou FC’s fall from grace has been one of the more shocking spectacles in Chinese football over recent years. Once one of the titans of Asian football, Evergrande dominated Chinese football during the 2010s but now are out of the CSL and a shell of their former selves.
When one dynasty falls however another must rise. After a meteoric ascent up the Chinese football pyramid, Wuhan Three Town stunned everyone last year by winning the CSL in their first season in the top flight and only their third season in professional football. Going into this season they are hot favourites to retain the title and we could see Three Towns emerge as the next dominant dynasty in Chinese football.
Nothing is certain though and Chinese domestic football is anything but predictable, so read on for some in-depth analysis of all of the teams taking part in this year’s Chinese Super League.
Beijing Guoan
Beijing Guoan got off to a poor start in the first half of last season but were much better in the second half of the year when former reserve team manager Stanley Menzo took over.
Under Menzo, Guoan looked a lot more comfortable in possession. Playing mostly in a fairly flat five-man midfield they were able to really control games and grind out results.
Menzo has done reasonably well in the off-season transfer window. And has brought in a number of experienced foreign players who can fit into the type of possession-orientated midfield system he used last year.
A big concern for Guoan is that they haven’t brought in any major foreign attacking talent this off-season. Last season they were overly reliant on Zhang Yuning for goals. While he was in good form last season, if he hits a rough patch this year, Guoan could struggle.
Prediction — 6th — Guoan lacking the fire-power to make a big improvement.
Cangzhou Mighty Lions
Cangzhou managed to avoid getting drawn into the relegation battle last season due to two major factors. The first was the dire quality of the teams at the bottom of the table last year. And the second was the white-hot form of striker Jose Kante who lit up the CSL with some amazing performances.
Kante has now moved on to Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds however and Cangzhou will be desperately hoping that new signing Jürgen Locadia can perform at the same level. If the former PSV forward adapts quickly to the league and can produce consistently then Cangzhou should be fine. If he struggles though, the Mighty Lions could be in for a difficult year.
Prediction — 14th — The Mighty Lions just about good enough to beat the drop.
Changchun Yatai
Changchun are another team that were just about good enough to avoid the relegation battle last year but may find it tougher going this season.
During the off-season Changchun lost Brazilian forwards Erik and Junior Negrao who had both been key contributors during the last couple of years. Last season’s top two scorers Serginho and Tan Long are both still at the club though and they’ve signed Brazilian striker Leonardo on loan from Shandong. Leonardo has previously struggled in the CSL, but had a decent loan spell in South Korea last year and may be better this time around.
Changchun may also be a bit weaker defensively with centre-back He Guan returning to Shanghai Port and left-back Rao Weihui moving onto Meizhou Hakka.
Prediction — 13th — Like last season, Changchun hover just above the relegation dogfight.
Chengdu Rongcheng
After a very slow start, Chengdu Rongcheng managed a very impressive début season last year. Looking particularly good in the final stretch of the campaign where they managed to win eight of their last ten games.
Manager Seo Jung-won will be looking to build on this momentum in his third season in charge.
Chengdu’s squad has been boosted by some solid recent signings. Columbian winger Manuel Palacious and naturalised striker and CSL legend Elkeson have both joined in recent days.
Prediction — 5th — Another fifth place finish for the Sichuan team.
Dalian Pro
Dalian Pro were one of the CSL’s surprise packages last season. Coming in as late replacements for liquidated Chongqing, they were widely seen as relegation fodder but thanks to some shrewd signings managed to work their way to a mid-table finish.
Winger Lin Liangming was by far and away their best player last year. The ex-Real Madrid youth team player has consistently improved each year since returning to China from Spain in 2020 and is fast emerging as one of the CSL’s top domestic talents. It will be interesting to see if he can reach new heights this season in what should be a more settled Dalian side.
This year they should be aiming for a top-half finish with a well-rounded squad that has a decent amount of depth in most positions.
They will want to see some better production though from their foreign strikers César Lobi Manzoki and Streli Mamba. Both joined midway through last season and failed to make much of an impact. If these two can find some form, Dalian could emerge as a really formidable team this year.
Prediction — 8th — An improved showing for Dalian this year.
Henan
This will be Henan’s tenth straight season in China’s top flight, an impressive feat for a club that has always operated on a relatively modest budget.
Henan made a very strong start to last season but faded away a bit in the second half of the season.
Henan’s team is largely unchanged from last year. Like Dalian, they have a very balanced squad with a decent number of options in most positions. They should manage a solid mid-table finish but probably don’t have the quality to go much further than that.
Key players to watch out for this season will be wide men Zhong Yihao and Huang Zichang. Both had breakout years last season and should give Henan a real cutting edge in the final third this season.
Prediction — 9th — Another season of mid-table respectability.
Meizhou Hakka
The smallest city to currently have a CSL team, Meizhou Hakka had a good first season in the league last year. Hovering around the middle of the table for almost the entire season.
They were badly lacking a quality striker last year though. They have sought to rectify that, this off-season with the signing of Elguja Lobjanidze. The Georgian international was performing well in Khazakstan’s Premier Liga prior to making the switch to Meizhou and if he can quickly adapt to the CSL he should give Meizhou a real boost.
Prediction — Meizhou slip down a few places as the teams around them improve.
Nantong Zhiyun
Ze Turbo’s goals turbocharged Nantong’s promotion push last season. But with him and several other key players moving on in the off-season, Zhiyun will likely find it tough going in the CSL.
They’ve brought in a number of bargain-bin foreign players who should help to add some substance to what is a very weak squad. But Nantong are still severely lacking quality in all areas and will almost certainly struggle in what will probably be a very brief first stint in the top-flight.
Prediction — 15th — Nantong go straight back down to China League One.
Qingdao Hainiu
Qingdao Hainiu return to the top-flight after a nearly ten year absence.
Hainiu have an ageing squad that doesn’t have a great deal of CSL experience but have made some decent signings ahead of the upcoming season and should still do fairly well in their first season back in the Super League.
Last season’s China League One top scorer Kingsley Onuegbu has been allowed to leave, most likely due to his age. But other than that most of the team that won promotion last year have stayed at the club.
Hainiu have brought in some decent foreign players in the off-season, including striker Felicio Brown Forbes who did well last year in a struggling Wuhan Yangtze team. They’ve also snapped up a few reasonable domestic players as well, including full-back Xu Dong who also had a good season last year with Wuhan Yangtze.
Prediction — 12th — A solid first season back in the CSL for Hainiu.
Shandong Taishan
Shandong Taishan narrowly lost out in the title race last season to upstarts Wuhan Three Towns.
Following some uninspiring signings in the transfer window and a disappointing showing in the Super Cup, few will be optimistic about their chances of regaining the title this year.
Taishan’s strong midfield was the cornerstone of their 2021 title win. However with Moises and Fellaini now past their peak and well into their mid-thirties we are likely to continue to see a decline in Shandong’s ability to really take hold of games.
They still have enough quality throughout the team to be a top side this year. But it’s unlikely that they will be good enough to launch a serious challenge for the title.
Prediction — 3rd — Shandong regress and fail to challenge for the title.
Shanghai Port
After a successful season last year with Henan, Javier Pereira takes the reins at Shanghai Port. Port will be hoping that they can make a serious bid for the title this year after several disappointing seasons.
Last year they get off to a very poor start but were much better in the second half of the campaign after making a string of excellent mid-season signings.
Wu Lei in particular was superb last year on his return to the Super League. With Oscar now available again and Austrian striker Markus Pink recently signing for the club. Port could well have the firepower needed to give to them a shot at the title this year.
Prediction — 2nd — Port back with a bang and give Three Towns a run for their money.
Shanghai Shenhua
Shenhua managed a respectable mid-table finish last year despite being under a transfer embargo.
This off-season they’ve been able to sign players again and have done some fairly decent business in the transfer market. Signing midfielders João Carlos Teixeira and Ibrahim Amadou, striker Cephas Malele and some decent domestic players who had previously been at the now-dissolved Hebei.
With a bolstered squad and some promising young players coming through, Shenhua should manage a top-half finish this year and may also have a decent run in the CFA Cup.
Prediction — 7th — A mixture of youth and experience aid Shenhua to a top half finish.
Shenzhen
Three of the four clubs that finished below Shenzhen last season have now folded and a month or so ago rumours were flying around that Shenzhen were also about to go under.
Shenzhen have survived though, at least for now. But don’t go into the upcoming season in the best of shape. They currently only have two foreign players on their books and generally have a very bare-bones squad which has lost a lot of key players from last season.
For Shenzhen, a lot will depend on what kind of start they get off to. If they manage a few decent results early on, that should give them some confidence and a bit of momentum. But if they suffer some heavy defeats in their first few matches, a rot may begin to set in.
Prediction — 16th — The reaper knocks as Shenzhen are relegated.
Tianjin Jinmen Tiger
Yu Genwei enters his third season in charge at Tianjin with a squad that is largely unchanged from the one that finished eighth in the CSL last season.
Generally favouring a possession-orientated five-man midfield, Tianjin are one of those teams that are very good at grinding out wins against the league’s weaker teams. But struggle when going up against any sort of real quality.
It’s difficult to see them managing anything more than a mid-table finish unless there is a significant improvement in the performance of their Slovenian striker Robert Berić.
Prediction — An average season from a very average team.
Wuhan Three Towns
Three Town’s title win last season came as a shock to many. Going into this season however they are widely seen as favourites. With most pundits expecting to see them claim the title again.
They lost last year’s top scorer Marcao in the off-season. But have brought in a decent like-for-like replacement, in the form of Abdul-Aziz Yakubu. Another big target-man striker who should get plenty of goals this year.
Predictably Three Towns have also signed quite a few players from Guangzhou FC this off-season (a huge a huge chunk of Three Towns squad is now comprised of former Guangzhou FC/Evergrande players). The most notable of these is Wei Shihao. A regular in the national team, Wei looked excellent in Three Towns’ recent Super Cup triumph and should make a real difference for them this season.
Prediction — 1st — Three Town’s claim their second straight title.
Zheijiang
Zheijiang had a fantastic season last year, finishing in third place in their first season back in the CSL after a five-year absence.
They should do well again this year with a settled team and a squad that has a good level of depth.
They haven’t made too many changes during the off-season. Brazilian winger Matheus left, but Zheijiang have signed another very similar player. With attacking wide man Jean Evrard Kouassi joining from Turkish side Trabzonspor. Kouassi has had a lot of previous success in the CSL with Shanghai Port and Wuhan Yangtze River and will bring some extra punch to Zheijiang’s attack.
Prediction — 4th — A revitalised Shanghai Port, sees Zheijiang pushed down to fourth.
