Special correspondent Gan Hui reports On the afternoon of February 16, Shenhua held a ceremony for the new season at the Jiushi Kangqiao Sports Base to prepare for the team's journey in the new season. Shanghai Shenhua have played two games in the new season, but neither of them is at home, and Shenhua's 2025 home tour will begin on February 18, when Shenhua will face Vissel Kobe at the Shanghai Stadium in the final round of the group stage of the AFC Champions League East Asia.

In the middle of last week, Shenhua eventually lost 1-0 away to Yokohama Mariners due to a mistake of their own, which made it very difficult for Shenhua to qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite League. After 7 rounds, Shenhua has 2 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses, accumulating 7 points and ranking 10th. In addition to Shenhua's victory over Kobe, it also depends on the results of Shandong Taishan, Pohang, Shanghai Port and other teams.

Although it was very difficult, head coach Slutsky said that he would not give up: "The defeat of Shenhua against Yokohama really hurts me, but we still have one last game and we will try our best to win the last game and try to qualify." ”

During the winter break just past, Shenhua mainly made adjustments on the offensive end. The team changed the foreign strikers and also hired a coach in charge of the attack. But judging from the two games that have been played, the offensive conversion problems that plagued the team last season have not improved significantly, at least so far. In the Super Cup against Harbour, Shenhua had a total of 24 shots on goal in the whole game, 14 of which were on target, but in the end it was with 3 set-pieces that they broke through Harbour's goal. Against the Yokohama Mariners of Japan, Shenhua performed well in the opening stage, Andre, Mineiro and others had good chances, but the chances were not converted into goals, and in the end Manafa's mistake caused the goal to be conceded and the game was lost. Whether or not they can improve their ability to grasp opportunities determines the outcome of the match against Kobe Victory Boat, and to a certain extent, affects Shenhua's promotion situation.

What is more favorable for Shenhua is that the Kobe Victory ship currently has a certain injury situation. In the J-League draw with Urawa Red Diamonds in the first round, the main right wing-back Takatoku Sakai and Brazilian winger Patrick were injured. In addition, winger Daisheng Miyagishiro, central midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi, right-back Rikuto Hirose and Brazilian defender Caetano all have injuries of varying degrees, and given the intensive schedule at the start of the season, Vissel Kobe is likely to send a substitute for the match against Shenhua when the AFC Champions League has already qualified early.

Before the team was about to start the home journey of the new season, Shenhua held a departure ceremony on the 16th. The new signings Mineiro, Li Ke, Wang Hanlong, and Wang Shilong, who joined during the winter break, officially met with fans and media.

Looking back on the 2024 season, Gu Jiqing, chairman of the club, said: "Looking back at the 2024 season, it is most appropriate to describe the ups and downs, there is the ecstasy of surviving in a desperate situation, and the frustration of missing out. What pleases me the most is the transformation of the team's temperament, with the joint efforts of all coaches, athletes and team staff, Shenhua has returned to the top level of Chinese professional football and has become a strong team that can challenge any team. Indeed, after a period of low times, Shenhua ushered in a radical change. In the past two years, the team has won the Super Cup twice, won an FA Cup, and since the beginning of the 2023 season, it has won the championship trophy for three consecutive seasons, and has directly qualified for the AFC Champions League Elite League for two years. Last year, Shenhua was only one point behind Harbour, which has super foreign players Oscar and Vargas, and was runner-up in the league.

Facing the new season that is about to be in full swing, Gu Jiqing said, "Looking forward to 2025 and facing new challenges, the four words we often put forward to the team last season - ambition, trust, obedience, and teamwork. The curtain of the new season is about to begin, and the opening game is about to begin, so let's dream together and take firm steps to win. When talking about the team's persistence in any situation, Gu Jiqing made a joke: "Of course, it would have been better if the game had scored early. ”

Before the departure ceremony, the club held a fan carnival. Regardless of whether the team is in good times or bad, Shenhua fans always follow the team and give the team the greatest support, which makes a very deep impression on Slutsky, and almost every time he gives an interview, he will thank the fans. At the departure ceremony, Slutsky said about the fans, "Last season, the most impressive thing was the Shenhua fans, there were many profound moments, such as the AFC Champions League away game against Australia's Central Coast. Shanghai is so far from Australia, I don't think there will be many fans, but I found that the number of you is more than the opposing team's fans. In the last game against Yokohama Marinos, more than 2,000 fans came to cheer and cheer. Last year was also your encouragement from start to finish and I hope our team can be as good as you are so that we can be the best team. ”

After the match against Vissel Kobe, Shenhua is about to start the new season of the Chinese Super League. On the evening of February 22, Shenhua will face Changchun Yatai at the Shanghai Stadium.