In the fourth encounter of the season against Shenhua, Haigang is full of fighting spirit.

Written by Cheng Shan. After defeating Meizhou Hakka 4-2 away and securing 3 points, Haigang has crossed the 40-point mark in the standings. More importantly, with Shenhua, the league leaders, drawing their match, the gap between the two teams is now only 4 points. For the fourth derby of the season, the morale within Haigang is high.

As summer arrives, Shanghai continues to be hot, and Haigang's preparations have also been challenged. However, to ensure their physical fitness while chasing Shenhua, they cannot afford to relax at all.

In fact, in the Chinese Super League, Haigang has been in excellent form over the last 10 rounds, remaining unbeaten since May 5 with 6 wins and 3 draws, including a stretch of 4 consecutive victories. Although some matches have been a bit bumpy, securing points is crucial, and their ranking has steadily risen, currently sitting in second place.

After being held to a 1-1 draw at home by the West Coast, the team felt very frustrated and engaged in deep reflection. To boost team morale before the derby, they could only rely on this away game against Meizhou. However, it is well known that the trip to Meizhou is never a pleasant one, and Haigang had previously felt quite uncomfortable.

Having learned from past experiences and with the rainy season upon them, Haigang had to proceed with caution this time. The team's staff arrived in Meizhou ahead of time to set everything up. Nevertheless, despite the humid and muggy weather, Haigang generally felt it did not have a significant impact. Once the match began, the difference in strength between the two teams became apparent.

Just 9 minutes into the match, Gabriel fell in the penalty area. The referee initially awarded a corner kick, but after a lengthy VAR review, it was changed to a penalty, which Gabriel converted himself, giving the team an early lead. In the 20th minute, Liu Ruofan sent a cross from the right, and Leonardo scored with a header; in the 29th minute, Haigang's left-side set piece was delivered into the box, resulting in an own goal by Wang Jianan. With a score of 3-0, the match lost much of its suspense before the half-hour mark.

Before halftime, Liu Ruofan combined with Wang Shenchao at the edge of the penalty area and scored with a powerful shot. By halftime, Haigang was already leading 4-0.

During the halftime break, Muscat reminded the players not to become complacent just because they were leading by 4-0, stating, "We need to keep fighting!" However, with a 4-0 lead, the team inevitably experienced lapses in concentration, allowing Meizhou to score two goals in a span of 10 minutes, in the 57th and 67th minutes.

In the end, Haigang defeated Meizhou 4-2, remaining unbeaten in the last 10 rounds of the Chinese Super League. However, going from a 4-goal lead to a 4-2 victory, Haigang continued to attack and did not retreat defensively. This situation has already occurred multiple times this season.

Maintaining a balance between offense and defense, reinforcing defensive vulnerabilities during the battle for points, and incorporating diverse tactics while enhancing endurance are issues that Muscat and Haigang must consider. After all, the upcoming match against Shenhua will be even tougher.

It should be noted that maintaining a stable performance throughout the long league season is challenging and requires fresh blood. This summer transfer window, Haigang brought in Spanish midfielder Melendo and 26-year-old Hong Kong defender Alexis Zhu. How to integrate them into the team quickly is a pressing challenge for head coach Muscat.

According to reports, Muscat consults with them individually after each training session, pointing out their issues. Currently, neither has displayed their best form in matches, but Haigang has shown ample patience.

In the match against Meizhou, Alexis Zhu made his debut as a substitute in the second half, contributing two successful dribbles and delivering a key pass within his 23 minutes on the field, achieving a passing accuracy of 87%, which helped enhance the team's attacking options on the flanks.

Regarding Alexis Zhu's performance, Haigang fans have given initial approval. After joining the team halfway through the season, if he wants to play more matches, Alexis Zhu must integrate quickly. He admitted that Muscat and the club have been very helpful during this period, and everything has gone smoothly since arriving in Shanghai, making him very happy. However, to achieve sufficient chemistry with his teammates, Alexis Zhu expressed that he still needs more time.

Winning against Meizhou made Haigang happy, but even more so, they were pleased to see Shenhua struggle to a 4-4 draw against Yukun on the same day, earning only 1 point and exhausting a lot of their energy in that match.

However, in the three derbies this season, Haigang has 1 draw and 2 losses, and in the last six derbies, Haigang has 1 win, 2 draws, and 3 losses. In the derby match in April, Haigang led 1-0 at home for 82 minutes but ended up being equalized by veteran Yu Hanchao with a header, a moment that left Muscat feeling very unsettled.

Statistics show that in the past three years, Haigang has conceded goals in the second half of derby matches at a rate of 70%, with 4 of those goals coming after the 80th minute. "After returning to Shanghai, our focus is on recovery and preparing well for the next round. We know what the derby means, and everyone in the team is very clear about that," Muscat said.

Upon returning to Shanghai, Haigang needs to quickly make adjustments and recover. According to Muscat's plan, the team will watch video clips of Shenhua's recent matches together. Even though they are familiar opponents, Haigang must study them carefully.