Shenhua Derby Day Blues, and VAR Debate Rears Its Head in China: The Chinese Football Podcast

The panel look back at CSL round two – was Shenhua’s defeatist attitude a reflection of their injury crisis, or is the side resigned to this being the new derby normal? There’s also a return to form for five-star Evergrande and Beijing Guo’an’s season kick-starting to life in Nanjing to discuss, along with the continued bright start of R&F, a big upset for Renhe over Quanjian, and Steve’s struggles in a cracking 3-2 for Hebei over Guizhou.

That game – along with the R&F fixture and a delay over Bakambu’s first goal in China – saw VAR to the forefront in round two. It’s early days, but are the panel optimistic about the role of technology in improving officiating standards in China – or could this breed more lazy refereeing and leave the fans in the cold? The boys discuss both sides of the argument.

There are some juicy fixtures in round three to preview – a table-topping clash of the acronyms between R&F and SIPG, and a bottom-of-the-table scrabble between Gregorio Manzano’s Guizhou side and his former employers in Shenhua. The experts also reflect on the latest humiliation for Dalian Yiteng, and discuss whether China’s fallen football city can regain top spot one day.

The Chinese Football Podcast is hosted by Wild East Football’s Steve Crooks, joined by Chinese football experts Brandon Chemers in Beijing and Cameron Wilson in Shanghai.

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