With the clock ticking the the season’s start on March 1st, the pod runs the rule over the title contenders for what is shaping up to be a very unpredictable 2019 season – each of last season’s top 4 have some big questions hanging over them.
We run the rule over how Shanghai International Port Group can reshuffle their pack to cope without top scorer Wu Lei, whether Guangzhou Evergrande’s baffling self-imposed squad rotation policy will limit their recovery, if Marouane Fellaini is enough to turn Shandong Luneng from also-rans to contenders, and how Beijing Guoan can cope with the expectations after some headline-grabbing new additions.
We wrap up by looking ahead to this weekend’s Super Cup and an opportunity for this new-look Guoan to face off against a Wu-less SIPG before the league begins in earnest next week – but does anybody know why the game is being played in Suzhou?
Don’t miss the chance to get involved in the discussion on Twitter at #chinafootypod – we love hearing feedback and do our best to field your questions and suggested topics each and every week.
Steve hosts the Chinese Football Podcast, having joined the WEF team as correspondent for Shanghai Shenhua, the side he has followed since moving to Shanghai in 2010.
Exiled from the Victorian town-centre idyll of Feethams along with his childhood football team, Steve spent many an (un)happy year on Hongkou's North Terrace along with the Shenhua Element Crew and Blue Devils before relocating to Sydney from where he continues to follow the Chinese game from afar.
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We’re back with a discussion on the soul of Chinese football – are naturalized Brazilians the answer to World Cup qualification woes, or yet another example of the governing bodies …
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