Tianjin TEDA – Club 2 – Season 3 – Update 6
Following the last update where we managed to extend our lead at the top of the table to a massive 7 pints, as well as securing ourselves a place in the Chinese FA Cup final it was crunch time for the players to see if they could continue to perform under the pressure and secure a famous domestic double.
Results
Going into our final 4 games with a 7 point lead meant we only had to win 2 out of our 4 games in order to secure the title. Normally this would e fine, however we were playing second place Dalian Pro on the final day of the season, so any slip-ups before then could cost us massively. Luckily though we managed to secured a massive 5-1 away victory over Shenzhen to boost our confidence and put us 1 win away from the championship. Once again, Ma Jin put in a great performance with both himself and Saeter scoring braces with left back LI QI also getting in on the action in the rout.
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Our next game was once again away from home against Henan. To make things even more interesting, 3rd place Beijing Guoan were hosting Dalian Pro, who knew defeat would hand us the title. I wasn’t leaving it up to chance though and fielded our strongest team in order to get the required result. And it didn’t take long to make the break through with fan favourite right back Tang Hui blasting home a right footed half-volley to give us the lead inside 8 minutes. The were also murmurings around the ground that Beijing had taken the lead against Dalian which meant it looked like we were on for the title.
The game turned even more into our favour as Henan were reduced to ten men just before the half hour mark and Ma Jin continued his purple patch of scoring with our second goal of the game just before the break. We seemed in cruise control, and to make things even better I was notified that Dalian were now 3-0 down to Beijing after a torrid first half meaning that our closest rivals were effectively handing us the title! With that knowledge the players seemed much more laid back in the second period and we failed to add t our tally, but I didn’t care – we were champions!!
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What a season from the team! Just over 2 years after I had joined a relegation threatened team we were champions of China! Despite our success I was keen for us to not rest on our laurels in the final two games as I was desperate to go into the cup final in good form. Fortunately, the boys had the same idea as we swept aside Shanghai 3-0 in a prelude to the cup final before demolishing Dalian Pro 4-2 at home on the final day of the season.
Cup final
After our excellent league form I was very confident going into the cup final, particularly as we had just beaten Shanghai 3-0 a matter of weeks before. Once again, the final was over two legs – a staple of most competitions outside of Europe, and just as with the Indonesian Piala final with Mitra Kukar, the first leg finished goalless. We managed to control the game for large spells, however we couldn’t find the breakthrough meaning we missed out on a crucial away goal.
The second leg was a different story however as, time after time we ripped through the Shanghai defence. Unbelievably though we couldn’t find the net, a combination of their keeper having the game of his life and our players seeming to leave their shooting boots in the changing rooms meant the net seemed to be guarded by an invisible shield. We even hit the woodwork 3 times before half time!
Eventually we managed to find the breakthrough and there is no prize for guessing it was Ma Jin, once again turning up at the critical moment. We continued our dominance but couldn’t find the final killer blow. Nevertheless, our defence performed admirably, and we held out for a narrow 1-0 victory despite the domination over the two legs. The domestic double was our ours!!
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What an end to the season! I have had troubles with run-ins during this save, but not this time. A thoroughly professional job from each and every player, scoring and amazing 15 goals and conceding just 3 in our final 6 games.
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Table
And just to confirm our league title, here is the final table. An awful end to the season from Dalian Pro, picking up just 4 points from their final 4 games. Amazingly, we only lost 2 games all year and finished with a massive 47 goal difference as well as a 10 point gap at the top. A truly unbelievable season!
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Squad performance
There’s really only one man that can be considered for our player of the season this year and that is of course Ma Jin. At the age of just 19 he has managed to bag himself 33 goals in 37 starts this year, as well as 8 assists meaning he has contributed more than a goal a game for us. The fans have clearly agreed, awarding him 44% of their player of the season votes.
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Rafaelzinho has also had a splendid, but slightly underrated year. Due to the plaudits going to Ma Jin his 31 goal contributions have gone a bit unnoticed, especially after his slow start to the year, but in the end he has had another great year for us.
Once again, I can’t emphasise how important the midfield is to this team with Gojak, Saeter and Ibanez all having great seasons once again. Niu Shuai has also had a very good year with 3 goals and 12 assists from his number 10 role.
Both full backs have also had good years, contributing 6 goals apiece, as well as Tang Hui scoring the goal that effectively won us the league!
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Summary
Overall an incredible year after our Champions League heartbreak earlier in the season and definitely a team that I will never forget. Despite our successes though I am still not sure how we compare to the rest of the competition on the continent, so I feel like next season could be our last in China if we do not at least get to the semi-finals of the competition. Maybe a couple of additions can take us to the next level so I will be scouring the scout reports to find anyone who I think will improve us!
*My next update will be the start of season 4 with Tianjin TEDA as we aim to make a strong challenge for the Champions League. Apologies for not uploading an update yesterday I will treat you to two updates today! Thanks for reading!*
Following the last update where we managed to extend our lead at the top of the table to a massive 7 pints, as well as securing ourselves a place in the Chinese FA Cup final it was crunch time for the players to see if they could continue to perform under the pressure and secure a famous domestic double.
Results
Going into our final 4 games with a 7 point lead meant we only had to win 2 out of our 4 games in order to secure the title. Normally this would e fine, however we were playing second place Dalian Pro on the final day of the season, so any slip-ups before then could cost us massively. Luckily though we managed to secured a massive 5-1 away victory over Shenzhen to boost our confidence and put us 1 win away from the championship. Once again, Ma Jin put in a great performance with both himself and Saeter scoring braces with left back LI QI also getting in on the action in the rout.
Our next game was once again away from home against Henan. To make things even more interesting, 3rd place Beijing Guoan were hosting Dalian Pro, who knew defeat would hand us the title. I wasn’t leaving it up to chance though and fielded our strongest team in order to get the required result. And it didn’t take long to make the break through with fan favourite right back Tang Hui blasting home a right footed half-volley to give us the lead inside 8 minutes. The were also murmurings around the ground that Beijing had taken the lead against Dalian which meant it looked like we were on for the title.
The game turned even more into our favour as Henan were reduced to ten men just before the half hour mark and Ma Jin continued his purple patch of scoring with our second goal of the game just before the break. We seemed in cruise control, and to make things even better I was notified that Dalian were now 3-0 down to Beijing after a torrid first half meaning that our closest rivals were effectively handing us the title! With that knowledge the players seemed much more laid back in the second period and we failed to add t our tally, but I didn’t care – we were champions!!
What a season from the team! Just over 2 years after I had joined a relegation threatened team we were champions of China! Despite our success I was keen for us to not rest on our laurels in the final two games as I was desperate to go into the cup final in good form. Fortunately, the boys had the same idea as we swept aside Shanghai 3-0 in a prelude to the cup final before demolishing Dalian Pro 4-2 at home on the final day of the season.
Cup final
After our excellent league form I was very confident going into the cup final, particularly as we had just beaten Shanghai 3-0 a matter of weeks before. Once again, the final was over two legs – a staple of most competitions outside of Europe, and just as with the Indonesian Piala final with Mitra Kukar, the first leg finished goalless. We managed to control the game for large spells, however we couldn’t find the breakthrough meaning we missed out on a crucial away goal.
The second leg was a different story however as, time after time we ripped through the Shanghai defence. Unbelievably though we couldn’t find the net, a combination of their keeper having the game of his life and our players seeming to leave their shooting boots in the changing rooms meant the net seemed to be guarded by an invisible shield. We even hit the woodwork 3 times before half time!
Eventually we managed to find the breakthrough and there is no prize for guessing it was Ma Jin, once again turning up at the critical moment. We continued our dominance but couldn’t find the final killer blow. Nevertheless, our defence performed admirably, and we held out for a narrow 1-0 victory despite the domination over the two legs. The domestic double was our ours!!
What an end to the season! I have had troubles with run-ins during this save, but not this time. A thoroughly professional job from each and every player, scoring and amazing 15 goals and conceding just 3 in our final 6 games.
Table
And just to confirm our league title, here is the final table. An awful end to the season from Dalian Pro, picking up just 4 points from their final 4 games. Amazingly, we only lost 2 games all year and finished with a massive 47 goal difference as well as a 10 point gap at the top. A truly unbelievable season!
Squad performance
There’s really only one man that can be considered for our player of the season this year and that is of course Ma Jin. At the age of just 19 he has managed to bag himself 33 goals in 37 starts this year, as well as 8 assists meaning he has contributed more than a goal a game for us. The fans have clearly agreed, awarding him 44% of their player of the season votes.
Rafaelzinho has also had a splendid, but slightly underrated year. Due to the plaudits going to Ma Jin his 31 goal contributions have gone a bit unnoticed, especially after his slow start to the year, but in the end he has had another great year for us.
Once again, I can’t emphasise how important the midfield is to this team with Gojak, Saeter and Ibanez all having great seasons once again. Niu Shuai has also had a very good year with 3 goals and 12 assists from his number 10 role.
Both full backs have also had good years, contributing 6 goals apiece, as well as Tang Hui scoring the goal that effectively won us the league!
Summary
Overall an incredible year after our Champions League heartbreak earlier in the season and definitely a team that I will never forget. Despite our successes though I am still not sure how we compare to the rest of the competition on the continent, so I feel like next season could be our last in China if we do not at least get to the semi-finals of the competition. Maybe a couple of additions can take us to the next level so I will be scouring the scout reports to find anyone who I think will improve us!
*My next update will be the start of season 4 with Tianjin TEDA as we aim to make a strong challenge for the Champions League. Apologies for not uploading an update yesterday I will treat you to two updates today! Thanks for reading!*
Definitely better to have too many players in form rather than everyone out of form!!
