Taishan's Dual-Line Deployment: First Team Aims for Top Three, B Team Targets China League One

Reporter Chen Yong reports On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, February 20th, Shandong Taishan's first team ended their holiday and traveled to Shanghai to commence the third stage of winter training, which is also the team's last intensive preparation before the season starts. The first team's target for the new season is to "maintain a top three position and challenge for first place," whereas the B team aims to push for promotion to China League One.

The main task of Taishan's Shanghai training camp is to conduct final tactical drills through friendly matches. According to the schedule, Taishan will play three friendlies on the 24th, 25th, and 27th, with the match against Shanghai Shenhua on the 27th being the final and most significant warm-up. Shanghai Shenhua has already played two AFC Champions League Elite matches and is in competitive form. This game will help Taishan quickly find their best match condition in preparation for the league opener on March 7th.

In these three friendlies, another key objective for Taishan is to integrate their new foreign central defender, Alvaro, as soon as possible. During this winter transfer window, Shandong Taishan only replaced one foreign player. However, the recruitment process was slow; Alvaro only arrived in Jinan on February 14th and was officially announced the next day. By then, Taishan had just finished their second phase of winter training in Guangzhou. Therefore, Alvaro can only blend into the team during the Shanghai training camp, which is another important purpose of this week-long session.

For Taishan, the overall strength for the 2026 season has not changed much. With Delgado and Duan Liuyu returning, the squad's depth and tactical options are enriched. The real variable is the new foreign central defender Alvaro. If he performs excellently, Taishan’s defense will become more solid, and tactically, coach Han Peng will have more flexibility, such as switching between three-center-back and four-defender formations. In a sense, the stable Taishan team sets a high baseline, while Alvaro’s performance largely determines the upper limit for Shandong Taishan.

Shandong Taishan will conclude their Shanghai training on the 27th and then return to Jinan for a short rest. On March 2nd, the entire team will head to Mount Tai for their annual mountain climbing blessing and a group photo ceremony. That afternoon, Shandong Taishan Football Club will hold the Taishan Blessing Fan Carnival at the Taishan International Convention and Exhibition Center, where key players will participate. Afterwards, the team will depart for Linyi.

In the 2026 season, Shandong Taishan B team will host their home games in Linyi. On March 2nd, the B team will also hold their send-off ceremony there. That evening, at the Linyi Olympic Sports Center, the first team and B team will play a friendly match open to fans.

Before the announcement of point deductions, the first team had already set their goal to "secure a top three finish and fight for first." Considering that all title contenders except Chengdu Rongcheng have been penalized, there is currently no indication that Shandong Taishan has lowered their ambitions.

As for Shandong Taishan B team, their 2026 goal is to gain promotion to China League One. Since the 2024 season allowed professional leagues to include Chinese Super League B teams, the latest 2026 policy permits these B teams to compete for promotion to China League One. Based on this new regulation, as the first CSL B team to enter professional leagues, Shandong Taishan B team’s target for 2026 is confirmed as promotion.

To achieve the promotion goal, Shandong Taishan B team has received full support from the club in squad formation. Eight players listed on the first team’s B roster will continue to represent both the first team and the B team as usual.

This past winter, Shandong Taishan also focused heavily on renewing contracts with their outstanding young players. Peng Xiao, Chen Zeshi, Shi Songchen, and Yimulan all extended their contracts until December 31, 2030, signing five-year deals. This undoubtedly lays a solid foundation for the stable development of Taishan in the future.