Breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats, rejuvenation, Mount Tai wins.

Reported by Chen Yong After two consecutive wins followed by two consecutive losses, the Mount Tai team was shrouded in heavy pressure before the Lu-Yu match, and fans were also quite confused: Does the Mount Tai team still have hope for good results this season? Can the young players of the Mount Tai team still receive stable cultivation? All this pressure and confusion ultimately found answers in the Lu-Yu match.

The mood of Mount Tai fans began to heat up after the starting lineup was announced: In this away match against the Henan team, two young players Peng Xiao and Chen Zeshi started together. This arrangement actually exceeded fans' expectations, because normally, if one U21 player starts, another U21 player can rotate steadily, which can also effectively cultivate young players.

Peng Xiao already had stable starting opportunities last season. In this match, he continued to play as the right center-back, and his coordination with teammates was fine. Chen Zeshi is a midfield player that the Mount Tai team focuses on cultivating. He made his CSL debut as early as the 2022 season, but over the past four seasons, his appearances in the CSL have not been many. This season, although he played in three of the previous four matches, they were all substitute appearances, with durations (excluding stoppage time) of 11 minutes, 27 minutes, and 25 minutes respectively. When substituting, due to opponents' declining physical fitness, the pressure he faced was undoubtedly much less than when starting.

Regarding this, Han Peng made a more prudent arrangement for the starting of the two U21 players, especially Chen Zeshi's start: In this match, the Mount Tai team changed from the previous 343 formation to a 352 formation. The goalkeeper was Wang Dalei; the three center-backs were Gao Zhunyi, Alvaro, and Peng Xiao; the two wing-backs were Chen Pu and Xie Weneng; the Mount Tai team首次出现 three midfielders configuration: Huang Zhenyu returned as a midfielder, partnering with Madrugada and Chen Zeshi; the two attacking players were naturally Kazayishvili and Ze Ka. In this match, Cresan continued to be absent due to injury, which was also an important reason for the coaching team's decisive formation change. Meanwhile, the three midfielders could well alleviate the pressure Chen Zeshi faced.

In this Lu-Yu match, Peng Xiao and Chen Zeshi performed excellently. A scene in the 23rd minute of the match serves as proof: Peng Xiao received the ball near the midfield line and made a direct pass to Ze Ka at the top of the arc. Ze Ka顺势 passed to Chen Zeshi, who made a lob pass. If Wang Guoming hadn't奋力出击, this direct pass and lob could likely have turned into a goal. Actually, the Mount Tai team's only goal also came from Chen Zeshi's long pass: In the 42nd minute of the match, Chen Zeshi chest-controlled the ball in the backfield and directly made a volley long pass. Wang Guoming出击失误, and Kazayishvili made a lob shot to score.

Chen Zeshi chest-controlled the ball and passed while surrounded by two Henan players,充分展现了 his relaxed心态 in the match. Compared to his debut four years ago, he is now more physically robust, has richer match experience, and a more relaxed match mentality. Originally very versatile, he is now fully showcasing himself.

Besides Peng Xiao and Chen Zeshi starting, another U21 player of the Mount Tai team, Shi Songchen, also substituted in the second half. Winning away under such circumstances was undoubtedly surprising and gratifying. Actually, the Mount Tai team's rejuvenation strategy was确定 in the second half of last year, but some subjective and objective factors this season have somewhat affected the team's rejuvenation strategy. On one hand, the team was deducted 6 points at the start of the season; on the other hand, the goal of securing third place and competing for first placed significant pressure on the club and the team. This led to somewhat conservative personnel usage by the Mount Tai team, but it should also be noted that Han Peng still gave young players opportunities. For example, Chen Zeshi played in three of the first four matches, and Peng Xiao played in four of the first four matches (one start and three substitutes).

What was意想不到 was that after the Mount Tai team won two consecutive matches in the first two rounds and became the first team to clear negative points, they suffered two consecutive losses in the subsequent rounds. Under such circumstances, the goal of securing third place and competing for first became the focus of discussion, because with the Mount Tai team's主力阵容 relatively aging, securing third place actually holds little significance. The Mount Tai team should either compete for the championship or全力锻炼 young players. Before the Lu-Yu match, the point gap between the Mount Tai team and the top-ranked Chengdu Rongcheng had reached 9 points, so cultivating young players became the mainstream呼声.

The excellent performance of young players in the Lu-Yu match一方面 gave the coaching team more信心,另一方面则为 the Mount Tai team found a more reasonable path for future matches. Currently, on the path of rejuvenation, if the Mount Tai team maintains the节奏 of having 1 to 2 U21 players start per match and 1 to 2 U21 players substitute, besides achieving the goal of rejuvenation, it can also ensure relatively good results.

Of course, the value of veteran players still exists, especially since the Mount Tai team's板凳厚度 is somewhat insufficient currently. Considering the relatively密集赛程 in the future, it is necessary to reasonably plan the appearances of veteran, middle-aged, and young players.

In this Lu-Yu match, the Mount Tai team also had two key points: First, the拼搏态度 determined the team's底线. Without Cresan, the Mount Tai team's进攻 was actually不畅, but the team's relentless running and疯狂逼抢 allowed them to ultimately win without conceding a goal, thanks to a somewhat意外进球. Every player who appeared deserves praise. Second, Huang Zhenyu can play a more important role as a midfielder, and he is also more suitable for this position.

For the future, the Mount Tai team still cannot be complacent. How to further optimize the team's管理模式, how to ensure the拼搏这条生命线, and how to orderly统筹 the team's阵容轮转 will continue to test the coaching team.

This weekend, the Mount Tai team will face Shanghai Port. For the Mount Tai team, this is a comprehensive challenge, whether in terms of tactics and techniques or personnel usage, including the performance of young players in such a major match. In terms of personnel, whether Cresan can return is another key point for this match. Of course, for the Mount Tai team, the real key to the match is whether they can display the拼搏态度 like in the京鲁大战 or the Lu-Yu match.