The "Brother Derby" saw Ross suffer a major defeat, and a more serious issue than the 0-4 score is spreading.

Written by Zuo Rui. The Aloisi brothers' Chinese Super League derby premiered on the evening of the 25th, ending the same as the Australian league version over two years ago: the older brother lost to the younger brother. Zhejiang Greentown fought hard in Chengdu but was still thoroughly battered. The 0-4 score raises the question: Can Mitriță's return solve all problems?

From the lineup of the CSL leader, younger brother John Aloisi showed no restraint, fielding his main players including five foreign reinforcements first. Older brother Ross Aloisi, facing a shortage of personnel, exhausted all options to deploy his available resources and even changed his usual 4231 formation to a more defensive 532.

Mitriță is still suspended, the team has scored zero goals in four rounds, and worse, key center-back Liu Haofan, second captain Lucas, and first captain Cheng Jin were injured successively. Ross's starting lineup was: goalkeeper Zhao Bo; defenders Tong Lei, Wang Yang, Park Jin-seop, Wang Shiqin, Sun Guowen; midfielders Wu Wei, Tolić, Zhang Jiaqi; forwards Gao Di and Guarilapa.

Goalkeeper Zhao Bo, with a wrist injury, played with a brace and armband. If he hadn't volunteered, who would captain the team became a problem. Since second goalkeeper Huo Shenping had an elbow injury, 35-year-old Dong Chunyu was again placed on the bench. Wang Yudong on the substitute list was more notable. Ross's intent to defend first and strike later was clear.

The first goal at 17 minutes stemmed from a coordination error between Park Jin-seop and Wang Shiqin. The Korean midfielder, playing center-back for the second time, was not comfortable, and his right-side partner changed from Zhang Aihui to Wang Yang. Ross's attempted five-defender system didn't bring the expected density and layers, instead increasing detachment among defenders.

This detachment was exploited by John's strong squad. Felipe and Wei Shihao scored twice from close range in the box, leaving Zhejiang three goals behind by halftime. In the first five minutes of the second half, Ross made three substitutions: Qian Jiegei and Zhang Aihui replaced teammates with yellow cards in the same positions, while Wang Yudong replacing Gao Di was a planned move to add strength, giving the visiting team's attack some momentum.

In the 67th minute, Park Jin-seop left injured. Unwilling to surrender, Ross switched to a 4231 formation, bringing in attacker Tao Qianglong. However, Tao had dislocated his left shoulder fighting in Wuhan last round and couldn't finish even with a bandage; this round's emergency call was indeed beyond his capacity. In the 79th minute, Abulikemu replaced Guarilapa, Ross exhausted his options but couldn't turn the tide.

In the 90th minute, Wang Yudong's breakthrough caused a red card, Rongcheng's Gan Chao was sent off, but the numerical advantage of 11 vs 10 was instantly negated by Baihelamu's solo goal. 0-4, Ross couldn't reverse it. Thus, Zhejiang has had no wins, no goals for five consecutive rounds, while conceding 10 more goals.

The 0-4 score made Ross awkward meeting his brother post-match. What could comfort the green-clad fans on site was that Zhejiang still fought for every second even during stoppage time; even with defeat certain, they wanted to score one goal. Also, Park Jin-seop's rib injury was checked post-match at the hospital and confirmed to be fine.

The heavy defeat left Ross very regretful. He said the start was originally good, but goals were lost too quickly with too many errors. "The fighting spirit in the second half was decent, but after Park Jin-seop's injury we had to adjust the formation, and then the fourth goal came." Winner John knew his opponent's injury situation well but believed his brother is a capable coach who "can quickly overcome difficulties."

With his own squad depleted and his brother firing at full strength, Ross's tactical risks, personnel experiments, and in-game adjustments had little to criticize. At least two bigger issues exist: Without main center-backs Lucas and Liu Haofan, where is Zhejiang's bench depth? Without Mitriță on the field, does the team's attacking power completely vanish?

The second issue, unresolved for four rounds, will surely solidify opponents' judgment: neutralizing Mitriță disarms Zhejiang completely. The best chance to change others' fixed impressions and enrich own attacking methods is Round 9 on May 2nd, home against Shenzhen New Peng City.

The Romanian star will be reinstated from Round 10. Regardless of his comeback form, May is destined to be Zhejiang's toughest period this season: Yukun, Jinmen Tiger, Harbor, Taishan, Ironman, Henan likely all have plans to handle Mitriță and curb Zhejiang. So what about Ross? After suffering John's painful blow in Chengdu, what can he expect for the brothers' meeting in Hangzhou?