Changchun Yatai remain firmly in a relegation fight in the Chinese Super League, but irrespective of their fate, they need serious changes for the 2025 season.
Just three matches remain for Changchun Yatai to avoid relegation, with a four-point gap separating them in 12th place and Meizhou Hakka, who occupy the second relegation spot in 15th.
Xie Hui’s side is also coming off a record-breaking 8–1 loss to Beijing Guoan over the weekend, a result that has dampened spirits in the northeastern city and brought the possibility of suffering the drop back to the surface.
Whether they succumb to the pressure, as they did in 2018, or avoid the drop and remain in the Chinese Super League next season, Xie Hui, or whoever takes charge of the side should they be relegated, has the daunting task of a serious overhaul.
Changchun Yatai have operated on a year-by-year basis for several years, with little thought for the long-term project of the team.
Players are beginning to age or have shown they have already peaked in their careers and are not good enough to keep the team competitive in the middle of the table.
The team has a decent core group of players, including club captain Serginho, talismanic forward Tan Long and even some solid defensive midfield options such as Dilumut Tudi and Liao Chengjian.
However, the team’s makeup needs a change, especially if Xie Hui is to remain manager next season.
Change is Needed
The squad is effectively still former manager Chen Yang’s, with Xie Hui bringing in Stoppila Sunzu and calling back Tudi during the summer transfer window.
As such, the team’s structure needs to be reworked to better suit his 4–3–3- formation.
Tan Long continues to play beyond his years at 36, with eight goals and an assist in 25 appearances. However, his retirement is looming and it’s unclear how much longer he will be able to keep playing — especially at the level typically expected of him.
Wang Jinxian is a popular figure in the northeast, but can he be the guy to take over and lead the way? His offensive production has not yet been proven to be anything more than a depth option behind Tan Long, so new faces on the wing could be on the cards.
Robert Beric has had a decent enough season for a struggling Yatai side, but he is not the ideal type of player to lead the line as the lone striker in a front three.
He is a solid goalscorer, but he needs more support to be effective and a stronger forward with pace could be the preferred type in this system, with Tan Long and Serginho more than capable of scoring and providing assists from wide positions.
Add to that the fact that Serginho is more effective through the centre, and moving him back into the midfield could be a way for the team to get the most out of the team — assuming they have wingers that have pace and can be heavily involved in the attacking third.
A midfield group of Serginho, Peter Zulj and either Tudi or Liao Chengjian would be more effective than the rotations witnessed this season, but the lack of options further up the pitch have forced Xie Hui’s hand.
Defensively, Sunzu has been a rock but has had a couple of ‘off’ moments in recent weeks, as has central partner Lazar Rosic, who has been involved in some questionable tackles and defensive errors.
Yuan Mincheng has also been on the periphery, having been scapegoated early in the season for poor defensive errors that have not always been his fault.
The backline needs big changes. He Yiran should be considered the team’s starting left back moving forward, demonstrating solid positioning and awareness for a 19-year-old, but the rest of the lineup could look very different next season.
Li Shenyuan has been a bright spark for the team, so bringing him back on a permanent deal would be considered a win for the team — with fans gravitating towards him and the clear difference in quality between him and any other player to feature at right back quite evident.
The goalkeeper question will continually hang over the team, with Wu Yake, Zou Dehai and Wang Zhifeng all on board.
Wu Yake and Zou Dehai should be expected to be the two competing for the top spot next season, with the latter now back from the injury that has kept him out for most of this campaign.
Wang Zhifeng has not been consistent enough in relief of Wu Yake, so his position should be less secure behind the other two, although is does provide some important depth and competition.
Changchun Need to Build for the Future
Relegation could force the club into making even more changes than most would expect, but even if the team does secure Chinese Super League football next year, big changes must be coming.
A younger team, bringing in players for the long term, rather than plugging gaps as they appear, should be the approach. There’s plenty of young talent out there that would surely look to impress.
A look at the China Under-21s National Team shows plenty of players in China League One or Two who are stepping up and getting valuable, competitive minutes under their belt.
Tang Tianyi for Guangzhou E-Power is one prime example. At just 17 years old, he has nine goals in China League Two this year. Targeting young players such as him, even if it means loaning him back to continue his development, should be an approach that Changchun Yatai considers to ensure the long-term future of the club is secured.
Remaking the first team while stockpiling talented youngsters who can step up in a year or two can ensure the club is looking beyond just surviving year-to-year, while also giving fans some hope for a stronger, more successful future.
The title-winning side of 2007 was primarily made up of home-grown, developed players who had been with the club since their youth, and bringing in teenagers who could come into a middling CSL side earlier in their careers would be a refreshing change of pace for the team once again.
The approach may not be what the team opts for, but securing younger, talented players with bright futures needs to be something the club looks at eventually.
He Yiran is a great example of what can be achieved with younger players, the team just needs more of them.