Shandong Taishan, how should they "live" in 2026?

Reporter Chen Yong reports With an 11-game unbeaten run capped by three straight victories, Shandong Taishan concluded the 2025 season on a high note, restoring fans' enthusiasm. Yet, the late surge was insufficient to overcome the early deficit, resulting in a fifth-place finish in the league.

Looking toward the 2026 season, Shandong Taishan’s confirmed strategy emphasizes both achieving results and nurturing young talent. The difficulty lies in defining what the performance targets truly are. If the aim is to finish in the top three while developing young players, the possibility of success is greater. But if the goal is to win the championship alongside youth cultivation, conflicts are inevitable. Considering the club’s long-term development, a firm and stable youth development plan combined with improving foreign player quality and recruiting key outstanding players may be a more reasonable approach to enhancing results.

The 2025 season for Taishan was actually divided into two phases: the first 16 rounds under coach Choi Kang-hee, and the last 14 rounds under coach Han Peng.

In the first phase, Taishan recorded 7 wins, 4 draws, and 5 losses, earning 25 points with an average of 1.56 points per game. The four defeats included a 0-3 loss to Chengdu Rongcheng, a 1-6 loss to Beijing Guoan, and a 0-1 loss to Shanghai Shenhua, though the team managed a 1-1 away draw against Shanghai Port. In the latter 14 rounds, Taishan achieved 8 wins, 4 draws, and 2 losses, totaling 28 points with an average of 2 points per game. The difference between the two phases was quite clear, especially since Han Peng took over abruptly, starting with 1 win and 2 losses due to team adjustment, then launching an 11-game unbeaten streak.

The contrast between the two phases lies in Choi Kang-hee’s significantly reduced control over the team and his overly simplistic and blunt tactical approach, with no visible positive changes. More importantly, the team’s morale remained low, and relations between coach and players became tense. After Han Peng took charge, team morale noticeably improved, and tactical changes were evident. Notably, Han Peng effectively resolved the coexistence issue between Cresan and Kazaishvili by positioning Kazaishvili further forward while Cresan played a pivotal role transitioning from defense to attack.

It must be said that decisively resting Choi Kang-hee mid-season and bringing in Han Peng was a crucial turning point for the team this year. Regarding Choi Kang-hee, he performed well when first taking over in 2023, leading Taishan out of a slump and showing experience in the AFC Champions League, but his tactics became outdated and his control weakened, making his departure inevitable.

Besides Han Peng’s impressive coaching, he also had an important task of developing young players. Ultimately, Peng Xiao earned his chance, appearing in 11 matches with 9 starts. While he was slightly nervous in the early games, his later performances stabilized, especially defensively. He also has decent offensive skills but participated less in attacks for safety. His consistent displays helped him secure a position in the U22 national team, where he played as a key central defender in crucial matches.

Due to Taishan’s poor results at the time, Han Peng also needed to focus on improving performance to boost fan confidence, so youth development was handled cautiously. Apart from fully nurturing Peng Xiao, other young players mostly gained experience in the Super League. Shi Songchen appeared three times in the first half of the season; in the second half, Mei Shuaijun appeared three times (four times total), Peng Yixiang three times, Wang Haobin twice, and Yimulan, Chen Zeshi, and Xie Muxiding once each. Additionally, Yu Jinyong made seven league appearances this season. Another gain was the impressive performance of 23-year-old Hong Kong player Li Xiaoheng in the latter half, which helped rotate the attacking lineup.

This season, Shandong Taishan scored 69 goals, ranking second in the Chinese Super League, just behind Shanghai Port’s 72, tied with Beijing Guoan. They conceded 46 goals, ranking seventh in the league, slightly more than Shanghai Port’s 44, also tied with Beijing Guoan. Looking at goal difference, Taishan’s offense didn’t fully utilize the potential of their frontline. The trio of Cresan, Kazaishvili, and Zeca theoretically forms the strongest attacking foreign player combination in the league. As for goals conceded, they allowed 27 in the first 16 rounds (1.69 per game) and 19 in the last 14 rounds (1.36 per game).

One statistic that caught fans’ attention was Taishan ranking last in total running distance, which was disappointing. Several factors contributed: first, low fighting spirit early on; second, the slightly aging overall squad; and third, perhaps most importantly, tactics. Early on, Taishan’s play was very simple and direct, with no sign of collective football beyond aggressive pressing. Excessive individual efforts naturally did not boost running distance.

Han Peng took over mid-season and introduced major tactical changes, but the sophistication was still lacking. For example, the three-center-back formation mainly alternated between attacking 3-4-3 and defensive 5-4-1, lacking more tactical variations, making it difficult to significantly increase running distances. This data suggests that this winter, Taishan needs to further refine and enhance their tactical system.

Regarding Shandong Taishan’s strategic goals for the 2026 season, the focus is on both youth development and performance, with a confirmed dual emphasis.

Ideally, we hope to achieve both: giving young players more opportunities while breaking through in team results. This is somewhat feasible, as Taishan has some outstanding young players and a strong foreign player foundation, especially in attacking foreign players.

However, realistically, even with a dual focus, there must be priorities. Drawing from Taishan’s glorious past: from 2006 to 2010, they won three league titles, with decent foreign players and excellent young talents as key factors.

Looking closely at that era, it was a gradual process: the 1983, 1985, and 1987 generations were the mainstay, but Han Peng gained experience by being a substitute from 2002 to 2004 before securing a starting spot in 2005 and fully blossoming offensively in 2006. Zhou Haibin joined the first team in late 2002 and the national team the following year. Cui Peng secured a starting role in 2005 through his ability. Other Taishan players also had two to three years of league experience. In fact, Taishan’s 2006 double championship was closely linked to strong domestic players, with the 2008 and 2010 titles dominated by the younger local generation.

Even the highly talented 80s generation needed time, as did the post-05 generation. Hence, there is inevitably a conflict between competing for titles and youth development. More precisely, if the goal is to contend for the championship, the team must recruit two to three current national team-level domestic players, which inevitably limits young players’ stable playing time. If the aim is a top-three finish, with strong foreign defenders added, young players can still get steady playing time and the goal is more achievable.

Clearly, the latter approach is more beneficial for Taishan’s long-term growth, relying on local players has always been their tradition. Under this premise, Taishan’s squad-building strategy should be as follows:

First, ensure the signing of an excellent foreign central defender, which is key to securing results, especially since many of Taishan’s promising young players are defenders. On this basis, if possible, adding a top-quality defensive midfielder would be ideal. If the foreign player salary budget is tight, retaining Madruja is acceptable; he performed adequately this season and, being young, still has room to improve.

Second, regarding young players’ playing time, Peng Xiao should be guaranteed a starting role, Shi Songchen needs more opportunities, and when necessary, the combination of "Shi Songchen + foreign central defender + Peng Xiao" should be used. If results are not the main concern, Chen Zeshi and Yimulan can be developed simultaneously. If results matter, it’s recommended to loan Chen Zeshi to other Super League or China League One promotion-contending teams for more stable playing time. Yimulan should be given 10 to 30 minutes per game for gradual development. For attacking young players, keep one or two as substitutes ready to come on, and loan others to Super League or League One teams for experience.

Third, signing domestic players will likely depend on opportunities. Currently, Taishan aims to strengthen one or two defensive positions, but recruiting active national team players is very difficult. In this case, it’s better to wait for quality rather than rush. If there is a chance to sign promising young talents, Taishan should act decisively. Regarding loaned players, one or two can be recalled to reinforce the squad based on circumstances.

Overall, while results are a must for a professional club, Taishan should firmly pursue a stable youth development plan. Results are uncertain, but successfully developing young talent is a tangible asset. Take Peng Xiao as an example: with only 11 appearances and 9 starts this season, he has grown from a somewhat unfamiliar youngster into a reliable and trustworthy central defender. Building on youth development, we can then look forward to pleasant surprises, which would be a reasonable season expectation.