AFC Champions League Preview (The East - 2019)

Twelve titles from an available thirteen. That mere stat truly encapsulates the undisputed dominance of East Asia in recent Asian Champions League history. Kashima Antlers’ impressive run to the final last year, ultimately ended in muted fashion, as they eased past Iranian champions Persepolis in the final, but are such one-sided finals something we can expect to end going forward?

The perceived new wave of challenge was supposed to come from China. The increased money being funnelled down into the domestic game was becoming a real consideration for even Western Europe, let alone the rest of Asia. Despite the large amounts of cash flowing in initially, the picture looks a little more stable nowadays, and with one of the quietest windows for some time just passing by, the challenge from China in the Asian Champions League looks comparatively weak to years gone by.

Perennial contenders, and two-time winners Guangzhou Evergrande encapsulate China’s evolving yet diminishing threat continentally. Having lost out on their first domestic title for eight years, rather than jump straight back into the lucrative transfer market of highly sought after European talent, Guangzhou have bizarrely restricted their own overseas quota, instead looking to seek weaker nationalised options to bulk up their squad.

The purchases of former England youth international Tyias Browning and Peruvian born Roberto Siucho are the first part of a long-term strategy put into play by the club to exploit China’s vast waves of global diaspora. Ahead of the curve, fellow Asian Champions League side Beijing Guoan have already confirmed the national switch of Norwegian born midfielder John Hou Saeter (now known as Hou Yongyong) and are significantly along the way in doing the same for English born Nico Yennaris (to be known as Li Ke) who should switch allegiances in the coming months.

The quality of Chinese football, as demonstrated in January’s underwhelming, yet misleadingly successful Asian Cup campaign, is still lacking in a number of areas. The mere bright spot of the campaign, domestic golden boot winner Wu Lei, has now left for Europe, leaving his former club and newly crowned Chinese Super League champions Shanghai SIPG in a muddle heading into their first ever domestic defence and ACL pursuit. Shanghai have failed to sign up adequate cover for their outgoing talisman, and with an ageing squad to hand, growing ever more static (the physical size of star man Hulk is again on the rise), it’s hard to suggest that the current Chinese champions have it in their locker to make a dent continentally.

The title in the East then, as has been the case for the last two editions, looks favoured to return to Japan for a third year in succession. Back-to-back J.League champions Kawasaki Frontale look far better prepared to make a sustained impact on the continental stage than last year, given their close season signings of Leandro Damiao and Maguinho have already hit the ground running domestically. Group stage returns to face Shanghai SIPG and Ulsan Hyundai, the two teams to usurp Kawasaki last term, will prove an interesting yard stick to assess progression of each team individually, but an area the Japanese champions look best set to improve upon.

The two previous ACL champions in Urawa Red Diamonds (2017) and Kashima Antlers (2018) also return, with strong looking squads to progress deep into the competition. The off season purchases of Ryosuke Yamanaka, Ewerton and Kenyu Sugimoto have improved quality across the pitch for Urawa, whilst Kashima, who may have lost defensive duo Gen Shoji and Daigo Nishi in the transfer market, have been able to keep hold of both their AFC Player of the Year nominated stars from last term Kento Misao and Yuma Suzuki, and have brought in experienced forward Sho Ito, a player who has already scored in both his Champions League and domestic debuts for the club in the last week.

The only question mark, often labelled against Japanese contenders for Champions League glory, has been that of priorities. The J.League remains the most intense and extended of domestic schedules in the East, leading some in the past to field under strength squads in their midweek Asian excursions. One of the most regular abusers of this in the past, Sanfrecce Hiroshima already look to be treading on familiar ground, after deploying a second-string squad in their weary penalty shootout victory over Chiangrai in the ACL playoffs.

With this in mind, Jeonbuk Motors look well placed to be challenge the favourites at the tournament. The Korean champions, have few worries domestically, given their considerable superiority over the chasing pack, have a reduced schedule compared to their Japanese counterparts, and have strengthened their depth going into the new season. Boasting an almost relentless attacking force, including the likes of Moon Seon-min, Bernie Ibini and Kim Shin-wook as mere bench options, Jeonbuk clearly have the playing staff to live up to being a worthy challenger. Outside them however, the Korean challenge is diminished (on paper at least), given the surprising rise of Gyenognam and Daegu last season.

Gyenognam backed up their K2 promotion campaign in 2017, to finish in behind Jeonbuk last term. Whilst they’ve lost leading scorer Marcao (Hebei), and centre back Park Ji-soo (Guangzhou Evergrande) to the Chinese Super League, the introduction of Jordan Mutch, formerly of Cardiff City and former Inter Milan winger Luc Castaignos looks to keep them competitive at the very least in the group stage. Daegu’s unexpected KFA Cup victory opens a historic continental challenge for the modest Korean club, yet with little star quality across the field, they’ll likely find it difficult against such experienced opponents.

One of their group opponents, Melbourne Victory however, look to have timed their improvement perfectly. The recruitment of Japanese international Keisuke Honda, alongside physical Swedish striker Ola Toivonen, looks to have been a masterstroke, and given their appeasing group stage draw against Deagu, Sanfrecce and Guanzghou could be the required game changer. In a stop-start league campaign to date, Victory have proved on their day, they have the best side in one off matches in Australia, a level of performance they’ll be keen on replicating in Asia.

Aiming to prove they’re more than simply going to make up the numbers, Thai champions Buriram United, heading into their seventh ACL season in eight years, and five times Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim, in their debut ACL group stage encounter are the potential banana skins no side will relish in facing. JDT in particular have stocked up impressively ahead of their historic debut in the tournament proper, bringing in Brazilian defender Mauricio and striker Diogo, who has already proven how highly effective he is in front of goal in Thailand last term.

AFC Champions League Round Review (Group Stage)

Another year’s group stage has passed in the AFC Champions League, and when it comes to the football on the pitch at least, the view is generally positive. The early stages have been competitive, with a good mix of domestic and the ever improving world star names taking the pitch, while we wait in anticipation to really determine a standout team or two who’ll end up fighting for the title.

The notable surprises come the end of this stage, include a severely dented representation from South Korea, after FC Seoul exited in the “Group of Death” to join previously exiled reigning champions Jeonbuk Motors on the scrap heap, while UAE champions Al-Jazira also bowed out offering little. A clean sweep of exits for Australian and Uzbek clubs may have different causations attached to them, but neither was greeted with surprise. 

The final 16 lineup includes the following breakdown; West - Iran (3 clubs), Saudi Arabia (2), UAE (2), Qatar (1) and in the East - Japan (3), China (3), Korea Republic (1), Thailand (1). Looking back on the first three months of action, here are my standout points.

The Player

After a few years of Brazilians hugging the headlines, 2017 offers promise that Asian talent is still thriving in domestic football past the genius that is Omar Abdulrahman. The diminutive Emirati (who may finally be leaving this summer) has been at his very best in Al Ain’s progression to the knockout stages, but he can be positively joined in that regard by Omar Al-Somah, Mahdi Taremi, Marat Bikmaev and Rodrigo Tabata who also had great group campaigns. My focus however falls on the constantly influential Nam Tae-Hee, who after 6 years of quality service with Lekhwiya in the Champions League, finally might have the right accompaniment to go further than their record equalling quarter-final finish last year.

Alongside the African duo of Youssef El-Arabi and Youssef Msakni, Lekhwiya have blown away their competition, scoring 15 times, (the highest in the West) whilst scoring 3 goals or more in half of their games, alongside the domestic title. They’ve regularly been a threat over the years, but this campaign feels different. Nam plays an integral part in their success, scoring 4 and laying on at least the same number in their opening three ACL matches. His opening two efforts; arguably the goal of the ACL season so far against Al-Fateh (a late equaliser no less) and their opener against Esteghlal Khuzestan weeks later encapsulated his threat to cut in and provide the sensational from little to no opening.

The worry for opponents goes further than closing down long range efforts, hence the space he’s sometimes afforded in those positions. The speed of thought to either give and go or dribble directly himself has long been his calling card, but his ability with a static ball has risen to meet this. His outside of the foot assist for Msakni against Al-Fateh this week was a marvel, in a match where he may have failed to get on the scoresheet but he fully orchestrated the win. With Lekhwiya in translation, merging with El Jaish over the summer, many have questioned which players will be retained, when you consider the wealth of overseas riches both sides possess. I’d argue that there’s been no better use of the AFC player slot in the Champions League over the last few years than that of Nam Tae-Hee; the newly formed Al-Duhail should snap him up as soon as possible.

The Team

On the back of a historic year of national team football for the country, Thai champions Muangthong United have kept up their side of the bargain going into 2017, clinching a knockout stage progression spot with a game to spare, a first for the country since 2013. The side have by no means scraped through, this isn’t one of those stories of team spirit and tactics playing the main part either; this side as is the case with the War Elephants in World Cup qualification, possess talent in abundance and how they’ve shown it in a difficult group on paper.

Wins against sides from Australia, Japan and South Korea are big calling cards, and they were in the most part dominant victories. When you possess goal power through former Newcastle United striker Xisco, alongside the highly experienced Teersail Dangda and are regularly supplied by the best fullbacks in the business; Theeratom Bunmathan and Tristan Do, you’re always going to start on the front foot. Throw in the magical midfield quality of Chanathip Songkrasin (who scored a mazed Maradona-esc solo goal against Brisbane) and you’ve the makings of dare I say it an ACL contender.

The area I did worry about, (prior to the group stage anyway) was their defence, but after recording 4 clean sheets from 6, including two away in Ulsan and Brisbane, there’s little doubt the Twin Qilins can dig in when needed. In the end the only defeat suffered was their final match, when qualification was assured, and the fact that they knew their destiny beforehand, urgency to win and top the group over Club World Cup finalists Kashima Antlers to set up a match with former ACL champions Guangzhou Evergrande might have been turned down a tad. It’s remarkable to be suggesting this, as Thai clubs have been largely the whipping boys over the last few years; but Muangthong look well placed to make a run for the final.

The Talking Point

The quality on the pitch in Asia is at it’s highest ever level. The concern however is how this can be harnessed to paint a positive picture to the rest of the world, something that the AFC continually fall down upon. General perceptions count against Asian football; Europe (quality), South America (charm, skill), Africa (passion, raw talent) and arguably North America (seen as the future, professionalism) are all seen as desirable locations for football, but everytime Asian football is mentioned; be it Qatar hosting the World Cup or the growth of the Chinese Super League, many deride the lack of heritage and question motives apart from the money. And while there is an element of ignorance and racial stereotypes affixed to this, the AFC need to look closer to home for this to be improved.

The AFC in comparison to other continental federations are relatively wealthy, but you wouldn’t know it by the press surrounding their Champions League and Asian Cup competitions. As Scott McIntyre highlighted this week, the politics of Asian football has been at the forefront of those in power’s minds rather than improving the product that is their game. There is an argument that there’s plenty of social/political/locational boundaries in place that stop a successful product taking flight; ie. the vast landscape of Asia and fraught relations between neighbouring nations, but some of the decisions that have particularly risen this last year haven’t helped matters.

The mess involving Eastern and Guangzhou Evergrande started the competition off in typically farcical fashion. A tense relationship that had already come to a head when China and Hong Kong met in World Cup qualification last year, the AFC surely knew what was coming, but nothing was done to deter each club from going about tarnishing Asian football's name; by excluding fans from games, inciting racist chanting, and fueling an already toxic relationship. There’s always a sense in these matters that the AFC stands back and let's issues play out, that they don’t understand what negative impact it has on the brand.

This goes past sensitive regional relations and goes down to purely simplistic mechanisms, such as TV rights (which are vastly underutilised), marketing of tournaments and disciplinary issues. Jeonbuk’s exclusion which was delayed while they clinched last year’s ACL title showed up all that needed to be said about the AFC - delayed decision making and self-preserving above all. .From the top the decisions rarely make any sense, concluding with the Round of 16 draw which was drawn back in December. Now this would be acceptable if all group games kicked off at the same time, however as was seen on the last matchday Muangthong United and Kashima Antlers squared up knowing the winner would have the more difficult tie to come. 

While the product on the pitch continues to rise in quality, the support from it’s federation just doesn’t match it. The divide between West and East continues to grow ever larger, while Australia seems to be off on its own nowadays. With displaced power being thrown around, progress will never be made and Asian football will continue to be a largely forgotten entity in the world game.

AFC Champions League Preview (The East - 2017)

The growth of Chinese domestic football continues to generate headlines around the world, but despite the great spending, immediate success on the continent hasn’t been forthcoming. Shanghai Shenhua’s home defeat to Brisbane Roar in the AFC Champions League playoffs illustrated that patience will be needed if the Chinese Super League is one day going to dominate the regional, continental and eventually global domestic scene.

With the big money signings comes the inevitable frustration, envy and resentment from those around you. It’s hard to find a league or at least top team in East Asia that hasn’t been negatively impacted in a transfer sense by the growth in expenditure. This alongside the seemingly astronomical salaries on offer that football fans rarely take to, when Shenhua lined up to face Brisbane last week, they had little in the way of neutral support rooting for their progression.

While they created a number of promising openings, Shenhua were wortherly vanquished by their underdog opponents, who crucially had a team shape, a well worked gameplan and the much needed unity to take on a newly assembled, disjointed setup. The same pitfalls of assembling a side in such a small time period were felt by fellow CSL club Jiangsu Suning last term, crashing out at the group stage despite the high profile signings of Alex Texieria and Ramires over the preceding winter. The good thing in terms of longevity (something that has often been questioned when considering the large transfer spending) is that Jiangsu haven't thrown the towel in after their false start in the ACL, prioritising retention of their global talent over another window of transfer chasing this outgoing period.

It’s a plan that is shared by current CSL champions Guangzhou Evergrande, who also fell at the first hurdle in 2016. Headed by Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guangzhou have instead looked to strengthen their core, bringing in ACL winner Kim Hyung-Il from Jeonbuk Motors and domestic left back Zhang Chenglin from Beijing Renhe, rather than splurging on an additional foreign star. A year further down the line, with less impetus put on their imports, rather into their squad depth, both sides look to be stable and in a much better shape to at least better their disappointing showings from last year.

In the other corner however, Shenhua’s city rivals Shanghai SIPG have taken the completely opposite approach, despite making it through to the quarter finals in 2016. SIPG have been the most high profile spenders in the window having bought in on paper some of the best talents to be seen in the whole of Asia. In addition to their already bulging attacking lineup of Hulk, Elkeson and Wu Lei, SIPG have acquired another Brazilian international in attacking midfielder Oscar from Chelsea alongside one of the finest Asian midfielders available in Uzbek international Odil Akhmedov from Krasnodar. Coupled with the addition of Andre Villas-Boas in the dugout, SIPG look the team (at least in terms of personnel) to beat, but as was the case with Jiangsu last year and Shenhua already this, nothing is ever won on paper.

Outside the Chinese assault on the title, the contenders in the East will likely come from the usual suspects. With last year’s champions Jeonbuk Motors having been disqualified from this year’s edition for match manipulation, reigning K-League champions FC Seoul will be many’s favourites to challenge their rich Chinese neighbours. They’ll have to do this however without the ACL’s top scorer from last year Adriano, who himself was tempted to China (all be it the second tier). They’ve replaced him with another Brazilian in Maurinho, a support striker rather than an out and out goal poacher, tasked to assist Dejan Damjanovic in attack, where the Korean capital club impressed greatly in last year’s run to the semi-finals.

Elsewhere, J-League champions Kashima Antlers, who pushed Real Madrid to extra-time at the Club World Cup in December will thusly be highly fancied, yet they’re another to have lost their ace in the pack, with Japanese international Gaku Shibasaki moving to Spain over the winter break. Gamba Osaka, who usually progress well continentally alongside the best squad in Japan on paper Urawa Red Diamonds are two others who have the capabilities to compete at the sharp end of the year. It'll however be a case of balance; with J-League clubs previously either buckling under the pressure of a cluttered schedule, or choosing to prioritise their domestic ambitions over a lengthy continental assault.

One name that won't be muted about in terms of title contention is that of Hong Kong’s Eastern, yet their presence in the group stage remains highly anticipated in the run up to kickoff due to it’s historic significance. Eastern are the first side from Hong Kong to compete in the group stage of the Champions League and will do so under the stewardship of the first female manager to clinch a domestic title in Chan Yuen-Ting.

The odds are stacked against them, emphasised by their opening week’s schedule pitting them away against former champions Guangzhou, however there is a glimmer of hope that all is not lost, given the last year has seen immense improvement from Hong Kong football in general. Two goalless draws with neighbours China in World Cup qualification illustrates the standard in which their home players are now competing at, while Eastern were so nearly joined by domestic rivals Kitchee who only lost out on penalties in last week’s playoff with Ulsan Hyundai. Eastern’s progress in the coming months will be undoubtedly keenly observed across the continent, to see if any nation can truly break the top table dominance in East Asia.

Similarly modest ambitions will be plotted by Muangthong United. The difference with this side compared to those who have come from Thailand before them, the most recent example being Buriram United who were continually on the wrong end of heavy defeats, is that last year’s Premier League champions are in a much better place personnel wise. Not only do they possess some reputable overseas talent, but their home contingent are arguably in the best shape of their careers. Much of the starting lineup have been part of Thailand’s successful national team picture over the last 12 months which included a draw against Australia in World Cup qualification and a Suzuki Cup victory in December.

With these two sides coming into the campaign with little being expected of them, the same can’t be said of those coming from the Southern hemisphere in Australia. Given their league schedule, (running from October through to May, opposed to year long) and the highly competitive nature of the A-League, Australian teams have often lacked consistency going into the Champions League and it looks to be the case again this year. Champions Adelaide United, seem a million miles away from the side that won the title 9 months ago, currently propping up the league table, while fellow Grand Finalists Western Sydney Wanderers are going through a tough time themselves, failing to win at their newly adopted home this campaign leading to growing pressure on the once fancied Tony Popovic.

Momentum is a key aspect to assess when considering any team’s chances to progress past the group stages in the Champions League, with much already being affixed to those in the middle of their seasons like the Australians, that they must grasp their advantage over those in the East who are still in pre-season training. If the playoffs were anything to go by, the group stage itself could provide some real upsets, with more than one neutral hoping the likes of big spending Shanghai SIPG don’t have it all their own way. How luck would have it they travel to many people’s tip for the title Seoul for their opening fixture this coming week; the important matches start early in the East.

AFC Champions League Preview (The East - 2016)

You would've needed to have been hiding under a rock to have not seen the AFC off-season be dominated by one league in particular. The ramped up spending of the Chinese Super League has broken out of the Asian bubble and started to make waves across the globe, in particular in Europe where previously unseen transfer fees and salaries are being distributed out regularly.

Back in Asia, it’s hardly been a surprise given the CSL’s growth over the last 5 years. Going into a new AFC Champions League campaign, it does however remain an area of interest whether more of the league’s top clubs can go on to dominate on the continent. Of course this is a question that doesn’t apply to Guangzhou Evergrande, the CSL title winners of the last 5 seasons and ACL champions in two of the last three years, but rather can their success be replicated by their domestic rivals?

The club with the largest profile outside of Asia at the moment has been Jiangsu Suning who’ve bought in Brazilians Ramires and Alex Teixeria for a combined total of over £60 million. While the sudden influx of such high quality is undoubtedly going to improve Jiangsu’s fortunes (after only finishing 9th domestically last year), as their coach Dan Petrescu admitted their home based players are still way behind the quality of the top few sides in China, leading him to raise concerns whether they can truly compete on any front, let alone on the continent.

Greater focus in this year’s ACL should instead be paid to Shanghai SIPG. Finishing within 2 points of Evergrande last season, the heavily backed former “Dongya” branded club are currently experiencing a Guangzhou-like rise of their very own, given they only came into existence a decade ago, with only three years of CSL experience to call upon. However, the crucial difference between themselves and Jiangsu is their general calibre of players is much higher, a steady level opposed to that of Suning which has followed a more marquee signing model.

The squad can count on China’s most promising attacking midfielder Wu Lei, while former ACL top scorer Asamoah Gyan is now partnered in attack by former Evergrande striker Elkesson, a scorer in two ACL winning finals and still well in his prime to cause havoc on the continent. His signing proved to be one of the most interesting talking points of the window, with Evergrande claiming that they were selling the Brazilian to aid the league’s presence in the ACL, which comes across as more than perplexing given their recent domestic rivalry. In turn Guangzhou quickly sought to replace Elkesson with Colombian marksman Jackson Martinez to lead their title retention hopes.

On paper those two squads stand out as two of the best around but it’s far from being a CSL dominated title push. The likes of Jeonbuk Motors, Gamba Osaka, FC Seoul and Sanfrecce Hiroshima all have enough quality and pedigree to keep up with the improvement in China. Korean club sides are regularly high performers in the ACL, with champions Jeonbuk qualifying for the knockout stages in all 7 of their previous appearances in the competition, whilst the return to the competition of Pohang Steelers will instantly hark back memories to their three triumphs in the ACL, the last being in 2009.

Gamba lead the way arguably for Japan after managing to perform admirably on multiple fronts over the last year, including a semi-final appearance in the ACL and a domestic cup triumph. Holding onto Takashi Usami was always going to be the catalyst to their hopes of achieving anything this season, while the introduction of Jungo Fujimoto, expands further one of Japan’s hottest attacking line-ups.

You’ll notice I’ve ignored so far the A-League, a worthy candidate of course in terms of quality, no doubt but in particular with champions Melbourne Victory, Australia’s finest side at the moment are continuing to be infringed upon by the AFC’s overseas player limits. The A-League unlike pretty much any other league in Asia doesn’t apply a ruling restricting overseas player registrations. When it comes to AFC competition this has often limited their resources and once again this has watered down Victory’s chances of progression.

Kevin Muscat’s title winners have had to exclude key playmaker Guilherme Finkler and winger Fahid Ben Khalfallah from their ACL plans, two massive omissions, given both have been and currently are firm first choices for Victory. One overseas player who did make the cut however is Albanian Besart Berisha who has continued unabated in an incredible scoring vein since his switch from Brisbane Roar two seasons back. He’ll have his first opportunity to take on such form into the ACL in four years and will no doubt be one of the key features to look out for in the early stages.

From a neutrals point of view, what the East has over the West is a greater showing from some of the region’s developing nations; from Thailand and Vietnam. The Thai Premier League’s presence has ebbed and flowed during the tournament’s history, but recently all hope has been pinned with Buriram United who have well and truly been dominating the domestic game. In each of the last three showings they have at least made it within a head to head record of the knockout stages, making it through to the quarters in 2013 and will again prove a perilous opponent to Seoul, Shandong Luneng and Sanfrecce who have been drawn against them from the start.

A final point of interest at the start of the campaign is to see how far Vietnamese football has come on, in the form of champions Becamex Bình Duong. Largely considered in previous years as the whipping boys of the group stage, the V-League champions went someway to changing perceptions with a point against Jeonbuk followed up with victory in their last match against Kashiwa Reysol. Jeonbuk have once again been drawn against Binh Duong, while the Vietnamese open up against Asia’s hype club of the moment Jiangsu Suning, setting up an instant test for both squad’s to answer some early questions.