After three rounds, Harbor loses its dominance.

Written by Cheng Shan Last autumn, Shanghai Harbor lifted the Chinese Super League championship trophy at Dalian Suoyu Bay. Unexpectedly, just a few months later, at the place that once witnessed glory, Harbor suffered its second defeat of the season. After three rounds, Harbor has 1 win and 2 losses, its points still remain at -2, ranking thirteenth in the league. The championship defense goal proclaimed at the start of the season is now facing severe challenges.

Harbor started the new season with a -5 point deficit, a unprecedented situation for a CSL defending champion. In the first round against Henan at home, Harbor hadn't fully found its rhythm, losing 2-1 in an upset, and doubts from the outside world followed.

Just when everyone thought Harbor would continue to slump, in the second round home match against Qingdao West Coast, the team seemed to regain its championship confidence overnight. Jean-Claude scored his first goal since joining, Leonardo blasted a spectacular strike, and Wu Lei, returning from injury, was in hot form scoring twice. A 4-1 victory reignited fans' hope for that fluent, majestic Harbor attack. The frontline finally displayed the long-awaited chemistry, thoroughly opening the goal account, and boosting the team's confidence for the expedition to Dalian.

Everyone hoped Harbor could ride the momentum of that big win to continue victory at Suoyu Bay and relieve the points pressure. In the pre-match press conference, head coach Muscat also admitted returning to Dalian held special meaning, the beautiful memories from last year remained, and the team hoped to use a good performance to continue the right direction.

But in the match against Yingbo on the 21st, Harbor was passive from the start. The opponent changed its aggressive tactics from the previous two rounds, opting for pragmatic defense and solid counterattacks, a strategy that precisely hit Harbor's weakness. Throughout the match, Harbor dominated possession with far superior passing stats, yet consistently failed to penetrate the opponent's dense defense.

The real turning point came shortly after the second half began. Achimpen and Marailai executed a quick, sharp combination, and a simple yet efficient counterattack breached Harbor's defense, Achimpen calmly pushed the shot into the net. This goal became the only one of the match.

Trailing Harbor pushed hard but couldn't find a breakthrough. The entire match, Harbor had only one shot on target, the offense seemed lacking in ideas and chaotic, the once fearsome attacking group was completely silenced in this game. Ultimately the 0-1 score was maintained till the end, Harbor regrettably lost at its championship blessed ground.

Such fluctuation in the team's form is not accidental. On the defensive line, the absence of key player Jiang Guangtai has destabilized the entire defense. Missing this crucial defensive anchor, Harbor appeared insufficient in handling opponents' quick counterattacks, the defense was breached multiple times, opponents needed just one efficient attack to pose a lethal threat.

The loss of control in midfield is currently Harbor's biggest concern. In past matches, Harbor's midfield always controlled the rhythm, transitioning smoothly between attack and defense, effectively intercepting and supplying the frontline. But this season, the team's midfield control has noticeably declined, interception success rate dropped, capability to deliver key forward passes is insufficient, leading to the team seemingly possessing the ball but mostly making safe lateral or backward passes, unable to form truly threatening attacks, trapped in a "high possession, low efficiency" cycle.

Worryingly, more and more CSL teams have now found a way to deal with Harbor: solid defense, compact formation, seize counterattack opportunities. This tactic achieved perfect effect against Dalian Yingbo, also indicating Harbor will face more similar "iron bucket" formations in the future.

At the start of the season, Harbor's management stated negative points weren't scary, winning two matches could reverse the situation. But reality is, winning two consecutive matches now is not easy for Harbor. The absolute dominance against mid-to-low tier teams in past seasons has completely vanished in the first three rounds this season.

The high-profile championship goal set at season's start appears particularly arduous facing the reality of 1 win, 2 losses, and -2 points. Currently Harbor already has a significant points gap with top-table teams, in the fiercely competitive CSL, such an initial disadvantage requires far greater effort to gradually recover over the long season.

The good news is, after the third round, the league enters an intermission period. For Harbor trapped in difficulties, this is undoubtedly a precious breathing opportunity. Head coach Muscat also stated the team will use this time for thorough review and full preparation. However, with four players selected for "Shao Phase II" and two抽调 for U23 national team, Harbor also faces issues of incomplete squad affecting training. Nevertheless, this adjustment period will become key for Harbor to change the season's trajectory.