Asian Champions League Elite: Shanghai Shenhua coach says Chinese teams must up intensity

Leonid Slutsky says Chinese Super League teams – who have all been eliminated – must match Japanese, Korean clubs’ ‘more intense football’

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Shanghai Shenhua players (in white, from left) Gao Tianyi, Jiang Shenglong and Wang Haijian react after their 4-1 aggregate defeat to Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale in Kawasaki. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 10:00pm, 13 Mar 2025Updated: 11:42pm, 13 Mar 2025

Chinese Super League clubs need to play with greater intensity if they are to succeed in the Asian Champions League Elite, Shanghai Shenhua coach Leonid Slutsky said after his team were eliminated from the continental competition on Wednesday.

Slutsky’s side were thrashed 4-0 at Kawasaki Frontale to exit the tournament 4-1 on aggregate, a defeat that came a day after back-to-back CSL winners Shanghai Port suffered a heavy loss to another Japanese side, Yokohama F Marinos.

Former Russia manager Slutsky told reporters he had stressed the importance of matching their opponents’ intensity ahead of each of their Champions League games.

“In the Chinese Super League, we play with less intensity than in games against Japanese teams, against Koreans teams. This is a very big experience for us,” he added.

“This is a way for us to develop our team, for Chinese teams. Japanese teams play more intense football. This is our target.

Shenhua coach Leonid Slutsky says Chinese Super League teams play with too little intensity. Photo: Xinhua

“I hope next year, because we’ve also qualified for the Asian Champions League, we will understand and we will play more [intensely] in the Chinese Super League games and in the Champions League games.