Opinion | Can anyone stop Guangzhou Evergrande? Ten questions ahead of the new Chinese Super League season
The 2018 season kicks off this weekend and there are plenty of points of intrigue up and down the table
What lies in store between now and December is anyone’s guess but there are some questions that we want to know the answer to over the course of the next nine months.
Starting with the most obvious, is this the year that someone stops the seven-time champions?
1. Can Evergrande “Be The Best Forever”?
That is the motto on the club’s badge and winning the last seven titles in a row suggests they might be on to something. One more title would match Dalian Shide’s historic record of eight Chinese titles but theirs were spread out over decades. Such a period of dominance is not good for the Chinese game – looking at any other league that is as monopolised proves that – not that any Evergrande fan will mind. The club’s real focus is winning a third Champions League and that distraction might mean they take their eye off the league. They start as favourites but not by as wide a margin as previous seasons and questions surround an ageing squad and how quickly new manager Fabio Cannavaro can bed in. It seems the team are in no mood to slow down, they won the season opening Super Cup in style, beating cup winners Shanghai Shenhua 4-1, but a Guanghzou derby to start the season puts the pressure on from the off.
2. Who is most likely to stop them?