Chinese Super League: is it time for CSL’s Leicester City fairy tale? Ten questions ahead of the 2019 season
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What lies in store between now and December is anyone’s guess, on or off the pitch, but there are plenty of questions ahead of the season starting.
Let’s start with the most obvious:
1. Can Shanghai SIPG do it again?
As an increasingly interesting transfer policy evolves, the champions did not add any new players for a second consecutive season. They also lost CSL golden boot winner Wu Lei to Espanyol – although they would likely have faced losing him to Guangzhou Evergrande anyway. How they cope without Wu’s goals remains to be seen but they cruised to the first silverware of the season with a Super Cup win over Beijing Guoan and a win over Shanghai Shenhua in the opening day derby will settle nerves before their first AFC Champions League game. Fighting on three fronts, SIPG will need to decide whether it is domestic or continental glory that matters most.