Just noticed that hkfa.com has posted some previews of the teams ahead of the new season, that kicks off this weekend. Going to re-post them here.
Hong Kong 1st Division League 2013-14 Season Preview (1) — South China
The Caroliners delighted their supporters and reclaimed the league title from their arch-rival Kitchee last season. However, the perennial powerhouse will face a tough path on their way to title-defending this campaign, especially after going through some heavy-changes on and off the pitch.
Former head coach Liu Chun-fai has stepped down from the position and ex-Wofoo Taipo head coach Cheung Po-chun has taken up the coaching reins. Cheung will look forward to the chance of redeeming himself after falling just short on preventing Wofoo Taipo from relegated.
On the players-front, South China faces the tasks of replacing several influential players such as skipper Lee Chi-ho, Au Yeung Yiu-chung and Manoel Santos. All these players have played a huge role in the team’s league-winning season and it will be up to the newly-appointed head coach to show that the club has what it takes to adequately replace these departed players.
Re-signing Chan Wai-ho will stabilize the squad and the addition of Zhang Chunhui will add competition to the goalkeeping rank, which already includes Hong Kong international custodian Yapp Hung-fai. Together with returnees such as Joel Padilha, Carlos Bertoldi, Dhiego Martins and new signing Mamadou Barry, South China is still very much the team to beat in the new season.
“Our target for this season is pretty simple and clear, and that is to win trophies,” stated Cheung Po-chun, South China’s new head coach for the season. “On the AFC Cup front, we hope to score as many points in the early stage so that we can find some breathing room. But the goal is to get out of the group stage and advance and far as possible.”
Hong Kong 1st Division League 2013-14 Season Preview (2) — Kitchee
Last season’s FA Cup winner had an up-and-down season domestically but enjoyed a memorable journey in the AFC Cup, advancing to the quarter-finals. It will be up to newly-appointed head coach Alex Gomez to continue the fine work that the now-departed Josep Gombau had laid down.
Management has kept pretty much the core of last season’s team intact with local players such as Chu Siu-kei, Lam Ka-wai, Lo Kwan-yee and Huang Yang all returning and staying put. Young players such as Chan Man-fai, Tsang Kam-to and Tsang Chi-how have all shown flashes of brilliance in the past and will be on the cusp for their own breakthrough season. Talented midfielder Matthew Lam has got his taste of local football and will be eager to show his worth in the new season.
The team is quite set in goal with the one-two punch of Wang Zhenpeng and Guo Jianqiao. Both keepers have previously proven their worth manning the Kitchee goal, thus making the goalkeeper position one of Kitchee’s strengths.
Daniel Cancela, Fernando Recio and Zesh Rehman are all battle-tested veterans and will all be back patrolling the backline for Kitchee. Up-front, the club has secured the service of Spanish striker Juan Belencoso to lead the line of attack together with Jordi Paramo. Complimenting these foreign imports are new-recruits such as Christian Annan, Alexander Alkande and Xu Deshuai, as these new players will add to the already-potent firepower of the side.
“I hope we can challenge for domestic honors and go as far as possible in the AFC Cup,” newly-appointed head coach Alex Gomez boldly declared. “On the pitch, I would like the team to play an attacking-brand of football. At the same time, I also want to offer the players the freedom to express themselves and to showcase their exceptional skills.”
Hong Kong 1st Division League 2013-14 Season Preview (3) — Tuen Mun
Tuen Mun finished last season just behind the Big Two of South China and Kitchee. It was a very encouraging result for a team that allegedly went through some off-field financial turmoil during mid-season. It was also a testament to the management and the coaches that they were able to galvanize the players at such a testing situation, then righted the sinking ship and surged towards the top of the table in the league run-in.
The club took a new direction this season and will rely on mostly China-imports. Major contributors such as Roberto Fronza, Diego Moreira and Daniel Goulart are all gone from the team and it remains to be seen whether the new foreign recruits can adequately replace these Brazilians who performed so admirable for the New Territories club. The departure of inspirational leader Li Haiqiang will also be felt, as the skillful midfielder provided leadership both on and off the pitch.
Remaining with the club are the industrious Liang Chong, the maturing Yip Chi-chun, Lai Yiu-cheong and the always-reliable Wei Zhao. The quartet will now be counted on to provide goals up front and stability at the back.
Technical Consultant, Kiniambi Zola has also joined the Tuen Mun management after spending years involved with football in mainland China. Topping last season’s achievement will be a tough challenge and this new-look Tuen Mun team will look to forge its own identity in the up-coming season.
Hong Kong 1st Division League 2013-14 Season Preview (4) — Southern
Southern, the undoubted surprise package of last season, got off to a shaky start in their top flight debut but steadily climbed the ladder with some wonderful team performances afterwards. On paper, this team might not intimidate many of its opponents but the truth is they caught everyone by surprise last season and almost booked their own ticket for the AFC Cup.
Spanish imports such as Diego Folgar, Ruben Lopez and Jonathan Carril all played key roles in helping Southern to finish high up the league table last season. However, the resurgence of local players such as Chiu Yu-ming and Ip Chung-long were also crucial to Southern’s delightful showing. Inserting throw-in specialist Chan Cheuk-kwong into the mix and you have a team that is full of characters and tactical options.
Wisdom Fofo’s defection to mainland China and Landon Liang’s departure for Sun Pegasus have created a seemingly huge dent to the team. It will be up to the remaining players to step up and make sure they can replace the now-departed players. New additions such as Yago Lopez, Hector Granado, Lo Chi-kwan and Che Runqiu should all provide the squad with adequate quality and depth.
Coach of the Year Fung Hoi-man exceeded everyone’s expectations in Southern’s maiden first division campaign. The whole team will be entering the new season with confidence sky-high.
“We have retained most of the spine from last season’s squad and we hope we can improve on last season’s 4th position,” head coach Fung Hoi-man declared. “We understand this will be a tougher season than the previous one but we hope we can add a few twist from a tactical-standpoint to outsmart our opponent.”
All eyes will be on Southern to see whether they can repeat last season’s magic but it will be up to the Southern boys to show that the “second-year syndrome” is not in effect.
Hong Kong 1st Division League 2013-14 Season Preview (5) — Sun Pegasus
Sun Pegasus is a much improved squad with the team shaping up to be a dark horse for the upcoming season. A trophy or two in the new season is certainly not out of reach.
The team finished last season tantalizing close to claiming a trophy, only losing out on the FA Cup final by the slimmest margin. Without a doubt, head coach Chan Chi-hong will be looking for ways to take this team one-step further.
Sun Pegasus has retained the services of influential centre-backs Paulo Cesar and Igor Miovic. Both players helped shore up the shaky Sun Pegasus defense by adding some much-needed steel and stability. Signing up tricky speedster Landon Ling and the versatile Michael Campion should also offer the coaching staff with more tactical options and flexibility. The lightning-quick Jaimes McKee bagged 18-goals in all competitions last season and will always be a major threat for opposing defenders.
To compliment the existing players, the Sun Pegasus brass has also acquired new foreign players all over the pitch. Goalkeeper Josip Skoric, midfielder Aleksandar Randelovic and striker Admir Rascic will all be eager to make an impression on the coaching staff.
“We aim to challenge for trophies this season,” Sun Pegasus coach Chan Chi-hong proclaimed. “In order to achieve that, we will need to be more clinical in front of goal. We need to improve on this as a team as we missed out on quite a few chances last season.”
First division rivals should all take notice, as Sun Pegasus looks well-equipped to improve on their 5th place league finishing from last season.
Hong Kong 1st Division League 2013-14 Season Preview (6) — Biu Chun Rangers
Typical Rangers, they started the season in a rather positive manner and occupied one of the front-running positions in the league table for much of the first half of the season. However, the team’s form took a nose-dive in the second half and recorded their last league victory in the end of January. Needless to say, some much needed consistency will be essential to Rangers’ performance this season.
Young phenom Lam Hok-hei provided firepower for the historic club and will hopefully continue to do so in the new season. Lam, one of the hottest young properties in local football, spent this off-season playing in Indonesia and his overseas stint will hopefully help the promising youngster to further mature. Speedy merchant Li Jian’s return to the club and the continuous service of midfield lynchpin Liu Songwei should also be seen as encouraging signs.
Defending remains to be the biggest challenge for Biu Chun Rangers, as the team conceded an alarming 52 goals in the 18-games league schedule last season. It was by far the most around the league and goalkeeper Leung Hing-kit will no doubt hope for a better protection for the upcoming season.
The return of head coach Rambo Ricardo should prove to be a great addition to this young Rangers squad. The charismatic Brazilian tactician has long enjoyed a reputation as a player’s coach and looks like the perfect candidate to steer this team towards improvement.
“If we are to improve, we will need a steady defense but it starts from all the players, not only the defenders,” explained the Rangers coach. “We will work very hard to make sure we concede fewer goals, and then we can start scoring some.”
