September 9: A 3-1 Victory Reveals the True Ability of a Formerly Overlooked China International; Shao Jiayi Finds a Gem and Adds a New Midfield Pillar

Before Shenhua's away match against Chongqing Tonglianglong, many people expected it to be a difficult game.

After all, Chongqing have been strong at home this season, while Shenhua were playing away. But after 11 minutes, the suspense was almost gone.

In the 8th minute, Gao Tianyi received the ball on the left. Without taking a touch, he pushed it horizontally into the penalty area. Asue followed up with a shot to make it 1-0.

Before Shenhua fans had recovered, Gao Tianyi was involved again in the 11th minute. Wu Xi's shot from the top of the penalty arc touched Gao Tianyi's foot and changed direction, ending up in the net.

Two goals in three minutes left the Chongqing home crowd silent.

By the end of the match, Shenhua had secured a 3-1 victory and three points. In post-match ratings, Gao Tianyi received the highest score of 8.2.

One goal and one assist were shown in the statistics. But the significance of his performance went far beyond those two numbers.

Those who understand football know that Gao Tianyi has been consistently solid for Shenhua this season. He has played 25 league matches and provided 10 assists, ranking third in the entire Chinese Super League assist chart. The two players above him are both foreign players. In other words, he is the top domestic assist provider in the league this season.

Yet a player like this was sitting on the bench under former China head coach Ivan more than a year ago and was left out of plans.

The story itself is not complicated. In the World Cup qualifier against Thailand, Gao Tianyi started and a marking mistake led to a conceded goal. Ivan substituted him immediately, and he played only 29 minutes in that match. After that, Ivan rarely gave him another look.

One mistake sent him straight into a difficult situation.

Ivan had his reasons. His diamond midfield system demanded strong interception ability and physical confrontation, and a technical player like Gao Tianyi could struggle in that setup, with defensive weaknesses becoming more exposed. However, Fernando also missed a penalty in that match, yet Ivan attended the post-match press conference with Fernando, while Gao Tianyi was directly dropped. The decision was controversial at the time.

Now that Shao Jiayi has taken over, the approach has changed.

Shao Jiayi came from a midfield background, and he understands what China have lacked in recent years. The team does not simply need a ball-winning midfielder; it needs players who can reliably deliver the ball into attacking areas.

That is exactly the role Gao Tianyi has played for Shenhua this season. Whether through long passes from deep, midfield through balls, or crosses from the wing, he can deliver the ball to the right places in different ways. Shenhua head coach Milojiević also said after the match that Gao Tianyi's tactical role in the team was very important and that he helped the team greatly.

However, Gao Tianyi's strengths and weaknesses are both very obvious.

His defending is genuinely a concern. He has given away penalties in two consecutive CSL rounds recently and also conceded one in the Chinese FA Cup. These were not always unavoidable situations; they came from poor hand positioning, mistakes that professional players should not make. The reason Ivan did not use him was precisely this concern: in important matches, such defensive habits can create problems for the team at any time.

Will Shao Jiayi use him? Most likely, yes.

Because there are limited options. During the September training camp, the Asian Games and warm-up matches overlapped, and midfielders such as Wu Xi and Xu Bin were called up by the U23 team. Shao Jiayi had few choices, and among midfielders who can control the ball and progress play, Gao Tianyi is one of the best fits.

But how to use him is a technical challenge. He needs to be paired with a defensive midfielder capable of covering ground, allowing him to focus on creating attacking threats while taking fewer defensive responsibilities. Shao Jiayi previously said at a media meeting that solid defense comes first. Using Gao Tianyi requires a system that can cover his weaknesses.

This 3-1 victory proved Gao Tianyi's value in attack. But Shao Jiayi also understands that at the national team level, there will not be as many foreign players helping him create space, and there will not always be someone covering for him defensively.

Whether Gao Tianyi can establish himself in the national team will depend on how Shao Jiayi uses him.