BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai Shenhua closed its AFC Champions League Elite campaign on a disappointing note, falling 2-1 to Ulsan FC on Wednesday. The defeat was emblematic of the issues that have plagued the team throughout the 2024 season, said former player Wang Wei.

The Shanghai side's lackluster performance capped off a dismal year, which also saw them miss out on the Chinese Super League title.

"The loss to Ulsan FC showed what had gone wrong with Shenhua for its whole season," Wang said. "First, they created a lot of chances but failed to convert them. What profligacy of chances!"

Wang also highlighted the team's struggles with set-piece defense. "Then, they conceded goals on set pieces. It's a problem I mentioned many times. There are very few teams in the world taking zonal defense against set pieces."

To address these issues, the former winger suggested Shanghai Shenhua focus on improving goal-scoring efficiency and set-piece defense during pre-season training.

"Maybe they need to change their foreign players and introduce an assistant coach who is a set-piece expert," he added. Enditem

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