By Henry Chen 

The 2016 Chinese Super League has begun and noticeably, Shandong Luneng doesn’t have their biggest treasures in the team: the Grand Slam winners Zhang Jike and Li Xiaoxia.

Even before this season has already started, it was already out in the news that Zhang Jike has decided not to participate in this season. The reason cited was his injury. Zhang Jike’s performance in the league was distracted by his waist injury in 2015.

Meanwhile, as for Li Xiaoxia, news said it was due to the expiration of her contract and negotiation problems. The teams and the player failed to successfully negotiate important things including the transfer fee.

It is unfortunate for the two champions not to participate in this season’s proceedings. But, the Luneng Team is still very thankful for the contributions of their former players.

“The club will forever cherish and commemorate everything you have contributed. We wish the two of you better development in the future. Wherever your roads will lead you, you are still welcome in our home.”

After two rounds in the league, the men’s team has maintained their momentum recording two victories. On the other hand, the women’s team already posted one loss. They lost the second round against Bayi.

The Luneng Team would want to use this as a chance to finally start their transition of players. For them, this is a good chance for the younger players to start taking bigger responsibilities for the team. Despite a relatively new lineup, they still have high expectations for this season.

The goal of the team in the preliminary stage is to be in the top 4. As they proceed into the playoffs, their goal is to win the title. In order to increase their chances, the team is giving all their support to their players with quality training conditions and medical assistance.