Chinese league digest

By Tang Zhe (China Daily)

Drogba to make his debut in CFA Cup

Cote d'Ivoire international Didier Drogba is expected to make his China debut in a CFA Cup game between Shanghai Shenhua and Changchun Yatai on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old striker headed to the northeast city of Changchun, Jilin province with the club on Monday. Drogba will play in the game, though the coaches have yet to decide if he will start.
Drogba arrived in Shanghai on Saturday morning. He said at a news conference that he came to China to win a title, not as a last step before he retires.
Shenhua boss Zhu Jun vowed at the beginning of the season to qualify for next year's AFC Champions League. The team is instead hovering around the drop zone, sitting in 12th in the Chinese Super League after defeating Beijing Guo'an 3-1 at home on Saturday. The club has its sights set on the CFA Cup, the winner of which will earn a berth in the Champions League.
Shenhua defeated Shenzhen Ruby in its first CFA Cup match on June 27. The two sides kept a clean sheet for 90 minutes, and Shenhua won 5-4 in a penalty shoot.
Changchun Yatai, currently sixth in the league, defeated Shenhua 2-0 at home in the CSL on June 16, though star striker Nicolas Anelka didn't play.
Changchun signed Brazilian-born Bulgarian international Marquinhos and Colombian international Edixon Perea on Friday. The two might debut with the club in the CFA Cup on Wednesday.
Aerbin slides down into the drop zone

Dalian Aerbin's investment isn't paying off.
The club, which has spent more than 200 million yuan ($31.4 million) in an attempt to be competitive in the first division after it won the second division last year, is sitting at 14th in the Chinese Super League after losing to Dalian Shide 3-2 in the city derby on Saturday. The club hasn't earned a win in four games and is only two points ahead of last-place Henan Jianye, which has played one less game.
Aerbin moved swiftly into the Chinese Super League, winning the third and second division championships in consecutive years. It has only won three matches this year, and has lost 28 balls in 17 games, the second-most of the 16 teams.
The good news is Aerbin's latest signing, Seydou Keita (pictured), will arrive on Wednesday and meet the fans during a CFA Cup match against Shenyang Shenbei that evening.
The 32-year-old can operate as both a central and defensive midfielder, and is expected to revitalize the team's performance in the midfield.
"Our players on defense are very young - for this match especially, it was a new combination," Li Ming, the club's general manager, said after the derby.
"This is a problem with the whole team. The pressure on the defense derived from our players' inability to press the opponents in the midfield. Therefore we need to improve the team as a whole to solve this problem."

(China Daily 07/17/2012 page24)