Dalian Yifang still winless as Hamsik struggles to find his feet

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The lusty boos that rang around the Dalian Sports Center Stadium on Sunday said it all.

After a second straight Chinese Super League defeat for a woeful Dalian Yifang side struggling badly on and off the pitch and even at this early stage of the season there must be serious doubts about whether they could mount an escape and survive in this cut-throat world of China's top flight.

Choi Kang-hee's side are now winless in four games to start the new campaign and sit 13rd in the table. Despite huge investment in the winter, the outlook looked rather bleak for Yifang especially considering the team is not only losing but playing in a manner that suggests a first victory will be extraordinarily hard to come by.

Marek Hamsik (C) has struggled to make an impact in China since joining from Napoli this winter. /VCG Photo

Up against a vibrant and fiery Tianjin Teda, Yifang were deservedly beaten on the back of a dismal and pathetic display, and following their struggles against Henan Jianye, Guangzhou R&F, and Guangzhou Evergrande they find themselves just one point above the relegation zone, having no clean sheet and conceded seven.

Of all the staggering failures that have gripped Yifang, one stands alone in a personal field of haplessness. Here is a world class footballer who played a starring role for Serie A giants Napoli and who is the club's record appearance holder and all-time leading goalscorer, netting 121 goals in 520 games.

Marek Hamsik arrived in China with a reputation for being a charismatic leader and an all-round midfielder, which seemed to make him the perfect fit for Yifang, who were aimless and rudderless last season and felt the need to fork out 22.6 million U.S. dollars to sign the Slovakian to help steady the ship.

Yet Hamsik has struggled ever since his shaky debut on the opening day, when he became an irrelevance and a shadow of his former self. The former Napoli captain's poor run of form was a major talking point ahead of the Teda game, and he once again did little to dispel concerns over his poor attitude and form.

Hamsik in frustration after Dalian Yifang suffer another dispiriting defeat at the Dalian Sports Center Stadium, April 7, 2019. /VCG Photo

As the home team struggled to adapt to the style of play being introduced by Choi, who arrived only seven weeks ago, Teda kept winning the ball back high up the pitch, with the careless Hamsik having been the chief culprit.

There was no howler greater than the one committed by the 31-year-old on the hour mark when the Slovakian found acres of space inside the box after a shrewd pass from former Atletico Madrid star Yannick Carrasco but inexplicably lifted his shot above the goal in the one-on-one situation against Teda goalkeeper Du Jia.

Hamsik could have made amends with the game tied at 1-1, but once again managed to fluff his lines with a tame effort. The statistics make grim reading. Hamsik has converted zero clear-cut chances since the start of the season and lost possession more than three times in each of his appearances so far.

Dalian Yifang head coach Choi Kang-hee is under enormous pressure after a disastrous start to the new season. /VCG Photo

Confusion was the defining characteristic of this dreadful Yifang and Hamsik is emblematic of what Choi's side is becoming.

The current chaos surrounding Yifang looks horribly familiar. Last year, the club were also sent into a downward spiral at the beginning of the campaign after an eight-game losing streak. The relegation fears dogged them for much of 2018 and they only managed to secure their survival on the last day of the season.

Whether Yifang will be able to repeat the magic is another burning question that still needs answering.