One Chinese Super League (CSL) team that urgently needs to strengthen its attack is Beijing Renhe. Meanwhile, Shanghai Shenhua, aiming for an AFC Champions League spot in the second half of the season, has had an unusually even scoring distribution. After the first 11 rounds, their top scorers—be it Moreno or Martins—account for just 18% of the team’s total goals, highlighting a clear absence of a reliable leading striker.
Yet despite the lack of a dominant goalscorer, Shenhua has had 10 different players find the back of the net. This depth in scoring has been key to keeping them competitive without a standout forward. If they can improve their offensive output in the second half, their push for continental qualification still has a fighting chance.
Three teams—Beijing Renhe, Henan Jianye, and Dalian Yifang—had single-digit goal tallies after 11 rounds. All three are actively seeking reinforcements in attack. Among them, Beijing Renhe boasts the strongest defense, while Henan and Dalian may see their relegation odds improve significantly if they can land a clinical striker.
Guizhou Hengfeng currently sits at the bottom of the table, but their tactical system and shot-creation suggest they have the foundation to bounce back with a few strategic adjustments. Beijing Renhe, despite scoring only 8 goals, has collected 15 points—meaning each goal has been worth an average of 1.875 points, the highest ratio in the league. Their efficiency stems largely from solid defending.
However, their attacking statistics paint a worrying picture. The team’s top scorer, Moukandjo, has managed just 2 goals, yet still leads the club. If Renhe hopes to maintain its current form, foreign players must step up their goal contributions in the second half of the season.
Interestingly, only three CSL teams had more goals from domestic players than from foreign imports: Shanghai SIPG, Jiangsu Suning, and Chongqing SWM. At SIPG, domestic players contributed 67% of the goals—44% coming from Wu Lei alone, eclipsing the combined output of all their foreign forwards. But Wu Lei is a rare gem in the CSL, making SIPG an outlier.
Jiangsu Suning presents another unusual case. Although their main striker is Brazilian forward Alex Teixeira, only 8 of the team’s 18 goals came from foreign players. Striker Boakye has scored just twice, lagging behind even U23 rising star Huang Zichang, who has outshone him in both form and impact. In many ways, Huang has performed the role typically expected of a foreign striker. If Suning wants better results, Boakye might need replacing.
Chongqing SWM has a fairly balanced record: 15 total goals, with 8 from domestic players and 7 from foreigners. While the difference is slight, the team’s extended winless streak suggests their foreign strikers aren’t pulling their weight. A tactical shakeup—or a change in foreign personnel—might be in order.
Most CSL teams continue to rely heavily on foreign talent for scoring, but Dalian Yifang stands out for an entirely different reason. Our analysis shows that only one domestic player has scored for them—U23 youngster Wang Jinxian, with 2 goals. That makes them the team with the fewest domestic goal contributors in the league.
Even more concerning is that their foreign strikers haven’t delivered either. If Dalian wants to avoid relegation, they must urgently sign a proven foreign goalscorer and improve domestic players’ finishing ability.
Beijing Renhe’s success so far stems largely from their defensive strength. But if they want to stay competitive and not rely solely on grinding out results, boosting their offensive firepower—especially from foreign signings—is not just important, it’s essential. As the saying goes, “You can’t win games if you don’t score.”