Guangzhou Evergrande drew against Shandong Luneng yesterday to secure their fourth straight title. In a shock announcement during the post-match interview, Marcello Lippi announced that he was stepping down as Evergrande manager.
This season saw Evergrande’s league dominance threatened for the first time during their four year run. The title race went down to the last day of the season as Beijing Guoan was able to keep in step with Evergrande’s amazing record, though ultimately came up three points short.
A big part of Evergrande’s success was thanks to Elkeson’s unbelievable scoring record, breaking the league record for goals in a season with 28, including some really big goals. Despite a number of overseas clubs chasing the young, Brazilian striker, it appears that he’ll remain in Canton at least for one more season.
His manager, however, won’t be serving as Evergrande’s manager next season. Lippi announced that he was too old for the job and instead will be part of the technical staff. Early word is that his World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro will take over managerial duties, with Lippi serving as a mentor to his fellow Italian.
