Oliver Gerbig: The versatile center-back looking for a new adventure in the Chinese Super League
Oliver Gerbig’s first goal in the Chinese Super League was chaotic.
His initial strike was deflected. The opposing goalkeeper came off his line in an attempt to make a save, but was met with a scrum of oncoming attackers. The ball bounced back out to Gerbig, and there was a chance to strike again.
The goalkeeper was unable to save Gerbig’s subsequent effort and the ball slowly crept over the goal line to give his side a 1-0 lead.
Gerbig is hoping this is the first of many goal contributions for his new club, Henan FC.
The 25-year-old center back recently made a transfer from Kitchee, one of the biggest clubs in Hong Kong, to Henan FC, a club in the Chinese Super League.
OFFICIAL
Henan FC announced the signing of Oliver Gerbig (周緣德). Born in Hong Kong with German descent, the 25 yo CB played for Coastal Carolina Chanticleers & Virginia Cavaliers in USA. He made 47 apps for Kitchee since 2022 with 3 goals & 1 assist.#CSL #CSL2024 pic.twitter.com/7UZyGqIRKT
— HOTPOT FOOTBALL (@HotpotFootball) February 29, 2024
He feels he needed a “new environment” to challenge himself.
“I moved to Henan because they were talking to me before the AFC Asian Cup,” Gerbig says.
“They were interested in acquiring my services. I think I needed a switch. I think I needed a new environment and to go to a league that’s maybe a bit more competitive. Henan isn’t one of the league beaters so it will be a big challenge.”
Photo from Oliver Gerbig
From 2015 to 2019, there was a growing belief the Chinese Super League could rise to prominence in world football.
Carlos Tevez made a transfer to Shanghai Shenhua in December 2016 and Gareth Bale was offered a weekly salary of £1.2 million from Jiangsu Suning in 2019 for a summer transfer that reportedly seemed close to completion.
There was global attention fixed upon experienced superstars joining the league. Oscar, a former Chelsea star, who joined Shanghai Port in 2017, is still at the club seven years after his signing. During this period, the notions around the league have changed.
The COVID-19 pandemic limited clubs’ financial capacities to sign big stars and the league is currently seen more as a platform for local or talented young stars to showcase their talent.
Gerbig, who has earned seven appearances for the Hong Kong national team, was attracted to the league for this reason.
A perceived increase in the quality of football alongside new coaches and teammates offers new challenges. Gerbig is hoping for more playing time, his performances to improve, and settling into a new dressing room.
There are six foreigners at Henan. Gerbig belongs to this group of players due to his Hong Kong citizenship.
Photo from Oliver Gerbig
One of the foreign players is Ghanaian forward Frank Acheampong. The 30-year-old has made 23 appearances for the Ghana national team and played for RSC Anderlecht, in Belgium, from 2013 to 2017. He has three goal contributions in the first eight matches of the season. Acheampong is considered to be in the top 20 most valuable players in the league, according to Transfermarkt. He is regarded as the joint-most valuable player Henan has.
Iago Maidana, is level with Frank Acheampong’s reported market value of $1.50 million. The Brazilian center back has scored two goals and is among the top 25 performers in the league with a 7.38 match rating, according to Sofascore.
Gaining chemistry with these two players and the rest of his teammates will be an adjustment.
“The locker room is good,” Gerbig says. “A few foreigners on the team. Nice guys, the locals are also nice guys. It’s been a bit of an adjustment not playing as well or as frequently as I want, but I guess with time it will come. It’s been a good adjustment to a better level of football too.”
Direct play, counter attacks and long balls are common features of the play style in the Chinese Super League.
Photo from Oliver Gerbig
There is a similarity between how the Hong Kong national team plays and how football is played in China’s domestic league.
This could assist Gerbig’s development on the international stage.
“The play style in China is more direct and very physical,” Gerbig says. “The games are pretty back and forth.”
The Hong Kong national team manager, Jørn Andersen, is aiming for the same patterns of play.
“The play style of the national team is high press,” Gerbig says. “We’re very aggressive. We don’t play too much, we play direct. We try to win the ball in the opponent’s half and then keep them there.”
“The national team we aren’t taught to play out of the back. He [Jorn Andersen] wants us to play more direct. He acknowledges we play against teams that are in the top 50 of the FIFA world rankings. He thinks that if we play out, we’ll play ourselves into trouble.”
Gerbig described it as an “honor” to make his debut for the national team against Iran on November 16th, 2023. There was an adjustment to the play style of the national team. At Kitchee, his former club, Gerbig was in a system that emphasized playing out from the back and not a direct play style.
He won the Hong Kong Premier League, two Hong Kong Senior Challenge Shields, and a Hong Kong Cup while playing for Kitchee.
Gerbig acknowledged the domestic league in Hong Kong is not the best “funded or organized”, but maintains that playing in the league is “not easy”.
“I think there are a lot of decent players in Hong Kong,” Gerbig said. “I think the top half of the table, top 4 or 5 teams, are very difficult games. Then, the other ones are not easy, but maybe not at the same level of those games.”
How is the level of the players who play in the Hong Kong domestic league? What about the stadiums in the league?
Gerbig mentioned there are a lot of “decent” players and “good” foreigners in the league, but he believes there is a gap between the top half of the table and the rest of the teams.
In terms of the atmosphere, Mong Kok Stadium, the home of Kitchee, has a striking level of contrast to Hong Kong Stadium, the home of the national team.
Hong Kong Stadium has double the capacity of Mong Kok Stadium — 40,000. But, Gerbig believes there is still usually a better atmosphere in Mong Kok Stadium.
“Mong Kok Stadium is a special stadium,” Gerbig said. “It’s not the biggest one in Hong Kong, but I think over the last few years it’s become one of the most iconic stadiums. The way it’s set up is like an actual stadium on all sides. So, when there’s a full house you really feel the atmosphere compared to Hong Kong Stadium. Hong Kong Stadium looks a bit empty because of its capacity. The only time I’ve seen that full was the Inter Miami [Hong Kong XI vs Inter Miami friendly] game I played in.”
As Gerbig hopes to further establish himself in the Hong Kong national team, he must embrace the challenge of adapting to a new footballing home.
At Henan, he will face stark cultural differences, as well as new approaches to training and play.
China and Hong Kong are two contrasting cultural societies. Hong Kong is typified as a more free society with more “western” approaches to their ideals. These distinctions are important to analyze for not just tourists, but professionals as well.
“Henan has been a big adjustment,” Gerbig says. “Hong Kong and China even though people might think it’s similar, it’s very different. Especially with the difference in culture, it’s more western in Hong Kong with a lot more foreigners and expats. Everyone speaks English there, but even though I speak Chinese, it still is a pretty big adjustment. Quality of life, I think of course Hong Kong is better. I think football wise it’s better here [China].”
Photo from Oliver Gerbig
Gaining chemistry with his teammates will be a major adjustment, but he is already making strides towards doing so. This may prove crucial if Henan is to help launch his career in the way he imagines.
Will the Chinese Super League continue to attract young talents such as Gerbig?
The next five to ten years could serve as a great barometer.
