Baptista is seen as Chen Zhong's "replacement."
After Pellegrini took over Malaga, the first thing he did was to bring in the Brazilian midfielder who had once dominated in La Liga.
He has a physique similar to Vieira, capable in physical confrontations, and possessed a famous Heavy Cannon in the past. At Malaga, he indeed showed some of what Pellegrini expected.
It can be said that Malaga's current achievements owe much to Baptista, but it's also because of him that Malaga has only achieved so much.
Baptista, after all, is not Chen Zhong. He is effective when in favorable conditions, but when the situation is stalemated or adverse, he may not be very useful, even being the weak point exploited by the opponent.
"The players of both teams are entering the field."
"We can see them during the hugging phase."
"Baptista and Chen Zhong have been hugging for a while."
"The two were once teammates and surely have many things to share now."
