After an opening round full of goals and late drama, the Taiwan Premier League moved into its second weekend with several clubs already facing important early-season tests.
Taipower had made one of the strongest statements of the first round by defeating defending champions Tatung 3–2. Taiwan Steel and Taichung Futuro also opened with victories, while the Red Lions were looking for an immediate response after a difficult start.
Tatung Look for a Response
Tatung's defeat to Taipower placed additional attention on a side already adapting to significant squad changes.
The champions still possessed enough experience to remain among the title contenders, but another poor result would increase questions about whether the team could maintain the standards of previous seasons.
Manager Chiang Mu-Tsai remained confident that the squad could improve as the campaign developed. His comments after the opening derby are covered in our interview following the Taipower defeat .
Taiwan Steel Face an Early Test
Taiwan Steel entered the season with considerable expectations after strengthening their squad during the winter.
Their opening 4–2 victory over Ming Chuan University gave the club a positive start, but the next round offered another opportunity to judge how quickly the new-look team was developing.
The addition of established players had increased expectations around the club, and maintaining momentum would be important if Taiwan Steel were to establish themselves as genuine title challengers.
Taipower Build on Derby Victory
Taipower's win over Tatung gave them an immediate psychological advantage in the title race.
The club had come close to winning the championship in previous seasons and entered 2020 with a settled squad. Their opening victory suggested they were again capable of pushing strongly for first place.
Taichung Futuro Continue Their Progress
Taichung Futuro also began with three points and were looking to build on a campaign in which greater expectations had been placed on the club.
The side had improved its squad and was widely seen as one of the teams capable of disrupting the established order at the top of the league.
Pressure on the Red Lions
The Red Lions had the most difficult opening weekend after a heavy defeat to Hang Yuan.
Personnel problems and availability issues complicated their preparations, but the club needed a more competitive performance to avoid falling behind early in the season.
With a new promotion and relegation system being introduced, points at the bottom of the table carried greater significance than in previous years.