In the 20th round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) on the evening of July 27th, Qingdao West Coast defeated Tianjin Jinmen Tigers 1-2 on the road. Although Alan scored a wonderful goal in the game, the team was unable to take away the victory in the end. After the match, Alan was interviewed by the media on the sidelines and reflected deeply on the match and his performance.
When asked about scoring a beautiful goal under the attentions of the national football team's manager, Ivankovic, Alan's expression looked a bit complicated. He confessed, "At the moment, I personally feel quite sad. Scoring a goal is always something to be happy about for a player, but at this point in time, I'd prefer the team to win the game rather than me personally scoring a goal. Our team is in great need of points to get out of relegation trouble, but unfortunately we have not been able to capitalize on our chances."
Regarding the team's current relegation situation and the need to change the style of play, Alan said, "I don't think we should simply blame the defensive end. Soccer is a team sport. Winning is the business of the whole team, losing is also the business of the whole team. Our defense should be a holistic effort, from the front to the back, everyone needs to take their responsibility. We need to learn from the game and everyone needs to do better in their position. I believe that as long as our whole team is united and working together, we will be able to improve the current situation and get out of the relegation dilemma."
