On the evening of May 20, Chinese Super League club Nantong Zhiyun officially announced that David Patricio will no longer be the head coach of Zhiyun's first team, but will instead serve as the team's first-team technical director, appointing former international Zhu Qi as the head of the club's first-team China coaching team. After Shandong Taishan announced Cui Kangxi as head coach on May 16, this is the second coaching change in the Chinese Super League this season. Considering the special reasons for Hao Wei to leave the coaching position of the Taishan team, Nantong Zhiyun head coach Yi Ren is also the first time this year that a Chinese Super League club has taken the initiative to change coaches.
Nantong Zhiyun ranked second from the bottom of the league with only one win, three draws, four losses and six points in eight rounds, but as a promotion horse with a weak lineup base, this record is not too outrageous.On May 19, Nantong Zhiyun was forced to a 1-1 draw at home by Shenzhen, which became the main trigger for Patricio's dismissal. It is worth mentioning that Patricio came to Nantong Zhiyun in 2019 and served as the club's youth training coach, youth training director, assistant coach, until he became the first team head coach. Zhiyun club said: "David is dedicated in his position, wrote his own blue chapter with full of passion, defending the soccer glory of Nantong Zhiyun. The club thanks David for his great efforts in serving as the team's first-team head coach, and hopes that David will continue to promote the sustainable and healthy development of Nantong Zhiyun with his professional strength in the position of technical director."
The name Zhu Qi is not unfamiliar to Shanghai fans. He was a star player in the early stage of Shanghai Shenhua's professionalization. He made a great contribution to the 1995 First Division Championship. Since then, he has played for Sichuan Quanxing and Shanghai COSCO, and was selected for the Chinese Olympic team and the Chinese men's soccer team.2022 In July, Zhu Qi, who is originally from Nantong, was invited by Nantong Zhiyun to be the club's deputy general manager.
To some extent, the coaching change of Nantong Zhiyun is risky. After his retirement, Zhu Qi has seldom been involved in professional soccer, and especially lacks the experience to lead the first team in the professional league. Nantong is reportedly looking for a new coach, and Zhu Qi may just be a temporary replacement.
