When it comes to teams that have disappointed this season, I'm sure Beijing Guoan's name will be mentioned. This is because they are one of the few teams that are not short of money, and they have a full complement of signings that can be made, as well as the Devil's Home Stadium and Beijing Worker's Stadium that no other team can match. In addition, the capital team occupies the right time and place for many of their matches.
But this season, Beijing Guoan's performance has not been good, and it can be said that they are extremely unstable. They can beat Shenzhen 5-0 or get embarrassed by Meizhou Hakka 1-3. In the 21st round of the Beijing-Tianjin derby, they were almost beaten by Tianjin Jinmen Tigers and won a draw by luck. It's safe to say that everyone can see that Guoan have some problems, but no one has ever been able to step up and fix them.
However, after a game in the 22nd round of the Chinese Super League, everyone had a little bit of ground to stand on as everyone realized that one man can still step up in crucial moments. That person is the centerpiece of the team's midfield, Zhang Xizhe. Keep in mind that Zhang Xizhe was once the number 10 on the national soccer team. While Zhang Heizhe's control hasn't exactly been on display in Asia, his ability is at the top of the current Chinese Super League.
In this game, Guoan team is Ma Nantong Zhiyun's away challenge. Due to the poor performance against Tianjin Jinmen Tigers in the last game, Guoan fans were also very worried about their team's situation, fearing that they would be blown out by Nantong Zhiyun. However, it wasn't long before Guoan fans gave up on that idea. It was the 60th minute of the game when Beijing Guoan had a chance from a corner kick on the left side. Zhang Xizhe kicked off and the ball came to the front point. Foreigner Ngaardew scored with an overhead cushion shot, Beijing Guoan 1-0 Nantong Jiyun. Zhang Xizhe's pass was very good, and Ngadeu's point was also very timely, resulting in this perfect goal.
In fact, Zhang Xizhe has always been a very important player in the team's midfield. In the past, when the foreigners were there, the foreigners were the core and he was responsible for the tandem and did a perfect job. Then the golden dollar era ended and the big name foreigners left, so he started to support the midfield of the Guoan team. Although he was unfamiliar with the real core position at first, he didn't perform well in some matches, especially in the national team, and didn't seem to play as well as he should have. However, after time, Zhang Xizhe has matured and should be able to do the job, at least in the Chinese Super League without any major problems.
Although Beijing Guoan's traditional tactical play has changed since the arrival of their new coach, Zhang Xizhe still has the ability to help this team. For example, he has good footwork, good ability to hold the ball and distribute it, and assists from set pieces and inset balls. This corner kick assist is an example. The more the team goes through painful periods of turmoil and change, the more important the role of veteran players becomes.
