Guoan attached great importance to the warm-up match with Nantong Zhiyun. In this match, Guoan sent out their strongest lineup, with several newcomers Yang Liyu, De Souza, Ngadew and Ademi starting. Zhang Yuning was absent due to injury. The game was Guoan's last warm-up match before the start of the season. As a newly promoted horse, Nantong Zhiyun also sent out all their starting lineup for this game. As the game began, surprisingly, Nantong Zhiyun had the upper hand, with Guoan players clearly grinding out the game and missing more passes in front of the net.
In the new season, De Souza stood at the back and was more involved in defensive duties as a midfield meat grinder. Center back Ngadeu is the best start for Guiao. He has a great sense of filling in, is the centerpiece of the backline, is very general-like and has a long attack. In the 18th minute of the game, Ademi missed the chance to hit the target when he crossed inside the box and his teammates couldn't keep up. Nantong Zhiyun also utilized the play of foreigners to form several counterattack opportunities.
Guoan's tactics changed drastically, instead of passing control in the midfield, they played more on both sides of the ball. De Souza was stationed in the midfield sweeping and Ademi was more forward attacking and playing an organizational role. The pace of the game wasn't very fast, and Guiao didn't have a great way to score. As a newly promoted horse, Nantong Zhiyun's playing style was very practical. The three foreigners were more active, and defender Ngadeu often brought the ball to the midfield to score goals. Guoan's biggest problem is that there are no raiders in the midfield.
De Souza and Ademi lack the ability to push forward with the ball. As a front man, Zhang Xizhe was largely invisible. Wang Ziming was poor and very amateurish in the forward line. Nantong Zhiyun's barrel formation worked well and counterattacked very well. Romario went straight through Ngadeu and killed the box. Fortunately, Guoan defenders destroyed them in time. In the 62nd minute of the game, Guoan changed their personnel, Kang Xiangyu and Zhang Chengdong came on as substitutes, while De Souza and Bo Yang were replaced. Stanley Menzo was mainly a practicing lineup.
After the change, the Nationals' offense made progress. Ngadeu attacked with a set piece and almost broke through. Ngadeu was replaced in the 70th minute of the game. His first game was perfect. The defensive end is very tall and has the ability to get to the ball. He is a big leggy outside back who can be relied on. The offensive end has a big height advantage and great bounce on set pieces. Wide Receiver Guoan picked the right one. Only the candidate of his local partner is left. Guoan used Bo Yang and Zhang Chengdong in this game. He didn't make any mistakes, but his performance was quite average.
The best thing on the offensive end of the field is Adebenelo, Guoan's main left side and good breakout ability. There are two other problems with the Guiao offense. First, the whole team has changed a lot in the midfield. Compared to last season, the starting lineup is equivalent to changing five starters who are not familiar with each other. Second, Zhang Yuning is irreplaceable. There is no pivot in the middle and no reliable player to shoot. Prince Ming lost his single shot. Many fans thought international scorer Barton should not be released. In the final stage of the game, Guoan replaced a large number of local players, including newcomer Fang Hao, and the performance was quite satisfactory. The Chinese Super League decided to kick off on April 15, leaving Guoan.
