Under the setting sun on September 5, the clock struck 17:45 and the pre-match press conference between Beijing Guoan and Zhejiang, the focus of the 16th round of the 2022 Chinese Super League, kicked off in the spacious hall of the Rizhao International Football Center Stadium.
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's new skipper Stanley firmly said, "Unity is the core of our whole team's joint efforts so that we can effectively move forward." On the other hand, Zhejiang's head coach Jody is full of confidence, "We will play to our strengths and try to avoid exposing our shortcomings. As we emphasized before, we will go all out for three points in every game."
Talking about Guoan's pre-match preparations, Stanley revealed, "I arrived in Beijing a week ago Sunday and have been leading the team in training since last Monday. We've had a lot of meetings over the past week and have had in-depth conversations with many of the players. I won't be able to make too many changes to the team in a short period of time. The key is that we need the whole team to be united so that we can work better. During the week, I have conveyed a lot of information to the players, they need to absorb and digest it and hopefully we can play well in tomorrow's game."
"Being new to the team, if I bring too many new things, it will take time for the players to adapt and the process will have its ups and downs, not overnight. For a week's time, I can't make too many changes to the team either, but I do try to improve the team. The important thing is that the players and I need to understand each other and reach a consensus. Changing managers in the middle of the season requires a period of adaptation and I believe we can do it well."
In recent weeks, Stanley has been very concerned about the growth of the U21 team, in addition to leading the first team training. At the conference, he shared his views on the development of young players, "I have coached some young players but haven't seen them for two years, I have heard that they have improved, I need to observe further."
"I think it's vital to get young players on the pitch at the right time, it's about how they present themselves and opportunities like that are invaluable. When you get youngsters on the pitch they have to be confident and that's where the opportunity is so important. At the same time, they have to be well prepared themselves and we need to help them as coaches. It's not just me personally, but the whole team that needs to support the young players."
"I can give you an example that in Europe, like Ajax, it is usually when the team is leading by more, like 4-0 against the opponent, that young players are brought on to work on their game. If the team is in a difficult situation, substituting young players could be detrimental to them. Our whole team holds this view, so we need to wait until the team gets a good result, when it's a good time to give the young players a chance, provided of course that they are all ready."
Commenting on the preparation for the match, player Zhang Yuning said, "After a long gap from the last match, we have recovered well and welcomed a new coach. We have shown good form in the last three games and hope to continue this momentum tomorrow and welcome our new coach with a win and inject confidence into ourselves."
Facing his hometown team Zhejiang, Zhang Yuning said, "First of all, I'm glad to see Zhejiang finally return to the Chinese Super League stage after years of hibernation, and I want to congratulate them. I've been following them for a long time, including when I was abroad. I hope both sides can give a great game tomorrow and we will take this opponent very seriously."
Introducing Zhejiang's pre-match preparations, Jordy said, "Hello everyone, tomorrow's opponent is a team with a long history, they have strong players and a playing style similar to ours, we know the advantages and disadvantages of this style of play very well, and will strengthen our strengths and try to avoid exposing our shortcomings. As we have said before, we will give our best in every game and strive for three points."
On the media mentioning the change of manager in the rival team, Jodi added, "The arrival of a new coach usually reinvigorates the team and we won't be focusing on how the past matches have gone and will be fully committed to tomorrow's match."
Dong Yu said, "Beijing Guoan is a strong opponent, and we will finish this competition according to the head coach's arrangement."
