On August 26, Shenhua defeated Guoan 2-0 in the 15th round of the Chinese Super League (CSL). After the match, Sui Dongliang, the acting head coach of Guoan, attended the press conference.
Sui Dongliang said about the game, "I think the game was still under our control, but unfortunately we were a little bit unlucky. Our opponents know our tactics very well and played quite decisively on the counterattack. The two goals we conceded were our own mistakes, and we were a little distracted."
When asked by a reporter if the center back lineup will be adjusted, Sui Dongliang responded, "We have quite a few players in the team who can play center back, such as Liang Shaowen and Yu Yang. It mainly depends on who is in better shape. Yu Dabao was our main center back before, but he suffered a neck injury in the last game, and he also came on as a substitute today with an injury."
Looking back at the last three games, Sui Dongliang commented, "We got six points in these three games and reached our basic goal. I think the most important thing is that the team's style of play has changed, and we have recovered the small, quick ground game and pressing style of play that we used to have in the past. I've been telling the players that we need to stick to this style of play and that we can create a lot of chances."
Talking about the atmosphere at the Rizhao home stadium, Sui Dongliang said, "I think everyone was very excited, and with the crowd present we certainly wanted to show our strength. The fans gave the players great motivation and unfortunately we weren't able to give them a win."
