Xinhua photojournalist Zhang Chenlin captured this wonderful moment: Zhang Yuning (center) and his teammates fiercely grabbed the ball.
In the late afternoon of July 24th, Beijing Guoan (Gaoxin) opened its first open media session and fan meeting of the season at Gaoxin Base. The Chinese Football Association (CFA) and the China Football Association (CFA) preparatory group had previewed the second phase of the Chinese Super League (CSL) to restart the home-and-away match system the day before, and Guoan's manager Xie Feng revealed that the team has been fully prepared for the match.
Guoan wrapped up the first phase of the Chinese Super League on July 11, and the coaching staff gave the players a nine-day vacation, and the team returned to the capital on the 21st to gather. In the open session on the 24th, most of the players showed up at the training ground, except Xie Longfei, who was absent, and Adebenelo, who was off due to a tooth extraction, while Jin Pengxiang, who is in the recovery period, received physical training independently. During the 80-minute training session, the team practiced grabbing laps, confrontation and set-pieces, and the performance of the players showed that they had switched from a vacation state to an intense preparation for the game.
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) and the Preparatory Group of the Chinese Football League (CFL) officially announced on July 6 that the Chinese Super League (CSL) will resume the home-and-away system from the second stage onwards. Talking about whether Guoan will be able to return to the home field in the second stage, Xie Feng said frankly: "The players are undoubtedly eager to play at home, and the relevant arrangements are expected to be finalized in the next one or two days. We have already made preparations in many aspects - if we can play at home, we will train according to the established plan; if we can't play at home for the time being, we also encourage the players to face it positively, and we need to give our best regardless of the away game."
In the first phase of the 10 rounds of the Chinese Super League (CSL), Guoan won 4, drew 4 and lost 2, ranking fifth on the table. After the first phase, the team summarized, Xie Feng revealed: "From the data, our passing times decreased, and the ball control rate also slipped. I have been asking the players to pass and control with their feet instead of blindly passing long, but sometimes the field conditions limit the players to avoid mistakes and choose to pass long. This will be the direction of improvement for us in the next phase, strengthening the midfield organization and running without the ball."
According to the training schedule, the Guoan team will enter the tactical rehearsal stage to prepare for the final sprint for the arrival of the second phase of the Chinese Super League on August 5th.
