Guangzhou finished in second place in the first phase of the tournament, just two points behind Shandong Luneng, but the challenge of competing for the title in the second phase of the tournament was daunting. With the club's parent company facing operational problems, the players had to arrange their own training, and captain and acting head coach Zheng Zhi shouldered the responsibility of leading the team's training. However, due to poor logistical support, the quality of training was not comparable to the past, and the physical condition of the players could not be guaranteed.
More worryingly, soccer reporter Li Xuan revealed that following Alan's departure, Aixon also returned to Brazil with his family. There is now a high possibility that Luo Guofu and Jiang Guangtai will also miss the December Chinese Super League. In fact, they will both be unable to participate in matches for some time and will have to rely on self-conscious training.
For the internationals returning to their clubs, an even more brutal challenge awaits them - eight consecutive matches in 23 days, and even if they can't play all of them, they will suffer great fatigue and even risk injury.
It is therefore foreseeable that by the time the 12-team tournament kicks off in January 2022, the state of the national team will be an unknown.
In light of this, whoever the new coach is will have to find ways to tweak the lineup, and maintaining the same lineup is clearly not feasible.
