With the national team's tournament coming to an end, the Chinese Super League (CSL) is back in action with Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Port about to face off in a marquee matchup. At the moment, Shanghai Port can lock up the Super League title ahead of Shandong Taishan by beating Beijing Guoan with an 8-point lead. Although Beijing Guoan is 3 points behind Shanghai Shenhua, they still have a chance to qualify for the AFC Champions League. In the face of the possible fruit of victory, Guoan obviously do not want to be reduced to the port to win the title of the accompaniment. Looking back at history, Guoan has repeatedly succeeded in preventing Liaozhu and other powerhouses from winning the title, such as Zhang Yuning, Li Jinyu, Li Tie and Qu Shengqing all failed to do so. Despite the absence of central midfielder Zhang Xizhe due to suspension, the return of goalkeeper Han Jiaqi, who returned from the National Olympics, and last season's local Golden Boot winner Zhang Yuning have injected new vitality into Beijing Guoan.
Both Shanghai Seaport and Beijing Guoan have won championship honors as traditional powerhouses in the Chinese Super League. Although the era of golden dollar soccer has come to an end, the support of the Seaport Group allows the Seaport team to remain rich and powerful. According to domestic media reports, Seaport's ace foreign aid player Oscar earns as much as 10 million yuan a month. On the contrary, Beijing Guoan, after the ebbing of the golden dollar soccer, life is quite tight. 2017, Zhonghe Group took over the operation of Beijing Guoan, although the introduction of strong supporters such as Augusto and Bieira, but the financial support is limited.
Although Sino Group has failed to provide sufficient funding for Guoan, it has attracted numerous commercial sponsorships thanks to its reputation as a capital city team and a Chinese Super League powerhouse. This year, e-commerce giant JD.COM Group became the chest sponsor of Guoan's jerseys. Many fans expect Guoan to successfully complete its stock reform at the end of the season. There are even media reports that JD.COM Group may acquire Zhonghe Group next season and become the new owner of Guoan. If Guoan can get the sponsorship from JD.COM.
If JD.COM becomes the new owner of Guoan, the team lineup may face major changes. The club's top management may also see a large-scale personnel adjustment. Current general manager Li Ming has contributed to the introduction of big-name players, but Guoan has always struggled to be on par with strong teams such as Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai Seaport. Last season, Guoan introduced Albenro and Daburo failed to gain a foothold, and this season, Li Ming-led Ademi and Deso Aid have also failed to bring about a qualitative change.
My personal opinion is that if Guoan continues to be led by Li Ming in signing contracts, there is limited room for the team's strength to improve. Many Guoan fans, like me, are looking forward to Li Ming's early departure and a new general manager to lead Guoan back to the top. At that time, the talented players of Guoan can really shine.
