With the 15th round of the rippling Chinese Super League just around the corner, the much-anticipated Beijing Guoan will face Guangzhou. Before the match, Guoan coach Bilic attended a press conference and shared the preparation with the media.
Bilic opened the game with a passionate statement: "Hello everyone, after a long period of preparation, we are about to enter a new phase and the whole team is looking forward to the start of the league. We are aware that it will be difficult to face a strong opponent, especially in our first game after a long preparation period. But our preparations have been going well and every player has been giving their best. Now, all the international players have returned and are in good shape. Therefore, we are looking forward to tomorrow's match."
Talking about the scheduling of the internationals, Bilic said, "We will try to find a balance between tactics and players' fitness. At this stage, we are facing a total of eight matches. Of course, tomorrow's game is crucial for the whole phase. The internationals do need to rest, but unfortunately we can't give them more time. I would like to take this opportunity to praise my players, who have shown their fighting spirit on the field and their strong willpower off the field." Bilic then said fondly: "It's obvious that every team in the Premier League has been affected in some way, and our team has been particularly badly affected. Throughout the season, we usually only have one foreign player. This requires our local players to step up and take on more responsibility. It has been a very tough year for the internationals being away from their families and playing in a closed environment, but they have done very well and shown professionalism."
"Also, I would like to give credit to the players for the professionalism they have shown despite the club's financial difficulties. Right now, the whole club, up and down the pitch, including our owners, are trying to cope with the difficulties. We are all trying to make things better and the whole team is working together to overcome the difficulties, which is very touching and I pay the highest respect for that. Our task now is to play every game."
Regarding the newly joined foreign aid Anderson, Bilic also expressed his expectation: "Anderson is a very good player and he has been practicing with the team for a month. He has a positive attitude, full of energy and eager to prove himself in the game. In our recent teaching match, Anderson and the internationals played for the first time and performed beyond my expectations. Of course, as a new recruit, he still needs time to adapt and we are very happy with his performance so far."
Captain Yu Dabao also said at the conference, "I think we have all faced certain difficulties in the past two years due to the epidemic. We have been having closed competitions and life, and although we are a little bit tired, as long as we get to the field of play, all of us will give our best. Coming back to the club and seeing everyone again, the internationals feel very happy and uplifted. We will definitely do our best to play every competition."
