Guoan suffered their second consecutive defeat as Shanghai Seaport came back to beat Beijing Guoan 3-1 in a thrilling match in the second round of the Gusau tournament. After the match, Guoan's head coach Bilic appeared at a media conference.
Bilic reflected on the game, "We started extremely poorly, as everyone could see, and conceded two goals shortly after the start, which were entirely our fault, especially the second one. We then improved our performance, created a lot of chances and managed to score a goal. I think this was a game that could have gone either way, a loss, a win or a draw, as we had plenty of chances. Although the result was not ideal, it was a combination of our own problems and of course the goalkeeper of the opposing team played a great game and contributed three good saves. Overall, both sides showed a high level of performance in a game where any result was possible against a strong opponent."
Talking about today's tactical arrangement of three center backs, Bilic said: "The season has just started and I think our attempt today was quite good, we were able to push well into the opponent's front and create many chances. It's not the first time for Guoan to play three center backs, although it's not often used before. What formation you choose is mainly up to the players under you."
Facing a second consecutive league loss, Bilic emphasized, "It was really upsetting to lose the first game, but I've emphasized with the whole team that we can't lose confidence. I didn't feel anxious during the game."
When asked if there were any barriers to communicating with the players, Bilic replied, "I have coached in many countries, including Russia, Turkey and the Middle East, and I know how to communicate with the players. In a closed environment, I have more time to communicate with the players. In addition, I have an excellent translator, so I don't think there are any barriers to communicating with the players."
