Rooted in the deep heritage of Chinese soccer, Dalian has gone through 15 springs and autumns, during which there have been 18 coaches and a total of 19 seasons of turnover. Until October 11, 2023, Xie Hui's name has become the longest coaching career in the history of Dalian People's Football Club.
In 15 years of stormy times, 18 coaches have been at the helm for Dalian, with Marin at the helm twice. Among this group of coaches, Xie Hui surpassed Rafael Benitez on June 22, 2023 to become the team's longest reigning helmsman. Since taking over at the beginning of the 2022 season, Xie Hui has led the team to successfully complete the relegation task last season, leading the team to create a whirlwind in the Chinese Super League with his "pressure" tactics. The "rookie" coach extended his contract for three years in the middle of the 22nd season, but facing the 23rd season, Dalian and Xie Hui are facing unprecedented challenges.
This year, the team has suffered from financial difficulties, and the ban on signings coupled with the departure of key players has greatly affected the team's performance. Currently, Dalian ranks third from bottom of the league with only the advantage of the win-loss list over Nantong Jiyun. Xie Hui has faced several dismissal crises during his previous undefeated streak. Thanks to the management's firm trust, Xie will lead the team at least until the end of the season, while the future direction of the season is still in doubt.
For a professional soccer club, stability is the cornerstone, and the stability of the coaching team is even more critical. Dalian has only changed 18 coaches in its history, including Xie Hui (coached for 1 year on June 22), Rafael Benitez (coached for 1 year on June 21), Chi Shangbin (coached for 1 year on June 12), Staal (coached for 1 year on June 6), Aleksandr Stankov (coached for 1 year on April 5) and Cristiano Ronaldo (coached for 1 year and 26 days). Pantic, who has been in charge for the shortest period of time, has only been in charge for January 24th. Looking at the 16 teams in the Chinese Super League, Dalian's frequency of coaching changes is the most frequent.
Which of these 18 coaches do you lament the most?
