On the night of the 8th, Beijing Guoan will take on the Chinese Super League, challenging current leaders Wuhan Sanzhen. In a lively pre-match press conference, coach Stanley was outspoken, admitting that the heartbreaking loss in the first round exposed the team's problems, but also saw a spark of hope as the team showed some moments of uncompromising strength. Facing their old rivals, Guoan urgently needs to improve their ability to capture chances and strive to convert those chances into goals.
The journey to challenge the league leaders is bound to be a grueling one, and will the 1-5 defeat in the first round shed light on the upcoming clash? Stanley responded, "Indeed, I have studied the Wuhan Three Town game in depth, including our first-leg clash. Not only do we need to be wary of potential risks, but we also need to capitalize on the opportunities that may arise. In fact, the first 30 minutes of the first leg against Wuhan Sanzhen was not a bad performance, only two key set-pieces gave our opponents a quick lead. Therefore, I believe we still have the chance to create goals in this matchup. The key is how to convert the chances into actual scores."
Wuhan Sanzhen is currently at the top of the table, and together with Shandong Taishan, they are strong contenders for the league title this season. So, as a player, are you looking forward to being a touchstone in the battle for the league title? Zhang Chengdong, who attended the conference, gave his opinion: "I think our team is full of vigor now. Wuhan Sanzhen and Shandong Taishan are strong opponents and playing against them will test our training results. As a player, we must give our best to any opponent and try to beat the opponent regardless of any team on the table, which is also the respect to the league."
In the first round of the competition, Guoan exposed glaring holes in his defense against Malcom, allowing the Brazilian senior winger to enjoy a big four-goal romp. Facing this player, what are Stanley's countermeasures in this matchup? The Dutch coach said, "I won't develop tactics especially for Malcom. Problems on the soccer field cannot be solved by a single strategy. For example, we all know that Malcolm's heading ability is outstanding, so we will take measures to prevent him from getting easy access to crosses. We will develop different defense schemes according to different situations. I believe the players have grown to understand my tactics and have built up confidence that they can cope with the challenges."
