Exploring the capital's soccer climate, Croatian manager Bilic recently opened up to his hometown media. Talking about his time in China, the former Beijing Guoan coach narrated his story.
Bilic has made his mark in internationally renowned soccer cities such as Moscow, Istanbul, and London, but admits, "My work separates me from my family and complicates my life. This is especially true in my country, where we had planned to move the family to Beijing, but strict epidemic control policies have made it difficult for me and my family to reunite."
Talking about his experience at Beijing Guoan, Bilic said bluntly, "I met a team full of potential, but unfortunately things went against our plans."
On his reasons for joining Guingamp, Bilic denied that money was of the essence: "Material conditions were an important reason for coming to my country, but the economic factor is equally crucial. I had the opportunity to coach a top Chinese club and realize my ambitions. However, the epidemic disrupted all plans and I didn't get the players I needed, which was particularly the case with Guoan."
Speaking about the Chinese Super League, Bilic believes that the schedule is not reasonable: "The national team is preparing for the World Preliminaries, resulting in an intensive league schedule. Players are under great pressure and even want to go home briefly. Guoan, as a team with many international players, is under great pressure in the title contending group."
Bilic also pointed out that "only a few big teams in the Premier League pay their salaries on time, and most of them are state-owned clubs. Other clubs can only wait."
Talking about his personal experience, Bilic said, "We haven't been paid for six months, but that's not a problem. The National never owes salaries and the owner is a visionary who will deal with the consequences of this crisis."
Bilic said, "Guoan ended up finishing 5th in the Chinese Super League, but this is not the real level. In the absence of Augusto and Fernando, we were left with only one foreigner, Bakambu."
On his experience in China, Bilic summarized, "It was a great experience, but I'm sorry things didn't go as we planned. China has invested a lot of resources in its soccer program and I experienced first-hand the excellent conditions here. The people in China are hard-working and disciplined, and the control of the epidemic has been very effective." (DD)
