With the January vacation coming to an end, the Guangzhou City soccer warriors gathered again at the University City training camp, ready to aim for the October AFC Cup campaign and the end of the year's Chinese Super League battle for supremacy.
After the season opener of the Chinese Super League (CSL), Guangzhou City picked up the fourth best result in the Guangzhou Division, successfully locking up the qualification for the second stage of the championship group. For the club, the mission of this season's Super League has been accomplished, and Guangzhou City can arrange its lineups more comfortably in the coming matches, even boldly employing young talents to work out. Meanwhile, the FA Cup, which starts in October, will be a challenge for Guangzhou City to achieve a higher ranking.
After a month's break, all the players have returned to the University City base, except for a few foreign aiders. The team's first day of training focused on restoring physical fitness, and the next two weeks will maintain the intensity of one practice a day, five times a week.
Head coach Van Garst, who did not return to Holland during his vacation but took a long trip around the country, will lead Guangzhou City's preparations for the new season with a fuller spirit.
Prior to the first practice after the build-up, Coach Van Garst thanked the team for their efforts and recognized the performance in the first phase. In order to ensure training needs and lineup stability, the team plans to draft some young players to join the first-team training next week, including the much-anticipated national youth hybrid star Su Yuliang.
Huang Shenghua, chairman of Guangzhou City Football Club, personally gave a pep talk to the team. He expressed his satisfaction with the players' physical condition maintained during the vacation and set higher requirements for the season goals. Huang Shenghua emphasized that the second phase of the Chinese Super League, starting from the AFC Cup on October 13 to December, is the decisive two months for the team and will be the final judge of the season's results.
For the FA Cup, Huang Shenghua emphasized, "We will never take the FA Cup lightly, and we should never surrender our position rashly. This year, we have a better time to compete for honors, whether it's the investor, the management, or the coaching staff, we all want to go farther in the FA Cup." He called on all the players to do their best in the FFA Cup to fight for the ultimate title.
At the league level, Huang Shenghua pointed out that the team has not gone head-to-head with strong teams such as Guoan and Harbour for two years, which will be a test. He expects everyone to be in top form every day and to train and prepare well for each game. Reaching the Champions League is just a stage victory, and he hopes everyone will play their best in the eight Champions League matches and strive for better results.
In the face of the challenges posed by the epidemic, many businesses around the world have been impacted, and Chinese soccer is also facing a severe test. Nonetheless, Huang Shenghua remains confident that Fortune Group's support for the soccer segment will be unwavering, "We will continue to develop steadily and move forward."
