Liaoning Tieren: Preparing to Switch to a 3-4-3 Formation

Report by Lu Mi On May 1, following a defeat on the road against Henan, Liaoning Tieren announced the dismissal of Li Jinyu and appointed Xu Zhengyuan, previously the head coach of Chengdu Rongcheng. Upon taking charge, the Korean coach attempted to immediately alter the team's formation and style, fielding his favored 3-4-3 setup in his first game, yet it yielded limited success as they fell to Yunnan Yukun.

Since the winter training camp, Liaoning Tieren had been practicing with a four-man defense and had never trained for a three-center-back system. Consequently, Xu Zhengyuan quickly reverted to a four-back formation in his second match against Wuhan Three Towns. The turning point under his leadership came in the game against Qingdao Hainiu, where he directly sidelined foreign center-back Vagic and used midfielder Felipe and Yuan Mincheng as the center-back pair. The effect was immediate, securing his first win upon return, followed by a three-match winning streak to conclude the first half of the season. During this period, the previously criticized foreign forwards Mbenza and Refinio hit top form—Mbenza scored 7 goals in 5 games, while Refinio contributed a goal and an assist in two rounds. As the first "firefighting" coach of the season, Xu has guided the team to 10 points in 5 rounds, lifting Liaoning Tieren from the edge of the relegation zone to mid-table.

Entering the break, Xu has more time to mold Liaoning Tieren according to his familiar system. The foremost issue is personnel adjustments. From the club's perspective, there are two targets: choosing between a foreign forward or a foreign center-back. However, the forward line has already been successfully revitalized, while Vagic has been left unused in the five matches under Xu's short tenure. If Xu wants to switch to a three-center-back formation, the demands on the center-back pairing will be higher, making it more likely that Vagic will be replaced. Additionally, Tieren is considering bringing in domestic players for positions such as full-back, center-back, and defensive midfielder—partly due to long-term injuries at the full-back positions, and partly to align with Xu's tactical system for switching to a three-center-back formation in the second half of the season.

During this break, Liaoning Tieren did not give the players a long vacation. They resumed training on the 5th and then flew to South Korea for summer training, planning to play two friendly matches there. For a team that needs to restructure its tactics and personnel mid-season, arranging more friendlies is a necessary move.