Suzhou Dongwu: Money Spent, Results Improved

Special Contributor: Su Youpeng On the evening of August 8th, Suzhou Dongwu defeated Changchun Yatai 2-1 at home. With 2 wins and 2 draws in their last 4 matches, Suzhou Dongwu has gradually climbed from the bottom of the standings. They now have 14 points, 3 points clear of the relegation zone.

Suzhou is the city with the highest GDP in Jiangsu Province. Although the Suzhou team in the Suzhou Super League is currently the top priority for Suzhou sports, professional football also needs to be "saved." As a result, the team urgently brought in foreign players Rosa and Bijier, reversing the situation where the only renewed foreign player, Estrella, had been fighting alone in the first half of the season. It is often said that Chinese professional football relies on foreign players. Whether or not Suzhou Dongwu had insufficient funds in the first half of the season, not bringing in new foreign players severely reduced the team's combat effectiveness. Although the then-head coach Yu Yuanwei tried to explore internal resources, the team still struggled to improve.

Seeing the results slide, Dongwu had no choice but to spend money on new signings to inject fresh blood for the second half of the season. It was precisely the arrival of Rosa and Bijier that gradually put the team back on track under the guidance of three foreign players, slowly filling the pit dug in the first half. Rosa plays as a winger, and Bijier is a center forward. Their arrival helped the team score more goals and earn more points. Rosa has spent many years in the Chinese Super League and China League One. Last year, he was a key player for Guangzhou Leopards and performed very well. Due to contract renewal issues, he was loaned short-term to a Greek club. His move to Suzhou Dongwu was sudden; Rosa even paid his own termination fee to the Greek club to make the transfer happen, demonstrating his determination to play for Dongwu. After joining Suzhou Dongwu, Rosa scored in consecutive matches against Guangzhou Leopards and Yanbian Longding, showing his strong adaptability to Chinese football. Another characteristic of Rosa is that he is the team's joker, always smiling at everyone, which helped him integrate into the team faster.

The other new signing, Bijier, grew up in Germany and played in League One and League Two in England. He is a traditional center forward. Bijier's performance has been average but steady. His integration hasn't been as smooth as teammate Rosa's. In his first few games, he didn't score and felt under great pressure. However, the team recognized his role on the pitch and persisted in using him. Bijier has both height and speed, and he always creates chances. He scored in matches against Meizhou Hakka and Changchun Yatai, helping the team win and also earning praise for his hard work during the games.

In Chinese football, if the general manager and the head coach have disagreements, the team's results are bound to suffer, as the players don't know whether to listen to the GM or the coach. Although Suzhou Dongwu doesn't have this problem, they used a tactic to avoid potential pitfalls and boost the management team's effectiveness. The new general manager, Guo Hui, replaced his own appointee, Yu Yuanwei, becoming the interim head coach.

Guo Hui holds a professional coaching license, allowing him to directly lead the team in China League One matches. Starting from the 13th round, Guo Hui has achieved 2 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss in his 6 matches in charge, earning 9 points. In contrast, Dongwu only had 2 wins and 2 draws in the first 12 rounds. Guo Hui has exceeded the point-collecting goals during the transition period, so it's likely that Dongwu will not make changes to the head coach position. It is probable that Guo Hui will remain in charge until the end of the season. It is understood that Suzhou is quite confident in Guo Hui, so the burden of relegation naturally falls on his shoulders as both GM and head coach. This dual role of GM and head coach is not unique in the China League One. Zhang Xiaofeng of Nanjing City and Zhang Yaokun of Dalian Kunpeng also hold both positions. This reflects the difficult survival situation in the current China League One. After all, with the team's urgent need to secure points and avoid relegation, internal conflicts would only weaken their combat effectiveness. Moreover, Guo Hui has some coaching experience, having served as a reserve team head coach and a Chinese coaching staff leader, accumulating considerable experience.

After Guo Hui replaced Yu Yuanwei, Dongwu retained the original coaching staff. This lack of major internal shake-up made the entire coaching staff and team more stable and united. Guo Hui's playing career has taken him across the country, but this is his first time serving as both general manager and head coach of a professional football club. He is still learning and exploring. In fact, Guo Hui has faced considerable pressure this year. The Dongwu team in the China League One needs to avoid relegation, the reserve team must surpass last year's results, and he also has to be involved with the Suzhou team in the Suzhou Super League. There are many threads to handle. Fortunately, the Dongwu team's performance has improved, giving Suzhou hope of retaining their China League One spot.