The Renewal Path of Beijing Guoan, Steady and Composed

Special Contribution/Song Ci On March 21, as referee Ma Ning blew the whistle marking the end of the first Beijing-Shanghai clash in the 2026 Chinese Super League, the roar at Workers' Stadium seemed to be instantly muted. Beijing Guoan's new foreign signing Ramos slammed the ball fiercely onto the turf, a genuine display of the team's regret and frustration over failing to secure a victory at home.

In the stands, 64,118 fans jointly set a new attendance record for Guoan at the new Workers' Stadium. Considering Guoan's poor performance last season and the departure of several players this season, there were widespread concerns about fan attrition. However, the record of 64,118 people directly proved the fans' unwavering support. Unfortunately, due to injuries, Guoan ultimately did not secure a home opening victory. While disappointment lingers, looking back at the four opening matches of the new season, Beijing Guoan, undergoing changes in management philosophy and tactical approach, has demonstrated through concrete actions the club's determination for profound reform and the hope for the team's revival. The new management team brought a scientific working system and long-term development vision, the new coaching staff introduced a pragmatic and efficient tactical style, and the new players infused fresh blood and a fighting spirit. The path of reform is long and arduous; four rounds may not be sufficient to draw conclusions, but the various signs manifested at the team level indicate that Guoan is on a correct path.

One of the biggest changes for Guoan this season is the formation of a全新的 sports management team. The management team led by Ma Yongming as Sports General Manager introduced new working methods and systems, most直观体现在 the quality of new signings and their speed of integration.

"Chairman Zhou fully supports my work, giving me freedom to choose the head coach and granting me and the coach the authority to select both domestic and foreign players," Ma Yongming stated clearly at his inauguration press conference. "When selecting players, we believe the more suitable they are for Beijing and the coach's tactics, the better. Therefore, we also communicate face-to-face with players, understand them, and choose the most suitable ones."

Under this philosophy, Guoan俱乐部, while investing rationally, acquired a group of cost-effective new signings. Both foreign and domestic players earned unanimous praise from fans and media with their solid performances on the field, becoming crucial support for the team's stable start and regarded as Guoan's most "value-for-money" recruitment operation in recent years.

The three new foreign players performed brilliantly with各自侧重, quickly integrating into the team and securing starting positions, using their abilities to dispel外界质疑 about "low-cost signings." Ramos, wearing the No. 5 jersey, swiftly became the core of Guoan's defense with his solid defensive skills; Conté, though not tall, possesses极强的跑动能力和防守意识, becoming a key枢纽 in midfield攻防转换 with his active tackling; Nkouloulou injected new活力 into Guoan's frontline, this left-footed, speedy new signing repeatedly撕裂对手防线 in matches, and his assist to Zhang Yuning in the Beijing-Shanghai clash showcased excellent passing skills. Compared to the heavy investments of other clubs, Guoan's spending on foreign players this season is less than a fraction of what was spent on a single foreign player in the past, yet they支撑起了球队的攻防两端 with stable performances, meeting fans' expectations for new signings.

Regarding domestic players, Guoan's signings such as Abudu Haimiti, Deng Jiefu, Jia Feifan, and Ru Zinan quickly融入球队, becoming important components of the主力阵容. Abudu Haimiti performed steadily on the defensive line, completing关键解围多次, becoming a支柱力量 in the team's defense, and Deng Jiefu is even considered a promising新人 not seen for years.

Last season, due to poor results, Guoan's management and team承受了巨大的压力, and the高调喊出的夺冠口号 also affected internal心态. This new season, from Chairman Zhou Jinhui to Sports General Manager Ma Yongming to the coaching staff, a clear signal is conveyed: more patience, greater focus on long-term building, no rush for quick success,专注 on the match process, allowing the team to grow in a relaxed atmosphere.

"I explained this point when communicating with Chairman Zhou and General Manager Ma: change is not overnight," Montgomery stated clearly at his inauguration press conference. "I came with a long-term plan; we need time to build a team that fans identify with and that deserves Beijing." Ma Yongming also多次强调过程的重要性 in public: "I think the most important thing is the process. We have been working hard recently, all期待好的结果, but I value this process more. For example, I and the coach now have a good atmosphere; we both have high投入度 in the work process. We don't consider competitors; we value the efforts we put in more."

Ma Yongming further explained the team's season goals: "Our goal this season is not necessarily to win any championship or to冲进前几名, but to争每一球,拼尽全力 in every defense and every attack,专注 on each match, striving to win every match. As long as we achieve this, regardless of the final results, we are successful." This pragmatic goal定位 allows the team to focus more on the matches themselves, reducing unnecessary pressure.

Chairman Zhou Jinhui further减压球队 with实际行动. Recently, Zhou visited the team to see the players. In the locker room, seeing Wang Gang, he joked with a smile: "Isn't this the战神?" This remark triggered collective laughter in the locker room, instantly缓解了球队的训练和比赛压力. Facing the老板的调侃, Wang Gang also responded humorously in Tianjin dialect: "But there's no elevator around here." The interaction曝光后迅速引发球迷热议. It can be seen that this注重细节、耐心建设球队的理念 of the management is not only体现在与球员的互动中,更重要的是给球队务实的定位, allowing the team to放下包袱 and focus more on each match.

The most直观的变化 for Guoan this season is the彻底转变 in tactical style. With Montgomery出任主教练, the team abandoned its previous possession-based play,转而推行一套强调极致压迫、快速转换的战术体系. The new tactics not only拉高了比赛节奏 but also brought立竿见影的积极变化 to the team.

Last season, Guoan's双前锋战术始终难以兼容, and Zhang Yuning's状态也起伏不定. However, under Montgomery's tactical system, Zhang Yuning was彻底激活, becoming the核心 of the team's进攻端,这也印证了蒙哥马利部署的合理性.

When discussing Zhang Yuning's performance, Montgomery did not掩饰自己的赞赏: "Zhang Yuning is a very优秀的前锋; his ability is excellent and he works hard. Scoring goals makes him happy, and I am happy for him too. Fabio also performed excellently; I am happy the team has such outstanding players in this position."

Compared to last season's无效控球、进攻乏力, Guoan's tactics this season are more务实、更加有效. The club内部 also believes that the tactical理念 brought by Coach Montgomery非常适合现在的国安, and the players are also适应这种战术.

伴随战术革新的是国安球员拼劲的全面提升. In matches this season, Guoan players'每一次跑动、每一次对抗、每一次防守 on the field展现了前所未有的拼搏精神. The飙升的跑动数据 is the最直接的体现 of this fighting spirit.

据统计, in the first 4 matches, Guoan's场均跑动距离远超上赛季同期. In each match, over half of the players ran超过1万米. Particularly in the away match against山东泰山, 9 players in the entire team ran超过1万米, with young player Deng Jiefu even running超过12000米. Such data was难以想象的 in previous Guoan teams. Players stated: "We now拼尽全力 in every match. The coach要求我们, whether进攻还是防守, to maintain高强度跑动. Only this way can we贯彻我们的战术 and施加压力 on opponents."

加快的比赛节奏,提升的对抗强度,增加的跑动距离和强度相应带来的是球员伤病概率的变大. Since the start of the new season, Guoan遭遇了甚至比上赛季还要严重的伤病危机. The伤病名单几乎可以凑齐一套完整的首发阵容:侯森、李磊、王刚、茹子楠、塞尔吉尼奥、达万纷纷出现伤病, bringing巨大的压力 to the team's阵容轮换.

Regarding this, Montgomery also expressed无奈: "For us, being困扰 by injuries has been long;最近也有新情况出现. Before the match against申花队,塞尔吉尼奥出现了一些小状况. Though not serious, we不想冒任何的风险, so did not安排他出场. With limited personnel options, sometimes there are不够的情况 when making substitutions in the second half."

Guoan内部认为, the阵痛 brought by injuries is definitely必须经历的 in the team's成长过程. As long as this拼搏精神和高强度的战术打法 can be maintained long-term, players' abilities will得到根本上的提升, and the team's竞争力也会越来越强. The club also坚信球队正走在一条正确的道路上 and will not放弃这些追求 due to短期困难.

Another major亮点 for Guoan this season is the大胆启用 of young players. Both Montgomery's coaching staff and the club management始终重视年轻球员的培养,敢于给年轻人机会, allowing them to锻炼成长 in实战.

The 18-year-old youngster Deng Jiefu无疑是最耀眼的明星. Deng Jiefu, who joined Guoan this season, was originally only the team's替补左后卫. However, due to李磊受伤, he was大胆推上首发位置 by Montgomery. In his appearances这几轮联赛, the小伙子表现稳健,展现出了与年龄不相称的成熟,被认为是一支巨大潜力股.

Guoan青训产品魏家傲 also获得了出场机会. Though出场时间不多, he展现出了不错的技术和潜力 in有限的时间内, gaining认可 from the coaching staff. Regarding the成长 of young players, the club也给予了足够的支持和耐心,直言会给他们足够的时间和空间去成长.

Guoan not only展现了全新的面貌 on the赛场, but also underwent全面的升级 in club brand宣传, becoming more职业、更加开放, more贴近媒体和球迷. Simultaneously, through主动降温 in舆论, not刻意炒作成绩, not夸大球队的实力, but客观、理性地看待球队的表现,引导球迷和媒体以更平和的心态看待球队的成长, indirectly helping the team缓解压力. This主动降温的舆论引导 allows fans and media to view Guoan's performance with a more理性心态, reducing过度期待和压力 on the team, enabling the team to专注 on matches and training in a more轻松的氛围.