December 15, 2021, Beijing time zone came the explosive news, Yangcheng Evening News senior reporter Lin Benjian disclosed that Guangzhou soccer hero Zhang Linpeng has arrived in the area yesterday, and the team successfully met, and will soon play in the upcoming kick-off of the Chinese Super League.
Lin Benjian revealed on his social media platform, "Linpeng arrived at the tournament yesterday and started a joint practice with the team yesterday afternoon. Looking forward to his return to inject a new morale and strength into the struggling Guangzhou team."
In the first round of the second phase of the Chinese Super League, Guangzhou was defeated by their old enemy Beijing Guoan by a score of 0-1. The Guangzhou team suffered from the absence of a number of naturalized players, and the national defender Zhang Linpeng was also unable to play. Some Guangzhou media pointed out that Linpeng had been preparing for the 12-team tournament with the national team until December 9, when he returned from Shanghai to meet his family after a long absence. After returning to Guangzhou, Linpeng has not practiced with the whole team for two consecutive days and is currently in the adjustment period. Zheng Zhi, the head coach of Guangzhou team, decided to let Linpeng stay at home with his family.
The return of Lin Peng will undoubtedly give a huge boost to the morale of the Guangzhou team. For head coach Zheng Zhi, this is certainly an uplifting piece of good news. Linpeng's ability to play both on the wing and in the center of the field will fill the void left by Jiang Guangtai.
Guangzhou's next opponent is Hebei, who is also in a difficult situation. Hebei lost 0-5 to Taishan in the last round of the tournament, which shows the seriousness of the situation. Hebei's players are likely to be disheartened by the club's crisis, which is a great opportunity for Guangzhou to boost their morale.
Zheng Zhi as the head coach, despite the first game suffered a loss, but his command on the field so that the Guangzhou team still showed not bad competitiveness, which also won him wide praise. Zheng Zhi said: "Whenever we play, we have the heavy responsibility of completing the league and carrying the national soccer team. I am grateful to my players, I have played in Guangzhou for ten years, both the boss and the fans have given me great support, we have deep feelings for this city and this team. In the unexpected situation, many young players from the reserve team have also rushed back from abroad, and we have to be in the best condition for every game." (DD)
