Despite the typhoon's arrival, Rose stands unshaken.

By Zuo Rui. The second half of the CSL began with back-to-back defeats, pushing Zhejiang Greentown down to 11th place. While the 18th round home game was delayed by the typhoon, fans' criticism of coach Ross Aloisi could not be avoided. The external clamor for his removal contrasts with the internal backing from top to bottom, which is felt by Ross and the entire squad.

Last Tuesday, deputy general managers Wu Shaokun and Xue Jun met face-to-face with fan representatives at the request of local fan organizations. In response to the sharp question of whether the head coach would be dismissed, the club representatives calmly gave a negative answer, citing that "the team and players have full trust in him."

In the conference room, the atmosphere between the club and fans was not tense but also far from friendly. Outside, on the training ground and in the office area, the central figure of the controversy continued his usual routine as head coach—normally, with training at 3:30 PM, Ross would arrive at the club before 9 AM; if there was morning training, he would be at Zhongtai Base before dawn.

Driver Zhou, who is responsible for picking up and dropping off Ross, has worked for Zhejiang Team for many years and has served at least three head coaches. In his memory, he has never seen a head coach work as hard as Ross, starting early and finishing late. Inspired by the head coach's work ethic, even on days with only afternoon training, other coaching staff members would arrive at 11 AM and keep busy with computer work before training.

At 2:40 PM, Ross would hold a routine coaching staff meeting, followed by a full-team meeting at 3 PM. After 15 minutes, the team would go to the gym to activate their minds and stretch. Then there would be about an hour and a half of field training, finally returning to the gym for remaining specialized exercises under the fitness coach... By the time he finished work, dusk had already fallen in Hangzhou.

Ross's meticulous preparation for each training session, his thorough analysis of his own team and opponents, and his attention to daily details and team atmosphere—every team member, including staff, can feel it. This is a key reason why, despite being in the midst of dismissal rumors and under immense pressure, he still earns trust from the club and the locker room. Moreover, veteran players actively exchange opinions with Ross, and the entire team maintains a harmonious and united atmosphere.

The main reason for fans' doubts about Ross is the team's record, but the reality is that for most of this season, Zhejiang Team has been unable to field a full five-foreigner lineup. "Over a long period, in many matches, we created numerous scoring opportunities, as evidenced by the public expected goals data," Ross said. The low conversion rate of goals has troubled him, yet he remains confident: "Our whole team can face the issues and firmly believe that through hard work, we can turn the situation around and get out of trouble."

As the typhoon passes and the storm approaches, Ross is confident of beating Qingdao Hainiu at home. The opponent had a strong home performance in the first two rounds of the second half, first thrashing Yunnan Yukun 4-2, then holding the mighty Chengdu Rongcheng to a 1-1 draw. Chengdu's head coach, Ross's younger brother John Aloisi, shared all the details of the match against Qingdao with his brother. This Australian brother duo currently sits at the top of the table and in 11th place respectively.

In the 14th round, a humiliating 0-5 home loss to Liaoning Tieren set a club record for the biggest home defeat in CSL history and the most goals conceded in a single match. Ross was furious after the match, saying "the team's performance was unacceptable." To protect the team and coach, the club management rarely intervened: the coaching staff had to thoroughly review and reflect, and the team was not allowed to do that again, otherwise the next match would be unplayable.

This was likely the most unforgettable and unacceptable match in Ross's career. "After the match, I was disappointed with the team's commitment and effort; our performance was completely unacceptable," he said. Even a month later, he still held a grudge, because "in any match, fighting spirit is always the top priority."

"For the team, running, defending, and tackling must be done with full effort; every ball must be contested—this is my basic requirement for the team," Ross said. He also stated that he and the coaching staff had reviewed the loss as usual, and had in-depth communication with the team, vowing to "face and change our own problems."

The club's intervention brought unexpected results. In the following 15th round, Zhejiang Team, despite being passive throughout, defeated Henan Team 2-0 away, ending the first half of the season with a victory.

However, after returning from the summer break, Zhejiang Team lost 1-3 away to Qingdao West Coast in the 16th round. Both the result and the process were very similar to the disastrous defeat a month ago, which once again made Ross say "unacceptable." Ross told Soccer that the reason for the loss was the same: "Any player who is not active in running, not brave in tackling, or even afraid of making mistakes and taking responsibility—this is unacceptable for the team, club, and fans."

In the eyes of this 28-year-old club with a renowned youth academy and lofty ambitions, Ross Aloisi is a dedicated, honest head coach, and a "modern" professional with advanced tactics. The club stated that Zhejiang's players still need more time to meet Ross's tactical requirements, but compared to the start of the season, the team has made significant progress in front pressing and set pieces. For example, in the 17th round, although Zhejiang lost 2-3 away to Shenhua, the team showed high morale. Young players supported each other with their older teammates, Wang Yudong's sprinting ability improved notably, and Xu Junchi formed healthy competition with Tong Lei on the right flank.

Ross's open-mindedness and professionalism have given the club and players confidence in the remaining 13 matches, with the same goal—to attack the top group with full force. The team also recently completed a transfer to fill the gap at the center-forward position.

At noon on July 12, Zhejiang FC officially announced the signing of center-forward Cardoso. The Brazilian, who played for Henan last season with 14 goals and 6 assists, had already been at Zhongtai Base in Hangzhou for three days, training several times with his new teammates. Ross and his team had been waiting for this powerful foreign player for quite some time.

As one of the concrete supports for the head coach's work, the club management believes this signing will fill the team's biggest weakness and bring positive changes in the second half of the season. Even though the issue of Guarillapa's stay has not been resolved, the club wants to give Ross's preferred 4-2-3-1 formation more tactical flexibility and space.

Among the several summer transfer targets provided by the club, Ross chose Cardoso without hesitation, as he was already well aware of the latter's finishing ability and adaptability. "An experienced center-forward will certainly help the team improve goal conversion efficiency," he said. In the first half, Ross had often used Tao Qianglong as the lone striker, and with Gao Di injured, his options at center-forward were limited. "If we had had a better choice at center-forward against Shenhua, we would likely have won the match."

In the 17th round away match against Shenhua, Ross actively changed the formation and tactics, and the team's fighting spirit was evident, but they unfortunately lost 2-3. "In this match, the team's overall performance in both possession and non-possession phases was excellent. This is exactly the game state and mentality I expect," he said. "We will take it one game at a time. First, focus on playing the current round well, then consider the following matches."

Since the home match against Qingdao Hainiu was postponed to this Tuesday (July 14), the interval before the 19th round away match against Chongqing Tonglianglong will be very short, which adds to the difficulty of Zhejiang's next away game. This opponent had severely beaten Zhejiang in the 4th round, plunging Ross, who was without Mitric, into a five-match winless streak with no goals scored.

In response, Ross was calm: "The postponement will indeed affect the preparation cycle, especially making training arrangements more difficult, but we will do our best to prepare for Tuesday's match as planned, and then help the players recover quickly through effective methods to maintain their physical condition."