Contributing Writer / Liu Zhun On June 6, Changchun Yatai ushered in its 29th birthday. On this day, more than 300 fans and reporters from more than 10 media walked into Yatai Jingyue Base to celebrate the club's birthday with the team. At the Jingyue base, fans surrounded the players who went to the training ground, took photos, signed autographs, applauded, cheered, interviewed, and shared birthday cakes...... Half an hour before training, this veteran Chinese Super League club filled the sense of birthday celebration.

Watching the team train, the fans felt the high-intensity, fast-paced demands of head coach Suarez. The first game against Guoan was Suarez taking over Yatai's "Full Moon Battle", and he hoped to lead the Yatai team back on track and complete the relegation task as soon as possible.

Carry out the defensive counterattack to the end

Before the start of the 2025 season, a group of main players whose contracts expired such as Wang Jinxian, Zoey, and Serginho did not choose to renew their contracts and left Changchun Yatai. The void was filled by a group of relatively young free agents. The first 13 rounds of the Chinese Super League have fully proved this, Yatai only accumulated 5 points, ranked at the bottom of the table, tying the worst start record created in the 2013 season.

It has become inevitable to replace Xie Hui, but in such a short period of time, the only ones who dare to accept the challenge are the coaches who have experience in the Chinese Super League and are strong in resisting pressure. When the club threw an olive branch to former Beijing Guoan coach Suarez, Suarez, who had just entered the year of destiny, readily agreed. Perhaps, the "controversy" during his tenure at Beijing Guoan made him eager to return to the Chinese Super League to prove himself, and it is said that he even declined offers from the UAE and Brazilian clubs. Suarez's persistence and passion is exactly what Changchun Yatai needs most at the coaching level.

Suarez is a coach who advocates defensive counter-attack, and his coaching style is not suitable for Beijing Guoan, who is good at passing and controlling play, even though Beijing Guoan has a good record, but the public opinion pressure caused by this "controversy" eventually led to his dismissal. This time to return to the Chinese Super League, Suarez's choice positioning is very accurate, because no matter in the heyday or when the strength is declining, Changchun Yatai is a team that survives by defensive counterattacks, which is more conducive to Suarez to implement his tactical requirements here.

Of course, Yatai also needs to solve the team's strength through a second transfer to create conditions for Suarez to play a good defensive counterattack tactic. The second transfer window will open on June 23, so Suarez will have to rely on his current squad when he switches to Beijing Guoan on the 14th.

'We're in the middle of the season and it's a very important break for us, we've been training hard and we've been getting fit, both individually and as a team, and I'm sure we'll be better in the next games.' "Everyone knows the situation of our team and the difficulties we face. In the interval, our main task is to address the lack of fitness and lack of confidence of the players, and we hope to try to adjust these conditions to the best. ”

Intermittent malignant tonic physical fitness classes

Since becoming the head coach of Yatai on May 8, Suarez has watched a match between Changchun Yatai and Henan at home, and has led the team to play two games (league home against Tianjin Jinmen Tigers and FA Cup away against Dalian Kuncheng). Although he has not won any of his three games since taking office, he has a thorough understanding of the team's problems from previous game footage and his own experience, and he focuses on solving the team's lack of fitness first. Suarez believes that Changchun Yatai can only play 70 minutes at the beginning of the season, and the second 20 minutes will either lead to an increase in injuries or concede goals due to lack of fitness.

During this intermission, Changchun Yatai began to make up for the physical fitness classes owed during the winter training through a large amount of exercise. In just two weeks, the players felt Suarez's harshness. In training, he showed no mercy to players who didn't do well in their movements. "We are in a very difficult position, but the more difficult it is, the more we should grit our teeth and hold on and have confidence in ourselves. The league is a long process, we still have a chance, don't give up! Tan Long said.

In the first 13 rounds of the league, Changchun Yatai lost some games that should not be lost, the situation is very dangerous, and the next 17 rounds of the league, each of which is a decisive battle for Changchun Yatai. Changchun Yatai did not plan to go out to play warm-up matches during the interval, but played two teaching games with Changchun Xidu and Changchun Yatai U21 teams in the same city in the base. Through the game, Suarez rehearsed the different line-ups, tested the results of the last two weeks of training, and his recruitment plan was formed and handed over to the club.

Suarez, who has been in charge for a whole month, likes working and living in China very much, and is eager to prove himself again in the Chinese Super League, and he is very confident in leading Changchun Yatai out of the trough, "I hope that in the next games, we will have a good performance, and I also hope to stay in China for a few more seasons to help Chinese football become better and better!" ”