Force ... Guangzhou Evergrande are a powerhouse in China. Source: Shu ye gz / AAP
Forget Liverpool and Manchester United, the only visit from a red army that really matters this year is that of Guangzhou Evergrande, perhaps the most glamorous club in the world's biggest continent. If Australian fans and media can?t get excited by this game then you have to wonder what future there is for the Asian Champions League.
When it comes to the AFC’s continental tournament fans all over Asia complain of no promotion in the build-up, no atmosphere in the stadium and no familiar faces on the opposite of the pitch. On Wednesday night in Australia, it’s going to be different - a genuine big game in the knockout stage, over 1500 away fans expected to roar on the red men and Marcello Lippi, one of the most famous faces in football, leading a team full of stars. It is on such nights that history is made and reputations forged.
Everything is set. Central Coast have added the mantle of underdog to rest comfortably beside its domestic crown. All the pressure is on the opposition. China has struggled in the tournament since it was launched in 2003 but while in some parts of Asia, poor results mean reduced interest, for Guangzhou it just makes the prize look ever grander. All the riches invested in the team’s playing squad, over $60 million in the last three years, are geared towards repeated continental glory.
Enjoy all the action from Bluetongue Stadium live and in stunning HD from 7pm (EST) on Fox Sports 3 HD.
Whoever said crime doesn’t pay hasn’t attended a game with 40,000 others at the Tianhe Stadium or watched the team sweep all before them at home for the last three seasons. Being relegated ahead of the 2010 season after being found guilty of match-fixing was the best thing that ever happened to the club as it was soon bought by Evergrande, the most ambitious of the many real estate companies to get involved in Chinese football of late.
Cash was splashed in the second tier and the most decisive of promotions followed. A first season back in the top flight brought the title by a massive margin of 15 points but even that figure was less impressive than the 44 game unbeaten run in the league from April 10, 2010 to September 18, 2011.
Coach Lee Jang-soo was respected and popular, a South Korean who always seemed more at home on the western shores of the Yellow Sea. The promotion and the championship were not enough however. ‘Old Ironsides’ could provide the trophies but he didn’t have the name. In May 2012, on the flight back from Bangkok, just hours after securing the team a first ever place in the second round of the Champions league, he said his goodbyes. At least, as he was to reflect later, this low-key Lee was replaced by the legendary Lippi.
In China, the Italian found a friendly country to indulge in his favourite habit and the first word of the local lingo he learned was ashtray. The cigarettes have come in handy to help deal with the stresses involved in making the team more flexible tactically and encouraging the Chinese players in the team especially – and he has the best of the country’s domestic talent at his disposal – to take more responsibility on the pitch and think on their feet.
While the Italian won the UEFA Champions League with Juventus in 1996 (and as all Aussies know, the World Cup with Italy in 2006), it is debatable whether he offers a better chance of winning the Asian version than Lee and all his continental experience. It was expected however that he would be able to coax the best out of Guangzhou’s foreign contingent and the club has the best bunch of imports in Asia.
Brazilian forward Muriqui, beautifully balanced on the ball with vision to match, is maker of goals for himself and others. He was described as the best player in the entire competition by the coach of Muang Thong United Slavisa Jancovic after their meetings in the group stage. The signing of playmaker Dario Conca in 2011, an Argentine winner of the player of the season in Brazil and described by experienced Korean left-back Park Won-jae as the best player he has ever faced, was a big deal in all senses – in terms of impact and a salary then described as the third highest in the world.
Guiyang Olympic Centre Stadium | |
Bluetongue Stadium | |
Suwon World Cup Stadium | |
Hitachi Kashiwa Stadium | |
Guiyang Olympic Centre Stadium | |
| All times are listed in EST | |
Central Coast vs Guangzhou Bluetongue Stadium | |
| All times are listed in EST | |
Then there is Lucas Barrios, signed for almost ten million euros last year from Borussia Dortmund, who has only impressed in spurts and the latest signing Elkesen. The striker was not registered for the group stage of the Champions League with Chinese defences bearing the brunt of his frustration as he has scored 13 goals in eight games.
Despite the heroes, there are Achilles’ heels. Versatile and highly-rated defender Zheng Linpeng ("our Ramos"says Lippi) is banned for the first leg and there are question marks over the central defence. Both Kim Young-gwon and Feng Xiaoting are guilty of lapses in concentration.
Perhaps Guangzhou just don’t get the tests at home it needs. It has dropped just two points this season in the league, a 1-1 draw against a Beijing Guoan team that never gave their southern visitors a moment to settle. With two weeks of rest – Lippi’s men were winning 3-0 last Friday at Shanghai Shenhua – Central Coast should have the energy to press like it has never pressed before.
Unlike Liverpool and Manchester United who are heading to Australia to give their far-flung fans a chance to see their heroes in the flesh, the visit of Guangzhou is an opportunity for new stars to be made and perhaps, just perhaps, give a much-maligned tournament a much-needed boost down under.
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