In the winter of the 2025 season, Beijing Guoan immediately won two consecutive matches in the warm-up games, defeating Changchun Yatai 2-0 in the first game and Chongqing team from the China League One 4-2 in the second game. The team scored a total of six goals in these two matches, leading many fans to say that Quique Setién is more advanced than Gerardo Pelusso.
The main point is that Setién's interpretation of possession football is considered more sophisticated than Pelusso's. For instance, his approach to pressing after mistakes involves one-on-one challenges and group efforts, which is the theoretical foundation for him to coach a top club like Barcelona. He emphasizes high pressing and ball control.
With the return of national team players to Beijing Guoan, his philosophy of controlling the game will become even more profound. There was a report stating that Setién is a master at chess, with an official chess ranking, indicating that this coach has a very high IQ.
Currently, Beijing Guoan aims to maintain a high win rate against weaker teams and avoid being outplayed by strong opponents in high-scoring matches. Last year, Beijing Guoan lost too many points against weaker teams; the author remembers losing twice to Shenzhen Xinpengcheng and once away to Changchun Yatai. At that time, Pelusso was called "Song Jiang," the "timely rain" of the Chinese Super League by fans.
Pelusso's regional defense was not ideal, and he used valuable foreign players in central defensive positions. Numbers don't lie; last season, Shanghai Shenhua conceded 20 goals, Shanghai Port 30, Chengdu Rongcheng 31, while Beijing Guoan conceded 35. This indicates a problem: despite having such good players, Pelusso's team did not score the most nor concede the least, conceding 15 more goals than the lowest conceding team, Shanghai Shenhua.
Therefore, this season, Mamadou is no longer needed, and Enjarduo should stay, now focusing on the main defender Juanpe from La Liga. Meanwhile, He Yupeng, Fang Hao, Zhang Xizhe, Cao Yongjing, Zhang Yuning, Fabio, and Wang Ziming will push forward in midfield.
In the 2025 season, Beijing Guoan's squad is much richer than other CSL teams. Moreover, there are substitutes like Zhang Xizhe, Chi Zhongguo, and Feng Boxuan. If they can maintain a low injury count throughout the season, they can win the championship. Based on Shanghai Port's experience last year, it's crucial to keep the five foreign players healthy, and championships are won through offense, not defense!