The two teams in the Chinese League changed coaches: the Japanese coach took over Pingguo, and the deep and famous man returned to the Southern Lions

Reporter Wang Wei reports Recently, the two lower-ranked teams in the Chinese League have both changed coaches: Guangxi Pingguo head coach Zhou Lin and the coaching staff have left, and Japanese coach Koji Maeda, who briefly took over the position of coach of the Guangzhou team at the end of last year, has taken over; Foshan Southern Lions also adjusted the position of coach, Spanish head coach Juan stepped down, and former head coach Wang Hongwei returned. As of the 7th round of the Chinese League, Guangxi Pingguo is at the bottom with 2 draws and 5 losses, and Foshan South Lions are third from the bottom with 1 win, 2 draws and 4 losses with 5 points.

On May 7, Guangxi Pingguo Club officially announced Zhou Lin's resignation, and his successor is Koji Maeda, a Japanese coach who previously served as a coach in Shenhua, West Coast, Haikou and Guangzhou, and he is expected to officially take over the team on the afternoon of May 8 and lead the team to train for the home match with Shijiazhuang Kung Fu this Saturday night.

It is understood that after the new investor and management team took over in November last year, the club worked hard to complete the debt settlement and access work. After the team was reorganized, only three players from last season were retained, and Zhou Lin was hired as the head coach.

After a big change, Guangxi's performance in the first seven rounds of the league was not good, successively at home 0-3 Liaoning Iron Man, home 0-1 Nanjing City, away 0-0 Suzhou Dongwu, away 0-2 Shenzhen Youth, home 1-3 Guangzhou Leopard, away 2-2 Dingnan Ganlian, away 1-2 Dalian Kuncheng. Seven rounds of games, 2 draws, 5 losses, no wins at the beginning, and three consecutive defeats at home, still ranked as the deputy squad leader.

Although the club lowered their expectations for recent results, they were reversed from lead in the game against Kuncheng, the management lost patience, and the team will soon face a relegation battle against Foshan South Lions and Qingdao Red Lions, and the club must do something.

It is reported that at noon on May 7, the club has informed the whole team of the decision to leave the coaching staff of Zhou Lin, and announced that the new head coach and coaching team will arrive soon.

It is reported that the new coaching team is led by Japanese coach Koji Maeda, who has worked in Chinese football for 10 years, and at present, the two sides have finalized the details of the contract, and Koji Maeda is expected to officially take over and lead the team for the first training session on the afternoon of May 8.

The 55-year-old Koji Maeda played for Vissel Kobe, Fukuoka Hornets and Iwata Joy as a player, and in 2003 he transitioned to coaching, and has served as sports director or assistant coach of Kobe Vissel and Fukuoka Hornets clubs.

In 2015, Koji Maeda came to China and served as the head coach of Zhejiang Women's Football Team, Guangzhou U19 Echelon, and Wuhan Three Towns 06 Age Echelon. In the 2023 season, he served as an assistant coach for Shenhua's first team, winning the 2023 FA Cup with the team. At the beginning of the 2024 season, Koji Maeda accepted an invitation from Qingdao West Coast to serve as an assistant coach of the team, leaving in May. In the second half of 2024, at the critical moment of relegation, he served as the head coach of the Zhongyi Haikou Famous City Team and led the team to relegation. At the end of 2024, he will be the head coach of the Guangzhou team.

Koji Maeda was really known to most Chinese fans when he assisted Wu Jingui at Shenhua, when he was in charge of the team's technical and tactical training and execution. In the 2023 season, he won the FA Cup with the team.

Koji Maeda's priority is to help the team relegate, and judging by the current squad of the team, his burden is not light. Next, Guangxi Pingguo team will face the currently top-ranked Shijiazhuang Kung Fu and Foshan South Lions, who are also fighting for relegation, at home on the evening of May 31, and Qingdao Red Lions, another relegation opponent, at home on the evening of May 31, these games are very important for their relegation.

In the next summer window, the club will introduce strong foreign players and domestic players with certain strength and professional league experience to improve their combat effectiveness.

Foshan Southern Lions, who are currently ranked third from the bottom of the Central League, have also recently completed the change of coach, having led Dongguan Guan United (the predecessor of the Southern Lion) to compete in the second division in 2022, and led Dongguan Guan United to win the seventh place in the Chinese League in the 2023 season.

On April 27, after Foshan lost 0-2 to Guangzhou Leopards, the club decided to adjust the coaching staff after discussion, Juan stepped down, and former coach Wang Hongwei returned after a year and a half.

Wang Hongwei used to play as a defender in Shenzu when he was a player, and was teammates at the same time as Zheng Zhi, Li Weifeng, Li Yi, etc. After retiring, Wang Hongwei has coached Meixian Tiehan, Baotou Lucheng, Yancheng Dafeng, Sichuan Jiuniu, and Dongguan Guan United, and will serve as the youth training director of Xinpengcheng Club at the end of 2023. It is understood that Wang Hongwei has picked up the whip of Foshan Southern Lions in the middle of last week and is currently preparing for the home match against Nanjing City this Sunday night. After Wang Hongwei took office, his goal was also to help the team relegate first, and at the same time strive for better results.

At 19:30 on the evening of May 16, Guangxi Pingguo will face Foshan Southern Lions at home, and the two teams that have just undergone a change of coach will have a key relegation battle.