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Relaxed Guo Quilong ready for anything
Despite overseeing a remarkable revival of fortunes at Shenzhen Jianlibao, caretaker coach Guo Ruilong is maintaining a philosophical approach ahead of Wednesday’s AFC Champions League knockout stage draw.
Since taking charge of the China Super League champions four weeks ago, following the acrimonious departure of Chi Shangbin, Guo has revived confidence at Shenzhen and led the club to four consecutive victories. The results have had the effect of lifting the southern club off the bottom of their domestic league standings, as well as sending them through to the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League and semi-finals of the China Super League Cup. While pleased with the positive start that he has enjoyed at Shenzhen, Guo knows that there is still plenty of work to be done if they are to be crowned China’s first continental club champions since 1989, when Liaoning won the Asian Club Championship. However, the Shenzhen boss is feeling no pressure after taking his team past the group stage of the AFC Champions League and is ready for whatever the quarter-final draw has to offer his team. “There is Chinese idiom: that the planning lies with man, and the outcome with Heaven. We can only prepare ourselves well and show our courage against whichever team we are drawn to play against,” said the Shenzhen boss. For now, Guo seems more interested in his team gaining experience from their first venture into the AFC Champions League. “I never place an emphasis on the team’s results. What I value most is the way that we play the game. If we play well, then the results will come naturally,” said Guo to FootballAsia.com. “What I think is most important now for Shenzhen Jianlibao is the general development of the whole and I hope that we can learn a great deal from play against other Asian teams in this competition.” While the team’s good recent form should make him a candidate to take the Shenzhen job on a permanent basis, Guo is unconcerned whether he gets a long-term deal at this stage. “I’m not afraid of pressure. With the trust of the club and the management, I will continue to do the job as long as I am needed here,” he said.
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