2023 Beijing Guoan F.C. season

With the 2-year renovation at Guoan's traditional home ground, Workers' Stadium, completed before the 2023 campaign, it was confirmed that Guoan will return to the 68,000-seat refurbished stadium for the 2023 season.[1]

On 11 January, media reports confirmed that Zhang Yuning, the team's top goalscorer last season, would stay with the team in 2023 despite rumors of him transferring to play for European clubs.[2] On 14 January, Saudi Pro League's Al Nassr announced that it had signed Samir Memešević, confirming that his loan to Guoan had ended and will not be renewed.[3]

On 14 January, long-time Beijing-based reporter Qi Le published an online article that recounted Guoan's difficulty in paying players' and staff's wages, and the team's resulting FIFA player registration ban, over the past years. According to the article, Guoan still owed wages to former players and staff including Fernando, Jonathan Viera, Renato Augusto, and Slaven Bilić and his coaching staff. Additionally, Guoan still owed Famalicão fees related to the transfer of Anderson Silva. The team, however, have made some progress in terms of paying back outstanding salaries, and Qi expected the team to be on healthier financial grounds with the league returning to normal and China relaxing its COVID-19 policies. Qi's reporting also confirmed that the team has extended its contract with veteran players Wang Gang and Zou Dehai.[4] However, later reports in March confirms that Guoan has resolved all the outstanding wages and international transfer disputes, allowing for the club to be registered for the 2023 Super League season and register player transfers without issues.[5] The Chinese FA officially confirmed on 13 March that Guoan has cleared itself of unpaid historical debt and wages.[6]

On 1 February, Norwegian club Ranheim announced the signing of Hou Yongyong, confirming that he has left the team after his contract ended at the conclusion of 2022.[7]

In early February, the Sport & Leisure channel for the local Beijing Radio and Television Station ran a special TV feature titled "Farewell Season." In it, BRTV reporters confirmed that veteran players Yu Yang, Jin Pengxiang, Jin Taiyan, Liu Huan and youngster Liu Guobo have left the team after their contracts with the club expired at the end of the 2022 season.[8] Additional reports claim that while Li Ke's contract with the club expired at the end of 2022, he has continued his rehabilitation and returned to the team during pre-season with the hope of earning a new contract via participating in team training.[9]

The team regrouped on 6 February and traveled to Hainan on 8 February to begin the winter training camp ahead of the new season. Top goalscorer from last season Zhang Yuning did not join the team as he was still recovering from a shoulder surgery, but Samuel Adegbenro traveled with the team.[10]

On 13 February, Guoan announced that Croatian striker Marko Dabro have been loaned out to Latvian club Riga for the 2023 season.[11][12]

On 25 February, the team played its first friendly against Changchun Yatai in Hainan. Guoan played with a mixture of first team and youth team players, and won 3–0 thanks to goals from Piao Cheng, Jiang Wenhao and Samuel Adegbenro.[13]

On 26 February, reports emerged that Guoan had signed winger Yang Liyu from Guangzhou and former player Li Lei, who left Guoan for Swiss club Grasshopper, was set to return ahead of the new season. Guoan has also signed a new contract with Li Ke after deeming him physically fit to play for the club during winter training camp.[14]

On 1 March, Guoan played its second training match of the pre-season against Dalian Pro. Guoan emerged victorious with goals from Kang Sang-woo, Xu Dongdong and Yan Yu, and a double by Cao Yongjing. Guoan won 5–1 at the final whistle and the team went on a small break.[15] The team returned to training on 7 March in Hainan and will remain there until 23 March. New signings Li Lei, Yang Liyu and Josef de Souza are expected to join the team during training camp soon.[16] 7 March also saw Croatian media confirm Macedonian midfielder Arijan Ademi's impending transfer to Guoan from Croatian team Dinamo Zagreb. For a transfer fee of €1 million, he is reported to have signed a 3-year contract with the team earning €1.65 million per season.[17] Additional reports confirmed Guoan's signing of right-back Feng Boxuan from Henan Songshan Longmen as he joined team training on 7 March as well.[18]

Guoan played another training match on 11 March against Tianjin Jinmen Tigers. Guoan lost the game 1–2 as Tianjin featured 4 foreign players and none of Guoan's new signings took part in the game. Jian Wenhao, playing at left back, scored Guoan's only goal.[19] 6 days later on 17 March, Guoan played a training match against CMCL team Shanghai Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Flying Lion. New singing Feng Boxuan, Li Lei, and Yang Liyu featured in the game. Thanks to goals from Tian Yuda, Li Boxi and Yang Liyu, Guoan emerged victorious 3–0.[20] The team's last training match in Hainan was played against reigning CSL champion Wuhan Three Towns on 23 March. Thanks to goal from Yu Dabao and Kang Sang-woo, the team won 2–1. After the game, Guoan returned to Beijing and will regroup on 27 March.[21] On 29 March, the Chinese FA officially confirmed Guoan's eligibility to participate in the 2023 Chinese Super League, and the season ticket sale subsequently opened on the same day.[22][23]

On 30 March, Guoan officially announced the signings of 8 players. Besides the rumored De Souza, Arijan Ademi, Ngadeu-Ngadjui, Li Lei, Yang Liyu, Fang Hao, and Feng Boxuan, Beijing-born goalkeeper Han Jiaqi also joined the team after his former club Guangzhou City failed to clear the financial rules to stay in the CSL. Han will wear the number 1 shirt after Hou Sen willingly gave it away.[24]

On 31 March, Guoan played a training match with Tianjin Jinmen Tiger. Adegbenro scored for Guoan from a header, and the game ended in a 1–1 draw. Ruan Qilong was injured in the first half and had to be substituted off immediately.[25]

On 7 April, Guoan played their last pre-season friendly ahead of the 2023 CSL season kicking off on 15 April, against Nantong Zhiyun, which ended in a 0–0 draw.[26] Guoan returned to Beijing and on 8 April launched this season's new kits along with announcing their new shirt sponsor, JD.com, at Workers' Stadium. [27]

Outside of the Workers' Stadium hours before the first game of the season on 15 April 2023

On 15 April, Guoan's season officially commenced with a return to the brand new Workers' Stadium in front of over 46,000 fans for its first Super League home game since late 2019 against Meizhou Hakka. With Zhang Yuning still injured, Guoan lined up with Yang Liyu up top supported by new signings Ademi, Souza, and Ngadeu along with returning Li Lei. The first goal of the game and in the new Workers' Stadium, instead of coming from a Guoan player, came from Meizhou's Ye Chugui in the 19th minute after a missed header in Guoan's box allowed Ye a clean shot to the near post. Guoan continued its attack but failed to score in the first half. In the 49th minute, Ademi was tripped in Meizhou's penalty area by Rade Dugalić and the referee Ma Ning awarded Guoan a penalty after extensive VAR review. Zhang Xizhe, the club's all-time top scorer, stepped up and converted the shot, tying the game at 1–1. Despite attempts by both sides, the game ended in a 1–1 draw with Guoan failing to secure an opening victory in the new season and the new stadium.[28]

20 April saw Guoan face reigning league champions Wuhan Three Towns away from home. Menzo made a number of personnel changes, opting to give new transfer Han Jiaqi his first start at Guoan replacing Zou Dehai while starting both Gao Tianyi and Wang Ziming instead of Chi Zhongguo and the injured Adgebenro. Two teams traded chances in the first half with Wuhan seeming the better team, but Han Jiaqi's saves frustrated a number of good opportunities for Wuhan. Attempting to change the tempo of the game, Menzo replaced Wang Ziming with Kang Sang-woo at the start of the second half. In the 62nd minute, Guoan took the lead through Yang Liyu after Wuhan's keeper Liu Dianzuo erroneously gave the ball away inside his own box. In the final stages of the game, Wuhan brought on strikers hoping to make a difference, and indeed broke through Guoan's goal in the 92nd minute with substitute Ademilson. The game ended in a 1–1 draw.[29][30] After 2 opening draws, Guoan sat 8th in the table.

Guoan played newly-promoted Qingdao Hainiu away on 25 April with both teams winless after 2 rounds. Only 8 minutes into the game, Ngadeu-Ngadjui was judged after a VAR review to have handled the ball inside Guoan's penalty area with his hand and thereby conceding a penalty. Elvis Sarić subsequently converted the goal for Qingdao. In the 26th minute after Guoan players' failure to clear a corner by Qingdao, Aleksandar Andrejević attempted a shot on the edge of the area. Despite having gotten fingers across to the ball, Han Jiaqi was unable to stop it from going in, resulting in a 2–0 disadvantage for Guoan. At halftime, Menzo replaced Adegbenro with Kang Sang-woo and Wang Ziming with Zhang Yuning, giving Zhang his first cap after recovering from a shoulder injury. Despite the changes, Guoan conceded again just one minute into the second half as de Souza failed to deal with a header in midfield, allowing Evans Kangwa to carry the ball forward and slide it past Wang Gang and Han Jiaqi. Guoan pulled a goal back in the 50th minute thanks to de Souza converting from a corner chaos. Li Ke returned from injury and replaced Zhang Xizhe for his first cap in 2 years late in the game. Guoan dominated possession in the latter stages of the game, but was unable to find a way through Qingdao's defense, ending the game with a 3–1 defeat and extending the winless streak to 3 games.[31] In the post-game press conference, Menzo blamed bad luck for the first goal conceded and praised Qingdao's attack for the second.[32]

Guoan played rival Shandong Taishan on matchday 4 of the Super League on 29 April. The game was attended by 50,312 people, making it the highest attended game in this season. Despite attack from both sides, however, both teams failed to find a way through the opposition goal and the game ended in a 1–1 draw. After a winless 4 games with only 3 points, Guoan sat deep in the table close to the relegation zone at 13th place after the conclusion of matchday 4.[33] The game also marked Wang Gang’s 100th appearance for the club in all competitions.

The team traveled to Zhengzhou on 4 May ahead of its game against Henan. During the pre-match press conference, Menzo stated that the team had made some adjustment to its tactical approach given its winless streak, and hoped that the team will be back to its winning ways soon.[34] On 5 May, Menzo lined up Yang Liyu and Zhang Yuning up front with 4 midfielders behind. Both team notched up a few chances in the first half, but the game stayed 0–0 at the half thanks to Han Jiaqi consecutively denying two Henan shots in the 25th minute. In the 56th minute, Li Ke sent the ball to the left, Wang Gang knocked in back into the Henan's penalty box, and Yang Liyu finished off the movement with a clean strike inside the area to the bottom right corner of the goal, giving Guoan the 1–0 lead. After creating chances but failing to score, Henan players got upset and Toni Šunjić was yellow-carded for shoving Fang Hao to the ground. Guoan ended the game with a 1–0 away win, giving the team the first victory of the season and ending a 4-game winless streak.[35][36] Post-game fan conducts from both teams drew criticism. Henan officials complained to the Chinese FA about Guoan fans cursing and throwing objects at Henan players while Guoan complained about refereeing regarding Šunjić's foul on Fang Hao and the team and fans being stranded in stadium for 2 hours after the game due to agitated Henan fans refusing to leave the stadium complex.[37] Šunjić was issued a 5-match ban on 8 May for violent conduct for his foul on Fang Hao by the Chinese FA.[38]

Guoan returned to Workers' Stadium on 10 May to host Tianjin Jinmen Tigers. Zhang Yuning and Souza were both injured prior to the game and did not feature in the starting line-up, and Menzo opted to play Adegbenro up front with Chi Zhongguo as the holding midfielder. Guoan started the game poorly, having only 38% of the possession in the first 10 minutes due to aggressive pressing from Tianjin. However, the team grew into the game and generated a few good chances. Just before the end of the first half, though, Tianjin created a wave of attack around Guoan's goal with Han Jiaqi having to force a few saves to keep the game level at the half. Tianjin made substitutions first, returning with two foreign players Fran Mérida and Robert Berić to start the second half. Ngadeu had headed the ball into Tianjin's goal in the 58th minute, but it was ruled out as he was judged to have started his run in an offside position. Unexpectedly in the 63rd minute, Guoan obtained a man advantage as Tianjin player Ming Tian was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a hand ball violation. The team failed to take advantage, though, conceding to former player Ba Dun's strike from outside the box during a Tianjin counter-attack in the 68th minute. Ba refused to celebrate against his former club. A goal down, Menzo brought on Piao Cheng, Wang Ziming and Yu Dabao in attacking positions in attempts to turn the game around. The plan seemed to when Wang Ziming headed in a Wang Gang cross from the right wing in the 81st minute, restoring the game level at 1–1. Yu Dabao, playing as striker, headed in another just moments later, but Fang Hao was judged to have roughed the Tianjin goalie during the process and the goal was ruled out. Guoan generated other chances through Li Lei and Wang Ziming, but failed to score another goal. The game ended in a 1–1 draw. After the game, Guoan sat 8th in the league table with 7 points.[39][40][41]

Still without a home win, Guoan hosted Nantong Zhiyun on 15 May. Zhang Yuning remains injured and did not feature in the team sheet while Josef de Souza returned to the starting lineup. Guoan seemed the better team in the first 20 minutes, producing opportunities from corners and combinations. In the 23rd minute, after a quick counter by Guoan and a deflected Li Lei cross, Ademi put Guoan in the front with a cracking mid-air strike inside the box that bounced into the Nantong goal from the underside of the crossbar. Guoan seemed rejuvenated and created a few more chances via Souza and Gao Tianyi; although failing to score, the team entered half-time with a lead for the first time this season. Searching for another goal, Menzo brought on Zhang Xizhe and Yu Dabao. However, after trading chances, no team would go on to score another goal by the end of the match. Han Jiaqi made a number of reactionary saves throughout the game to keep the clean sheet, including a crucial intervention that denied Nantong a header inside the box in the 89th minute. Guoan ended the game 1–0, securing the team's first home victory of the season and moving up 1 spot to 7th in the league.[42][43]

Guoan traveled to Shanghai and played long-time rival Shanghai Shenhua on 19 May. Shenhua was expected to be the better team given their joint-first in terms of points on the league table before the match. Additionally, a number of Guoan players was injured or out sick, leading Menzo to name Nebijan Muhmet to his match of the season at left back with Zhang Chengdong filling in at right back. Shenhua was the better team to start the match, scoring in the 18th minute as Cephas Malele knocked a high ball down and teed up Yu Hanchao to slide it into the far corner against the post. Guoan ended the first half without registering a single shot on target, but did not concede a second goal. In the second half, Guoan became the better team. In the 58th minute, Kang Sang-woo tricked Shenhua's oncoming goalkeeper and dribbled passed him, but his shot was on an open goal was cleared by a Shenhua defender. Guoan broke through in the 67th minute via Adegbenro, who slid a curve ball toward the far corner after Zhang Xizhe's one-two pass set Adegbenro up inside the box. Chi Zhongguo and Yang Liyu, respectively, had their attempts saved in the 72nd and 73rd minute, and Yu Dabao hit the crossbar in the 82nd from 30 meters out after coming on from the bench. However, Guoan failed to score another goal, and the game ended in a 1–1 draw.[44][45][46] Zhang Xizhe, coming on as a substitute, completed his 300th appearance for Guoan in the Super League.[47]

As of 19 May 2023

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Chinese Super League		Chinese FA Cup		Total
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK		Han Jiaqi	7	0	0	0	7	0
4	DF		Li Lei	7(1)	0	0	0	7(1)	0
5	MF		Josef de Souza	6(1)	1	0	0	6(1)	1
6	MF		Chi Zhongguo	4(3)	0	0	0	4(3)	0
7	MF		Kang Sang-woo	3(5)	0	0	0	3(5)	0
8	MF		Piao Cheng	0(2)	0	0	0	0(2)	0
9	FW		Zhang Yuning	1(2)	0	0	0	1(2)	0
10	MF		Zhang Xizhe	6(2)	1	0	0	6(2)	1
11	FW		Samuel Adegbenro	5	1	0	0	5	1
14	GK		Zou Dehai	1	0	0	0	1	0
15	MF		Gao Tianyi	4(2)	0	0	0	4(2)	0
16	DF		Feng Boxuan	0(1)	0	0	0	0(1)	0
17	FW		Yang Liyu	7(1)	2	0	0	7(1)	2
18	FW		Fang Hao	0(5)	0	0	0	0(5)	0
19	DF		Nebijan Muhmet	1	0	0	0	1	0
20	FW		Wang Ziming	4(2)	1	0	0	4(2)	1
22	DF		Yu Dabao	3(3)	0	0	0	3(3)	0
23	MF		Li Ke	1(2)	0	0	0	1(2)	0
26	DF		Bai Yang	5	0	0	0	5	0
27	DF		Wang Gang	7	0	0	0	7	0
28	DF		Zhang Chengdong	1(2)	0	0	0	1(2)	0
32	DF		Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui	8	0	0	0	8	0
33	GK		Nureli Abbas	0	0	0	0	0	0
34	GK		Hou Sen	0	0	0	0	0	0
35	MF		Chen Yanpu	0	0	0	0	0	0
36	DF		Liang Shaowen	0	0	0	0	0	0
38	DF		Ruan Qilong	0	0	0	0	0	0
39	MF		Yan Yu	0	0	0	0	0	0
40	FW		Gao Jian	0	0	0	0	0	0
41	DF		He Xiaoqiang	0	0	0	0	0	0
42	MF		Ma Yujun	0	0	0	0	0	0
43	DF		Jiang Wenhao	0	0	0	0	0	0
44	FW		Duan Dezhi	0	0	0	0	0	0
45	MF		Arijan Ademi	7	1	0	0	7	1

As of 19 May 2023

Rank	Position	Name	Chinese Super League	Chinese FA Cup	Total
1	FW	Yang Liyu	2	0	2
2	MF	Zhang Xizhe	1	0	1
	MF	Josef de Souza	1	0	1
	FW	Wang Ziming	1	0	1
	MF	Arijan Ademi	1	0	1
	FW	Samuel Adegbenro	1	0	1
Total			7	0	7

As of 19 May 2023

Rank	Position	Name	Chinese Super League	Chinese FA Cup	Total
1	DF	Wang Gang	2	0	2
2	MF	Zhang Xizhe	1	0	1
Total			3	0	3

As of 19 May 2023

Rank	Name	Chinese Super League	Chinese FA Cup	Total
1	Han Jiaqi	3	0	3
Total		3	0	3

Numbers in parentheses represent games where both goalkeepers participated and both kept a clean sheet; the number in parentheses is awarded to the goalkeeper who was substituted on, whilst a full clean sheet is awarded to the goalkeeper who was on the field at the start of play.

N	P	Nat.	Name	Chinese Super League			Chinese FA Cup			Total			Notes
4	DF		Li Lei	2						2
5	MF		Josef de Souza	1						1
1	GK		Han Jiaqi	3						3
27	DF		Wang Gang	2						2
6	MF		Chi Zhongguo	2						2
15	MF		Gao Tianyi	1						1
7	DF		Kang Sang-woo	1						1
28	DF		Zhang Chengdong	1						1

Last updated: 19 May 2023
Source:
Only competitive matches
= Number of bookings; = Number of sending offs after a second yellow card; = Number of sending offs by a direct red card.