The 2020 Dalian Professional F.C. season was the 11th season in club history.
Overview Preseason (until July) On 21 January 2020, Wanda Group announced officially switched to new team name Dalian Professional Football Club (), or Dalian Pro F.C. (), and came up with a new emblem design featuring a vintage Dalian Wanda F.C. logo. On the final day of the winter transfer window, Yannick Carrasco rejoined Atlético Madrid on loan until the end of the La Liga season.
In February, the start of the 2020 Chinese Super League season was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Dalian Pro was in Murcia, Spain at the time for pre-season and were forced to extend their stay within Spain as ll travel to China was suspended. In March, as the coronavirus began spreading through Spain and the rest of Europe, Dalian Pro managed to fly back to China. Benitez with two new signings Sam Larsson and Marcus Danielson flew to Hong Kong for visas but they were initially unsuccessful and the two players went back to Sweden to train with IFK Göteborg and Djurgårdens IF respectively.
On 30 May, Tao Qianglong went out for drinking with 5 other players when training with China U-19 national team, which broke the national team regulation. All six players received 6-month suspensions from club games, and were each banned from China national teams. Dalian Pro downgraded him to the reserve team.
On 11 June, Dalian Pro became the first CSL team to obtain visas for foreign players after the ban.
July
On 1 July 2020, Chinese Football Association announced the 2020 season to resume on 25 July. Teams were divided in two groups to compete in two cities, Dalian and Suzhou, while audiences were not allowed. Dalian Sports Center, Jinzhou Stadium and Dalian Pro Soccer Academy Base were selected as hosting stadiums.
During the first match against Shandong Luneng, Rondon scored the first goal in this season, and Danielson had his debut goal, but Dalian was still defeated by a Marouane Fellaini hat-trick.
August As the first cycle of the regular season finished by the end of August, Dalian Pro could not acquire a single win out of 7 games, resulting 3 draws, 4 losses, 10 goals scored, and 14 conceded. Ten of the fourteen goals allowed were conceded after the 70th minute of matches.
The club's first victory of the season came on 29 August against Shandong Luneng with Lin Liangming scoring the only goal of the game. This was also Dalian's first win without Carrasco in the starting eleven since 2018 (five matches in 2018, five in 2019, and seven in 2020).
September Danielson's head was lacerated against Guangzhou R&F. His absence brought another two losses, which locked Dalian Pro down at 7th position, to compete in the relegation stage.
October For the October FIFA calendar, Hamsik left the team to join the Slovakia national team. As the strict quarantine policy for foreigners entering China was still active, he might miss most secondary stage matches upon his return, so Dalian Pro removed him from the squad, and signed Jailson instead. Rondon, however, stayed with the team. He was called up by the Venezuela national team, and he intended to leave, too. But FIFA continued the policy that allowed clubs to not release the player just before his departure, while Dalian Pro and Benitez relied heavily upon his attacking role, so he eventually stayed.
Dalian Pro Women's F.C. completed 2020 season at 3rd place in the Chinese Women's Football League.
Dalian Pro overpowered the first opponent Shijiazhuang Ever Bright in the relegation stage by 3-2 aggregate. Sun Guowen scored in the first loss, while Lin Liangming and Wang Yaopeng both scored decisive header in the second leg. Dalian Pro ensured a position above 12th, that the team were safely prevented from relegation. Rondon returned to Venezuela after this match to prepare for incoming national team games.
November Dalian acquired an easy win from Guangzhou R&F. Danielson was called up by Sweden national team, and left the team after this match. Larsson would also enjoy his early vacation, as he got his fourth yellow card before the last match. With only two foreign players against four, Dalian shamefully lost by 4–3 in aggregate eventually. Local media described this loss ironically as a "Reversed Miracle of Istanbul".
Summary
Dalian Pro registered more young players than other teams, and put multiple experienced elder players in the reserves, which was considered "youth storm" by most media. However, the newly registered young players seldom gained chances to play. Throughout the season, Tong Lei and Lin Liangming had impressive performances as under-23 players, but for other young players under 23, only those with previous appearances in the 2019 season were occasionally used as substitution. On one hand, the team was under the pressure of relegation, a risky situation to use young players. On the other hand, the special season allowed teams to use up to 4 foreign players, which further seized playing time of domestic players. Anyway, this situation was often criticized by local media, especially when the team faced difficulties or had unsatisfactory results, and had to use elder players like Zhao Xuri, Zheng Long and Sun Bo. However, Benitez explained his point of view in many press conferences and his personal blog, that result of the 2020 season was unimportant, and that young players needed time to gain experience.
Benitez switched to 4-defender based tactic in this season with the signing of Marcus Danielson. In most conditions, a 4-5-1 formation would be used, with Rondon serving as the single striker. Great improvements on passing and crossing could be seen comparing with last season, especially Tong Lei's long passes and crosses. Sam Larsson was considered a downgraded replacement for Carrrasco at first due to the new restriction of transfer fee, but he displayed various skills and strong spirit, and proved to be a worthy foreign player for the team. Together with Danielson, they were described to have "continued the impressive tradition of ". In the first stage, the team covered more distance in total, while Hamsik and Rondon topped player running distance. On the other hand, the team relied heavily on Rondon, Larsson and Hamsik, and lacked other scoring tactics when either of them was absent.
Squad First team squad
No.NameNat.Place of birthDate of birth (age)JoinedFromEndsNoteGoalkeepers1Zhang Chong Dalian2013Dalian ShideDec 202119Xue Qinghao U21 Qingdao2020Liaoning23Li Xuebo Dalian2019 Atlético Madrid BDec 202232Xu Jiamin Shanghai2020Beijing RenheDefenders3Shan Pengfei Dalian2012Dalian Yifang youth4Li ShuaiShenyang2016 MafraDec 202311Sun Guowen Dalian2013Dalian ShideDec 202113Wang Yaopeng Dalian2014Liaoning youthDec 202114Huang Jiahui Bozhou2019Dalian Yifang youth Dec 202316Tong Lei Quzhou2020Zhejiang GreentownDec 202218He Yupeng Anshan2019Dalian Yifang youth Dec 202322Dong Yanfeng Dalian2016Liaoning youth Dec 202125Li Jianbin MI Binzhou2019Shanghai ShenhuaDec 202030Marcus Danielson Eskilstuna2020 Djurgårdens IF33Wang Xianjun Dalian2020Dalian Pro youth36Zhou Xiao U21 Nanchong2019 Atlético AstorgaDec 202337Yang Haoyu MI Kunming2020Hubei Chufeng UnitedDec 202060Yang Pengju U21 Guiyang2020Dalian Pro youthMidfielders5Wu Wei Xinxiang2020Tianjin TianhaiDec 20257Zhao Xuri Dalian2019Tianjin Quanjian Dec 2021Vice-Captain10Sam Larsson Gothenburg2020 Feyenoord12Jailson Siqueira MI Caçapava do Sul2020 Fenerbahçe20Wang Jinxian Wuhan2014Dalian Yifang youthDec 202126Cui Ming'an Dalian2014Dalian Yifang youth27Cheng Hui Dalian2019 Lleida Esportiu BDec 202328Lin Liangming Shantou2020 GondomarDec 202029Sun Bo Dalian2011Shandong Luneng youth31Zheng Long Qingdao2019Guangzhou Evergrande35Zhang Jiansheng MI Xingtai2020Dalian Pro youth40Zhu Jiaxuan U21 Dalian2020Dalian Pro youth42Wang Tengda U21 Dalian2020Dalian Pro youth50Wang Zhen'ao U21 Wuhan2020Dalian Pro youth17Marek Hamšík MO Banská Bystrica2019 NapoliDec 2021CaptainForwards9Salomón Rondón Caracas2019 West Bromwich Albion Dec 202221Emmanuel Boateng Accra2019 LevanteDec 202239Shan Huanhuan Pingdingshan2019 Vitória Guimarães BDec 202441Zhao Jianbo U21 Dalian2020Dalian Pro youth
Reserve squad
C Squad (not used in the season)
Out on loan Coaching staff
PositionNameNotesFirst teamHead coach Rafael BenítezAssistant coach Mikel AntíaAssistant coach Antonio Gómez PérezFitness coach Francisco "Paco" de Míguel MorenoGoalkeeping coach Joaquín Enrique ValerioFirst team coach Darko MatićMedical advisor Song JinhuaTeam doctor Jan JungwirthTeam doctor Yu JiatianPhysiotherapist Javier SagasteTechnical coach Jiang ZongyanReserve and youth teamsReserve (U-23) coach David Rivas MartínezReserve golkeeping coach Jorge BartualU-19 coach Lü GangU-17 coach Liu YujianU-15 coach Qi XiaoguangU-14 coach Zou PengU-13 coach Li Yang
Transfers Due to the COVID-19, Chinese FA applied for a temporary transfer window, and was approved by FIFA.
Pre-season In Name Age Moving from Type Transfer feeDate Notes — DF Liu Yingchen 26 Shanghai Shenxin Loan Return —31 December 2019 — MF Yuan Hao 22 Shanghai Shenxin Loan Return —31 December 2019 —DF Yin Jiahao 19 Shenzhen Pengcheng Loan Return —31 December 2019 — DF Zheng Jianfeng 29 Dalian Chanjoy Loan Return —31 December 2019 — MF Gao Mingxin 19 Dalian Chanjoy Loan Return—31 December 2019 — MF Han Peijiang 20 Dalian Chanjoy Loan Return —31 December 2019—MF Ren Jiawei19 Dalian ChanjoyLoan Return—31 December 2019—MF Duan Yunzi22 Sichuan LongforLoan Return—31 December 2019—DF Wang Liang30 Dalian ChanjoyLoan Return—31 December 2019—MF Li Yuqiu21 Yinchuan HelanshanLoan Return—31 December 201916DF Tong Lei22 Zhejiang GreentownTransfer¥13.0M20 January 20205DF Wu Wei22 Tianjin TianhaiTransfer¥20.0M4 February 2020—GK Xue Qinghao19 LiaoningTransferFree5 February 202040FW Wang Zhen'ao20 Vejle BoldklubTransferFree26 February 2020—MF Tao Qianglong18 Hebei China FortuneTransfer¥20.0M27 February 202028FW Lin Liangming22 GondomarLoan—27 February 202010FW Sam Larsson27 FeyenoordTransfer€5.0M28 February 202030DF Marcus Danielson31 Djurgårdens IFTransfer€5.0M28 February 202032GK Xu Jiamin26 Beijing RenheTransfer¥8.0M9 July 2020
Out NameAgeMoving toTypeTransfer feeDateNotes16MF Qin Sheng34 Shanghai ShenhuaTransferFree24 January 20202DF Zhao Mingjian32 Shanghai ShenhuaTransferFree24 January 202010MF Yannick Carrasco26 Atletico MadridLoanUndisclosed31 January 2020— GK Chen Zhongyu 20 Meizhou Hakka Transfer—20 April 2020—DF Yang Zexiang26 Shanghai ShenhuaReleasedFree19 May 2020—FW Yang Fangzhi24 Zhejiang YitengTransferFree23 July 202019GK Yu Ziqian35 Retired——9 July 2020—MF Duan Yunzi25 Wuhan Three TownsTransferUndisclosed5 August 2020— MF Li Yuqiu 25 Qingdao Red Lions Transfer—20 August 2020— DF Liu Yingchen 27 Beijing Renhe Loan—20 August 2020
Mid-season In NameAgeMoving fromTypeTransfer feeDateNotes—MF Yannick Carrasco27 Atletico MadridLoan Return—12MF Jailson Siqueira25 FenerbahçeTransfer—18 September 202037MF Yang Haoyu20 Hubei Chufeng UnitedLoan—30 September 202028FW Lin Liangming22 GondomarTransfer—22 September 2020
Out NameAgeMoving toTypeTransfer feeDateNotes—MF Yannick Carrasco27 Atletico MadridTransferUndisclosed8 September 2020—MF Pang Chuntao21 Guizhou HengfengTransfer—12 September 202028FW Lin Liangming22 GondomarEnd of loan—22 September 2020
Friendlies Preseason
Chinese Super League Regular season
Group A table
Results summary
Position by round
Fixtures and results Fixtures as of 13 July 2020
Relegation stage
9th to 16th place faceoff
9th to 12th place faceoff
11th to 12th place faceoff
Chinese FA Cup
FA Cup fixtures and results
Squad statistics
Appearances and goals