BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Guangzhou FC midfielder Yan Dinghao has put down his side's defeat to Cangzhou Mighty Lions to the team's lack of depth.
The eight-time Chinese champions suffered their ninth loss of the season when they succumbed 2-0 to the Cangzhou team in the 11th round of the Chinese Super League campaign.
"Despite some players' return, our team still lacks depth," said Yan Dinghao after the loss.
"The things turned even worse after several players were called up by the national team," he added.
Guangzhou veteran midfielder Zhang Xiuwei, who was dropped for the first ten games of this season due to a salary dispute, was called back and started in the Cangzhou match.
Liu Zhiyu, the head coach of the Guangzhou team, hinted that his side's latest defeat was due to a lack of experience.
"The three lines of my team did not coordinate well on the field, and the young players made some mistakes," he said.
With the 2-0 win over Guangzhou, Cangzhou leapfrogged Dalian Pro to the 14th position of the 18-team table, leaving Dalian, Guangzhou, Hebei FC and Guangzhou City struggling in the relegation zone. ■
