Evergrande's dip in form down to fatigue: Zheng Zhi
Tiredness is a big factor behind Guangzhou players' lack of fluency on the pitch, says captain
Guangzhou Evergrande captain Zheng Zhi believes the World Cup break is coming at just the right time as he and his teammates aim to maintain their dominance of the regional game.
The reigning Asian and Chinese champions are top of the domestic standings and into the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League, but Marcello Lippi's team have struggled to hit the heights of 2013 when they conquered both the domestic and continental stages.
Throughout much of the first half of 2014 Guangzhou have lacked the fluency of last year, and their dip in form has coincided with the departure of Argentinian playmaker Dario Conca.
We haven't been as stable as last season, but losing Dario Conca's not the only reason
But Zheng believes fatigue rather than Conca's return to Brazilian club Fluminense has hurt his team the most.
"We haven't been as stable as last season, but losing Dario Conca's not the only reason," he said on Wednesday at the draw for the AFC Champions League quarter-finals, where Guangzhou were slated to face Australia's Western Sydney Wanderers in August.
"Conca's gone and we can't be thinking about him. The reason is that last year we played in the Fifa Club World Cup and we only had a short preseason preparation and that has made many players tired or injured.