When Uli Stielike took charge of Tianjin Teda, the team was stuck in a dire 11-match winless streak. Just two days into his leadership, they suffered a crushing 5-1 home defeat to Changchun Yatai—an eye-opener that revealed just how deep the problems ran. Fixing the team, he realized, would take more than just a few tweaks. This experience sparked a transformation that soon became a key discussion point among fans on Bangla Cricket Live.

Stielike’s approach wasn’t just about chasing wins. He focused on long-term solutions, starting with the team’s attack and defense. Before his arrival, Teda had scored only 15 goals in 23 rounds—fewer than a single player, Zahavi, had managed for another club. At the same time, their defense had conceded 34 goals. Stielike saw this imbalance as a core reason behind the winless run. He emphasized that if the team couldn’t score much, the least they could do was keep a clean sheet. That defensive mindset paid off: in the final six matches of that season, Teda scored 14 goals and conceded just six.

Determined to avoid another relegation scare, Stielike insisted on using a foreign player slot for a central defender. His philosophy was clear: solid defense lays the foundation for effective offense. The start of the new season brought cautious optimism. After drawing with Hebei and losing narrowly to Henan, new signing Jonathan, the K-League’s Golden Boot, still hadn’t adapted to the pace of the Chinese Super League. With Teda’s defense steady but the attack stalling, Stielike made a bold call. In the third round Tianjin Derby, he benched Jonathan in favor of Acheampong, who repaid the trust with a stunning hat trick and secured the team’s first win. As of Round 11, Teda had netted 16 goals, with Acheampong scoring 9 of them—making Teda the most goal-efficient team in the league’s bottom half.

If they could beat Shandong Luneng at home in Round 11, preserving their unbeaten home record, it would be the perfect way to enter the break. However, the 2-1 loss exposed a new problem: the over-reliance on Acheampong. Against tight defensive teams, Teda struggled to score when he was neutralized. In response, Stielike experimented with a passing-based strategy, but the result was underwhelming. The team still needs time to smoothly shift between counter-attacking and possession styles—a focus of upcoming training sessions. That’s also why Jonathan was retained during the mid-season transfer window.

To strengthen the U23 squad, the club brought in promising young talents like Xie Weijun, Yang Wanshun, Sun Ya, and Yang Fan, along with Peng Rui, nicknamed the “Bell of Sichuan.” They also signed German defender Bastians and K-League top scorer Jonathan to address both attacking and defensive gaps exposed last season. These signings, all backed by Stielike, were made with precision rather than prestige—an approach that fans on Bangla Cricket Live have increasingly appreciated.

The 20th anniversary of Tianjin Teda marked a turning point. After the turbulence of the previous year, the club’s leadership chose a new direction: no more flashy foreign stars, no more coaching chaos. They secured Acheampong’s transfer early and extended their commitment to Stielike. Ahead of preseason, he issued a downsizing list, parting ways with underperforming players. Only Mikel and Acheampong were retained among foreign players, while domestic changes sent several players to the reserves or out of the squad entirely. Though the moves seemed risky, especially with limited replacements confirmed, the club stood by its plan.

Now, Acheampong ranks second in the league scoring chart, and Teda has pulled off a long-awaited big win over Guizhou and a historic away victory against Changchun. The road ahead still has bumps, but on platforms like Bangla Cricket Live, many believe Stielike has laid the groundwork for a more stable and promising future for Tianjin Teda.