Firstly, strong COVID-prevention policies remained active, that foreign players and staff had to follow quarantine rules when entering or re-entering the border, and that teams would be concentrated into one or more cities for an enclosed, COVID-safe league.
[3] Although Dalian Pro had already switched to neutral name in the previous season, the team was still vulnerable against other policies, as football stars and manager decided to leave.
The squad and manager of Dalian Pro was officially made public on 18 April, although sources had already reported the major changes.
[8] Swedish media reported rumors between Larsson and IFK Göteborg,[9][10] but he later clarified personally that he was affected by COVID-19, and was unable to return to China at the time.
[11] The team struggled with single foreign player Danielson, and saw their first win on 11 May against Tianjin with his precious subsequent shot during a corner.
As the matches were unexpectedly rearranged to the Emirates instead of China due to multiple reasons,[13] the league reached a consensus to postpone the schedule, as national players had to follow quarantine rules after travelling abroad.
[16] Although it was widely believed that Rondon would leave after he returned from loan, Dalian Pro surprisingly registered for him before the summer transfer window closed.
Although Lin Liangming emerged as the best scorer in squad, and Danielson returned from the UEFA Euro on time, the team still suffered from lack of foreign players, and entered the relegation group without much surprise.
[21] Larsson scored a free kick in the first match upon his returning, making a good start for the team in the relegation group.
As the second stage draws near, Dalian Pro could finally come up with 3 starting foreign players, despite the fact that most CSL teams have another for substitution.
In the first 4 matches, the team acquired 3 victories by better stamina and spirit than the opponents, that most media believed that Dalian Pro could flee from relegation zone.