On January 6, Cannavaro was interviewed by Fanpage in Italy, talking about his experience of coaching Guangzhou in China and his vision for his future coaching career. Excerpts from the interview are as follows:
Is there a favorite formation of yours? In Guangzhou you mainly use 4-3-3 formations
Cannavaro: "Strictly speaking, it's 1-4-3-3. This is the formation I use the most, I like to divide the pitch with left and right roads, dynamically shifting from one side to the other based on the space occupied by the side, with two basis points in between, one is the player in front of the defense and the other is the center. I firmly believe in getting possession in the game and taking up space on the pitch. ”
The most praised you have when you're in China is the midfielder
Cannavaro: "After staying in Guangzhou for more than six months, I welcomed such an extraordinary player as Paulinho(s) (Paulinho moved from Tottenham Hotspur to Guangzhou Evergrande in July 2015). He can attack and retreat, and as a Neapolitan, I naturally have to tailor a 'suit' for him. For me he's a creative and push-forward player. In Guangzhou we have always lacked a characteristic striker, and after I put Paulinho's position, he was able to score 22 goals in a season. With such a solution, we won the championship and even reached the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League. (Translator's Note: 2019 Season)
Is 4-3-3 a universal spell or is there another plan B?
Cannavaro: "Over time, without Paulinho I had to develop another tactical system. This system was also often used in my playing days. When facing opponents in a 1-5-3-2 formation, I pulled the centre back into midfield, pushing the full-backs forward and the two wingers into the inside. With this tactical system we have also achieved excellent results, always being able to prioritize space in the game and give excellent quality of the game, and the player with the ball always has more than five solutions. ”
In Guangzhou you seem to be more than just a head coach
Cannavaro: "I have a lot of responsibilities on my shoulders and in Guangzhou I have to convey my ideas to the club president. I'm good at promoting young people from the echelon into the team and keeping the team alive. Since then I have also helped to set up a sports centre similar to the European concept. Next door to the players' dressing room, I opened a conference room, and before each training session I would spend a few minutes showing the team today's training plan on a whiteboard or video to eliminate the difficulty of language comprehension. ”
What will the future of football look like?
Cannavaro: "I believe the goalkeeper will be more involved in the game, just like in Japan. We've seen a lot of defensive systems built up by the goalkeeper over the last few years. But it's quite risky. The next change in football could start with FIFA announcing that it would open the ball outside the line with its feet. ”
When will we see you coach again?
Cannavaro: "Initially I wanted to stop for a vacation, but a few months later the desire to be a coach echoed in my mind. In Europe people remember me as a great player, but few remember me as a coach in China. ”
Where do you think you're going to be?
Cannavaro: "I'm still waiting for an opportunity and getting my ideas into practice. I've received invitations from Asian countries as well as MLB clubs, but I want to get a job in Europe. Any project in any situation will do, as long as it meets the characteristics I expected. I prefer a challenging team, a team that wants to grow into a strong team and has other ideas. ”
Italy or abroad?
Cannavaro: "It's all the same, I love photography and making friends. In recent years I have started speaking English and Spanish. I also had the privilege of learning about Arabic and Chinese culture, and I accumulated an important technical foundation that I hope to put into practice. ”
（key39）