Reporter Lu Mi reported that the 2021 season of the league came to an end, back to Chongqing Zhang Wailong, still not far from the two small books, two books just recorded all the things that happened in the two stages of the team, as well as technical and tactical arrangements and other daily life, the last game ended, the second small book just finished writing the last page. He joked that if he really went to play the play-offs, his own book would not be enough. Finally being relegated is the best reward for the coaches, players and staff in front of and behind the stage who have worked hard this year. However, looking back on the storms and rains of more than a year, the blood and sweat that players have shed for relegation on the field, and the tears that everyone has shed for Chongqing football, relegation seems to be far from enough. This bitter winter is about to pass, and Chongqing football is also waiting for the arrival of a spring.
Multiplayer 3 yellow play 8 matches
In the first game of the relegation group, Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic faced the strong Jinmen Tiger, one was zero foreign aid, and the other was four foreign aides. Careful people will find that in the starting list at that time, the two central defenders of the Chongqing team, Xu Wu and Yang Shuai, had already carried three yellow cards, but the relegation campaign had just begun. Then, another centre-back, Jiang Shenglong, was also yellowed in the first game, followed by Liu Le.
An all-Chinese backline, five defenders, four of whom carried three yellow cards, played to the end of the last round against Wuhan, and none of them were suspended, what does this mean? Let's start with this year's personnel situation.
This team, in 2020 for eight months of unpaid wages, finally got the best Chinese Super League results in history, at the end of the season, they once thought that the club's financial difficulties would be improved by the good results achieved, but what they did not expect was that what greeted them was a more difficult situation than in 2020.
Last season, the main central axis was all gone, and the departure of Kaldek, Jiang Zhe, Yuan Mincheng and Adrian was a deep blow to the team's paper strength. At the same time, the reinforcements at the beginning of the 2021 season were also affected by the shortage of funds, and there was no strong personnel to supplement.
Because of the salary arrears and the multiple suspensions caused by the stock reform, the team's originally not rich personnel team was also worse in terms of physical condition and technical and tactical execution, and the first game of the first stage of the first stage, the Chongqing team had the main players injured. This also allows everyone to really see the reality of the 2021 season: only these people can be used, can not be injured, can not be suspended.
Therefore, throughout the season, everyone can see that Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic has almost no change in the starting personnel, and there is no surprise in the selection of substitute players, counting down from beginning to end, the familiar 14 people are playing. Here, there are Wu Qing, a veteran who has reached the age of 40, Deng Xiaofei, 39, Huang Xiyang, 36, and Sun Xuelong and Bai Hetiar, who have no previous experience in the Chinese Super League.
In the eight games in the second stage, Chongqing did not get enough points advantage in the first stage, so the whole team was under great pressure on the relegation situation. When Yang Shuai and Xu Wu both entered the relegation group with three yellow cards, the coaching team was nervous and worried, but they did not dare to speak out, for fear of putting pressure on the players. Because the backline of Chongqing's all-China class originally had to face the impact of multiple foreign aides from the opponent, it had very high requirements for the player's physical fitness, technology and ability to resist pressure. Later, Jiang Shenglong and Liu Le also accumulated three yellows in succession, and the entire backline was facing a collapse that could come at any time.
But all of them persevered, no matter how much defensive pressure they faced, they always completed the defensive task while restraining their defensive actions. Xu Wu was injured again in the second stage after being injured at the beginning of the first stage, and insisted on starting consecutive games without the head wound healing. Eight games down, none of these defenders on the brink of suspension.
Everyone's tense nerves were completely relaxed at the moment of the final whistle, and this season they had to bear not only the psychological pain of unpaid wages, but also the physical exhaustion caused by the uneven personnel, and the real pressure of relegation that had not yet been completed.
The veteran team doctor highlights the enthusiasm of the mountain city
Zhang Wailong began coaching Chongqing in the 2016 season, and has not been in the middle for two years, and since he took over in 2020, he has also become the team's longest coach since the Chinese Super League. Since Chongqing resumed playing in the Chinese Super League in 2015, it has completed the relegation task for seven consecutive seasons. Although this team, whether in the era of Golden Dollar Football or in the era of The Fading of Golden Dollar Football, is not a big team, this team can always bring a good competitive feeling to other opponents in the Chinese Super League.
This season, in many pre-match press conferences, the opponent's head coach has repeatedly expressed praise for the resilience and tenacity of the Chongqing team, and there are many players from other teams who believe that the Chongqing team is worth staying in the Chinese Super League platform. Before the epidemic, the city brought a good travel experience to many away teams who came to visit, and the city of Chongqing was hospitable, and the food and beauty made people linger. At the end of each season, this team in Chongqing will also receive a fair play award from the Chinese Super League.
For two consecutive seasons, everyone was closed in the hotel in the competition area, getting along and living for a long time, and everyone saw the difficulties experienced by the Chongqing team in these two seasons, especially last year in the context of long-term unpaid wages, this team entered the championship group in advance with unity and will. This year, also under the dual difficulties of funds and personnel, the almost impossible task was completed.
Many people are also very curious, the Chongqing team is just a few people playing, the age structure of the players is seriously aging, how they can complete the relegation task under such an intensive and high-pressure schedule, and recover their bodies.
Zhang Wailong always stressed to the team that there are two coaches in the team, one is him and the other is the team doctor Yin Xijun. The team doctor, who is called "Silver Uncle" by all The Chinese Super League players, is 67 years old and is the longest working staff member in the club. In the past two years, the veteran team doctor has also experienced a long period of unpaid wages with the team, and many clubs have poached him in the past many years, but he has not been willing to leave his hometown team.
It is such an old man who is nearly seventy years old, working non-stop in the competition area from morning to night, communicating with the coaching staff about the physical condition of the players and discussing everyone's training plan at any time and anywhere. The older players, they need a long massage time, the recovery time is also long, and each person's treatment plan is implemented by Uncle Silver himself. After completing the team's medical work, players from other teams often come to seek the healing help of Uncle Silver. He was originally overloaded at work, but he was also kind enough to help people in need as much as possible. At this point, chongqing clubs and Zhang Wailong's coaching staff are very supportive. Because this is based on the tacit understanding and human kindness of the same football people, it is the most simple embodiment of yamashiro's hospitality.
In fact, Uncle Yin is just a microcosm of Chongqing football people, and there are many staff members who are quietly dedicated in this club, and because of their hard work behind them, and for the sake of Chongqing football, chongqing football has such a good reputation in the entire Chinese football world. Relegation is a matter of hard work and sacrifice for them, and they actually deserve a better future.
The success of the share reform requires the efforts of all parties
After the game was over, the reporter also talked to many players and staff about the difficulties experienced in the 2021 season, which actually far exceeded their initial imagination. In their consciousness, they originally thought that all the experiences experienced in the 2020 season had reached the limit, but they did not expect that behind the so-called limit, there was a mountain outside the mountain.
In the context of the equity reform of the entire Chinese Super League club, although the equity reform of the Chongqing club has been ups and downs, it is not without progress. At least last year, the direction of the share reform and the parties involved were identified. The fans in Chongqing and everyone at the club are waiting patiently.
Looking back on the experience of the past year, everyone is suffering in waiting, and there are not many promises that can be fulfilled in the end. In the process of this psychological suffering, the team still has to play a game every three days and shoulder the future of Chongqing football. Everyone and the 2020 season are the same belief, no matter what, we must keep the team on the Chinese Super League platform, so that we have the most basic capital to talk about equity reform.
At present, the club is bound to undergo a round of equity reform this winter. At present, the problems that this club needs to solve have actually been encountered by many clubs before, such as how to solve the previous debts? Can several shareholders implement capital contributions in proportion to equity? There are no perfect instructions and procedures for the stationing of state-owned assets, and so on. These problems seem simple and clear, but they have always been the bottleneck that plagues the progress of chongqing club equity reform. Although there have been cases of jiangsu Suning reform failures before, it does not mean that the future of Chongqing's stock reform is bleak.
After all, this team, the city's football has been based in the Chinese Super League for seven consecutive seasons, has become an indispensable part of China's football map. As Zhang Wailong said in an interview with this newspaper, if you want to promote this matter, you need the joint efforts of all parties in the city, including the municipal government, clubs and fans. The 2021 season is over, Zhang Wailong will also return to South Korea on Friday, his team members' contracts have all expired, there is no definite direction in the future, and the first team has not announced a date for the holiday. They only hope that this year's hardships and sweat can be exchanged for a bright future for this club.