Reporter Wang Wei reported that on January 31, 2022, the lunar Chinese New Year's Eve, it was Hou Yu's 21st birthday - in the past year, he played the second division for the National Youth Team, won the third place in the Shaanxi National Games as the captain of the Guangdong National Games, represented the Guangzhou team in the Chinese Super League Championship Group, and used a clever pass to make fans remember his name. On February 10 (the tenth day of the Chinese New Year), Hou Yu embarked on the journey of U21 national team training.
On the eve of the Spring Festival in the Year of the Tiger, the reporter had an exclusive dialogue with Hou Yu, who was training at South China University of Technology. Hou Yu talked about Cannavaro, Zheng Zhi, Huang Bowen, and the touching stories in the Guangzhou team's locker room.
◆ "Football": Hello Hou Yu, the 2021 season is an unforgettable season, how do you summarize your performance this season? 100 out of 100, how many points do you give yourself?
Hou Yu: I give myself a 70. Because the first time I played in the Chinese Super League, I felt that I would be afraid of the stage mentally, and in terms of physical fitness, because the rhythm of the Chinese Super League was not the same, I felt a little breathless until the half, and my feet were a little weak. The Chinese Super League is very fast-paced, as a young player, you need to run non-stop on the field, so the physical consumption will be faster. For example, in the two games against Harbor, the two starters clearly felt that their mentality was better than the other. I hope to improve my mental and physical abilities a little more in the future.
◆ You played in the Chinese Youth League and represented guangdong in the Shaanxi National Games, did you think that you were suddenly transferred back to Guangzhou to participate in the competition in the Chinese Super League championship group?
I know that I signed up in the first team of the Guangzhou team, and I am also ready to be transferred back to Guangzhou to participate in the Chinese Super League at any time, and I have made a lot of preparations for my first participation in the Chinese Super League, and I have also been precipitated for a long time, and overall I am satisfied with my first time playing in the Chinese Super League. When I played in the Central B and the National Games, I thought that I must be strict with myself, the rhythm of the National Games and the Chinese Second Division is definitely different from the Chinese Super League, and I must speed up the rhythm and thinking agility of handling the ball.
◆ In the 2021 season, Guangzhou team stubbornly struggled to win the third place, for you, which game left the deepest impression on you?
In fact, I think every game is very impressive, because the team in this special situation, as Zhi Ge (Guangzhou executive coach Zheng Zhi) said, for the city, for our team, everyone is fighting, I think every minute of every game is worth remembering.
◆ Which game is a bit of a pity?
It should be the final round against Shanghai Harbor. We created a lot of chances, but a lot of the balls didn't score, it's a pity, at that time we were superior in the field, we were also in the data, unfortunately did not win the game.
◆ Before the start of the championship group, most of the team's naturalized players left the team, which means that young attacking linemen like you and Ling Jie and Tan Kaiyuan will usher in opportunities.
At that time, I told myself that every game was ready to play, and Zhi Ge (Zheng Zhi) also told us when training that we young players did not enter the team to feel the atmosphere of the game, but to play the game, so let us also make these preparations in our daily lives, and demand more ourselves when training.
◆What else did Zheng Zhi say?
Zhi Ge actually does not have too many requirements for us, that is, let us play to let go of the kick, play a little simpler, run more, and pass more. Before each game, Zhi Ge will tell us how the other party will play, which team member is more important, so that all of our team members understand - after understanding the opponent's situation, we also know how to deal with each other. For example, when talking about the harbor, it will focus on the technical characteristics and playing habits of Moi and Oscar.
I grew up watching Zhi Ge play football, I used to be a caddie of Guangzhou Evergrande Team, when I was a child, I watched his game up close at Tianhe Stadium, my father also let me learn how Zhi Ge combed the midfield, how to pass the ball, it can be said that Zhi Ge is my idol, I am very grateful to Zhi Ge for giving me so many opportunities to show myself.
◆ "Football": Zhou Sui'an said at the Football Celebrity Forum in January this year that there are still relatively few local players in Guangdong who play in the top league, as one of them, what do you feel you are carrying?
Hou Yu: I dare not say what I carry, I played in the Chinese Super League in my first year, while strictly demanding myself, I tried not to think too much about things other than football, and focused more on football and games. I hope that more Guangzhou players can stand on the professional stage, and now I have the opportunity and want to prove that our Guangzhou players have the ability to stand.
◆ In the first team of Guangzhou, there have been high-level players such as Paulinho, Gaulat, Axon, Alain, Luo Guofu, etc., training and playing with them, have you learned better football awareness, shooting and handling the ball?
They think fast on the pitch, handle the ball quickly and reasonably, and sometimes there are some unexpected ways of handling the ball, which is worth learning from me. When training, Zhi Ge (Zheng Zhi) and Bowen Ge (Huang Bowen) will also teach us how to do it. What I remember more deeply is that Bovine told me that I can't be in a hurry to play in midfield, and that I don't actually have to look at the ball at all, but more about the situation on the field. This sentence is a sentence that I have gained a lot for me, because like our young players always want to pass the ball or control a control and take a belt after getting the ball, This experience that Bowenge told me made me suddenly cheerful. My previous idea was how to play football without looking at the ball, and Bovine told me that you don't have to watch the ball at all, you just look at what the other 21 people on the field are doing.
◆ What does Cannavaro look like in your eyes?
I am very grateful to him in my heart, without Cannavaro I would not have the opportunity to train in the first team of the Chinese Super League. He has high demands on our young players, asking us to be self-disciplined on a regular basis, constantly supervising us to train, and I am very grateful to him for bringing me to the first team of Guangzhou. I remember Cannavaro watching the reserve team and then transferring me to the first team.
◆ Before the start of the championship group, Zheng Zhilin was appointed as the executive head coach of the Guangzhou team, is he the main backbone in the hearts of the players? What role did Zheng Zhi play in a critical moment?
Brother Youzhi will be very confident and at ease in all our players, whether he directs the game off the field or plays the game on the field, he can find the problems on the team in time, correct the existing problems in time, and let us play more smoothly. He also plays a role in stabilizing the hearts of the army off the field, and it is a very fortunate thing for us to have Brother Zhi there.
◆ Is there any difference between Zheng Zhi and Cannavaro in terms of technology and tactics?
I think Cannavaro will ask to play a little more directly, and Zhi Ge's request is that our players conduct the ball and tear apart the opponent's defense through the pass.
◆ Zheng Zhi is also a player who plays in the midfield, has he given you specific guidance and requirements in this position?
My first game was to play Shanghai Harbor, I was a little nervous, Zhi Ge asked me to let go a little, let me not be nervous, run more on the field, play a little simpler. ZhiGe's position in Chinese football is also known to everyone, his words have great encouragement to us, and I have always hoped to repay Zhige's trust with good performance.
◆ "Football": The team's physical reserves before the championship group competition were not very good, but the cooperation and state played by the Guangzhou team in the game have been recognized by the outside world, what makes the team play such a high level?
Hou Yu: I think there has always been cohesion here, and the ability of each of our team members is not bad, each position is one of the top two players in China, everyone is gathered together, and they can play so well without foreign aid, which is really good.
◆ Are there some memorable details?
What makes me unforgettable is that after the last round of the match against Shanghai Harbor, Zhi Ge told us in the locker room that he thanked us for our efforts, and said that he cried and shed tears. Seeing Brother Zhi like this, I cried myself. In such a special situation, we can do this I think it is really not easy, thank you for everyone's efforts.
◆ You are the main player in the national youth team, what exercises have you received?
After all, the Chinese second division is a professional league, I played in the second division on behalf of the national youth at the age of 19, playing such a game can allow us to accumulate self-confidence, so that we can compete with the adult professional team, and through the competition of the Chinese Super League championship group, it also tested the results of my playing in the Chinese Second League, which helped me a lot.
◆ Guangdong National Games U18 team finally won the third place, as the captain have regrets and unwillingness?
After losing to Shaanxi in the semi-finals, we were very uncomfortable in the dressing room. The head coach of our team is Takada Mian from Japan, who usually tells us to have a strong heart to face everything, but after losing this game, he also secretly wiped his tears in a corner of the locker room, and such a strong person as him is also wiping tears, indicating that he is very sorry for the loss of this game. Coach Takata's tactical play was to emphasize pass control, and the unevenness of the venue and heavy rain limited our play. Before the game, I was running to the National Games championship, we had a group of excellent players, and there were four players with Experience in the Chinese Super League. In the end, he lost the semi-finals in heavy rain, and it was a pity that he did not reach the final to win the championship.
◆ In addition to playing football in the Guangzhou team, now you are still a student of sports training in the School of Physical Education of South China University of Technology, how did you get involved with Huagong?
I was admitted to South China University of Technology through the university single-stroke exam, hoping to learn both by playing football. Last year, I also participated in the Guangdong Provincial University Student League with my teammates and won the third place in the men's B group B.
◆ Finally, do you have anything to say to the Guangzhou fans?
Thank you very much for your continued support and encouragement, I feel that the relationship between the team and the fans must always be maintained, and I hope to continue to fight together next season. After the last round of matches, I walked out of Huadu Stadium to get a taxi home, just in time to see the Guangzhou fans cheering outside the stadium, and then I went to the fans who supported us to thank them. As a Guangdong player, it feels particularly intimate to hear the fans cheering around in Cantonese.