Reporter Lu Mi reported that the first stage of 14 games, the schedule is dense, for all the teams in the Chinese Super League, it is not easy, especially for the Chongqing team, which has been plagued by survival, it is even more difficult.
For Yang Shuai, of course, this is a difficult year. Yang Shuai, born in 1997, is 24 years old and is no longer a U23 player, and he became one of the captains of the Chongqing team in the 2021 season. He is not the oldest and oldest, his advantage is that he is hot-blooded, spares no effort, and can use his full body to devote himself to enthusiasm and infect everyone around him.
14 games and 11 points, several times staged a good play of absolute peace and reversal, this year's Chongqing team let everyone see that it is still the team with super will. Chongqing this team has experienced difficulties and will also usher in a new transformation in the smooth handover of the club's equity, Yang Shuai and his teammates will contribute all their strength to the Chongqing team.
◆ Football: The first stage of the game is over, what kind of journey is it for you and your teammates?
Yang Shuai: For us in the first stage, the process is more ups and downs. Whether it's the game or what happens off the field during this time, everyone already feels physically and mentally exhausted, but fortunately there is now a holiday that allows us to adjust and rest.
◆ Since the beginning of the preparation at the beginning of the year, the team has been stumbling, from the perspective of professional players, is it a great impact on you?
Yes, for all the players, it is difficult for us to play at our best on the field without a complete preparation period.
◆ The 14 rounds of the first stage of the game were divided into two periods, and the start of the two small stages was not very smooth, was it also expected by the Chongqing team?
It's to be expected, because we don't have a complete preparation for both preparation periods, so we can only practice in the league a lot of times, and then we need to make some trade-offs in many games. If according to the normal preparation and point-grabbing plan, the points we get now still do not meet an expectation in our hearts, but it is not bad to get 11 points.
◆ In the first 5 rounds of the first stage, the team immediately suffered an injury, which made the personnel problem more prominent, and at that time, did you have a number in mind for everything you had to face next?
In this case, in fact, I did not think too much, the team encountered injuries is an inevitable problem, after all, the preparation for winter training is not systematic. There is only one solution, and that is for uninjured, healthy players to put in more effort. As far as I'm concerned, all I want is to go all out and play.
◆ From the first goal, to the first point, to the first victory, you come step by step, how to evaluate the process?
As players, our difficulties and the difficulties faced by the club will seem very small, what we can do is to go all out on the pitch to play, and then on the pitch to pursue the competitive sports of what to pursue, as long as on the pitch, we will go all out to pay, I believe that everyone can see through our games.
◆ The team experienced a losing streak in the first stage of the league, how did everyone spend that time?
Our team can be said to have been very united from beginning to end, and in the trough of achievements, everyone is also transmitting positive energy to each other, and at the same time, they are also paying positive energy actions, relying on each other's unity to get out of the predicament at that time.
◆ The first stage can get 3 games to win, including some draws won in adversity, did the players use all their strength?
Yes, in the case of such intensive games, many games are actually very tired in everyone, but the coach arranges who plays, no one will have any complaints, go all out on the field, I believe that everyone's ideas are the same, and this kind of payment is also for the team to be better.
◆ People who know this team know that it will be extremely difficult to achieve good results in this situation this year. People don't expect too much from the results, but the players always fight until the last minute, what makes you so persistent?
There may be a lot of opinions, including fans, that in this case, the team only needs to be relegated, but for the players, we are certainly not willing to just relegate. As long as they are still playing on the field, the players will want to pursue higher results. If we play just for relegation, then we lose the spirit of the Chongqing team. It's the instinct of being a professional player and I believe every athlete wants to be the best one.
◆ "Football": This year is also a special year for you, 24 years old, becoming the captain of this team, what does it mean for you?
Yang Shuai: The team has been experiencing a lot of difficulties, including the constant loss of players every year, and I know that as an individual, I need to take on more responsibility. First of all, I would like to thank Director Zhang, who made me the vice captain of the team after I was no longer A23. For me personally, it is true that I have played the longest in this team, nor am I the oldest in terms of seniority, so this means more responsibility and pressure. From the moment I was chosen, I told myself that I had to play a bigger role in the team, both on and off the field.
◆ We all know that when Kaldek was the captain in the past, he would often shout and cheer with everyone, but now you will do this?
Yes, I will go with Captain Fernandinho to inspire everyone. This kind of pre-match and post-match shouting and cheering is not a form, but because we want the team to feel more positive things and some positive energy transmission.
◆ The club has been in very difficult periods, the atmosphere in the team needs to be improved, what have you done in the process?
I will talk to everyone privately, know what they have been thinking recently, and then send some positive signals, and lead them wholeheartedly during training, and I, as the captain, should play a leading role, so that everyone can feel my state of full commitment, as long as the team does not give up, we as players will not give up.
◆ For example, if you are injured and bleeding in a game, you will persist until the end of the game, is this also something to carry as a captain?
I was thinking that if I went off because of injury, it might distract my teammates on the field and disrupt the coach's deployment, but if I stayed on the field, it would make my teammates more focused, and at the same time it was also an incentive to make everyone more confident to think about equalizing or even overtaking. I hope to deliver some energy to my teammates in this way. I don't deliberately carry too many ideological things to myself, I will keep telling myself that it is enough to show my best and best on the field and dedicate myself to the team.
◆ Playing against the first leg of the deep foot, can you feel the loss of the Chongqing players after the game, is this loss different from the loss of other teams?
I don't know what the other players were thinking, but for me, it was probably more of a regret, partly because I lost the game, and partly because I couldn't come up with the best physical condition to face Kaldek's attack in that game. I actually hope that after becoming a teammate to an opponent, I can play with him in 100% state, even if it is on the field, I give him the greatest respect.
◆ For two consecutive seasons, the team has persevered in the predicament, for you personally, has there been any change?
In the face of these two years of experience, I feel that the difficulties have made me stronger, my original intention for this club has not changed, and my long-term hope is that the Chongqing team can get better and better.
◆ Everyone knows that this club has been difficult since last year, your excellent performance has lasted for a long time, and it is not that there is no team that has come to you in the process, why do you stay this season?
It's true that teams have been contacting me for the past two years, especially this summer when the survival problems faced by the team were almost at their limit. The team Wu Zong and the relevant leaders of the Sports Bureau talked to me and hoped that I would not leave in the summer, and I assured them that I would not leave here at the most difficult time for the club. If the team is really relegated at the end of the year because of my departure, I will definitely regret it and blame myself in the future.
◆ This year, the team lacks players in important positions on the front line, the defensive line also undertakes heavier tasks than ever, and concedes more goals than before, as the core of the backline, how to balance the mentality of yourself or your teammates?
To be honest, there was a time when my mentality changed a lot because I conceded a lot of goals, and I became very grumpy, but I can't always think about the historical record we created before, those records have long become history, and I have to look at the present and solve the team's defensive problems. As a captain, I have to be more united with the team, control my emotions, and let my own ideas not be shaken by reality, so that I can influence the teammates around me to make a positive adjustment.
◆ "Football": This year, the team has gone a lot of main players, the overall strength has declined, but the team has survived, in this process, what impressed you the most?
Yang Shuai: What impressed me the most was the unity of this team. Whoever leaves or which players come new, everyone can give unconditionally to this team. Regardless of good times or bad times, everyone still maintains the belief of unity and the best professionalism.
◆ Including you, many of the team's domestic players this year have scored goals, and most of the current team's goals are from domestic players, how do you see everyone's status?
Although the team has lost a lot of main players in the past two years, on the other hand, there are also many players who have gained time in the game, and then have also improved through these game times, and the goals are also shown because they have made progress. This is inseparable from the fact that young players invest more time and effort on the training ground. Since everyone chose to stay and help the team in the most difficult time of the team, it is a belief that the performance on the field must also be worthy of this determination.
◆ After the end of the first stage of the game, the club will usher in a more important moment of reform, what is your mentality?
As a player, it is still necessary to maintain a positive attitude. On the one hand, we hope that the club will achieve a good result, on the other hand, we players will also keep the team at the best level in our own way, and we will do a good job in our own field. Of course, the most important thing is for the club to pass this stage as soon as possible and hope for a good future.
◆ Since last year, there has been a general salary arrears in Chinese Super League teams, and some teams have disbanded and withdrawn, and the current football environment does not seem to be too friendly for players. You've made a lot of sacrifices for this club and team, based on what?
Based on our love for the city of Chongqing and our share of the players here, we hope that the city can always have a team in the Chinese Super League, and we hope that the citizens of Chongqing, who love football, can experience the happiness that the team brings to them, and we are very happy to play here.
◆ The previous interval training was not ideal because of various situations, in this interval, what do you expect the most?
What I most hope is that the team and the government can smoothly communicate the future survival issues, so that the team can have a state of peace of mind and preparation, and meet the relegation group game with the best mental and physical state.
◆ In the second stage, it is a direct duel with the relegation team. For you, what do you hope to achieve in the second phase?
As a team, I must complete this goal of relegation, and for me personally, I want to win all the games in the relegation group.