Reporter Lu Mi reported that on April 29, Xu Zhengyuan, the head coach of chengdu Rongcheng team of the new Chinese Super League, made a guest appearance in this newspaper' live broadcast room, talked about the team before and after the super league and his personal experience, and also gave some suggestions for the development of the Chinese league and Chinese football from the perspective of his past resume and coaching experience.
Xu Zhengyuan is undoubtedly lucky, he only used one year to lead the team to success, fulfilling the dream of Sichuan fans for ten years. Compared with the other three Korean predecessors who also coached in the Chinese Super League, the stable operation of Chengdu Rongcheng Club also gave Xu Zhengyuan unlimited space to build his dream team according to his imagination.
◆ "Football": Chengdu Rongcheng's stable investment and reinforcements in the new season can be said to be very strong, the transfer window has just closed, how do you summarize the team's reinforcements in this transfer window?
Xu Zhengyuan: For professional teams, the transfer period is always full of expectations, and it is the same for me. Recently, the team has come in a lot of new players, this period of training, these new players are also trying to adapt to the rhythm of our team, which I am very satisfied with.
We have been planning since last season, targeting the weakest positions of the team, and when the new players arrive, I am confident that I will build the team into a very distinctive team with its own style.
◆ Last season's rush to the top was quite tortuous, which period was the most difficult? In order to rush over, you didn't even have time to send off your mother, what is the strength that supports you?
In the whole Season one, the most difficult ones were the third and fourth stages, our results were not very good, my mother also passed away during that time, all kinds of situations happened at the same time, I think that time was really difficult. For anyone, the elder in the family died, and the child should return home, but at that time I really had no way to go back. However, my mother once told me that she hoped that I was a responsible and responsible man, that the task of overtaking was not completed, and the team was experiencing difficulties, so I could not go back. I believe that my mother will understand me, and my mother's strength has always encouraged me to get through every difficult time, and I am also grateful to my players for trying their best to complete the arrangement of the coaching staff and finally complete the task of overtaking.
◆ Have you ever learned about the Chinese Super League in advance during the coaching process of the Chinese First Division?
I just came to China last year to coach, which is a new challenge for me, first of all, to understand the culture and habits of Chinese players, I also have better seniors in China, like Choi Kang-hee, Lee Jang-so, Zhang Wailong, they have given me a lot of help, and I often communicate with them. In the year of the Chinese League One, my energy was mainly in the games of my own team, and the Chinese Super League did not see much, but my impression of the Shandong team was still relatively deep, and their technical tactics and combat effectiveness were very good.
◆ Tell me about your relationship with Chinese football and Sichuan football?
I have a certain understanding of Sichuan football when I was a player, Sichuan has sent a lot of players to the Chinese national team, there are also some seniors who know, I also know that this is the second time in Ten years that Chengdu has a top league team, I will show the face of Chengdu football to all citizens. I found Chengdu to be a great city, not only good food, but also a lot of places to visit, and I am now immersed in the charm of the city. There is a lot of Sichuan food in Korea, and my son likes to eat Sichuan food the most.
◆ I heard that you have been to the Phoenix Mountain Stadium, because of the epidemic, the first stage of the Chinese Super League can not be played at home, will you feel sorry?
It is a pity that the first stage can not be played at home, it is a very good stadium, Sichuan has not had a Chinese Super League team in ten years, and we also hope to give back to our fans at home. I hope that the epidemic will pass as soon as possible, and we will also strive to give a wonderful game. For Chengdu fans, a thousand words only thanks, I remember that when playing the play-offs last year, many fans came to the scene from afar, which gave us great encouragement, with you around, we achieved the goal of playing in the Chinese Super League this year.
◆ "Football": You have played against Chinese players when you are a player, which players have left a deep impression on you?
Xu Zhengyuan: I have a very good relationship with China, I often come as a player, and at that time, I was with Fan Zhiyi, and now our vice president Yao Xia and team leader Li Qing, including Li Weifeng, we have a very good relationship. In particular, Lee Wei Feng, when I was the head coach of Suwon Samsung, he came to Korea and we stayed together for a week, watching games together and studying tactics. I have a very good relationship with Chinese and Chinese football, so I see the current situation of Chinese football, I still feel that it is a pity, after coming to China, even if I can only bring a little help, I will try to do it.
◆ Chinese professional football leagues always have the presence of Korean coaches, what kind of ideas do you most want to bring to Chinese football?
China and South Korea are close neighbors, and the two countries are somewhat different in culture, but it is easy to understand that although there are many football coaches from many countries in the world who come to China, Korean coaches may be more suitable for China. I personally feel that The coaches in South Korea are very enthusiastic and more willing to care about the players, whether in training or after the training, they will pay attention to the players who play the game and the player who do not play, such care can understand the players faster, and the players are together, which I think is very important, I think last year the two Korean coaches (Kim Jong-fu, Jang Wai-yong) also did this, so that the players can overcome difficulties and show combat effectiveness.
◆ In the Chinese Super League, many teams, including many old traditional teams, are in arrears, what is the experience of coaching in our club?
First of all, this question is regrettable. Because no matter where it is, salary is the most basic guarantee, many Chinese clubs now have difficulties in operating, which makes people feel very sad. From another point of view, the investment in Chinese football is shrinking, to a most difficult period, but perhaps soon there will be a chance to rebound, although it is difficult now, perhaps an opportunity for rebirth. We want to build a healthy league, to keep digging for good players, and we want to make changes, not one or two people or one or two units can do it, we need investors, teams, associations, fans, all the people involved in it to work together. Chinese football used to be an important force in Asia, and the Chinese Super League has also achieved good results in The Asian arena in the past few years, and I believe that now is an opportunity to bottom out.
Football: In your communication with the club, have you ever talked about what kind of heights you plan to take this team to in the future? Or what kind of brand is to be laid?
Xu Zhengyuan: The reason why I chose to come to Chengdu is because the goal of the club is the most in line with my personal goals, even if the team was in the middle division at that time, in the future, I hope to bring Chengdu team into a very good team. This takes time, not a quick fix. For example, Guangzhou Evergrande was a very good team in the past, and although it has encountered difficulties now, it is not denied that they have made important contributions in the past, and the Chinese Super League needs more such clubs. Our club has very clear goals and we hope to reach similar heights, but we need to take every step of the way in order to achieve such a grand goal in the future.
In addition, in order to achieve such a goal, some changes are needed now. I found that there are a lot of talented players in China, but they are not enough in terms of physical fitness and training, the pace of the game is very slow, you go to the European leagues, compare the physical fitness and rhythm of the players, such two teams put together to play, high and low, such a slow-paced game anyone can play, but how to play well in a fast-paced game? That's what needs to be addressed. Since last year, I've been instilling that in my players as well. Further down, in fact, these habits should be developed in the player's youth, and the coach of youth football is required to find a way to convey a better football concept to the player during training. There are many good players in China, as long as you sink your heart and do it step by step, I believe that Chinese football can return to its previous position in Asian football.
◆ Many Chinese players want to narrow the gap by staying in the West, you are also the representative of Korean players staying in the West during your player period, how do you think about the current trend of Chinese football in staying abroad?
I think Liuyang should be placed in the second place, the first is to cultivate players' good playing habits. This needs to be cultivated from a young age, if you do not develop the right habits when you are a teenager, then even if you stay in the ocean later, it may not be of great help to him. Young players need a good education, a good coach, and only by doing this well, finding good players faster, and completing this step can we take the second step and be sent overseas to play football, so that it is possible to get good results. The process is long, but as long as you are on the right path, it is possible to get the right result.
◆ Is this gap formed in adolescence the root cause of the current gap between Chinese football and other advanced football countries in Asia?
I think so. Many of my players in the past went to play in Europe and they might not touch the ball for a month, why? Because the pace of the Europa League is very fast, the pace of the Korean League is also very fast in Asia, but there is still a gap compared with the Europa League. Looking at the whole game, why do you think the Europa League matches are more exciting? Because of the fast pace and many transitions, fans will feel very enjoyable watching the ball. Asian football is still relatively slow, and this kind of slow-paced game will not be interesting for fans to watch.
◆ How to change it?
Only through training, if we train very slowly, suddenly come to a fast-paced opponent, we will feel very tired, if the physical condition is not good, soon will not be able to support. Our Chengdu players have grown a lot in physical fitness in the past year, the pace is also a lot faster, after the new players come to our team, they will soon feel that the training is very tired, tired to know what to do, it is because our training rhythm is very fast, the new players are not used to it, the process of change will be very hard and difficult, but also have to do it, in order to get better results.