New Harbour coach Muscat said: If you want to win the title in another country, coming to Harbour is an opportunity

Shanghai Port's new Australian coach Muscat was interviewed by Australian journalist Sasha Pisani.

It is clear to the outside world that before signing with Shanghai Port, Muscat is not short of next home. For example, the Glasgow Rangers of the Soviet Super League, as well as Sunderland, and even the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and other West Asian clubs, are all crazy about him, but Mourinho has stranded them. In fact, in the second half of the season, he focused solely on leading Yokohama Mariners to the J-League title. 'There were two or three chances throughout the season and I was exposed to a few other clubs. There was only one that I had spoken to and I hadn't talked to any of the other clubs because I was always trying to win the league. ”

According to him, it was a good time and coincidence that the harbor surfaced, "and in the last few rounds, this opportunity (referring to the harbor) came along. But it is understood that there were also big differences in the initial communication between the two sides. Similar to the Harbour team's negotiations with other European coaches, Muscat is also psychologically difficult to accept for the "1+1" term of the new contract. "The truth is that I didn't talk to them immediately, and even for a long time, I refused to talk to them. ”

But later, it was the port's sincerity that impressed Mu Shuai. "At the end of the day, I had discussions with the sporting director, the team manager, the general manager and even the president of the club...... "They outlined what has happened at the club in the last four or five years, and it was a frank and honest discussion, but also articulating the direction of the next 3-5 years, which sounded like a project I wanted to be a part of." ”

As Australians say, the most critical negotiations took place in Japan. It is reported that around November 30, the Harbour Club sent a special person to Yokohama to visit Muscat in person. The 60-minute negotiation was originally planned to last nearly 4 hours, which made Mu Shuai a little flattered. Especially the previous experience of the two sides as opponents, the other party turned out to be like a treasure. "They [referring to the Harbour Negotiators] do remember those games, obviously, I also led the Yokohama Mariners in the game against Shandong Taishan, and they were well aware of that, and even quoted some ...... that I don't remember playing," he said.

For Muscat, it was obviously a bit unexpected that the Chinese Super League side knew so much about him. As a result, the interview between the two sides was much longer than the previous one-hour agreement, "and they initially contacted me based on what they had seen, based on the football that I had always insisted on, and the discussion revolved around that." Muscat recalled.

Before the negotiations, he had already seen the footage of the Harbour team. But when it came to talking, Muscat became more and more interested, saying, "It's going to give me a good chance to play football as a whole." ”

"That's how we deal with this and that's how we play," Muscat said, and why dare to go to the Super League from the J-League? ”

In his opinion, going to the harbour is also an opportunity, "Playing our own football gives us the best opportunity. "There will be challenges, but so be it, the more challenges you have, the more you learn." In fact, even after the interview, Muscat was hesitant because the "1+1" contract was too risky. After a sleepless night and thinking about it, he finally made up his mind, "This is a great opportunity in my life." At noon on the day the Yokohama Mariners left for Kyoto (December 3 away to Kyoto Immortals), Muscat found two assistants and explained to them and Pan the decision to go to China, which made everyone believe it for a while.

At the Yokohama Mariners, Muscat was respected enough. Looking back, he is full of relief, "I really feel a sense of belonging. I can't imagine what the fans and everyone really were like – from the chairman, I left with a lot more warmth than when I arrived. ”

From Japan to China, many people will be concerned about what experience the coach has to follow, and he said that what impressed him the most were a few small things. For example, Ryo Miyaichi, who said it was another moment to motivate the whole team, "When he was injured in the Japanese team, he hadn't been called up for a long time, and then he had ACL surgery for the third time. ”

"It was a way to motivate the team and the fans," Muscat recalled. He said bluntly, "I thought Ryo Miyaichi was about to retire, but he decided to continue." Today, in his first game since his return, he scored the winning goal in the 96th minute against Kashiwa Suns. You just have to look at everyone's reaction, the staff, the team and the fans. At that moment, I realised that this was a very special football club. ”

Muscat summed it up in a meaningful way, "Success is always measured in trophies, it's always there, but we also need to build team spirit. "In those little moments, you start to realise that you're building something more powerful in game football." ”

Including the three years when he took over the Yokohama Mariners, Muscat always sighed, "It's not going to be easy to win the J-League, it's too difficult." He would even cite the example of rival Vissel Kobe, "This is their first championship and they have worked tirelessly to invest in it." ”

In fact, when Muscat first arrived at Yokohama Marino, he faced a lot of difficulties: "When Postecoglou left, I arrived halfway through, and it was a critical moment. And when I say goodbye to people, I think of the phrase many times, 'You joined us when we were in a difficult time.'" Even so, Muscat took Yokohama Mariners to second in the J League in his first year.

However, the bigger incentive comes from 2023, when the Yokohama Mariners are full of wounded soldiers, especially in the defensive line, and many people have been suspended for a long time. 'We didn't have a defender in a lot of games – maybe a third of the season. There are also centre-backs who have undergone surgery and even suffered serious jaw injuries. It's really scary, but it's actually motivating. Looking back, Muscat is full of emotion, "The players who were able to step up had a feeling that the players who played before them had made sacrifices until they got injured. So, we have to keep challenging until the penultimate game of the season and we put in a huge effort. ”

"That's the first thing I say to everybody," he concluded. We put a lot of emphasis on playing to your strengths and recognizing your strengths, not your weaknesses. And saying goodbye wasn't my forte, and I didn't stay there for long. ”