Special correspondent Zhang Hanran reported that Manzano is an old acquaintance of Chinese football, as a well-known coach in Spain, Manzano has coached many La Liga clubs, and in 2014, Manzano landed in the Chinese Super League and became the manager of Beijing Guoan. During his two seasons in charge of Guoan, Manzano brought the Spanish football system to Guoan, the team is a strong contender for the championship, and Manzano was also named the best coach in the Chinese Super League in 2014. After leaving Guoan, Manzano successively went to Shenhua and Guizhou Hengfeng to coach, in the 2017 season, Manzano took over Guizhou halfway and helped the team successfully relegate, but the following year Guizhou's performance declined, and Manzano parted ways with Guizhou.
Manzano's coaching style is not radical, his tactical concept is also relatively easy to be accepted by Chinese players, in charge of several Chinese Super League clubs, Manzano has improved the team in a short period of time, and has a more obvious style brand. After leaving Guizhou, Manzano temporarily left the front line, let himself stop, returned to life from the stadium, and began to enjoy the holiday. This year, there have been invitations from the Chinese Super League teams, but the two sides have not reached an agreement in the end, Manzano said that although people have left China now, he is still paying attention to the development of Chinese football, and the reporter recently interviewed him.
◆ "Football": Please give us a brief introduction to the latest situation, what have you been busy with lately?
Manzano: It's been good lately. I rest and travel in Spain, watch football in Spain, and also keep an eye on other football matches.
◆ After the last time you left China, did any other Chinese team invite you to come and coach?
At the beginning of the season, there was a team with a record in the middle of the Chinese Super League who deliberately invited me, and we communicated, but unfortunately, the two sides were not able to reach an agreement in the end.
◆ Have you been following the Chinese Super League recently? Compared with when you coached, has there been any recent changes in the Chinese Super League?
As a coach who has been coaching in China for a long time, from a professional point of view, I have always paid great attention to the Chinese Super League competition. I think the whole league is still developing in a positive direction, the competition is becoming more and more fierce, and the ownership of the championship is not so clear, unlike in previous years, Evergrande was always thriving.
◆ At present, the situation of the Chinese Super League championship is still unclear, which team are you more optimistic about winning the championship?
At present, the leader is still Guangzhou Evergrande, in fact, Evergrande still has to rely on itself, and the next game at home against SIPG is crucial. In addition, SIPG and Guoan also have opportunities, and Guoan will try to play the next three games to see if there is something lucky happening.
◆ Evergrande's advantage is no longer obvious, does the rise of SIPG and Guoan represent the progress of the Chinese Super League?
Indeed, more and more teams have the strength to compete for the title, which will make the league as a whole go up. I remember that in the 2014 season, Beijing Guoan kept the suspense of taking the championship from Evergrande until the last matchday. Since then, the competition for the championship has become more and more intense, which has also made the Chinese league more attractive.
◆ Guizhou has not been successful in rushing this year, what is the problem with the team, and how long will it take them to return to the Chinese Super League?
It is indeed very regrettable that in the last game, Guizhou missed the opportunity to rush to the top. I very much hope that they will be able to successfully advance to the Chinese Super League, because I have a lot of friends in Guiyang, and they all have a very good relationship with me.
◆ Does the implementation of the U23 policy in the league help young players grow?
It will take time to prove that this measure will work in the medium term, as they represent the future of Chinese football. But these players must also constantly cultivate a sense of competition and a desire to win. Just because they're U23 now doesn't mean they'll be able to succeed on the pitch in the future.
◆ Football: Do you have a relationship with the Chinese national team, and have you paid attention to the performance of the Chinese national team in the near future? How to evaluate.
Manzano: When I was coaching at Shanghai Shenhua, the leadership of the Chinese national team had contact with me and hoped that I would be the coach of the national team. Later, for various reasons, we did not agree. Now I also watch the Chinese national team matches, because there are also players I have brought (Yu Dabao, Zhang Xizhe, Yu Yang, etc.), and I have always paid attention to the matches of the Chinese national team.
◆ Lippi's recent resignation, what changes do you think he has brought to the Chinese national team?
I think he wants to build a stronger team on the offensive end, with changes in formation and playing style, especially after the introduction of Exxon. But the result of the game was not satisfactory. Judging from the current situation, it is also difficult for the Chinese team to qualify for the World Cup finals.
◆ Can naturalized players help the Chinese national team improve its performance in a short period of time?
It should be so. I also hope that their joining can really help Chinese football have a qualitative leap forward, which is urgently needed in Chinese football now.
◆ Why do some players perform well in the league but lose their standards in the national team?
I can't say exactly what the reason is, but there should be a balance between the national team and the club. I think it may be more of an ideological issue than a competitive one.
◆ How is the tactical execution of Chinese players? Players often can't play the coach's tactics in national team matches, is it an inability or a problem of mentality?
At a high level of football, it is necessary to find a balance at the physical, technical, tactical and ideological levels. If one aspect is missing, the player can't invest 100 percent on the pitch, so all aspects need to go hand in hand to make a player do his best. Therefore, it is difficult to say that there is a problem in a certain link, and the problem is all-round.
◆ Thailand, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries are gradually catching up with China, what style of football should the Chinese national team play?
The relatively low-level national team was able to improve its performance, mainly because of the improvement in physical fitness and tactical organization. But they are still far from the high-level national team, they lack enough technical and awareness support, so as I said above, it is important to improve in all aspects.
◆ China is eager to enter the World Cup, what do you think is the most important thing to achieve this goal? How long does it take to achieve?
China should strive to enter the World Cup in Qatar, because this is a positive thing for Chinese football and will also help to enhance China's image in the international football world. Therefore, in the face of the bad results achieved in the early stage, it is necessary to take action. It is necessary to pick the best players now, choose a good national team coach, and win all the remaining matches so that the Chinese team can reach the final round of the 2020 World Cup.
In the past, my coaching in China has given me a good relationship with here, and I also hope that Chinese football can enter the World Cup as soon as possible and show Chinese football to the world. Finally, I would like to greet everyone, especially the fans and friends in Beijing.