Due to the public expression of dissatisfaction with the two-legged elimination system in this stage of the tournament after the first leg of the FA Cup quarterfinals, the current coach of the Sichuan Jiuniu team in the Chinese League one, former international Li Yi, has once again attracted attention from all walks of life. In a recent interview with the media, Li Yi did not change the "emperor's" blunt and quick words. Talk freely about all kinds of issues of concern to the outside world.
Reporter: At the post-match press conference of the first leg of the FA Cup Final 8, you have been saying that if it is a single knockout match, the chances of Jiuniu advancing will be great. Is it that the whole team will have a stronger psychology for the FA Cup and hope to achieve good results?
Li Yi: Since you came here, it is not easy to get here. Every player, coach, staff, this year, it is not easy to play until now. And every step you take can be a miracle. I feel like the players, the coaches and the staff are ready. Although we face many difficulties, the opponent is a Chinese Super League team, and there are also high-level foreign aid, but we just need to do our best, fight every game, and leave no regrets. Because football games actually end up with a lot of contingencies. By now, the lads are very good. There is a break between The 3rd and 4th Stages of the Chinese First Division, which is very short. Many players, including the staff, have arranged weddings and childbirth time during this time, but they did not expect that our FA Cup could go so far. So many people have no way, there are team members to go home for a day or two, the child was born, after meeting and came back. Some people have set a date for the wedding, but they have to follow the team to Dalian, so the wedding will be postponed. Through these, I can feel that their dedication to this team is really not easy. I feel that wherever I go, I want to say thank you to all the players, coaches, and staff.
Reporter: As the only Chinese League one team to break into the top 8 of the FA Cup, Jiuniu has created the best result in the FA Cup in team history. How to evaluate the performance of Jiuniu in this year's FA Cup? Can you score a few points so far, can you go any further?
Li Yi: This year encountered the epidemic and caught up with the 65th anniversary of the FA Cup. Since it is a game organized by the Fa Association, as long as there is a chance, we will play with all our strength. We don't want to go through the motions, even if we come to Dalian to face a Chinese Super League team that is stronger than us. Even if there is not enough rest and the personnel are not organized, we will do our best to play every game. If you go through the motions, you lose the meaning of participating in the FA Cup. The team has come to this point, and I think it is difficult to score. Because we have a certain amount of luck, this is an objective fact. For example, we eliminated Beijing Guoan. If Guoan's foreign aid, international footballers are there, and the players playing in the AFC Champions League are all there, we may not be able to draw with Guoan. Their personnel were not in order, including the loss to us at the end of the penalty, may be a factor of luck.
Reporter: But can you qualify, there are also strength factors?
Li Yi: Right. Before the match with Guoan, we did a lot of analysis, including the characteristics of their personnel and the way they played. Also, the Chinese League One is always going on, and our players are in a competitive state. The Chinese Super League has been suspended for two or three months, and their state is slowly recovering. So, I think I can get to the point where I can play 85 points.
Reporter: Which year of the FA Cup did you remember the most?
Li Yi: It should be 2004. At that time, I was still a player and played a double-legged 4-in-2 match with Shandong. I was particularly impressed. We drew 1-1 away from home, we used to lead 3-1 at one point, but in the end we were pulled twice by the other side to draw 3-3. The other side eliminated us because of the number of away goals. I was more impressed with those two games because I scored 3 goals.
Reporter: This year coincides with the 65th anniversary of the founding of the FA Cup, what suggestions do you have for the future development of the FA Cup?
Li Yi: I'm just a personal suggestion: I think the FA Cup is also for non-amateur teams and grassroots teams, creating opportunities for these teams to become dark horses. Try to use a single-game elimination system. This can mimic the FA Cup in The United Kingdom, or the League Cup. They have a lot of small teams, and after playing against the Premier League and Championship teams, they have increased their popularity. If you take a two-legged approach to winning, there are fewer opportunities for weak teams. Due to the problem of bench depth, the accident will not be very large. Why are such big competitions as the World Cup and the European Cup unpopular? Because he was eliminated in a single game. If there is a two-game elimination system, the probability of a cold door appearing is small. If you want to have a dark horse and want to have a cold goal, you will use a single-game elimination system. I have the impression that the FA Cup has had such a format before. When low-level teams play with high-level teams, low-level teams are at home. It is the conditions that give these teams a miracle. Another point is that this year, due to the impact of the epidemic, the FA Cup is still a closed event. But in general, the FA Cup can hold out thanks to the leaders of the FA. For a while the FA Cup was halted and not restarted until 2011. At that time, I had already retired from retirement, and when I played in the FA Cup, I was already a coach.
Reporter: You also played for Guoan Club, and you led the team to eliminate the Guoan team in the FA Cup, how was your mood?
Li Yi: It's still quite complicated. After all, Guoan is the first top league team I played for, and I grew up there. Now sometimes, I tend to think of the first stage of my career, and I can also think of that time in the national security team. But the best way to get your opponent to respect you is to beat him.
Reporter: As the head coach of the Nine Bulls Team, how do you feel about the overall performance of the team, and what are your goals for the future?
Li Yi: It's complicated. It is very difficult for our team to get to where it is now. When I first took over the team, it was these players. After more than a year, we have not changed much overall, nor have we had much foreign aid, only one foreign center-back. But after a year, I was able to see the players grow. When I first took over, let alone the Chinese Super League, most of the players had not even played in the Chinese First Division. But after more than a year, they have proved themselves on the platform of the Middle Division. They can not only play against the Chinese First Division teams, including against the Chinese Super League teams, but also not bad. Many times, they still lack self-confidence. But over the course of a year, I can see that each of their players has grown and the team has grown as a result. This is the most gratifying place to be a coach.
Reporter: What is the biggest difference between being a coach and being a player, and what is the biggest difficulty encountered?
Li Yi: The difference is that when you are a player, you only need to take care of yourself, and you are OK. But now, you are the brain of the team, and you have to manage everyone, including the main force, the substitutes, the coaches, and the staff. It's a big family, and for everyone, it's up to them to know what they're thinking. To know their physical condition, to know their hearts. Only by better grasping their hearts can we better control and control this team. The biggest difficulties came at the beginning of this year. Our team was previously a 3-party shareholder, and this team may face dissolution several times due to shareholder changes at the beginning of the year. But the players persevered, and everyone tried to keep the team. And over time, they grew up. So here, I still have to thank everyone who has paid for the team.
Reporter: This year, domestic clubs are facing great difficulties, what kind of development trend do you hope clubs and leagues will show in the future?
Li Yi: I think it is better to follow the rules. Do it normally and hope that our league can grow healthily. I hope that domestic professional football will slowly return to rationality, and I hope that our leagues and clubs can slowly achieve their own hematopoiesis, so that they can work well.
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Xiao Zhao
Editor/Xu Zhao