Reporter Wang Wei reported that "I hope that children who play football will not only become football talents, but also become useful talents in society, and I hope that children who play football will take fewer detours!" On November 2, Pu Wei, the former captain of the Chinese women's national football team as the inheritance ambassador of the 4th Industrial Bank JFC Youth International Football Championship in 2019, was interviewed by this newspaper - once she left the football circle and went around or returned to the familiar industry, and now she is not only the head coach of the Shanghai Football Association U11 men's football team, but also the press officer of the Shanghai Division of the Chinese Super League.
Pu Wei's work is very busy, but what she can't give up most is her feelings for the Chinese women's football team. "I observed the Chinese women's football team up close at the Women's World Cup in France, in fact, we are not worse than the European and American teams in terms of running and physical fitness, we have a gap in the concept of football, the real backwardness of the Chinese women's football team is the concept of football, change the concept of football, the Chinese women's football team has the opportunity to make progress." Pu Wei said.
◆ "Football": Pu Wei, hello. I heard that since this year, you have been working as a coach in the frontline of Shanghai football youth training, what are your experiences? From the perspective of football talent training, what advice do you have for football youth training?
Pu Wei: The team I am leading now was taken over in February this year, and the men's football team of Shanghai Football Association U11 is a male football team born in 2008. A lot of people think I'm leading a women's soccer team, but for me, the team with the junior men's soccer team is still quite challenging. In fact, I think a female coach to take the men's football team also has advantages, in addition to the stadium, there is also the care in life, now there are many institutions engaged in football, but need to really understand the players, really help them improve.
My assistant and I also said that there are technical and tactical things on the pitch, and we still have to encourage them more and give them more confidence. And my management of the team is very strict, that is, in terms of discipline, including your efforts on the pitch, is not to try your best, I think in this aspect to give them a lot of binding things, since the players come to train the game, they must really invest and work hard.
When I first took over the team, I told the children that maybe each child's starting point is different, there are high and low abilities, and there is a gap in the level, but since in this team, we are all a starting point, and each of us is carefully involved in training and competition, so that it can be done, and strive to be the best of ourselves.
◆ The team you brought with you was selected from all over Shanghai?
As the elite team of the Shanghai Football Association U11, the elites of all districts are inside. Shanghai has set up several elite bases, we will select these team members in the platform of the municipal competition, and we have formed the best elite team in this age group.
◆ Women's football players retire Many people have different choices, even former teammates as city management, after retiring to return to football, is a natural attraction, right?
Although there are some changes in the nature of their work, but the love of football, including the expectation of football is still in the depths of the heart, like me, I have left football for a while before, including I have done some entertainment programs, reality shows, in fact, around the element of football as the core, we have never left football.
Including last year and returned to the Shanghai Football Association, involved in the work of the Football Association, I think as a football person, and back to this platform, for us, it is still relatively easy to get started, after all, I have so many years of football resume and experience, my current idea is to put these things more, and through their own hard work to learn, more to the children who love football, I hope they will take more shortcuts, take fewer detours, and improve themselves in the process of participating in football.
I also told the children that I want them not only to become football talents, but also to become useful talents in society.
◆ This time I came to Shenzhen to watch the JFC Youth International Football Championship, what kind of feelings did I have when I saw so many children participating in the competition?
Since I returned to the Shanghai Football Association, I have been more involved in youth competitions, including some activities of training, and I hope to send more messages to the children that I hope they will have more happiness on the pitch. I and a lot of football junior teams, in the football field to play personal and team energy, hope to bloom more on the green field more of their own energy.
◆ JFC Youth Championship, the introduction of some foreign teams to participate, while the establishment of domestic youth men's and women's football exchange competitions, such an event for the Chinese football youth training system will help?
I think the children today are a lot broader than we were then in terms of their vision and the level of participation in the competition, especially at the level of investment, competition, and logistics support than we used to be, and I envy them.
Now that the social competition has increased its efforts, in fact, I think it is not only to support and help them in the event, but also to give them more help and support in the process of their growth. It also needs some players who have had football resumes and experiences, and are now engaged in the coaching industry, to participate in it and give children more improvement in football concepts.
◆ "Football": As the former captain of the Chinese women's national football team, you can't give up on women's football, right?
Pu Wei: Definitely, in fact, I am also very concerned about the events of some women's youth teams, and I will watch some broadcasts and event videos.
◆ This year's World Cup in France you watched the game as a commentator, people remember your wonderful comments, and now the Chinese women's football team has begun to prepare for the Tokyo Olympic Games, what are your own views on the development of the Chinese women's football team?
This year, as a commentator of CCTV, it belongs to a different identity to participate in the Women's World Cup, I think that in the scene, including the pictures seen during the commentary and some scenes of the live game, I really have a lot of feelings, I think that the current Chinese women's football team and the European and American strong teams do have a gap, but I think this gap is not impossible to catch up. But I think in the end we're not bad at the players' physical condition, fitness and running, we need something more effective. There is also the understanding of football, the understanding of the position responsibilities of each player, including the concept of football, we are poor in these aspects.
◆ I saw our women's football team members running and physically not inferior to European and American team members at the scene, but many of our team members are invalid running.
Among the players of this group of national teams, there are also partners who play football with me, and during the World Cup, I have communicated and communicated with them, in fact, they are also very anxious, and want to show their ability on the stage of the World Cup, but they always feel that they are not handy, and they still feel that there are still some bottlenecks. As far as I am concerned, I still feel that I should give them more psychological enlightenment and guidance, let them let go of their hands and feet more, and don't care too much about objective things, since they are on this stage, it is good to show the training things.
A lot of things are not to say that the players can change, or to go through the coaching staff, and some of us football people, to really solve more problems from the practical aspect. But first of all, we must have the ability to find problems, and then how to change, how to change in the shortest possible time, which is what we coaches and the whole association need to do.
◆ This year's Women's Super League is over, Jiangsu Suning, Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank, Changchun Volkswagen Real Estate Team is super strong, but there are also problems of strong and weak, in order to make the Chinese women's football team develop as soon as possible, the Chinese Football Association requires every Chinese Super League club to have a women's football club, what kind of effect do you think such a change will bring?
From the current system, events and mechanisms, I think the best point is to attract more girls to participate in the sport of football, I think it is not easy to really change the ranking position of Chinese women's football in the world, the development of Chinese women's football needs to improve some specific ways in the process, including the thinking of coaches, the thinking of team members, the understanding of football, which is what we need to change now.
I really saw the scene of the World Cup, but also took the Chinese team and some European and American strong teams to do some comparisons, we really lagged behind is the concept, there are some habits, and these habits can not be said to the national team to change, should be from the youth to develop a better habit on the football field, I think everyone has a better understanding of football and better habits, the pyramid tip will be more solid.
◆ What do you mean by habits?
Today's football is developing rapidly, like I have now learned a lot of coach training classes, for us, after a clear understanding of modern football, and then how to use and implement, so that children who love to play football, from an early age to develop a good habit, this is what our coaches want to do, must be refined, there is a continuous development.
Football: In recent years, women's football in England, France and Spain has developed rapidly, what do you think of them?
Pu Wei: They are very familiar with football, the concept and responsibility of modern football, including ways and methods are easy to accept and instill, I think coaches understand football is very important, in what way to teach to children, so that children can understand and feel, this is very important. Just like when I'm a football commentator, I used to see and know, while being a football commentator requires instant language organization and then to express it fluently.
◆ Chinese women's football has a dilemma, there are not many new people emerging, this is also a bottleneck, right?
For example, I went to the Women's World Cup with the old women's football team members in 1999, and retired in 2014, which is actually a process, first of all, my ability is affirmed by the coach, and the coach gives the team members more trust and gives more opportunities to show themselves.
Now we have a lot of competition platforms, I think in terms of using new people, don't be limited to age, as long as she has the ability and is competent for this position, she can participate, don't use youth to limit her. And I think there are many events, but not all of them have results, what kind of events we need, what kind of results are needed to affirm us. This is also something to think about.
◆ There is also a little women's soccer match this time, what advice do you have for these girls?
Now girls can also play beautiful football on the court, before it was said that girls play football there are many conditions, such as must be thick legs, must be relatively strong and strong, the skin is dark, in fact, I think football does not have too many constraints, I think this love for football is the most important, love will invest and pay for football. I feel like I get more out of the input and the effort.
◆ The Chinese women's football team is preparing for the Tokyo Olympic Preliminary Tournament, what expectations and encouragement do you have for them?
I think it is more in everyone, everyone to do their part, including the position and responsibility on the pitch, what you need to do, if everyone changes from the self, I think the future of the Chinese women's football team is expected, I think the results are not what they think, everyone still has to do their own bits, including the usual training, usual life, more details, the result will naturally have their own ideal results.