Reporter Wang Wei Luoyang reported
Today's Chinese Super League, foreign guns are rampant, Xiao Zhi used "survival of the fittest" to describe the survival status of the local forwards of the Chinese Super League. And he himself has been constantly changing and improving to adapt to the coach's tactical arrangements, which is why he has been reused in R&F and the national team, under Stowe and Lippi. So, how did Xiao Zhi evaluate these two teachers?
◆ "Football": Back to my hometown to recall that year, when I was in Jianye, there were still many foreign aid in the Chinese Super League, was it very confused about my future at that time?
Xiao Zhi: I returned to my hometown of Henan in 2007 to play football and played in Jianye for 9 years. I have experienced relegation, experienced the glory of playing in the AFC Champions League, experienced relegation, and then it took a year to overtake. In the past 9 years, I have experienced a lot in Jianye. From my position, the competition for the front line is fierce, and it can be said that it is to survive in the cracks.
In the past, each team was 5 foreign aides, if you played, foreign aid must occupy the main position, as a local striker, there are great restrictions on the offensive end of the frontcourt, my position is competing with foreigners every year, often as a substitute, which is a tempering for my own mentality, and it is a valuable experience for my own growth. Generally at this time, it is basically to prepare for the activity without doing much to go up, but also to achieve a good competitive state, to adapt to this rhythm, you must do a long time to prepare.
If there is confusion, I believe that every teammate will have it, including confusion about competition and confusion about whether different coaches can adapt to the way they play, and confusion about injuries, and I believe that every professional athlete will have confusion. People's life, all kinds of confusion will have, depending on how you face, adjust your mentality, solve your own confusion, I believe that everyone will have their own methods to solve the problem.
◆ Henan Jianye has come out of many internationals, including you, Yin Hongbo, how to evaluate this team?
After I left Jianye, there were more and more foreign players, and the team was gradually updated, which I think is also a very normal trajectory for the development of the team. When I was there, there were many local players, many of them were from Luoyang, of course, every team had a development plan, whether it was an old, middle-aged and young combination, it was the need for the development of the team. From my point of view, I hope that the team in my hometown is getting better and better.
Henan is such a populous province, Mr. Hu Baosen has been supporting the development of Jianye football for more than 20 years, and this spirit of perseverance is the soul of Jianye. Moreover, the team members who came out of Henan, the spirit of hard work and the spirit of biting their teeth, are recognized in the football circle, and the spirit of not accepting defeat and winning the strong with the weak has always accompanied us. Whether in the game or in life, it is like this.
◆ "Football": Can you be selected for the national team, is it that Fuli has fulfilled you? How to evaluate R&F's tactical system?
Xiao Zhi: I have been playing in R&F for two years, and I personally appreciate the tactical thinking of head coach Stojkovic, every player knows his ability requirements for each position, and now there are so many big-name coaches in the Chinese Super League, and the requirements for the individual players are getting higher and higher.
I was very fortunate to have come to R&F, and in the case of very fierce competition for foreign aid, Stowe gave me a lot of opportunities and I am grateful that I can not live up to the recognition of the coach and the club. In fact, from Jianye to R&F, I have made a lot of psychological preparations. As a veteran player to a brand new team, not only to lead the young players, but also to show their ability, at the beginning, I made more preparations.
In the 2016 season, I integrated into the team, I feel that I have done a good job, the 2017 season is more familiar, and the cooperation with my teammates is more and more tacit, I believe that I will get better and better.
◆ How to evaluate Stowe?
Stowe is a very professional coach, a lot of people ask me what kind of coach I like, I always joke with everyone, I like to use my coach more (laughs), I especially like Stowe because he always sends me on the field.
◆ This season, there have been many exciting games such as victories over Evergrande and shanghai, which one is the most memorable one for you?
My memorable matches? I think every game where I scored goals is unforgettable, and I can't remember what I lose (laughs).
◆ Home to Quan Jian, Lippi watched on the spot, it is those opportunities that made Lippi look at you?
At that time, a lot of opportunities were created, but there were also a lot of missed, so I had to improve in terms of scoring opportunities.
◆ Stowe and Lippi, what are the similarities and differences between what they ask of you?
The coaches I have experienced are very strict with the players, Lippi and Stowe have their own characteristics, it is a great honor to work with such a world-class coach, from them to learn the concept and tactics of football, and apply it to the game, it is very helpful to improve their own value.
Both coaches are very good and willing to use me on the pitch and I love them (laughs)!
Stowe especially likes beautiful football, he requires the players to implement such a style, hoping to form an overall style of play in the case of playing their own characteristics; Lippi, whether in the international arena or the Chinese Super League, should get the honors, he in the training of the national team, the requirements for every detail are very strict, sometimes can not meet the requirements he will be angry, which shows that Coach Lippi is very dedicated, and his requirements for each player are very high, I hope that everyone can meet his requirements.
I was particularly impressed by the particularly detailed demands of Mr. Lippi for each movement. At the same time, it helps us a lot in psychological counseling, Lippi will tell the players the style of his team, hoping that everyone will adapt to each other and really improve the level of the national team. His communication does not make the players panic, he wants to make all the players better and better, so as to reach a higher level, I think Lippi gave the players a lot of encouragement from the psychological aspect.
◆Soccer: Which big teams have pursued you? The most recent time, why didn't you go to Suning?
Xiao Zhi: I may not be born to be a big man (laughs)! In fact, we Are Also Giants, the so-called Giants, that is, on the surface of the investment is relatively large, the introduction of well-known foreign aid, in fact, each club has its own development direction, may be different from each one of the roads, can not say that we are not giants, when we get the championship one day, everyone will say that we are also giants.
When it comes to the flow and change of players, these are actually very normal things, they all want to go to the championship team, but they must consider what kind of team they are suitable for, what kind of coach they are suitable for, and what kind of playing style they are suitable for.
◆ Some voices say that the living space of domestic forwards has been squeezed by foreign aid forwards, why can you play well?
Not outstanding, I've played forwards, I've played center-backs, I've played front-backs, I've played full-backs, and surviving in the cracks is really not easy. I think, as a professional player, you really have to adapt to the environment.
I started playing professional games, the environment is like this, foreign aid occupies the central axis, I have to adapt to various positions, I have to play full-back and other positions, so that the competitiveness can be stronger, if you only play one position, and this position is likely to be occupied by foreign aid all the time, then it is easy to be eliminated. Because you can't play for a year or two, it is likely to fade out.
I've been insisting, various positions, such as striker, once I have the opportunity to play, I will try to show my skills, I insist all the way, but also adapt to different environments, adapt to different positions, make myself more competitive.
Now the policy is favorable to us, so many years, I have been insisting, adapting to other positions, so that I can have more time on the field, maintain the level of competition, more games, more opportunities can be more and more, this is how I came, really survival of the fittest.
◆ In R&F, Mr. China Super League, Golden Boot winner Zahavi, and Xiao Lei, all behind you, how do you feel about your trident combination?
It's stressful (laughs)!
◆ How to evaluate the value and role of the two of them in the team? What can I learn from Zahavi?
Playing football with Zahavi and Renaldinho is really comfortable. If they give them the ball on the pitch, they can solve the problem directly. In fact, we have more cooperation, more overall things, so that everyone can play out, as a domestic player, if you always give the ball to foreign aid to solve the problem, it is not good for our development, and there are few opportunities for our own promotion.
Now, a lot of excellent foreign aides have entered the Chinese Super League, and their personal ability to grasp opportunities is very strong, and they can learn a lot by playing with them. However, a team member, who can blend together and play the whole football, is the best. Our R&F is to play overall football, not to rely on a foreign aid to fight alone, so it helps every player.
For example, Zahavi, what he plays in the game, what he looks like in training, what he does, his footwork is fixed, Renaldinho's consciousness and observation ability, the feeling of holding the ball, their characteristics are different, but they can learn a lot in them, including football awareness, forward insertion and so on.
◆ "Football": Many people say that you are late in life, what are your own feelings?
Xiao Zhi: My mentality is very good, and being selected for the national team is the highest honor for me. In the national team, I will perform well without reservation and do my best.
◆ How do you think the mentality of playing for the national team and club is different? What about the ability of R&F's domestic players?
In terms of the performance of the team, we played the best overall, whether it is the pass control of the midfield or the attack of the front, the assists of the two sides, it is very good.
From the perspective of individual players, the performance of the international players is very good and very distinctive. I myself feel that the World Preliminary Tournament is a pity, I have experienced 3 games, although the league is very tired, but every international team, to the team will work very hard, all do their best, in the national team, I personally feel everyone's efforts.
I feel that everyone is working hard for the team to win, all thinking about scoring goals, because it is a national team game, every player will be a little nervous, as far as I am concerned, my idea is to play their best ability, even beyond the level.
I think that whether it is a national team or a professional team, with the increasing number of football population and the continuous growth of young players, there will be more and more good players, let alone rushing out of Asia, I think it is sooner or later that China has gained a firm foothold on the world football stage. This is also the original intention of my desire to do youth training, to do something in youth football, and to promote football in Henan and Guangzhou.
We have a lot of children with football talent, as the environment gets better and better, there are more venues for children to play football, there are better coaches to teach children, I believe that Chinese football will definitely reach a sustained peak.
◆ In the list of the national team and the provincial And Hong Kong Cup, there is your name, and your rest time in Luoyang is less than 10 days.
This state of life, I am used to, first the East Asian Cup, after returning there is the Provincial Hong Kong Cup, it is a good thing for me, can let me maintain a good competitive state during the holiday, in fact, a little rest during the holiday is enough, try to maintain a high level of competitive status, do not let your state decline. The competitive state of professional athletes will decline due to injuries or age, so to maintain a good state, I feel that I am in very good shape now, I hope it can be better.
◆ I am playing professional football and working with Henan Attractor Football Club at the same time, how is this integrated?
We have done a very detailed planning, on the one hand, we must have a good venue, but also have a good coach, just like in Luoyang, I know that there are many grassroots coaches, thirty years as a day, accumulated a lot of football experience, training children to play football conscientiously, they have a good vision, just like scouting, they can find the direction of the child's development, and then after the correct teaching, the children have a comprehensive improvement.
Now we are also communicating with some professional football clubs, hoping to form a youth training system and the construction of professional football, I believe that after doing a good job in the construction of the foundation and system, working in accordance with the laws of football will be successful.