Perrin was interviewed by the team newspaper: We have come a long way

As the former manager of the Team of Marseille and Lyon in Ligue 1 and now the head coach of the Chinese national team, Alain Perrin today gave an exclusive interview to the French media "Team Newspaper", in which he talked about the difficulties, goals and expectations he is currently encountering.

Officially appointed as the head coach of the Chinese national team on February 26, 2014, Perrin admitted that his life has changed dramatically since then. Having found his comfortable place of residence in Beijing, he has no regrets about giving up his coaching career in France. The 59-year-old has extensive coaching experience in Ligue 1, leaving his mark on several teams including Troyes, Marseille, Sochaux, Lyon and Saint-Etienne. If he finally leads the team and does not win the right to participate in the 2018 World Cup, I believe he will not leave this vast Asian continent.

"Team Newspaper": "You have been coaching the Chinese national team for nearly two years, what do you think of Chinese football? ”

Perrin: "The peculiarity of Chinese football is that there is no relevant structural organization, so there are not many young coaches with coaching qualifications. The players didn't have many opportunities to compete in national competitions, most of them trained with the provincial team and couldn't get the careful training of good coaches. You can see a lot of kids playing on the basketball court, and you can't see that in a football place. Here's a little fun fact: there used to be a football awards ceremony here, but after a few weeks of research, we found that there was no way to create a best rookie award, because there weren't many young players under the age of 23 in the league. Football here has a low starting point and no real football culture, but it has now begun to move forward officially. ”

"Team News": "What kind of football plan did the Chinese Ministry of Sports carry out in March?" ”

Perrin: "The development of football is gradually becoming an important national policy. This also involves some football projects that were officially launched two or three years ago. The government wants to set up 25,000 football schools and make football part of an educational program because few youth football clubs are founded. It's a bit like the concept of a sports school, but unlike in France, our young players have officially joined a professional club at the age of 5 or 6, and have been classified into a professional football institution at least until the age of 11. Our football training program for young people has moved in a very far direction, accompanied by the development of young coaches. The entire plan is already being implemented, and it is moving in a broader direction. There are several good football academies in China now, but parents need to pay a high cost of study, and all of them do not have much family ability to really involve their children. ”

Team Newspaper: "From your personal coaching level, what changes do you think you can make for Chinese football?" ”

Perrin: "I have designed several more realistic ideas for the progress of the Chinese national team, but there are still some difficulties in implementing them. At present, there are no small problems with the team's forward line-up. Judging by the size of the Chinese Super League, it is incomprehensible to find only nearly 10 excellent forwards of Chinese nationality. Here each team can have four foreign players playing, and one person sitting on the bench, so most teams will choose to assign foreign players to the frontcourt lineup. I have made suggestions to the Chinese Football Association on reducing the number of foreign aiders, even though I know that this may reduce the excitement of the league. ”

Team Daily: "What level do you think the Chinese Football League is at?" ”

Perrin: "There are four or five clubs with good financial conditions, they have international big-name team managers, they have a number of excellent high-paid foreign players, and they also have a number of star internationals. In addition to this, the remaining teams do not have much appeal to the fans, and the whole league is somewhat polarized as a result. I think the most important thing to improve is the next few teams at the end of the Chinese Super League rankings, and the level gap between them and the multiple teams in the Chinese First League and the strong teams in the Chinese Super League is too large. However, with the arrival of sponsors and the promotion of live television, this situation is gradually alleviating. You should know that two years ago, it was the Chinese Football Association that paid for the broadcast. ”

Team Newspaper: "Do you have a lot of communication with the club manager? Most of them are European coaches, such as Shanghai Shenhua's French coach Francis Guilo (who has resigned). ”

Perrin: "Not much. I've had conversations with Erikson and people are very welcoming. This was followed by Guangzhou Evergrande coach Scolari, who had a number of foreign internationals in their squad. I've met Gillow twice, both in Shanghai. ”

The Team Newspaper: "How do you organize your work?" ”

Perrin: "There are three Chinese coaches in the coaching staff, and they are more likely to show up in training. There are also three French coaches, as well as a goalkeeper coach and a translator. We show up at different race sites every weekend to watch the game, and given the size of China's land, we often have to fly 3,000 kilometers to another city. It's like we're going to travel from country to country in Europe, but it's not an important issue at work. ”

"Team Newspaper": "You weren't favored by the majority when you came here, do you think you're impressing the fans now?" ”

Perrin: "The quarter-finals of the Asian Cup that we played at the beginning of this year should make a lot of fans remember me. A lot of people who follow football have started to get to know me slowly. It's the same everywhere, the circle of football is not big. ”

Team Newspaper: "Do you think Chinese passionate about football?" ”

Perrin: "Chinese loves football and is very concerned about football. But they may pay more attention to international competitions, such as the Premier League, the Champions League, the European Cup, the World Cup. They are well aware that it is difficult for Chinese players to reach world-class standards. ”

"Team Newspaper": "When you leave such a high-level football country as France, and when you arrive in China, you are very disappointed to see the level of football development there? ”

Perrin: "I see myself as a Chinese football trainer. To my disappointment, I gathered the players of the national team and the first thing I needed was to improve their individual skills. There is only one player in the team who plays in high-level leagues abroad, that is, Zhang Chengdong of Vallecano, but he has never had the opportunity to play. But it's a pleasure to work with them, and they all have a very positive attitude mentally. ”

Team Newspaper: "Do you miss your day job coaching at the club?" ”

Perrin: "I did coach a national team for quite some time, but I didn't get tired of it. One of the things that interested me most about coaching the national team was the sense of urgency that came with it. Every game is very critical and I have to keep a high degree of concentration at all times and prepare for the Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers. ”

Team: "Would you consider returning to France to coach?" ”

Perrin: "From a realistic point of view, it is true that this possibility is relatively small. Of course I don't have any idea of rejecting France. My current career choices depend on choices in life, and my wife's decision was also one of the considerations. When I left French football four years ago, I thought about having a foreign experience in my coaching career. It was China that opened the door for me to teach in Asia and opened a special journey for me. It's also football that keeps me traveling. During the two years I have been coaching in China, I have enjoyed this journey. ”

The Team: "So you rarely return to France during your holidays?" ”

Perrin: "Yeah, I haven't even been back to France for a year. Life here is wonderful and there are many places worth visiting. I also cherished the opportunity to travel around, and after the Asian Cup in Australia, I went to Vietnam for a holiday. I'm going to Japan now and will only return to France during the holidays. ”

"The Team Newspaper": "Culture must also include language. Will you now Chinese, Mandarin? ”

Perrin: "It's really hard to say Chinese. I know a few words that are used frequently. I tried to learn some. There are always translators to help communicate with the players, or sometimes we speak English. ”

Team Newspaper: "So you may also coach in other asian countries?" ”

Perrin: "Yes, there are a few places to consider. For example, Japan, Singapore. And Thailand is also a good team. ”

(Dongzi)