April 22 - In January, Meizhou Hakka FC officially announced that 37-year-old Spaniard Pablo would replace Serbian coach Milan as the new coach. However, after six rounds of matches, the Meizhou team only got six points with three draws and three losses, which made people very worried about falling into the relegation zone. However, in an interview with Nanfang Daily, Pablo said he is absolutely confident to lead the team out of their current predicament.
As the team's coach, Pablo really does have an endless list of things to do. "In the morning, I've been watching and editing videos of each team's games. In the afternoon, I had to attend the pre-game press conference. When I came back, I had to prepare for the team's pre-game preparation meeting ...... I had no time to rest. It was a day full of hours."
Therefore, even in the small town of Wuhua, Pablo is never bored because soccer has filled his life. "Wuhua doesn't have many western restaurants, and even if they do, they are not very authentic. If I want to eat western food, I'll spend some time buying the ingredients and making it myself. But more often than not, if I'm free, I'll eat barbecue and drink beer in the evening. However, it's good to be with soccer." The word "barbecue" is Chinese and has the right sound.
The fact is that the team's performance in the new season is not satisfactory. But if you really want to blame the coach, it seems unfair. The head of the club told reporters privately, "Several key offensive players are injured. You can't let anyone lead the team. There's a real element of misfortune in there."
In the final two rounds of the tournament, while the Meizhou Hakka team still struggled to score goals, they also tightened up their defensive fences and achieved zero shutouts against their opponents. "With a stable defense, it also means that the team will have more opportunities and confidence to improve our offensive solutions and capabilities. As the injured players gradually return, we can attack with our strongest lineup." Pablo said, "I am confident and optimistic that the team will be able to get out of this situation."
It's not the first time Pablo has coached in China. 2020, as the technical director of the Qingdao China Energy team, he assisted the then head coach Zhu Jiong and witnessed the "Golden Dollar Era" of Chinese soccer. In Pablo's opinion, Chinese professional soccer has returned to rationality, and even in some aspects more advantageous than the "golden dollar soccer" era.
"China has more professional soccer stadiums now compared to then. Like our last away game in Tianjin, the atmosphere in the stadium was great. I really like the experience of a professional soccer stadium. The atmosphere for the fans is completely different."
"Now for Chinese professional clubs, the investment and budget are more rational. Although the five foreign aid policies have now been implemented, all clubs are not signing foreign aid at all costs as before, but are more rational. In fact, through the CSL experience, the value of these foreign aiders may continue to rise and clubs may even profit from them."
Pablo believes that the Super League is currently on an upward trend. "Compared to the special period of the past two or three years, the level of the Chinese Super League has improved significantly. As a matter of fact, you can now clearly feel that teams in the Super League are playing in a more diverse way. Many teams have different playing styles, so you can say that they are blossoming, which is also a good thing. Among the strongest teams, such as Shenhua, their current playing style is completely different from Hong Kong. In this way, the whole league will be more decorative."
