On March 20, Xu Junmin, who started out with Shanghai Lucky Stars, will return to Nantong Zhiyun again in the new season, but this time, he will stand on the stage of the Chinese Super League. Last year, Nantong Zhiyun, along with Kunshan and Qingdao Hainiu, stormed into the Chinese Super League. Kunshan has not yet assembled. After his contract with Kunshan expired, he chose to stay in touch with Nantong Zhiyun again. In an interview with Oriental Sports Daily, Xu Junmin revealed his feelings about playing in the Chinese League and returning to Nantong Zhiyun.
It's been more than ten days since you returned to Nantong Zhiyun, how do you feel?
I'm feeling good. I'm familiar with everything here because I've been here before, so I'm settling in quickly. I've been back for ten days now. Now I train twice a week and once a day on other days. Next, we will have more warm-up matches. It's still hard for me. To be honest, I took a break for some objective reasons. Although I have been working out at home, it is totally different from team training. After so many days of training, I feel that I have recovered almost and lost a lot of weight because the amount of exercise is bigger.
Can you tell us what brought you back to Nantong Jiyun again?
I think Nantong Zhiyun is on a better and more professional platform now. They are stable now, they don't owe wages and they are back in the Chinese Super League stage. As a matter of fact, my contract with the Kunshan team ended and some top officials from Nantong Zhiyun came to me and asked me if I would like to go back. I just thought about it and then I went back to Nantong.
What have you learned from years of making your way through the Central League?
In fact, the most rewarding thing is confidence. You should know how important confidence is to professional players. Standing on the court, I don't panic as much as I used to. And with more matches, my experience has improved, as well as my ability to read the game. To be fair, I've matured a lot during these years in the China First Division. On the one hand, I had more opportunities to play; on the other hand, I grew older and became mature. Now I think about it, I went to Shenxin of China First League from such a big club as Shenhua of the Chinese Super League. I think it was the right choice. I can get more chances to play in the China First Division.
Now that you're back in the Premier League, are you confident?
What I needed most at the time was to play, not waste time on the bench. The more I played, my self-confidence would improve and I would gain experience. Then I went to Nantong and I went to Kunshan. Slowly, I felt I could get a foothold in China A. Then last year, we surpassed it. Naturally, I think I've reached the ability to play Chinese Super League.
What do you think is the reason for Kunshan's Super League run?
I think our teammates have the same goal and everyone is very united. With a common goal, everyone will work together. Everyone just wants to win the championship and our hearts will work hard in one place. In addition, I think our teammates are still strong, they are the best in China. This is the hard power that we surpass. Of course, thanks to the leaders, coaches and logistic staff for their selfless dedication to us.
How does it feel to win the Central League Championship?
I'm just happy because this championship means something different to me, it's the joy of a championship. Of course, the most important thing for me is that I can play the Chinese Super League in the new season. After five years, I can appear on the Chinese Super League stage again and I have the chance to prove myself again. This makes me very excited and makes me feel very expectant.
After two seasons playing for Kunshan, how do you rate head coach Sarko?
As a Spanish coach, he focuses a lot on passing and control, with high technical and tactical demands. He asked us to control the game and was very delicate with our technique. On the pitch, he demands a lot from our training games, but off the pitch, he is really a very friendly and kind coach. On the pitch and off the pitch, he's completely different.
