At the end of last year, the sound of "Rise and Shine" at the Phoenix Hill Professional Football Stadium in Chengdu still seems to echo in our ears, and Chengdu Rongcheng's preparations for the new season are getting better and better. 9, the team will start the overseas training program.
Today, the reporter exclusively interviewed Seo Jung-won, the Korean head coach of the Chengdu Rongcheng team, located in the training base of the Green Axis Xingcheng Soccer Park.
Reporter: During the offseason, you went to Europe, what did you get out of it?
Seo Jung-won:After every season, I feel physically and mentally exhausted and choose to go to Europe for a vacation to experience the new trends in European soccer. This winter, I went to Germany and visited old friends such as Oliver Grassner (Bundesliga manager of Eintracht Frankfurt). Modern soccer trends are changing rapidly and I need to keep learning to keep up. There are a lot of Asian players in Germany now and German coaches have the most advanced soccer philosophy. The South Korean national team has just hired Klinsmann as head coach, and I believe this is the result of the KFA's careful consideration.
Reporter: In terms of the introduction of internal and external reinforcements, the team mainly strengthens the position of strikers and defenders in the new season, does it meet your expectations?
Seo Jung-won:The signing process is almost complete, and the team's focus is on the front line and the back line. We had too many draws last season and had some problems on the offensive and defensive ends. The arrival of new players will make the team lineup more stable and balanced, and they also need to adapt to the team as soon as possible. Based on the club's current budget, the team is still good value for money in terms of signings, but it would be nice to have superstars joining the team in the future.
Reporter:Does the unexpected fifth place finish last season mean that you are under increasing pressure this season? Are there any new goals, such as leading the team to qualify for the AFC Champions League?
Seo Jung-won:I can say that the new season will be the toughest since I coached the team. However, I prefer to see the team's progress and growth rather than results. I know that the fans in Chengdu have a high standard and have high hopes for us. We will continue to fight for every game in the "second year" of the Chinese Super League. To achieve this goal, the players train hard every day. Only in this way can the team keep improving.
Reporter: Can you talk about the preparation program for the next team?
Seo Jung-won:The team has been in the base for nearly three weeks for physical training. After the vacation, the players need to adjust their bodies to fighting condition as soon as possible. We will immediately leave for Korea for a three-week training program, mainly technical and tactical training and warm-up matches against Suwon Samsung, Seoul FC and some K2 League teams.
Reporter:Not long ago, when you were interviewed by the Korean media, you talked about your willingness to accept more challenges in the future. For example, you are the head coach of the Chinese national team. You haven't been coaching in the Chinese Super League for a long time, but you've proven yourself. So what is the biggest obstacle for you?
Xu Zhengyuan:There are a lot of promising young players in the Chinese Super League. For example, many of them are still sleeping. What we need to do is to wake them up. For example, Chengdu Rongcheng's Hu Huotao and Mutalifu are already playing in the national youth team. Coaches want to find more "gems" and send more such players to the Chinese national team, but it takes time. As for whether I will consider coaching the Chinese national team in the future, I am willing to accept the challenge if there is an opportunity. But it requires me to know more about the culture, habits and character of Chinese players. We always have to keep learning to meet new challenges.
