Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- In an exclusive interview with Soccer Daily, this season, the best coach of the U21 League, Shanghai Shenhua U21 head coach Yu Tao said that some Shenhua teenagers have the level of the Chinese Super League.
For many U for 21 players, this age group is a crucial time and if they don't make it to the first team, they may be faced with other options. How do you think this is a platform specifically created for the U21 league to help players in this age group?
Players in this age group are really at a crossroads. If they are fortunate enough to make it into the first team, the platform for the future will be wider. If they don't make it to the first team, their future career may be a bit awkward. Personally, I think the U21 League provides a good platform for these players to showcase themselves to a wider audience.
What have Shanghai Shenhua gained from participating in the U21 League this year?
I think there are three main takeaways. The first point is to broaden the horizons of the players, and this year, the U21 league is doing very well. I personally think it is a high standard league. Unlike previous youth leagues, the league has done a good job in terms of logistics such as venues and accommodation. There is a buffer zone for the tournament and no new crown cases. I think it is close to a quasi-professional league.
Secondly, this is a high quality league, we can see this from two sets of data, firstly, in terms of net time, like 62 minutes and 47 seconds for Shenhua and Hong Kong, and about 65 minutes for Beijing Guoan and Guangzhou, the numbers are very high. In terms of physical data, like Beijing Guoan, Shanghai Shenhua had a few games close to the level of the Chinese Super League.
The third is the high level of competition, during the tournament, there are some matches, there are some matches U21 players directly up to the first team of the Chinese Super League, the performance is good.U21 players have reached the level of the first team of the Chinese Super League. So I say, this time, I say, this time, the U21 league is a high standard, high quality, high level league.
As a young team, what kind of characteristics and highlights did Shenhua show in this tournament? What kind of interaction and encouragement did you have with the players in the locker room after the last round?
There is one word that can well explain the players' performance in this game, and that is the Shenhua spirit. We have also seen that 2022 is a very difficult year for our entire club at Shenhua, including an unwelcome early relegation for the first team. You also see that Shenhua should have a quasi full Chinese squad, and I have emphasized more than once in the U21 that we should learn from our big brothers in the first team, and learn from their spirit of hard work and never give up in difficult situations. I think our U21 team's journey from the first stage to the second stage is a good illustration of this year's Shenhua spirit.
The club, from top to bottom, from the first team to the whole youth training, help each other and keep each other warm, including our team has a lot of young players. Many thanks to Shenhua Youth Training Team U21 for their support. For example, our goalkeeper Liu Haoran was born in 2005, this time he was named the best goalkeeper of this. U21 League.
At the end of the final round, where we finished second, I expressed three things to the players in the locker room. The first was to thank the coaching staff and players for their support and cooperation. I have led the team to be more strict, even stricter, and I sincerely thank them for their understanding and cooperation. The second aspect is the expectation that these people U Shenhua is the longest of the 21 players for seven years. Shenhua is really nurtured from a young age. I hope to see more players playing for the first team of Shenhua in the future, and I hope they will be more strict and professional in their daily life training. The third point is blessing. There may be some players who don't go to the first team afterward and may have to go elsewhere. When we are about to part, I wish every player a better future in the future.
What have you learned as a young coach who just turned 41?
I really didn't think I would get this award. When I learned about it, I was even more grateful. First of all, I would like to thank the CFA for successfully organizing and completing the league against such a difficult background. Without this platform, I wouldn't have been able to get this honor. Secondly, I want to thank Shanghai Shenhua and the club leadership for trusting me U21 is the oldest ladder team in the whole Shenhua system. The fact that they can give this team to me is in itself a sign of their trust in me. Thirdly, I want to thank the coaching staff and players. Thank them very much. I am a very demanding coach. I may be very strict with them. I am very grateful to them for their tenacity and hard work in the game. Because of them, I got this award.
I think that coaches act not only as coaches, but also as role models for the players, establishing a very proper value for them through what they usually say and do. I don't think they will become professional players in the future, sooner or later they will enter society. I hope that when we are together we can develop some important qualities in them, such as gratitude, dedication and sincerity. In this way, they can be successful in the future.
How do you understand soccer differently from being an ultra-platinum generation player to a professional soccer club's youth team manager?
The truth is that it is very difficult to make the transition from player to coach, especially for players like us who have had previous illustrious professional resumes or long careers. The most difficult part is the mindset, when the player, in the spotlight, in the praise lights, in the praise, feels good about himself. When one day you retire, you feel very lost, especially if you have just transformed into a youth coach, no one may pay attention to you this time you have to bear a huge psychological gap, and this time it is very important.
I think the most important reason for the success of my transition is that I put myself down and learned a lot with a humble heart. I've always believed that playing well doesn't mean you can coach well. Good players do not directly equate to good coaches. My experience is to first zero in on yourself, learn, listen, talk, watch and enrich yourself. Because when a player has a 178-year career, but as a coach, these experiences are erased the moment he retires. the second stage of the U21 League, the youngest among the coaches of the eight teams. To put it bluntly, I was the rookie. In the district, I also consulted many experienced veteran coaches, studied, and listened to their advice so that I could learn something.
