May 13th, former Shenzhen team captain Ge Zhen now doubles as vice general manager of Qingdao West Coast Club and first team player. He talked about his views on Shenzhen's new Pengcheng team in an interview with reporter Cheng Wenli.
--Talking about the play of Shenzhen New Pengcheng
In the two years in the Central League, we played them four times and won all of them, but we were passive. They adopt a Spanish style of possession play, which has some characteristics, but in these two years, we have become more familiar with their style of play, especially understanding the situation of their domestic players. Therefore, we have made targeted arrangements and we have a psychological advantage. This game is very critical for us, it's like a six-point battle for relegation, and it's an away game, so it's really a challenge.
-- Why did two of West Coast's wide receivers retire with injuries early in yesterday's away game against Shenzhen Newpensia?
Due to the recent persistent rain in Shenzhen, the BaoShi pitch is still relatively wet and soft. Compared to the hard courts we usually train on, this kind of pitch is on the soft side. At the same time, the weather in Qingdao was cool while Shenzhen was hot, which caused the players to be uncomfortable with the pitch and exacerbated their muscle fatigue. Of course, it could also be due to the high number of matches we've been playing lately, which made our players overall look more tired. This situation caused two players to get injured and we paid a huge price in this game.
-Talks about former SZFC goalkeeper Ji Jiabao joining Qingdao West Coast as a starting goalkeeper
Ji Jiabao has a lot of potential, and he didn't have much of a chance to show it when he was in Shenzhen. At that time Shenzhen was under a lot of relegation pressure. But last year he made one or two appearances and did quite well. We saw his potential and I think he is a player with a lot of potential and will have a great future.
--Talking about the relegation situation of Shenzhen Xinpengcheng
I am confident that Shenzhen New Pengcheng will not be relegated. As far as I know, they will adjust internal and external reinforcements when they make adjustments in the transfer window, and the club's salary level is relatively high in the Chinese Super League. The club is relatively stable and there are no salary arrears. I don't think this team will be relegated. Their current difficulties are only temporary, taking a passing and possession approach, but ultimately the ability to finish could be worse. Improving the quality of the players should be possible.
