In the late afternoon of September 25, the third round of the Jinshan Cup saw a thrilling battle in which the U16 National Junior Team, led by Yang Chen, scored a spectacular strike late in the game to beat the
Luneng (city in Shandong)
U16 team. After the match, the head coach Yang Chen accepted an in-depth interview with the media. He frankly analyzed the challenges and dilemmas the team is currently facing, and objectively evaluated the talent of his players and the talent pool in the same age group. He emphasized, "As a coach, I not only teach them to play football, but also teach them how to behave."
Reporter: Can you share your team philosophy and the current status of the team?
Yang Chen: Our primary goal is the Asian Junior Championship qualifier next September. First of all, I started to form this U16 team in May. As we all know, the actual age of the players is only 15 years old. Next year, this team will become a U16 team in the true sense of the word. We named the team "U1" in order to participate in the tournament. After I organized them, the most important thing was to educate them about patriotism and cultivate their sense of national honor. In my opinion, the first lesson for this age group should be about these things. In addition, team spirit and responsibility are equally important, and I think we need to strengthen the team in this regard. As you can see, our players are very disciplined in all aspects from their hairstyles. I think youngsters in this age group should show a new look. Of course, it is also vital to show your strength on the pitch.
Reporter: Yang Jun, Yu Tao and yourself were all well-known players in the coaching team. Is it a great incentive for the young players to have such coaches leading by example?
YC: That's certainly true. These coaches are all former professional athletes who have played professional soccer. We have all been selected for the national team before. I think it's a very valuable experience for the players to watch their idols train and master the technical movement essentials. It may take an adaptation period or the so-called honeymoon period for them to learn. I think whether the young players have real potential also depends on whether they really have the strength and can learn the real skills.
Reporter: What is your opinion about young players staying in the ocean?
Yang Chen: I think players are actually in the technical honing stage before the age of 16. As long as there are good coaches in the country, they can make progress. after the age of 16, they need to receive some instruction on tactics. In addition, more physical training is needed. After that, they can go to Europe or even our neighboring country, Japan, to receive training. I think these are all good options.
Reporter: Does the team have any preparation plan after the Kingsford Cup?
Yang Chen: It's like this. Since during the Jinshan Cup, we are competing as A and B teams. at the end of October, we will also go to Zibo to participate in the Origin Cup soccer tournament. At that time, the U16 teams will be merged into one team. Therefore, the period from the formation of the team in May to the Jinshan Cup is the process of selecting our players. After the Jinshan Cup, we will decide on a "first team" roster, which will probably be around 35 or 30 players. In this way, the team will be downsized and become a real U16 national team.
Reporter: By understanding the situation of players in the same age group and this tournament, how do you think the talent base of the national junior team in our age group is?
Yang Chen: In fact, many people said before that our talent pool in the age group after 01 and 02 should be good, but I now feel that despite the formation of two teams, the difference in the ability of the players is still large. There are not as many players to choose from as we thought. I think players with character exist, but our overall level is about the same and there are no players who stand out in particular. In the forward and striker positions, we are okay to choose, but in the back line, there are not many talents to choose from, so the problem is more prominent. I think the reason for this phenomenon is mainly due to a certain trend in today's international soccer world. Since when they first learn soccer, many children choose to play as strikers because some of the stars they admire are strikers, such as
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
C罗
All of them play as fullbacks or forwards. So there are very few players who are actually willing to play in the backline position.
Reporter: Was the U16 national junior team divided into two teams randomly assigned, or were the teams divided according to certain principles?
Yang Chen: Actually, it's mainly to examine the players. I originally planned to split the players of the same position into different teams according to their field positions, but considering that some of the players had previously played for a team, they knew each other better and it was more conducive to showcasing their characteristics and talents, so we took these factors into account during the team formation process, so that the players of the same club or unit could be divided into a team, which would be more likely to produce a tacit understanding.
Reporter: From how many players were the approximately 40 players selected for the A and B teams?
Yang Chen: There are actually two ways we select players. One is a league competition organized by the Fulham Football School, in which six clubs participate, and the other one is the Chinese
national soccer team
The Youth Training Department of the Association organized an 80-member selection camp for the 2005/2006 age group in April this year. The players we selected came from these two channels. Before the start of the Jinshan Cup, we have organized four training sessions, and each session has also made adjustments to individual positions. Now, apart from overseas players, the best quality players that can be selected domestically are basically here.
Reporter: Do you think any of the more prominent players in this team are suitable for staying overseas?
Yang Chen: There should be. I will integrate players according to my tactical system and playing style. Sometimes I may think a player is good and has good conditions, but if he doesn't fit my tactical system, he may be excluded. I think some players have the full strength or potential to stay or develop abroad in the future.
Reporter: The average age of the players of the U16 national junior team under your leadership is one year younger than other teams, is such a game of greater training value?
Yang Chen: If we only consider the results, I may combine a team to participate in the Jinshan Cup, because that is more able to show the real competitive level of the team. But for now, I think these kids should try to participate in as many tournaments as possible, especially during the epidemic, so this kind of real-world opportunity is especially valuable. As you can see, the Jinshan Cup has changed from an international tournament to a domestic tournament due to the epidemic. However, I think this kind of tournament still has a high training value for players, especially because several club teams invited to participate are the strongest club teams in the 2005 age group. Just look at the pace of the match between our A team and Shandong Taishan, and you'll see how valuable the training is.
Reporter: Due to the temporary inability to play international matches, do you find it difficult to assess the level of our team's grade in the entire Asian soccer world?
Yang Chen: You are right. We will also try to understand our opponents through various information, including the real level of teams in Southeast Asia and West Asia. But due to the epidemic, we don't have a lot of information. For example, it's really hard to measure what level they can reach when comparing them with teams of the same age such as Japan, South Korea or Saudi Arabia in West Asia. So we also looked for some slightly older domestic teams to warm up. Let my players learn how to develop and improve their tactical skills under high intensity and high confrontation.
Reporter: Is the inability to perform international warm-ups not too much in your mind in preparation for the Asian Junior Championship qualifiers?
Yang Chen: If there is no epidemic, the team should be traveling more to neighboring countries for exchanges. For example, we can go to Japan and South Korea to play friendly matches, this kind of training has the highest value. We can even go to Europe for matches as well, but now we can only train at home.
Reporter: The difference between leading an adult club team and leading a youth national team is significant, right? How do you need to adapt?
Yang Chen: I think this age group of children, the speed of progress is very fast, so as a coach must be flexible according to their changes in the work of leading the team to adjust and change. Previously, I have also played in U20, U22
national soccer team
Served as a leader, but I think kids at that age are basically in the skill-setting stage. As a coach, I may instill more tactics in them. But regarding the team I'm taking over now, I'm going to instill tactical thinking on one hand, and on the other hand, I'll do some intensive training in terms of body and strength. I think there are a lot of things I need to teach them. One thing that is particularly gratifying is that these kids absorb things very quickly. I can feel that they are getting better every day.
Reporter: Do you communicate more with your players mentally or psychologically? Will you instill some positive values in them?
Yang Chen: First of all, I told the kids that Yang is not only teaching you to play soccer, but also to teach you to be a good person, and I want to set a correct value for them. Of course, there are many things that can attract them in every aspect of society, including cell phones, games and so on. But here, it becomes necessary for us to undergo strict management, even militarized management at times. I want them to understand that our real aim is to win on the field. Normally, kids in school may have a little more access to cell phones, a little more access to games, or a little more time off. But in our age group, they'll have to practice more so they can improve. As I said earlier, I also played in the national team, I think the most important thing is to cultivate their sense of national honor from a young age. Winning or losing is important, but they should know more clearly that they are a member of the national team in the age group of U16, and they should feel that this is a sense of honor.
Reporter: Do you think there is any difference in the level of play between your fellow teammates when you were 15/16 years old and the players in your age group now?
Yang Chen: To be honest, modern soccer is developing very fast. The pace of soccer now is even faster than in our time. The technical and tactical play of our time was relatively simple, but now the tactics are very complex. I think these kids have a lot to learn. If we compare, I think when we were 15/16 years old, we might have more characteristics, for example, some players are fast, some players are flexible, some players are good at heading the ball, their characteristics are more obvious. But nowadays, the players are the ones who fully demonstrate their ability to work together as a whole in the game. In this respect, the players of this age group are stronger than the players of the same age in our period, but their individual characteristics are not as significant as the players of our period.
