In the news on April 22, Meizhou Hakka Football Club welcomed a new coach, 37-year-old Pablo took over from Serbian coach Milan. However, after six rounds of fierce battle, Meizhou Hakka team only accumulated 6 points, the situation is worrying. In the face of adversity, Pablo in an interview with Nanfang Daily, full of confidence, said he firmly believe that he can lead the team out of the trough.
Pablo's coaching career is not an easy one. He starts early in the day to study the opponent's game footage, then in the afternoon he has to deal with the pre-match press conference, and in the evening he has to prepare the team for the tactical meeting. Nonetheless, he said, "I don't have time to rest, every day is full of challenges."
Although there are not many Western restaurants in the town of Wuhua, Pablo enjoys them. He will make his own western food when he has free time, or enjoy barbecue and beer at night. For him, soccer has long taken over his life.
In the new season, the performance of Meizhou Hakka team was not ideal, but the head of the club privately revealed that several key offensive players were injured, which was an unfortunate objective factor. In the last two rounds of matches, the team had a lackluster offense but a solid performance on the defensive end, achieving zero shutouts. Pablo said in this regard: "On the basis of solid defense, the team will be more confident to improve the offensive ability, and when the injured players return, we will attack with full force."
This is not Pablo's first time coaching in China, as he assisted then-head coach Zhu Jiong as technical director of Qingdao China Energy back in 2020. He believes that Chinese professional soccer is returning to rationality and in some ways surpassing the "golden dollar soccer" era.
"Compared to then, China now has more professional soccer stadiums and a more enthusiastic fan atmosphere. I really enjoyed the experience." Pablo said. He believes that the investment and budget of the Chinese Super League is more rational and the foreign aid policy is better.
Pablo is confident about the development prospects of the Chinese Super League, believing that the level of the league is improving, the team playing style is more diversified, and the whole league is more ornamental.
