Cui Peng moved to Kunshan in the 2020 season, which not only meant he changed teams, but also stepped into a whole new soccer field - the Central League. Although he didn't know much about the league before, he has gained a lot after a year of sharpening his skills, and he is deeply honored to be able to play alongside many of his teammates at such an early age.
Before preparing for the tournament last year, Cui Peng suffered the devastating loss of his mother. Talking about the games that impressed him last year, he confessed that the whole season was unforgettable, especially the unfortunate incident he suffered at the beginning of the season. In the final round of the league match against Meizhou Hakka, Cui Peng's goal helped Kunshan beat their opponents, and after he scored, he knelt down and pointed his hands to the sky, dedicating the goal to his mother.
As the new season of the Central League is about to kick off, Cui Peng said he will work harder and expects to bring better results for the team and show himself on a higher stage.
"I feel very fortunate to be with so many young people."
FOOTBALL: How does it feel to be at the end of a long winter training session?
Cui Peng: Under the leadership of the coaching staff, our winter training was completed quite well. Every year's winter training, each team's coaching staff will have its own plan, and each period of the team will arrange different training. For us, after four periods of training, including the physical reserve period, the technical and tactical bonding period, the warm-up matches and technical and tactical drills, as well as the final substantive drills, this winter training is very well prepared.
You have played four warm-up matches in the winter training phase, and the opponents are both Chinese League One and Chinese Super League teams.
I think that no matter what kind of team we meet, what kind of warm-up matches we play, including where you choose to train, these are the arrangements of the coaches, in fact, to put it simply, it is conducive to the team's preparation. We can learn a lot from playing against Chinese Super League teams, and that's the purpose of playing such warm-up matches. Specifically, with the Chinese Super League team, it is easier to find their own problems, summarize the good and bad, and then make some adjustments in training and games, so that the team can better deal with the next league.
This is your second season at Kunshan, can you talk about what you've gained previously?
2020 is my first season in Kunshan, and what makes me feel more than anything else this year is the care that the club has given to the team, including Kunshan Wenshang Tours and Chang'ao Company, who have done a great job, and we are very happy about that. The care they give to the players allows us to train and play with peace of mind.
Coming here, head coach Gao Yao and I used to be teammates, maybe to this team, I felt his seriousness and talent as a coach to organize training and direct the game, and I'm learning how to be a coach, and I've learned a lot from him.
We have a team that is very inclusive because I haven't been on the team for long and the players don't know each other very well, but I feel that when we get to the playing field, we are able to fight for the team like brothers. At my age, I feel very lucky to have this job, and it's great to be able to work with so many young people now, to pursue their dreams and fight for a team.
Did you have a gap in your heart when you came from the Super League to play in the Central League?
I don't think so. Because I think you no matter in what kind of channel, to prove your ability is higher than others, not what channel to decide, but you have to see whether the things you pay and your level is proportional. Of course, the three channels of the Chinese Super League, Central League and Central League B are indeed different. At my age, I feel that playing in the Central League, I am also enduring some adjustments, after all, I have never experienced or been in contact with it before, and last year I caught up with the epidemic, which was a special year, and I learned a lot from it, and experienced a lot of it. The first season in the Central League was not easy, we overcame a lot of difficulties. So when you say fallout, I don't think so, I don't feel this thing, I only feel how to make myself better and help the team to get better results, that's what I think about.
"Last year's entire season was memorable."
Soccer: Last season, Kunshan went into the Super League group and eventually finished third, as a promoted horse, what do you think are the reasons for being able to get such a result?
Cui Peng: First of all, our logistical support, the club's logistical support for us, so that we can be in a peace of mind in the environment to play full-time, do not think of other things, which is very important. In addition, our coaching staff, before each game, even in the tournament every night, when it's time to eat, when it's time to go to bed is also in the study of the opponent, the study of our team's technical and tactical. In fact, I think last year our players did not do enough, at least the club and coaches do much better than us, although the game needs us to play, but and their hard work is inseparable, including our team doctor, logistics team have paid a lot of other people only to see our players to play, their efforts can not be seen, but we see, their efforts to make us fully committed to the game, which is very key! .
As a veteran player, what do you feel you need to go out and do well in the new season?
I expect these players of ours to do better, and for them to improve means that our team improves. I expect sometimes maybe saying a little bit of stuff in training to help them, maybe not everything I say is right, but I expect to help them, I expect them to do better, to develop their career better, to do more for the Kunshan team, for Kunshan city, for Jiangsu province, and for the Chinese
national soccer team
The ball is doing a little bit more, so we're going to help them deal with issues that they can't see in themselves.
After playing the super group competition, what do you think is the distance between the team and Yatai and Zhejiang?
I don't think there is a distance. In fact, I think the game win or lose is decided by many reasons, my teammates are not worse than anyone else, but very often, the game is like this, we conceded the ball at the beginning of the game with Zhejiang, which put us in a passive position, maybe say we scored at the beginning, the game ended differently, we were able to do better in the game.
Soccer is not entirely based on strength, there is an old saying, the right place, the right time, and the right people, there are many other factors that will determine the direction of the game, we may be the details are not as good as the opponents, so that others feel the distance, but in fact, I think that we do not have any distance. Maybe the coach thought a lot, the players thought a lot, but it is overthinking, nervous, there are problems, there are many reasons to decide to win or lose a game, so I think that we did not end up being able to advance to a multi-faceted factors.
What were some of the Central League games that stood out to you last season?
In fact, every game impressed me deeply, because last year was my first year in Kunshan, plus my mother passed away before entering the tournament last year, so this season was unforgettable for me from the very beginning. The last round of the game, we played against Meizhou Hakka, I scored a goal kneeling on the ground, in fact, at that moment, my heart is particularly bad taste, I then went to embrace the high director, I was with a lot of emotions, and then thought, I still have to control themselves, because there is still a game to be played, we have to do a good job of role modeling effect, a lot of players are looking at you, I quickly restrained myself, into the game state. At that time, the scene of that goal is not many people noticed, because that game is just a simple live broadcast, most of them are concerned about the super game, as if it is Yatai playing Chengdu, but the significance of me is not the same.
As a midfielder, how do you think you played last season?
If I say I'm satisfied, then of course I can't, one has to be humble, hahaha. But to be honest, I think at least I did my best in every game, I tried to show what I can show. Maybe it's not the same as some people's expectations, but I'd like to say that I put my heart and soul into the game, and if other people say that I'm not good, I'll take it with a grain of salt, and then I'll do better this season.
"We have one goal."
FOOTBALL: How do you rate the foreigners in the team, especially center back Piri?
Cui Peng: Due to the epidemic of the previous year, foreigners came to China and endured a lot. Our leaders said they are really not easy, foreigners come here, their families are not around, and have to be isolated for a long time, and come to our team, we have to treat them as family.
I think every player will not say that they do not make mistakes, but we may see more is that they are struggling hard, in the team to contribute, we have a big difference in language and culture, that is to understand each other.
Speaking of Piri, his free kicks are indeed quite ferocious, scoring 2 last season and hitting the crossbar twice against Zhejiang, which is a very threatening offense for our team. It's not very common for a center back to have this kind of footwork. In fact, at the beginning, Piri's free kicks are not his specialty, and he didn't do very well before. That game we played against Xinjiang, in fact, we are very critical, we got a free kick, he also want to penalty, I think he punished no threat, not as good as our front players who go up to swing a foot, and ultimately he said he to, I said yes, I said you punished the far corner of a different angle to try. Because I have seen the video of Xinjiang's game, I found that their goalkeeper has a problem with the position, there is a habit of moving ahead, and as expected, he did take a penalty in the far corner, but also scored, and since then we have generated trust in him, because you scored a goal, we will be able to give this task to you better. In the match with Chengdu, he also scored, and that's the result of trust. I think that's what we are like as a family, trusting each other, and as long as we trust each other, we will get good results eventually. This trust is gradually built up, in training, in the game.
What do you want to help the team achieve this new season?
I think too much, hahaha. I want to lead the team to the Super League, to get better results, to help the team on a higher channel, to play in a higher channel, we have to try to do well, and try to add light and color to Jiangsu soccer. In fact, this is not my responsibility alone, I expect our team to struggle together, you just have to struggle every game, the results do not matter, but we do not like to lose, even a draw, our goal is only one, win the game.
This year's tournament is still a conference system, are you more comfortable with it through the previous year's workouts?
The previous year, despite the conference system, there were only 15 races, and this year there were 34 races. Despite the fact that they were all conference races, there was a difference because there was a big span of time, and there were more races, which made a difference in terms of physical endurance and other aspects. Although I experienced the closed competition of the previous year's epidemic, I feel that this year there are greater difficulties for me to overcome.
What does the new season require of individuals?
I expect myself to lose my temper less in the new season, hahaha. Because I lose my temper less shows that everyone is doing better, usually in training, I shout a lot, but the game, I advocate encouragement, our club, including the coaching staff asked us to be positive in the game, to have positive energy, usually training can talk about the problem, but the game encouragement is very important, encouragement can make the team self-confidence to be improved, can let the players have a lot of motivation, I expect that we can put the The spirit of the previous year's struggle, in this year to a higher level, better play out.
With 11 new players signed to the team this year, bonding will be an issue for the team, how do you feel about that?
Yes, we signed 11 players, their strength is good, integration is a certain problem, but I think the players say that there is a tacit understanding, in fact, do not need to say too much, just a look, an action, know what teammates, in the end, these players have been playing for many years, although there are young players, but they are all very good, how to overcome the problem of integration is through the players shouting, in order to let each other understand each other more purpose, each person for their teammates to take more responsibility, so that these problems will be solved. How to overcome the problem of integration is through the shouting between players to make each other understand each other's purpose, each person for their teammates to take on more, so that these problems will be solved.
