Summary: "Ground yourself, seek luck, add talent, and practice dominance."
In preparation for the U18 finals of the first National Student (Youth) Games, the Shanghai U18 soccer team coached by Xu Genbao has been frequently challenging strong opponents in Shanghai recently, honing the team through warm-up matches and accumulating real-world experience.
Recently, Shanghai U18 team, as a young team, was defeated by Shanghai Shenhua with a large score difference, but Xu Genbao still expressed his satisfaction: "The key is to let the young players experience the rhythm and strength of the Chinese Super League, and to find their own shortcomings - I hope they can draw on the essence of heaven and earth and get good luck to improve their talent and enhance their dominance."
Preparing for the event, the warm-up challenge is difficult
In late May, 80-year-old coach Xu Genbao announced that he would lead the 2005/2006 Shanghai men's soccer team to the inaugural 2023 Scholastic Youth Games and the 2025 Greater Bay Area National Games. in June, the team managed to qualify for the final stage of the tournament, which will be held in Hezhou, Guangxi, in early November.
The Shanghai U18 team has been warming up in preparation for the final of the Youth League soccer tournament, "playing small against big" to improve the team's tacit understanding.
In order to prepare for the first National Youth Schools Association finals, especially to solve the problem of the scarcity of domestic high-level games, Xu Genbao decided early: first to go overseas training. September, just recovered from the second Yang Xu Genbao in Ulsan, South Korea, a number of high-quality warm-up matches, the team believes that the "harvest is very fruitful".
In October, Xu Genbao's strategy is to "play big with small" for four warm-up games - the first two warm-up games, Shanghai U18 team and two years older than their own Shanghai U21 ladder team to play; the third game, Xu Genbao chose to challenge the extremely difficult opponent! --Shanghai Shenhua, currently in the top three of the Chinese Super League table.
Facing the Chinese Super League pros, the under-18 amateurs won and lost. Even so, Xu Genbao still called Wu Jingui: "You'd better send your main players, so that our young players can feel this level of competition and feel even better." Wu Jingui quickly agreed: "Not only all the main players, but also the foreigners will participate!"
Xu Haoyang, Liu Ruowan vanadium, etc., are the disciples of Genbao base, and now in Shenhua to pick up the beam.
In the Shenhua lineup, there are many disciples from Genbao base, such as Cao Jieding, Aidin, Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Shenglong and so on. Xu Genbao shook hands with the disciples who played on the bench this time.
In the first half, both teams played with full strength and Shanghai U18 team fell behind 0-2; in the second half, both teams replaced their substitutes one after another. The non-professional youth players exposed their disadvantages in body, strength, technique and ability, and Shanghai U18 team finally lost by a big score.
Despite the fact that the win was not in doubt, Xu Genbao still watched the entire game, his trademark loud voice constantly ringing out. He gave a thumbs up to the familiar Shenhua players, such as Cao Jieding, Xu Haoyang, Zhu Chenjie and Jiang Shenglong, praising their teacher for his decades of rooted professionalism.
The heart is in the right place, and Jin Gui Genbao has a tacit understanding.
Xu Genbao led the Shanghai U18 team to Kangqiao for a warm-up match. The current Shenhua coach Wu Jingui not only attached great importance to it, but also gave enough face to his predecessors. In Wu Jingui's opinion, Xu Genbao is the first coach in Shenhua's history and one of the founders of Shenhua brand. Therefore, the Shanghai U18 team fully enjoy the Kangqiao "super VIP treatment" - the game on the best conditions of the central field, after the game "guest team" in the cafeteria to eat before dressing and showering. Before the match, Wu Jingui accompanied Xu Genbao to visit Shenhua's new swimming pool and fitness center.
Youth teams challenge Super League teams to find gaps and gain experience by playing small.
In 2001, Wu Jingui assisted Xu Genbao as Shenhua's assistant coach, and there was a good understanding between the two champion coaches.
Xu Genbao and Wu Jingui are the only gold medal local coaches in the history of Shanghai Shenhua. In 2007, when Xu Genbao was coaching in Shanghai Dongya, he had three times to fight against Shanghai Shenhua: the first time, Jimenez was the head coach, and was forced to draw 1-1 by the 18-year-old "East Asia Doll Army" in Kangqiao; the second time, Shanghai Dongya beat Shenhua "Shenhua United" 3-1 in Genbao base. The second time, Shanghai Dongya beat Shenhua of "Shen United" by 3-1 at Gembao Base. At that time, Jimenez had just been dismissed, Wu Jingui was ready to put out the fire; at the end of the year, when Shanghai Dongya was about to go to Kunming to prepare for the final of the Second Division League, Wu Jingui, who was the head coach of Shenhua, once again acted as the head coach.
"In 2007, Zhang Linlin and Cao Miao Ding were only 18 years old and Wu Lei was only 16, so we forced the newly merged Shenhua to a draw." Xu Genbao said bluntly that he was also 17 years old, but he could feel the change in Shenhua's strength between time and space. "In 2007, he played 1-1. at that time, Shenhua's foreign coach was very ordinary, the team did not take shape; now (Wu) Jingui pinched the team very well, the overall team shape and formation have changed. At first glance, he is well-trained."
On July 14th, Shanghai Shenhua Club Chairman Gu Jiqing and Head Coach Wu Jingui made a special trip to the island to visit Xu Genbao, the first head coach in Shenhua's history.
Although it was only a warm-up match, Shenhua took it very seriously. Club chairman Gu Jiqing also came to the stadium to greet Xu Genbao and invited the coach to participate in Shenhua's 30th anniversary activities at the end of the year. Xu Genbao also gave special thanks to Shenhua for their support of the Shanghai All-China Team. "We represent Shanghai in the Youth Institute and the All Games. Shenhua is willing to participate in warm-up matches with us, which means helping Shanghai soccer training. I want to thank Shenhua for their support."
There's one more match to go, so expect the champ to warm up.
The second day of the Lunar New Year in 2023 marks the 80th birthday of base founder Xu Genbao. He has been working quietly at the base for 23 years. As a famous Chinese soccer player, Xu Genbao has trained ten batches of disciples, such as Gao Hongbo, Fan Zhiyi, Xie Hui, Sun Xiang, Wu Lei and Yan Junling. Throughout his coaching career, he has always been at the forefront of Chinese youth soccer training.
On an experience and psychological level, the Shanghai U18 squad's experience has been greatly enhanced by playing against Chinese Super League rivals Shenhua.
In the 2023 season of the Chinese Super League, Shanghai Tang's two Chinese Super League teams have achieved good results, in which Xu Genbao and the soccer base people have been quietly paying for 23 years. Wu Lei, Yan Junling, Zhang Linmiao, Wang Shenchao, Lu Wenjun and Cai Huikang remain the backbone of the team, with Wu Lei and Yan Junling being the core players of the national soccer team. Similarly, Shanghai Shenhua has performed well this season, with Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Shenglong, Xu Haoyang, Liu Ruofan and many other outstanding young players from the Genbao base, of which Zhu Chenjie and Jiang Shenglong are also included in the national soccer list.
Prof. Xu Genbao's Shanghai U18 team consists mainly of the 2006 age group Shanghai Harbor ladder team training at Genbao Base, and also includes outstanding age-grade players from a number of clubs, including Shanghai Shenhua. The 1989-1991 age group, represented by Wu Lei and Yan Junling, and the 1999-2000 age group, represented by Zhu Chenjie and Jiang Shenglong, have been living, training and playing at Genbao Base for a long time. In comparison, this Shanghai U18 team has not been organized for a long time and does not have an absolute advantage in terms of overall strength in the country.
The first Student Youth Games, known as the "First Student (Youth) Games of the People's Republic of China", were held in Guangxi this year.
In Xu Genbao's plan, we have to play the fourth warm-up match, but the opponent and time have not been determined yet. 20, Shanghai Harbor will be in the Chinese field, which theoretically may end the suspense of the league. Genbao revealed: "The fourth warm-up match has not been booked yet. I want Wu Lei to win the match, so I will try to book the championship warm-up match to continue to open the eyes of young players and find the gap."
