On November 1, Zhejiang soccer star Gao Tianyi shared his experience of following the U21 national youth training in Croatia for three months.
"As the mainstay of Zhejiang U23, did the club have an opinion when the National Youth League called up?" Gao Tianyi said: "I didn't hear any comments, the call-up notice came, the club let me come directly. At that time, our team is still playing in Haikou, I don't even have a passport, special leave in Haikou local passport."
Insights from a trip to Croatia
In the Croatian game, Gao Tianyi felt a very different style of soccer from Japan: "Their overall play is very good, and the passing and receiving is also excellent. I have had experience in Japan, I know the importance of passing and matching. Croatia also attaches importance to this point, the physical quality of the players is also stronger than the Japanese players, which will help our team's overall team shape. More matches are beneficial to the growth of young players, and when we come back next year, we will probably improve both technically and tactically as well as on a psychological level."
Personal progress and challenges
Talking about individual progress, Gauthier said, "The pace here is faster, the games are longer and the intensity is higher. We still need to strengthen and our overall performance is not good enough right now."
The charm of Croatian soccer
Gao Tianyi mentioned that Croatian teams at all levels are full of love for soccer, and even non-professional teams go all out. He believes that the rhythm and level of the first division in Croatia is higher than that of the Chinese Super League, but the top-ranked teams in the second division are comparable to the Chinese Super League teams, while the bottom-ranked teams are relatively weak. His team has three victories in Croatia and believes that it would be more difficult to play against a Chinese Super League team.
Comparison between Croatia and the Chinese Super League
When asked which is more meaningful, playing here or playing in the Chinese Super League, Gao Tianyi confessed, "I think the value of playing in the Chinese Super League for exercise at home is probably higher. The quality of the matches here is good, but they are not particularly formal. In the Chinese Super League, there is a lot of pressure because of the points, rankings and season goals. Here, I just have to focus on playing good soccer without feeling that pressure of a proper match."
