Undefeated to TOP5 + second place in the standings! Xu Zhengyuan: The current situation is better than I imagined

Reporter Lu Mi reports On the evening of May 17, Chengdu Rongcheng was forced to draw 1-1 at home by Qingdao West Coast because of one less player, and did not enter the break with consecutive wins.

This result is somewhat regrettable for Chengdu Rongcheng, but it is undeniable that Chengdu Rongcheng has become a strong contender for this year's league championship. From April to May, Chengdu Rongcheng remained undefeated, not only defeating the old enemy Shandong Taishan, but also beating the Shanghai Shuangxiong in a row, and remained undefeated against the top five teams.

From the end of the previous break to the arrival of this break, about a month and a half in between, Chengdu Rongcheng played 11 league games and remained unbeaten. During this period, Chengdu Rongcheng's three draws were forced to draw at home by Yunnan Yukun and Qingdao West Coast, and one was a 1-1 draw away against Beijing Guoan. At present, Chengdu Rongcheng has 30 points, ranking second, only 2 points away from Shanghai Shenhua at the top of the list.

When summarizing the team's performance in the intensive schedule at this stage with reporters, Xu Zhengyuan said that in fact, the team suffered its first defeat of the season in the second round, and there were some worries. 'It takes a lot of time for the new players to settle into the team this year, but they have adapted better than I thought. To be honest, it's better than I thought it would be. The reason for this is that we have been training well and we have anticipated such an intensive schedule in winter training, so we have scheduled a match every three or four days in winter training, and so far the players have adapted well so that they can cope with such a difficult schedule. ”

Xu Zhengyuan said that on the whole, Chengdu Rongcheng's tactical play is relatively stable. Judging from the 13 rounds of games that have been played, the three-center-back system implemented by Xu Zhengyuan, coupled with the emphasis on side attack and the combination of side and center, although it has been known to many teams, it is difficult to crack. The cooperation between the new players and the existing players this season is very tacit, and the tactical requirements of Xu Zhengyuan are also well digested, which further improves the effectiveness of this style of play. "I think that's why we've done so well at this stage." Xu Zhengyuan said.

In the second round of the home 1-2 defeat to Jinmen Tigers, Chengdu Rongcheng's first defeat of the season came a little early, but it also gave Xu Zhengyuan and the whole team a good reminder that the team must enter the league quickly, and always maintain a high degree of concentration while maintaining a stable tactical play. In the last interval, the coaching staff made thorough preparations in order to prepare for this stage of the intensive schedule. Xu Zhengyuan said: "We have been preparing seriously for the next match. Although it was not easy under the intensive schedule, the players maintained a high level of concentration and the coaching staff kept asking of the players. I often tell them that if we want to maintain a strong fighting force, if we want to compete for a higher position, we need to face more pressure, think more, and prepare more carefully. "The important thing is that Xu Zhengyuan asked for it, and his players did what they were asked to do, and then everyone was pleasantly surprised to find that the results at this stage were better than expected.

Last season, the club put forward a clear goal, which is to enter the AFC Champions League, and in the end, Chengdu Rongcheng ranked third and qualified for the AFC Champions League. This year, although the club did not explicitly state that it wants to compete for the league title, it is now nearly halfway through the schedule, and Chengdu Rongcheng has become a strong contender for the league title.

After the first 13 rounds of this season, Chengdu Rongcheng has played against the top five teams, except for the away draw with Beijing Guoan, the other games have been won. It is worth mentioning that Chengdu Rongcheng challenged Shandong Taishan away, and this opponent can be regarded as the "nemesis" of Chengdu Rongcheng. Last year, the league and the FA Cup played three times, Xu Zhengyuan was "three kills" by his predecessor Cui Kangxi, and this opponent has become the mountain that the Rongcheng team and Chengdu fans want to step over the most.

The first meeting between the two sides this season was in the 4th round, during which the pressure on Chengdu Rongcheng was quite high, because in the 2nd round they suffered their first defeat of the season, and in the 3rd round they drew with Guoan away from home.

Chengdu Rongcheng thought about winning the game, but winning the game 3-0 smoothly was unexpected. This "successful revenge" is of great significance to Chengdu Rongcheng, they have climbed the mountain they once wanted to climb the most, and they also defeated themselves last year.

So what is the difference between this year's Chengdu Rongcheng team and last year? Xu Zhengyuan said: "We are more mature and calm, and we have a stronger desire to win. I have the confidence and determination to win this year and I'm sure so are our players. Therefore, in the match against Shandong, we completed our revenge. But that was only the first leg, and the second game was at our home stadium, so we will maintain the same fighting power and will to meet the match against Shandong. ”

Starting from winning Shandong Taishan, Chengdu Rongcheng has more confidence in the face of the traditional strong teams of the Chinese Super League, defeating the harbor away, winning Shenhua at home, and slashing strong teams in the intensive schedule, which is not easy for a "young team" like Chengdu Rongcheng.

Xu Zhengyuan said: "The most important thing is the strong will quality and firm determination, which is the foundation, but it is not easy to do. This is my fifth year with the team and what I've been saying to the players in the past few years is to have a strong will, because we are professionals, not amateurs. At this point, our players are doing better than before. To have a strong will, you can't do it without our motivation and fitness, and we did a very good job in training, which is the main reason why we are unbeaten at this stage. ”

At this stage, Chengdu Rongcheng is the best team on the defensive end, conceding only 8 goals in 13 rounds, the fewest in the Chinese Super League. On the offensive side, there are currently as many as 10 goals in the team, and domestic players such as Wei Shihao, Yang Mingyang, and Yuan Mincheng are in hot form. Wei Shihao scored five goals and ranked first in the team's scorer list.

Felipe has not scored in 9 rounds before, everyone knows that he wants to break the goal drought as soon as possible, and all his teammates are also helping him as much as possible, in the 12th round of the 4-0 victory over Meizhou Hakka, Wei Shihao, who has already made a contribution, has been trying to feed Felipe, and he said frankly at halftime, "I just want Felipe to score a goal." "In the 13th round against Qingdao West Coast, Felipe finally got the scoresheet.

This relationship of competition and mutual assistance fully reflects the team spirit of the whole team and allows each player to maintain their best condition.

In this regard, Xu Zhengyuan said: "If you want to show a good performance in the game, the most important thing is to be in shape. When the coaching staff meets every day, they will confirm the state of each player through the opinions of each coach, and will also adjust the state of each player through training programs, and adjust the state of the players to the best through a variety of ways and means. Every player is in competition with each other, and our coaching staff will also look at who is in better shape through their competition among players in the same position, and then choose the best player to play, not because you are a national team player and you will definitely be able to start, I believe that competition with each other is also a way to keep the players in the best condition. ”

At this stage of the game, the performance of defender Yuan Mincheng, midfielder Yang Mingyang and Wei Shihao was very eye-catching, and they also stabilized their position through their own efforts.

The schedule is very intensive, but Xu Zhengyuan has not rotated a large area in the core position, especially in the midfield position, and the "double ocean combination" of Yang Mingyang and Zhou Dingyang has stabilized and plays a vital role in the entire tactical system. Zhou Dingyang has continuously topped the Chinese Super League running list, and Yang Mingyang's aura is also deeply loved by Xu Zhengyuan. He said: "Yang Mingyang is a player we have always wanted to bring in, he has helped our team a lot when he comes, and he is also very suitable for our tactical system. Our other midfielders are also doing very well at the moment, and we will definitely rotate accordingly in the AFC Champions League and league games in the future. ”

After surviving the intensive schedule of April and May, the Chinese Super League has entered a break period, Chengdu Rongcheng needs to summarize the gains and losses of this stage as much as possible, such as the last round of home was drawn by the West Coast, Xu Zhengyuan was slightly unhappy with the team's performance, he believes, "Because we are professional coaches and professional players, if we want to become a stronger team, then I and the players need to reflect, such as how to deal with the situation after being sent off for red and yellow cards, being equalized by the opponent after the lead, and working harder in the next preparations. Be more humble. In his opinion, although the team has done well enough, there is still room for improvement.

This year's test for Chengdu Rongcheng is all-round, not only to stabilize the results in the league, but also to play the AFC Champions League for the first time, including to compete for the FA Cup. Multi-line operations have relatively high requirements for rotation ideas and bench thickness.

At present, Caron, who is recovering from his injuries, is still unable to train with the team, and Xu Zhengyuan also hopes that with the help of the interval, the injured soldiers in the team can recover in time. When asked whether there will be personnel adjustments in the summer window, Xu Zhengyuan said: "After the end of the first half of the season, although we don't know if there will be personnel changes, but generally speaking, each team will have some changes, if we want to play the league, FA Cup, AFC Champions League 3 fronts of the game well, we need a certain amount of rotation, then we will make certain personnel adjustments according to the actual situation of the team and the transfer market." ”