Reporter Lu Mi reported that Qingdao West Coast won several key relegation battles in a row before the break: reversing Shenzhen Xinpeng City, defeating Nantong Zhiyun, seizing the opportunity of Shandong Taishan rotation to win away, and scoring 9 points in three games. Zhang Xiuwei also opened his goal account in recent games to contribute to the team's relegation. The west coast of Qingdao has also escaped the quagmire of the relegation zone in one fell swoop and has come to a relatively safe position.
This season is Zhang Xiuwei's first season back in the Chinese Super League, and it also makes him truly experience the difficulty of relegation. In the process, he gradually matured and gained a deeper understanding of the football he loved.
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Zhang Xiuwei: The team has not yet fully landed, and everyone has not relaxed mentally. The last three league games are coming up soon, so we have to prepare seriously and give our all to play well.
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We will have a few days off during the break, so we should relax and spend time with our family during the holidays. Coach Shao also told us to adjust our physical condition during this time. Especially after the last round of games, the team also experienced fatigue and injuries of varying degrees. When I got home, I went to the doctor and physiotherapist to get my body in order and get ready for the next competition period and play the last three games well.
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Although we have gone up the rankings, we haven't opened up the gap with the next few teams, so every game is crucial for us, and we need to be vigilant before we really relax.
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Maybe our team lacked some determination and confidence in the game before, but after Shao Jiayi came, he helped us build confidence through daily training. First of all, our training volume is much larger than before, and Coach Shao said that our current training data and game data have been greatly improved compared to before. By doing this step by step, our performance has also been fed back in terms of results, and our self-confidence has naturally returned.
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Our first time playing in the Chinese Super League, we had a big defeat, which caused us to doubt ourselves. Fortunately, when it was difficult, everyone would communicate together, constantly adjust, and adjust the whole state. I think this process is very rare and something that I have rarely experienced before.
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What I want to do most is to rest, because it's been a tough year for me and for the team. Especially from the 12th round onwards, we experienced some bad results, and we also suffered a relegation crisis at one point, and our spirits were tense throughout the whole process. So if I succeed in relegation this year, I want to take my body and mind out and relax.
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Zhang Xiuwei: I actually admire him, and I can see that he has made a lot of preparations. He came back and threw himself into his work, emphasizing to us the implementation of his football philosophy. The coach is so focused on instilling in us that it will also allow our players to quickly get into his rhythm and carry out his demands without distractions, and the whole will become more unified.
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Coach Shao and Coach Yang were both very successful players in the past, both of them were my seniors, and I have a lot of respect for them. They're coaches now, and I can't predict what they're going to do in the future, but for me, it's a joy to play under them every day and I'm going to do my best every day.
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When he arrived, the team was deep in the relegation zone, and everyone might think that he would inspire us more confidence or something, but in fact, he didn't focus too much on that, but did things steadily. For example, before training, he would say that the amount is relatively large today, and everyone may be tired, but the effect of training will be fed back to our physical condition and competition later. He teaches us more about focusing on what's in front of us and how to do it well. As his player, he just needs to execute his arrangement. Confidence is something that is built up through training and competition.
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Whether in training or competition, Coach Shao's requirements for me are more clear and detailed, and I only need to do what he wants me to do. And I am more accustomed to his demands on me, so I let myself go more openly on the field.
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Yes, Coach Shao especially emphasized that the offensive and defensive transitions in the game should be carried out with high intensity and speed, which is a relatively advanced concept. It may be difficult to adapt at first, but it does help the team to do well.
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He is very demanding, and he uses his experience as a player to tell us that if you manage yourself well in your daily life, you will perform well in the game. For example, on training days, he would ask us to arrive at the base at least half an hour earlier, so that we could go to the gym first, or have coffee and chat together, which was actually preparing for the training later. This will not only reduce injuries in training, but also strengthen the chemistry between teammates. We persisted in doing so, and slowly developed a habit.
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Zhang Xiuwei: At the beginning of this season, we encountered some difficulties, and we kept adjusting our form, but with the arrival of Shao Jiayi's guidance, the team's results returned to a relatively stable state. I think it's been a very important year for me personally and for the team that has been promoted.
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These goals came a little late for me personally, but they were still important for the team and I'm happy to help them. Of the three goals, two were equalisers, especially against Shenzhen, and after I scored, we also completed the reversal. I remember when I scored the goal, I didn't even have the consciousness to celebrate, I just wanted to get the ball back and win the game. I think if you do what a good coach asks me on the pitch, the goals will come naturally.
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When I first returned to China, I was still U23, and then I experienced a lot whether it was in Tianjin or Guangzhou. Now more often than not, I have to think about something, how to do what the coach asks me of, how to make tomorrow better than today, and so on.
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From a young player to a mature player, my biggest realization is that time flies too fast. No matter what I've been through over the years, no matter what my goals have been for the club I've worked for, I feel like I haven't changed one thing, and that's what I wanted to do. The more I experienced, the more I felt like I loved football. When a professional player almost has no ball to play, or no game to play for a long time, he will clearly know what he values most and will cherish every day with football.
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I don't care, every player has a time when they're put in the spotlight and it's important not to get lost. There are so many voices from the outside that if you care too much about it, you won't be able to focus on playing.
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I hope that I can take on more responsibilities, family responsibilities, team responsibilities, and even responsibilities to Chinese football. When I first returned to China, the team was full of big brothers, and there were always people holding umbrellas when it rained. I feel that now I have to take on more responsibilities and take the initiative to do more, not for the sake of labeling, but as a reward for the cause I love.