Shao Jiayi: Unable to predict what the future holds, but first ensuring a positive, healthy, and hardworking mindset.

On November 5th, the Chinese Football Association’s official website released a statement confirming Shao Jiayi as the new coach of the Chinese national team. Before this, he had revealed his coaching insights and tactical philosophy in multiple exclusive interviews with our paper.

On July 29, 2024, Shao Jiayi took over from Hisashi Kizaki as the head coach of Qingdao West Coast, which was his debut as a professional club head coach. In his first three matches, he led the team to 1 win and 2 draws, helping the struggling West Coast team escape relegation danger.

In an exclusive interview with our newspaper in August that same year, Shao Jiayi mentioned that he had been preparing for the coaching role for more than five years.“Since 2019, I have worked with various national youth teams, staying with the U15 and U19 squads until early 2023, effectively completing a full cycle of youth football development. Then I worked with the senior national team for over a year. In July this year (2024), I also completed the necessary coaching courses, so I was essentially waiting for the right opportunity.”

When discussing the situation of domestic coaches in the Chinese Super League, Shao Jiayi said:“Chinese football must rely on Chinese coaches. Only with the comprehensive growth of local coaches can the overall quality of Chinese football improve. Foreign coaches are an important supplement. Currently, most top teams are led by foreign head coaches, which is something our domestic coaches need to reflect on and strive to change. However, we must be realistic, working hard and seizing every chance to gradually improve. Actually, I have always tried to work with a head coach’s mindset. When Antonio was absent from the 2003 U19 team, I led the team with his great trust. Later, I also led the 2005 U19 team at the East Asian Games. All these experiences have been valuable for learning and growth.”

That season, under Shao Jiayi and his coaching staff, the newly promoted Chinese Super League team achieved 4 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses in 9 matches, finishing 10th in the league. This season, in their second year in the Super League, Qingdao West Coast has recorded 9 wins, 10 draws, and 10 losses after 29 rounds, currently ranking 9th.

In another exclusive interview with our newspaper in June this year, Shao Jiayi elaborated further on his tactical philosophy,“Pressing and quick transitions are very important parts of my football philosophy, but this cannot be done by just one or two players. The entire team of 11 must work to maintain proper spacing, which is something we emphasize most during training.”

He pointed out that this philosophy stems from his overseas experiences and his time as a team leader and assistant coach with the U15, U19, and senior national teams,“Our generation of young coaches has gone through a lot. For example, I have worked under many foreign coaches and had overseas experiences. After returning home, I have continuously followed German football, as well as the English Premier League and La Liga. Coaches like Antonio have greatly helped me. I believe we should follow European football’s example and play as a unit. Europe is the most advanced region in world football, and we must keep learning and understanding. My experiences leading national youth teams and the senior team have been very beneficial. I have participated in Asian competitions at three levels: U15, U19, and the senior team. These experiences helped me understand what we lack, what we need, and what opponents fear. During my time with the youth teams, the head coaches trusted me enough to give me more responsibilities, allowing me to be deeply involved in various tasks, which was invaluable experience and training.”

Less than a year after becoming a head coach, Shao Jiayi summarized his initial coaching experience by saying he “really enjoys being a professional coach,”“I feel this is the most suitable job for me, where all my years of playing experience and knowledge can be fully utilized. I enjoy dedicating myself completely to this work every day—working, training, watching matches, analyzing videos, summarizing, and planning training sessions throughout the year.”

Despite receiving much praise from outside, Shao Jiayi remains very humble, stating that he is just “at the beginning” of his coaching career,“I cannot be certain what I will become in the future or what goals I will achieve, but what I must ensure first is to maintain a positive, healthy, and hardworking mindset to face the future calmly.”