Interview with Henan coach Sergio Ramos: Shaping a more aggressive and beautiful football

Reporter Lu Mi reports At the end of April, Henan Club officially announced that Nanji left his post and Portuguese Ramos became the team's new coach. Ramos came to Zhengzhou with the ideal of "beautiful football", and on the day he arrived, he watched the team go from leading to being reversed, and finally lost 1-2 to Wuhan Three Towns.

After taking office, Ramos faced the dual problems of insufficient physical fitness of players and the imbalance of the team's lineup, he took "full dedication and high-intensity training" as the fulcrum, trying to "pry" the team forward, and in terms of personnel use, Zhong Yihao and Huang Zichang were re-included in the main lineup, transforming Nazario's position, and exchanging "trust for fighting spirit", hoping to improve the team's combat effectiveness.

The second transfer period of this season is approaching, and the Henan team is also promoting the work of recruitment, hoping to strengthen in individual positions. Henan fans want to see Ramos' Henan team quickly get out of the predicament after the start of the second half of the league.

◆Football: When you first arrived in Henan in early May, you watched the team's first game, and the Henan team was reversed by the opponent, what did you see wrong with the team?

Ramos: I saw through that game that there was a lack of consistency in the team as a whole, and over the course of 90 minutes, the overall form was up and down, and there was no rhythm of their own. Maybe it's also because we've been reversed more than once this season, when we're leading on the pitch or when things are deadlocked, our players don't look confident enough. The goal is always conceded in the last moments, which is caused by the lack of concentration in the game.

◆The first game you played in was against Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, Nasario scored first, and the team scored three goals in this game, but in the end they lost 3-4, did you feel that it was a little difficult to change the team?

Yes. At the time, I felt that we were lacking in mental construction and tactical planning. Once again, the team showed its inexperienced shortcomings, as evidenced by the two goals conceded in the closing stages. Before that game, I only had two training sessions to fine-tune and I realised that in the rest of the training, in addition to implementing my tactics more thoroughly, I also needed to strengthen the mentality of the players.

◆What do you think about the frequent reversals, with sporting director Vela pointing out that the lack of fitness and the imbalance in the squad structure are the main reasons?

I agree with Bella's judgment. When I took over, the team was in a lower level of fitness and there was real room for improvement in the personnel structure. For example, we have three players in our positions, and there are not enough players in some positions, which is very unreasonable. I didn't use that as an excuse for the team to be reversed, but to send positive signals from the moment I arrived. My coaching philosophy is based on three pillars: first, everyone in the club matters; Second, we need to maintain a balanced mentality to win and lose; Third, you must be fully engaged and maintain a high level of intensity in your daily life.

◆With the FA Cup, you've played 4 games with the team, so you already know the team well, right?

We've had almost 20 training sessions and four competitive games so much more than I know about the players than I did when I first arrived. Through my day-to-day interactions with the players, coaching staff and staff, I have important information about them that helps me to get the best out of each member.

◆Now that the team is only three points clear of the bottom two, has the confidence of the players suffered? Have you communicated with them?

We are unbeaten in the last three games and our performance has improved, which shows that the players also recognise my tactical philosophy and the tactics are executed perfectly. I now maintain daily and high-quality communication with the team members, and whenever they want to come to my office, the office door is always open. We discuss topics that are not limited to physical, technical, mental, and tactical. For example, Wang Shangyuan, I have had many in-depth communications with him, and we have had very good discussions about my requirements and his needs.

◆Changing the coach in the middle of the game is actually a risky thing for the coach and the team, why are you willing to take the risk in an unknown league?

To be honest, when I interviewed with Bella, Bella told me the truth about the club, and I saw more of the potential of the club. There are two reasons why I came: first, the club believes in my coaching philosophy and believes that I can help the club; Secondly, my coaching team and I strongly believe that we can bring about positive change in the team through professional work. It was because of mutual trust that I accepted the risk.

◆Football: The last league game before the break was against Zhejiang, in which Henan had the advantage in all the statistics, but in the end only managed to get a draw. What's the problem, and what do you think the team needs to improve?

Ramos: To be honest, I'm quite satisfied with the game against Zhejiang, statistically speaking, we have the initiative 70% of the time, but our requirement is to strengthen the control of the non-dominant time period. What needs to be done is to keep the tension between the thirds, to improve the organisation of the press, to improve the discipline of the position, to be clear about where we are attacking, to optimise the tempo and efficiency of the finish. For example, when we are ahead, we can't be too conservative, we maintain tactical discipline, the front line is on top at the right time, and we give the defenders more time to react, which is what we will ask for more in the future - we can't back down after taking the lead.

◆Against Changchun Yatai, you won the first win after coaching the Henan team, and in the last two games, the content of the team's game has gradually become clear, and the players are very cooperative with the implementation of relevant tactical requirements.

My philosophy is to improve possession, and maybe players would be more comfortable with this kind of football than they had been in the past with a more conservative style of play. My request is to create a more aggressive and beautiful football, which is in line with the expectations of the club, the fans, and brings better spectacle to the game.

◆Some foreign coaches have also put forward the concept of "beautiful football" before, but the problem is that sometimes the ability of the players may not be able to support such requirements, how will you choose between results and tactical pursuit?

We have to keep the style of play and show our attitude, but it doesn't mean that we have to unify the attacking style every game. It's definitely about reacting in real time to different games and different opponents according to the situation. If the opponent is very strong and we can't play the style that we are used to, then we have to come up with a second plan. The beautiful football I ask for is attacking football, but it also requires caution in attack and defense, and being more efficient with the ball when you have it, which is the most important thing.

◆In terms of employment, the obvious change you brought is to include Zhong Yihao and Huang Zichang in the main lineup, and let Nazario retreat to play in the back, what are the considerations for such an arrangement?

I hope that through some adjustments in the position, everyone can be motivated to play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses. Nazario dropped back to give him more possession and improve the safety of his ball, and he is currently performing very well in his new role. In the future, if I need to, I can also put him up front and let him threaten the opposition goal more. Speaking of Zhong Yihao and Huang Zichang, I feel that they have a very strong desire to play and a desire to help the team, which is in line with my employment criteria, and they are also very good at integrating into the new tactical system.

◆With over 700 games under your belt, having coached teams in Portugal and Saudi Arabia, how has your coaching experience influenced your coaching style?

I started in the third division of Portugal and always pursued attacking football with a balance between attack and defence. All along, I have been more concerned about the team cohesion, scientific planning and daily details, and I am good at delegating my teaching assistants to carry out training work, and if there is a problem, we will make changes in time. Now that I'm in the Chinese Super League, I think it's a very important juncture in my coaching career, and it's a wonderful thing to be able to help a team grow. We have now led the team to four games and we have not lost possession. The key is to reshape the perception of the players through training and to translate the concept into a habit of the game – which takes time and the belief of all the players.

◆Football: The team closed on May 28 to prepare for the new stage of the Chinese Super League, what is the current situation of the team?

Ramos: It's about two and a half weeks until the game starts, and we're going to use that time to improve our tactical build-up, improve our physical, mental and technical precision, and hopefully we'll be in the perfect technical and tactical shape before the next game.

◆The two opponents we are about to face are Chengdu Rongcheng and Shanghai Port, which are very strong, how much do you know about the other opponents in the Chinese Super League at the moment?

In my opinion, they are a very strong team in the Super League, and I will use team analysts, combined with video and data, to understand the opponent and make corresponding strategies. The overall competitiveness of the Super League is good, some teams have very good players, and the structure is also very reasonable. Overall, I feel that the Chinese Super League is very professional and very attractive

Gravitation.

◆With the summer transfer window just around the corner, what are the club's plans in terms of signings? What types of players do you want to bring in to strengthen your squad?

At the moment, our technical department is actively operating, with targeted reinforcements in the positions we want to strengthen. I know that it will be difficult to operate in the summer window and there is little space, but I will try to operate effectively through communication with the club to improve the competitiveness of the first team, and the current plan is to bring in two or three domestic players.

◆Henan have a lot of players on loan, and they are all relatively young, will you pay attention to their situation in the lower leagues?

I don't think the level of league they're in is the primary criterion, but I look for three things: the willingness to fight, the spirit of action, and the ability to infuse the team with the qualities they need. I'm a coach who is very willing to give young people opportunities because they can grow when they are given the opportunity. Like I said, I like to see the team grow and the development of the players is part of that.

◆How do you communicate and collaborate with the club's sporting director, Beira, on the construction and development of the team?

Bella was my guide to Henan, and I am grateful for his trust and the courage of the club's hierarchy. We have always maintained a strategic dialogue with the same frequency of ideas - not only based on the current refined preparations, but also with a long-term perspective to outline the development blueprint. Together, we are laying the foundation stone for the future.

◆What kind of team do you want to build Henan team into? What kind of efforts does the club need to make to achieve this?

I want to build Henan into a strong team that should not be underestimated in the Chinese Super League. This requires the management to accurately introduce reinforcements with a strategic vision, and the whole team to form a joint force in technical and tactical iteration and youth training hematopoiesis, and finally build a systematic team that is firmly in the middle of the group and has a higher impact.