Interview with teenager Yang Haoyu: Fearless of competition within the team & Wu Xi often guides me, reading books and relaxing before the debut

Contributing Writer / Gan Hui "When God closes this door, it will surely open another window for you." This sentence is very suitable for Yang Haoyu this season.

At the beginning of the year, Yang Haoyu was selected for the U20 national football team and missed the U20 Asian Cup, which was a big blow to any player who had a pursuit. Fortunately, when the window of the U20 Asian Cup was closed to Yang Haoyu, another window was opened. It was Slutsky who opened this window, and it was also Yang Haoyu himself.

Finding hope in difficult situations is an ability that every strong person needs to have. Only by getting out of the predicament and regaining one's strength can we start another day. Yang Haoyu did it.

In fact, the No. 8 position is the most competitive position in the Shenhua team, and new and old international players such as Gao Tianyi, Xu Haoyang, Li Ke, and Wang Haijian can all play. However, Yang Haoyu, who has zero experience in the professional league, stood out through the winter training in Haikou, was appreciated by head coach Slutsky, and was promoted to the main force of the team.

Last week, Yang Haoyu, who had just passed his 19th birthday, accepted an exclusive interview with "Football" and shared his football insights from 0 to 1 in Shenhua and the past half a season.

◆Football: How would you rate your performance so far in 11 league appearances, five starts, two goals and one assist?

Yang Haoyu: I'm quite satisfied, after all, I played in the No. 8 position, and I just played in the Chinese Super League. Of course, there are still many things that need to be improved and improved in this process, and I will continue to work hard, and at the same time learn from my big brothers to further improve and improve myself.

◆Which one was the most memorable?

The first game of the league was the opening match after the opening ceremony.

◆Why is it a game against Changchun Yatai? Your first team debut was the Super Cup.

Super Cup, the whole thing is a feeling of ignorance. When it came to the league, after all, it was the first time to represent Shenhua in a home game, and it was also the opening ceremony, and there was a home atmosphere created by so many fans. Although Super Cup Shenhua fans also create a home feel in Kunshan, it is still different.

◆You've scored goals lately, so you've been impressed with those two goals, right?

The first goal was against Meizhou Hakka away from home, Brother Monkey (Yu Hanchao) passed to Mineiro, I was far away at the time, but I just came on the field and I have more energy, so I will definitely follow up. Then Mineiro passed it to me, and it was easier to score. The second one (against Qingdao West Coast) I didn't expect it, but I was lucky.

◆Doesn't it feel like a goal in the Super League, especially at home?

Yes, it does feel different at home, the atmosphere is very nice and enjoyable.

◆After scoring his first goal in the Chinese Super League, what special reward did he have for himself?

No, I think it's a good start, step by step.

◆Football: This is your first time training with winter training this year, what kind of mood did you take to Haikou from Shanghai?

Yang Haoyu: It's more relaxed, I think I used to learn from the big brothers, and then I can show my own characteristics.

◆Slutsky's winter training is very intense, your first time in the first team's winter training, how did you keep up, did you have a difficult stage?

The first few days of winter training were particularly impressive, almost all of them practiced twice a day, and the intensity in the morning and afternoon was very high, and the only thing I wanted to do after practicing was to lie in bed and rest. And his teammates are very dedicated to training, so I don't dare to slack off a little.

◆I heard that you practice a lot, what is the main practice?

My own shortcomings, such as physical confrontation, as well as hitting the door, foot skills, etc., will be practiced.

◆There are veterans Wu Xi and Yu Hanchao in the team, and Wu Xi also plays the No. 8 position, can he also learn a lot from them?

They are very professional and spend a lot of time in the gym preparing and recovering before and after each training session, and we are slowly following them up. And they're very serious in training, that's the kind of role model, so if they can do it, there's no reason why our young players can't do it.

◆Do you usually talk to Wu Xi about the experience and experience of playing the No. 8 position?

Yes. Brother Xi sometimes tells me alone how to play the No. 8 position, how to pick up, how to insert forward, and so on. Brother Xi has helped me a lot, and I am very, very grateful to him.

◆What type of midfielder do you want to be?

I want to be a versatile midfielder, and the midfielders who are trending right now are very versatile, attacking and defending.

◆Shenhua's midfield is full of talent, and it is the most competitive of the three lines, what do you think of this competition?

I think it's good, there is competition to improve, and the atmosphere in our team is very good, whether you can play or not, the big brothers will teach the young players by example and I will accumulate and improve through more games. When I'm watching a game off the field, I pay more attention to my teammates in the same position, how they read the game, how they use their technique. For example, Brother Tianyi's (Gao Tianyi) crosses and set-piece skills are the direction I want to learn and improve.

◆What has been Slutsky's greatest help to you?

The greatest help must be a confidence boost. He always puts a lot of trust in the young players and makes us dare to play on the pitch. If we don't have a lot of trust, we will be nervous and intimidated on the field.

◆Football: Your debut at Shenhua was the Super Cup at the beginning of the year, when did you know you would start?

Yang Haoyu: When I was training on the field before the game.

◆Surprised?

It was a surprise, but in the confrontation a few days before the game, I played with the main team, so I will guess whether it is possible. It's just that at that moment, it was quite unexpected.

◆After you knew that you would start, did you share it with your family and friends? I know your father was also a football coach.

I didn't tell them, I didn't want them to be nervous with me, I still liked to take it myself.

◆Did you have insomnia the night before the Super Cup?

I usually go to bed early, and I did think about a lot of the next day's game that night, but then I slept well.

◆Are you the kind of player with a big heart?

No, when I was a kid playing football I was very nervous. I remember playing in the (Shandong) Provincial Championship when I was about 10 years old, and I couldn't run immediately when I went up, and I couldn't hold the ball when I was so nervous. Because it's the first time I've played such a big game, I'm very nervous. The Super Cup was not so tense, but then the first and second games of the league were still quite tense, more tense than the Super Cup.

◆The Super Cup is a winner, or a port, why is it not so nervous?

Maybe because I haven't played before, I feel a little more excited than nervous.

◆When I returned to the hotel after the pre-game training, did I have any special preparations? For example, watching the opponent's video, the characteristics of the opposing harbor players, etc.

These coaching staff will prepare in great detail in advance and give us a look and analysis. I kept reminding myself to relax, that I couldn't keep my nerves tense before the game.

◆How do you relax? Do you play games or listen to songs?

Before the Super Cup, I mainly read books, and I like to read novels. Usually, I also look at the big five leagues to see how people relax and play.

◆Did the manager or coaching staff take any special care of you before the Super Cup?

In fact, it should be reminded that the coaching staff said at the previous preparation meeting, including the entire winter training, we often review the training and warm-up game videos for detailed analysis. On the day of the game, when I arrived in the locker room of the stadium, the head coach called me over and told me not to be nervous, to relax a little, to think about how to play during training and warm-up games, and to play as usual in the game, believe me has no problem.

◆Standing on the court, will there be a lot of ups and downs and fluctuations in the mentality?

Yes. Because the real game is definitely not what you imagined in the room. When I imagined it in the room, I felt that it was no big deal, watching the five major leagues, including the Chinese Super League, I felt that they were quite relaxed on the field. But when I get on the field, I'm still nervous.

◆Football: You should have started playing when Chinese football was at a low point? How did it start?

Yang Haoyu: My dad is very fond of football, although he has not played professionally, his love for football has not changed, it can be said that I have been nurtured since I was a child. He said that I was quite talented when I was a child, and he took me to the path of football.

◆At what age did you start playing?

I touched the ball at a very young age, and my dad took me to play at the time. The training should be in the first grade, and when I enter the school team of the elementary school, I train almost every day.

◆When did you decide to follow the path of professional football?

In fifth grade, I was thinking about going to school or playing football. Later, because I really thought that I had a good talent in football, I came to Shanghai in the sixth grade.

◆Why did you come to Shanghai?

I saw a lot of places all over the country, and finally decided to come to Shanghai. At that time, the 06 echelon of Shenhuajiang Town had just been formed, and I felt that there might be greater opportunities to join at the beginning of the team. Then from Jiangzhen to Kangqiao, the road was relatively smooth.

◆Haven't encountered anything special that has caused you to fluctuate?

It's all small fluctuations, such as some injuries, the most serious one is a medial collateral ligament injury, which lasted almost 8 months.

◆Your father is always with you, and I heard that sometimes when you go to a training camp, he will come over. Was he very helpful and influential to you?

That's for sure, he's my football coach. When I was a child, my dad always followed, and then when I went to the Kangqiao base, he often stared at me through the fence during training matches, and then every time I came home, he would guide me in the details of training.

◆Liu Chengyu and Wang Yudong are participating in the World Preliminary Tournament with the national football team, is this also an incentive for you?

Yes, my goal is definitely to be in the national team and play for my country.