Reported by reporter Chen Yong The newly-promoted Chengdu Rongcheng has performed quite well this season. So far, they have played 16 rounds with 7 wins, 6 draws and 3 losses, ranking seventh in the Chinese Super League. During this period, they set a record of 5 consecutive victories and 11 unbeaten rounds. In the last two games, they have They defeated Guangzhou City and Changchun Yatai respectively.
In the eyes of many fans, the Chengdu Rongcheng lineup does not seem to be very strong, but the mental outlook and actual record shown this season have exceeded many people’s expectations. In this team, there is a player that fans are very familiar with – goalkeeper Geng Xiaofeng.
He debuted in Taishan, Shandong, and once joined Shanghai Shenhua and Hebei Huaxia and other giant teams at the time, but Geng Xiaofeng’s career was not smooth sailing. He was once on loan to Hohhot, a Chinese League One in the 2020 season, and last season, he was on loan to Wuhan Three Towns to help the team successfully rush to the Super League. , and then joined Chengdu Rongcheng. Returning to the Chinese Super League after a lapse of two years, the 35-year-old Geng Xiaofeng performed well. Chengdu Rongcheng lost only 3 games in 16 games (the team with the third fewest losses in the Chinese Super League, tied) and conceded 15 goals (the team with the sixth fewest losses in the Chinese Super League, tied for the sixth). ), Geng Xiaofeng contributed greatly.
Chengdu Rongcheng has fully cooperated with the three generations of old, middle and young generations this season. In addition to 35-year-old Geng Xiaofeng, the team also includes 37-year-old Liu Tao and Gan Rui, as well as 19-year-old Hu Hetao and 18-year-old Muta Lifu. , like Zhou Dingyang and foreign aid Romulo, Felipe also played a very important role. This newspaper conducted an exclusive interview with Geng Xiaofeng. He talked to reporters about the strong performance of Chengdu Rongcheng, his teammates, and of course his own football insights.
◆“Football”: Chengdu Rongcheng’s performance this season is very good, and it is currently in the forefront of the Super League, which makes the fans who follow the team very happy. How to interpret the team’s previous performance?
Geng Xiaofeng: One more game, even if it is halfway through the league, the team can achieve today’s results, as players, we are also very proud. As for the reasons, I think there are many aspects.
The first point must be the firmest support given by the group and the club to the team. Our investment in the Chinese Super League may not be as high as that of some clubs with high investment, but it is very stable, which can make everyone in the team feel at ease and focus all their energy on the game, and the club is also not good in team formation. A lot of work, I think this is very important.
The second point is that the whole team is very united. From the management to the coaching staff to our players. We have old players like Liu Tao, Gan Rui and me in our team, as well as 18- and 19-year-old young players such as Hu Hetao, Muta Lifu, and more middle-aged players, although the biggest age gap is close to 20 Years old, but everyone is working hard for one goal, which is to do their best to achieve the best results for Sichuan football and Chengdu football. Everyone’s ideas are very consistent.
Another very important point is to have a stable preparation period. For a league with a long schedule, a stable preparation period is too important. During this preparation period, the training arranged by the coaching staff headed by Xu Zhengyuan was very cruel, but everyone persevered. This kind of arduous training helped us Physical reserves throughout the season provide a solid guarantee.
The last point is that we are mentally prepared for a long and hard race. As we all know, in the 2021 season, the Chinese League has played 34 rounds, the 2020 Chinese Super League has only 20 rounds, and the 2021 Chinese Super League has 22 rounds. We went through a long Chinese Premier League last season, and this season’s Chinese Super League is also 34 rounds, so everyone is fully prepared and has more full expectations for various difficulties. I think this is also very important.
◆In the first 8 rounds of the season, the team did not win, and it was divided into two stages. One was a two-game losing streak at the beginning, and then it was a six-game tie. Did the team also suffer from pressure after such a start?
Two-game losing streak to start. The first game was really not suitable for the Chinese Super League. The warm-up game was still different from the official game, so we were a little uncomfortable in the psychological, technical and tactical level of the first game, but we gained experience and lessons from it. Although we lost the second game against Guoan, I think we played very well and were very tenacious. We gained confidence in that game.
As for the six consecutive draws, although there was no victory in this process, there was no loss either, including the draw with Shenzhen and Guoan, who had lost before. In this process, on the one hand, everyone showed tenacity and the spirit of not giving up, on the other hand It was also through the official game that we further developed our skills and tactics, including further familiarity with the Chinese Super League. In fact, Lian Ping also laid the foundation for our subsequent winning streak.
Starting from the ninth round, Rongcheng has won 5 consecutive victories, and then although they lost to Shandong Taishan, they have won 2 consecutive games in the past two rounds. The team’s mental outlook, technical and tactical performance and results are very satisfactory to the fans.
This process really makes us proud. In fact, from 6 consecutive draws to 11 unbeaten rounds, it is a very short transition. After we won the game in the ninth round, everyone felt that our persistence, our tenacity, our The persistence of not giving up has finally been rewarded, and confidence has come out. With more and more victories, everyone’s confidence will be more abundant. We all know that there will definitely be difficulties in future games. For example, we lost to Shandong Taishan after 5 consecutive victories.
◆Chengdu Rongcheng shows a holistic style of play, and the team’s passing control is very good. As a newly-promoted horse, why dare to choose this style of play?
Although it is a newly promoted horse, everyone hopes to fully show themselves in terms of performance and technical and tactical performance. The coaching staff has corresponding arrangements at the technical and tactical level. We play overall football, we will not be conservative, we dare to attack, and dare to Pass control, and we’ve always done that in pre-season preparations. In fact, everyone is more focused, running more actively, and running more empty and without the ball, which naturally allows us to play better at the technical and tactical level. Now the team is running relatively smoothly in the game, which is what we are more pleased with.
◆What do you think about the team’s goals?
I definitely hope that the team can continue to have a stable and excellent performance and show the style of Chengdu football as always. Of course, more importantly, I hope to see Sichuan fans as soon as possible. The Chinese Super League will resume home and away games from the 11th round, but we still Didn’t fight with the fans at home, so looking forward to it.
◆“Football”: There are still several veteran players in the team, such as central defender Liu Tao and Gan Rui. As veteran players, I am afraid that they have more common topics with them. What do you think of the team’s veteran players?
Geng Xiaofeng: They are all 85-year veterans. Liu Tao is the central defender and Gan Rui is the wing back. We must constantly echo and cooperate on the back line. They are also the captains of the team. They play a very important role in the team. The most impressive thing is the preparation period for winter training. At that time, our training volume was very large and the training was very hard. It was more difficult, but they were always leading the way, all the training was done, and the two veterans set an example.
◆Many fans are very concerned about Zhou Dingyang. He is also an “old man” of the Chinese Super League and an important midfielder. How do you evaluate his performance?
He is also very important to our team. He is very important to the defensive hardness of our midfield and his role in the transition of offense and defense. He also has a very strong dedication, constantly running, constantly defending, and playing very well. Tough, this provides a solid barrier in front of our line of defense.
◆Everyone is also very concerned about your other teammate Felipe. It is very interesting that in the first 9 rounds, he did not score a single goal, but then scored 4 goals in a row. Can you tell his story? ?
In fact, as a striker, he has been unable to open the scoring account for a long time, and his inner pressure is relatively high, but the whole team has always supported him, reducing the pressure as much as possible, and not letting him carry burdens, because everyone knows that he is in The ability shown in training is very good, is a good shooter, he has achieved success in Korea. We often chat with him and tell him that there is no need to rush to prove himself, just calm down, once the goal account is opened, we all believe that his goals will continue to come, because he has this ability, and the facts have proved it at this point.
In fact, it was the same for Malkang back then. He also went through such a process. After coming to the Chinese Super League in 2019, he did not score a goal until the 9th round of the league that year. I also chatted with him at that time. I said that you scored in the K-League in 2 years. Small 50 goals can be achieved in the Chinese Super League now. As long as you get used to it, scoring goals is a very simple matter. In the end, he also opened the scoring account very naturally. Now you see Malcon, the number of goals is far ahead in the Chinese Super League. . The same is true for Wagner. He used to be a member of the German national team and Bayern Munich, and he wears the No. 9 jersey. He has scored many goals in the German national team, and he has also scored consecutive goals after a dozen rounds of scoring drought.
Maybe the foreign players in the middle and backcourt will adapt faster after coming to the Chinese Super League, but the players in the frontcourt, especially the center, need the support of their teammates, so the running-in and cooperation with each other is very important, but after this process, Their strength will come out naturally.
◆Just now I mentioned veteran players like Liu Tao and Gan Rui. This year, there are two young players in Chengdu Rongcheng, 19-year-old Hu Hetao and 18-year-old Muta Lifu. What do you think of the performance of the newcomers?
Hu Hetao plays at the left wing-back. I will communicate more with him on the field. This is the first time he has entered the first team. Muta Lifu plays in midfield, either as an attacking midfielder or a defensive midfielder. We will also communicate frequently on the field. , he also entered the first team for the first time this year.
A very important point is that they are all cultivated by Chengdu youth training. Everyone knows that I was trained by the Luneng youth training. Needless to say, the popularity of the Luneng youth training, and Hu Hetao and Muta Lifu are a gift from the Chengdu youth training to Chengdu football, which in turn shows the strength of the Chengdu youth training: Players trained by their own youth training can enter the first team, and after entering the first team, they have performed very well, which is eye-catching. They have played a lot of games and scored goals, which is also very good for the team. , which is really a very gratifying thing.
To be able to play in the top leagues at their age and to have outstanding performance is also a huge asset for our team, and for the Chengdu youth training, it is bound to further enhance confidence and belief.
In fact, many members of our team are from the Chengdu youth training, such as Feng Zhuoyi, Li Jianbin, Wang Hanlin, Xiang Baixu, Min Junlin, including our team’s goalkeeper Xing Yu, they are all trained in the Chengdu youth training, so our team The brand of the team Chengdu is very obvious and clear. In other Chinese Super League clubs, there are also many players from the Chengdu youth academy, all of whom are familiar names, such as Zhang Xiuwei, Peng Xinli and so on.
This year, Chengdu Rongcheng is in the Chinese Super League. I feel that Chengdu Football has been working hard all the time, and the youth training has been persevering. With enough accumulation, you can grow up quickly at the right time.
◆“Football”: You are 35 this year. In the past two years, you have been relatively stable. Last year, you helped the three towns in Wuhan to rush to the Super League. This year, together with Chengdu Rongcheng, you also performed well in the Chinese Super League. But in the past period of time, your experience was actually quite bumpy. , How do you evaluate your career?
Geng Xiaofeng: Every experience is wealth. The most important thing is that I can persevere. When I was 13 or 14 years old, Xu Kuiwu, the old coach of our Guangdong Mingfeng, told us eight words: order and prohibition, perseverance. It’s his style to order and forbid, he’s from the military, so he requires us to strictly follow the order, and once the coach decides, we have to do it with all our strength, and that has always affected my football career. Of course, the more important thing is to persevere. I have always remembered these eight words, and finally persevered, and I have come to this day.
◆Going to China League One twice in 2020 and 2021, what was your experience like?
When I went to Hohhot, it was Chen Yang Chen and Liu Junfeng Liu who gave me a chance to play football. I am really grateful to them. We ran into them again in the game against Changchun Yatai a few days ago, and I felt very happy and cordial. In Hohhot, my teammates and I successfully completed the task of relegation, including myself, the data in terms of saving and attacking are all high over the years.
I came to Wuhan Three Towns last year. Although Wuhan Three Towns were in the Chinese League at that time, the team had ambitions and plans, and they wanted to go all out. For me, it should actually be seen as an opportunity and a brand new one. Challenge, I am very lucky to be able to come to Wuhan, the heroic city, to accomplish a great goal with the team. In the end, my teammates and I completed the goal of Chongchao in the three towns of Wuhan. When I rushed to the Super League, I felt a sense of happiness, which was also a wonderful and unforgettable experience.
◆When you were in the three towns of Wuhan, remember that you also had assist data. Long balls helped Malcon to score goals, and 11 of 23 games were kept clean.
At that time, the assist helped Malcon complete the lore, and we continued the momentum of winning streak. As for the clean sheet data, it was done by the whole team, of course, as a goalkeeper, it is also very gratifying. So I say, it’s a wonderful experience.
◆Interestingly, you have been playing against your old club recently, first against Hebei, then against Shanghai Shenhua, and then against Shandong Taishan, including the last game against Changchun Yatai, although not with your old club, but guided by Chen Yang The team you lead will face the three towns of Wuhan in the back, which is quite strange to you, right?
It’s amazing, I feel very kind to see them, every club I’ve played for has a lot of memories, a lot of good memories, these clubs have my very good friends, and I often think of the days with them, I also follow their games a lot.
Of course, now I am more grateful to Chengdu Rongcheng. They extended an olive branch to me this season. I also got my wish to stand in the Chinese Super League again two years later. I am very grateful to them. All I can do is to do my best. To return, after coming to this team, I was also attracted by the unity, passion and hard work of the team, and I was very happy.
◆Now that you are 35 years old, do you still have a love and passion for football?
For so many years, no matter when, there is love and passion, and now nothing has changed. I still have a goal, and this goal has not been completed. I will not say what this goal is. I will go all out in accordance with this goal. When the time is right, I will say it in the future.
◆Last question, how long do you plan to play in the future?
I don’t think about this issue now, because I still have love and passion, and I have been focusing on the training and competition now. In the future, I think the longer my career, the better, but if I don’t contribute to the team one day in the future, I will naturally I will choose to retire, but I don’t think about it now, I just want to prepare and play every game with my teammates in Rongcheng.
