Post by peterman on Oct 5, 2024 4:33:53 GMT
While China does many things well, its national soccer team is a disgrace. Despite President Xi openly declaring his love for the game, his hope to build a competitive national team and his serious attempt to root out corruption, Chinese soccer continues to be mired in scandal while a half decent team is nowhere in sight. In the World Cup Asian qualifier game against Japan on September 5, the Chinese team outdid itself by losing 0 - 7.
I grew up playing soccer every day because my school in Hong Kong, La Salle College, was one of a few in the city which had its own soccer pitch. Although I never played seriously, mainly because I was stunted, wore glasses and couldn't run if my life depended on it, I love the game, and I still watch English Premier League highlights and the occasional FA Cup finals. I have always been a fan of Manchester United and, strangely, also of Leeds United, probably from my childhood. I try to focus on their games, less so with Leeds because it is currently trying to climb back from the second tier English Football League. Maybe I can share some of my thoughts here and hopefully come up with a suggestion for China.
The first thing is to stay hopeful, because building a good team is easier said than done, and failure is normal for the best of experts. Look at Manchester United, a magnificent club packed with expensive world class talents with a long tradition of winning, generating huge revenues from a global fan base, today sits precariously at number thirteen of the Premier League standings (out of twenty teams), wondering again what to do about a manager for whom the club has invested hundreds of millions and three years to take the club down to where they are. Will firing the manager change anything? What to do? Stay tuned.
I'll share a comment I posted on a Manchester United Fan Website:
I've always had this inkling the players don't like Ten Hag (the manager). Ronaldo is a universally loved icon. The way Ten Hag treated Ronaldo is shameful*. It's incredible to see Sancho refusing to play for Ten Hag and now contributes everyday to Chelsea. And Sancho is popular in the dressing room. As a leader of men, Ten Hag is supposed to know the players' abilities and weaknesses. Instead he spent crazy money to get Anthony to sit on the bench. The way he got rid of de Gea is a disgrace. The fan favourite didn't even get a chance to bid farewell to the fans in a farewell match. For replacement, the genius paid big bucks to get a goalkeeper who lost many games for MU. Let's not talk about Mount. One can't help but notice how good players come to play under Ten Hag and in half a season turn into cripples who can't run, tackle or score. Ten Hag always has an answer in interviews. It's always the players' problems. But Ten Hag is a genius. He is making excuses great again. I can't see how great players like Rashford can suddenly forget how to outrun the defenders and score goals at will. I have a hunch these proven good players are not making the effort to gain the ball by reaching it 0.1 second quicker than the other guy. (And after two and a half years playing Ten Hag's system, they continue to play like chickens with their heads cut off and repeatedly making the same mistakes)
After the FA Cup win, Dalot's interview was telling. He thanked everyone but refused to acknowledge Ten Hag's contribution to the win. He said the players rose to the occasion. The interviewer prompted Dalot several times, trying to give him an off ramp, but Dalot resolutely refused to say it. On the contrary, he said when the players played poorly, they would have to own up to it and not make excuses (unlike the someone who kept making excuses all year long).
Here is why Ten Hag's systems won't help him because he will not turn Manchester United around. He does not have the players' respect and trust, forget about love. It's similar to a general who does not have his soldiers' respect, trust and love. He will not win many battles. Ten Hag also has no vision and inspires no one with his empty promises and excuses. If Berrada and Ashworth have any sense, they should wipe the slate clean, and this time do it properly, make a five year plan and work toward the goal with resolve.
* culminating in Ronaldo refusing to play for Ten Hag and did a told-all with Piers Morgan. It's a long story. Ronaldo walked away from the Manchester United contract, signed for a stint at a Saudi Arabia team for a couple hundred million Euros per year, and at thirty nine years of age last season, scored sixty goals and is now the highest goal scorer in history with a record unlikely to be broken. He wants to play for two more years and shoot for a thousand. No one will remember Ten Hag in a few months.
China's solution will come later. Stay tuned.
Peter Man
I grew up playing soccer every day because my school in Hong Kong, La Salle College, was one of a few in the city which had its own soccer pitch. Although I never played seriously, mainly because I was stunted, wore glasses and couldn't run if my life depended on it, I love the game, and I still watch English Premier League highlights and the occasional FA Cup finals. I have always been a fan of Manchester United and, strangely, also of Leeds United, probably from my childhood. I try to focus on their games, less so with Leeds because it is currently trying to climb back from the second tier English Football League. Maybe I can share some of my thoughts here and hopefully come up with a suggestion for China.
The first thing is to stay hopeful, because building a good team is easier said than done, and failure is normal for the best of experts. Look at Manchester United, a magnificent club packed with expensive world class talents with a long tradition of winning, generating huge revenues from a global fan base, today sits precariously at number thirteen of the Premier League standings (out of twenty teams), wondering again what to do about a manager for whom the club has invested hundreds of millions and three years to take the club down to where they are. Will firing the manager change anything? What to do? Stay tuned.
I'll share a comment I posted on a Manchester United Fan Website:
I've always had this inkling the players don't like Ten Hag (the manager). Ronaldo is a universally loved icon. The way Ten Hag treated Ronaldo is shameful*. It's incredible to see Sancho refusing to play for Ten Hag and now contributes everyday to Chelsea. And Sancho is popular in the dressing room. As a leader of men, Ten Hag is supposed to know the players' abilities and weaknesses. Instead he spent crazy money to get Anthony to sit on the bench. The way he got rid of de Gea is a disgrace. The fan favourite didn't even get a chance to bid farewell to the fans in a farewell match. For replacement, the genius paid big bucks to get a goalkeeper who lost many games for MU. Let's not talk about Mount. One can't help but notice how good players come to play under Ten Hag and in half a season turn into cripples who can't run, tackle or score. Ten Hag always has an answer in interviews. It's always the players' problems. But Ten Hag is a genius. He is making excuses great again. I can't see how great players like Rashford can suddenly forget how to outrun the defenders and score goals at will. I have a hunch these proven good players are not making the effort to gain the ball by reaching it 0.1 second quicker than the other guy. (And after two and a half years playing Ten Hag's system, they continue to play like chickens with their heads cut off and repeatedly making the same mistakes)
After the FA Cup win, Dalot's interview was telling. He thanked everyone but refused to acknowledge Ten Hag's contribution to the win. He said the players rose to the occasion. The interviewer prompted Dalot several times, trying to give him an off ramp, but Dalot resolutely refused to say it. On the contrary, he said when the players played poorly, they would have to own up to it and not make excuses (unlike the someone who kept making excuses all year long).
Here is why Ten Hag's systems won't help him because he will not turn Manchester United around. He does not have the players' respect and trust, forget about love. It's similar to a general who does not have his soldiers' respect, trust and love. He will not win many battles. Ten Hag also has no vision and inspires no one with his empty promises and excuses. If Berrada and Ashworth have any sense, they should wipe the slate clean, and this time do it properly, make a five year plan and work toward the goal with resolve.
* culminating in Ronaldo refusing to play for Ten Hag and did a told-all with Piers Morgan. It's a long story. Ronaldo walked away from the Manchester United contract, signed for a stint at a Saudi Arabia team for a couple hundred million Euros per year, and at thirty nine years of age last season, scored sixty goals and is now the highest goal scorer in history with a record unlikely to be broken. He wants to play for two more years and shoot for a thousand. No one will remember Ten Hag in a few months.
China's solution will come later. Stay tuned.
Peter Man