Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, February 1st, interview Wu Xi: as long as you play, you will have a desire for victory
Xinhua News Agency reporter public Soldiers
although the Asian Cup journey of Chinese men’s football team has ended, the national football team fought bravely during this period, the picture of longing for victory is still in front of us.
In the quarter-final of the Asian Cup, the national football team played against Iran. In the 25th minute, Wu Xi was replaced because of thigh muscle strain. For the rest of the time, he sat on the bench with thick ice pack tied to his legs, willing to “kill the enemy” and unable to return to the sky.
This is the second Asian Cup in Wu Xi’s career. The key player who helped the national football advance to the top eight in the last Asian Cup said when evaluating the performance of the national football team: “Although we have completed the basic goal of entering the top eight, we are still very sorry that we have not been able to go further and look forward to contributing more to the team in the future.”
In this Asian Cup, Wu Xi almost contributed all his strength to the team. All five consecutive games started, and two times they were injured in the game. The most heard sentence from the narrator was: “Wu Xi again. At both ends of the attack and defense, Wu Xi can always be seen……” He became the “workaholic” of the Chinese team in this Asian Cup without dispute “.
After the group match with Philippines, Wu Xi left two bloody wounds on his calf. Looking back now, he said: “The competition with the Philippines is really fierce. I am also such a kind of character. Once I get on the court, I will not think about anything else, dangerous balls will also rush up. It is my greatest wish to pay for the team, and it is also a professional player’s due attitude, let alone this is a national team game. Minor injury and minor illness will not affect my enthusiasm for the game. As long as I play, I must show my enthusiasm for the game and desire for victory.”
As the main midfield of the national team, Wu Xi is indispensable in Lippi’s tactical system, and he has switched positions many times in the middle and front court. He also goes all out to repay the trust of the manager in every game. Wu Xi said: “In the preparation before the Asian Cup, the coach may feel that my forward consciousness and defensive enthusiasm are more suitable for his play. All five games started, which fully affirmed my understanding of technical and tactical intentions, and I always had a strong desire to play.”
After continuous high-intensity combat, Wu Xi suffered muscle strain due to fatigue in the final round of the group match against South Korea.
Wu Xi recalled: “The match against South Korea was really tiring. Before the match, the coach found me and asked me to play the match. He also told me that he would not let me play for 90 minutes. The ball was still a little tired. As soon as the leg was stretched, the leg was close to the strain. Although it was not very serious at the end of the game, it was still afraid that it could not play the game behind. After that, I also went to the treatment every day. I may have the longest time in the infirmary. I have to go to the treatment in the morning, afternoon and evening. In addition to the instrument treatment, I also need a needle. That leg (right leg) there are countless pinholes in the back, and it looks horrible. The warm-up before the competition requires massage, which really costs a lot for the competition.”
But for Wu Xi, what impressed him most in this Asian Cup was that the team fell behind passively in two matches (against Kyrgyzstan and Thailand respectively), “Tenaciously, the score was peaceful and reversed. Everyone twisted it into a stranded rope, very united, and finally put the game together”.
For this national team whose average age is over 29 years old, it is imperative to change between the old and the new. As a player of the second generation, Wu Xi will also shoulder more responsibilities. “In terms of national team construction and personnel exchange, it is normal to change between the old and the New. Now young players are still late to enter the national team. I hope they can enter the national team earlier through hard work, through this platform, we can play against high-level Asian players and feel a higher level of football. I will also try my best to impart experience to young players, and I will communicate more with young players in training, competition and life.”
With Wu Lei’s successful landing in La Liga, Chinese football may set off a climax to stay abroad. For Wu Xi, who is about to turn 30 years old, his willingness to stay abroad is no longer strong, “I had the chance to stay abroad when I was 24 or 25 years old, but I failed to make a trip for various reasons. Foreign countries still need to be cultivated from an early age. Players should feel the advanced training methods in Europe and absorb the advanced football concepts in Europe, including living and training in Europe, which is of great help to their growth, there are many such cases in Japan and South Korea. I hope the young players can seize the opportunity to experience on the high-level platform and grow as soon as possible. I also hope that more Chinese players will go out in the future to make Chinese football better and better “.