Meizhou captain Liao Junjian: I am eager to supplement the Chinese Super League, please treat us as the Guangdong team

Reporter Wang Wei reports On November 2 last year, the Meizhou Hakka team lost to Shandong Taishan in the final round of the Chinese Super League and was unfortunately relegated. On January 6 this year, after the Chinese Football Association announced the list of professional league admittaries for the 2025 season, the Meizhou Hakka team ignited the hope of returning to the Chinese Super League. Recently, Meizhou Hakka team player Liao Junjian said in an exclusive interview with this newspaper that the Meizhou Hakka team has begun training, and the whole team is eagerly waiting for the moment of the Super League, "The Meizhou Hakka team will have big changes in the new season, and there will be many young players entering the first team next, and we look forward to building a different team from the past." I hope that all walks of life and fans in Guangdong will support the Meizhou Hakka team as Guangdong's own team. ”

◆Football: Junjian, hello, it has been more than two months since you were relegated from the Chinese Super League on November 2 last year, do you remember the situation at that time? Have you ever thought about what you can do to improve the team to avoid this situation from happening again?

Liao Junjian: I think the relegation of the team is caused by many aspects, such as our age structure is not advantageous, and we have not done so well in terms of technical and tactical preparation, and we have experienced injuries.

It was certainly difficult to play away from Tarzan in the final round, but we were determined before the game to try our best to win. In the same period of the game, Nantong Zhiyun took the lead in the first half, but Shenzhen Xinpeng City then overtook 2-1. We knew it at half-time.

We had chances on the pitch but the mistakes that led to the goal were a big blow to our morale. At the final whistle, the whole team was very uncomfortable and frustrated because everyone didn't want that to be the case and the players didn't experience relegation. That night, everyone's mood was very low.

In fact, everyone tried their best in the last game, although trying their best may not get the best result, but as long as everyone does their best, they are worthy of the club and themselves, and I think this result is also acceptable.

◆The Meizhou team has a lot of Guangdong elements, and it will receive strong support from Guangdong Electric Power and Xingfa Aluminum in 2024. What kind of support would you like to receive in the future?

It is not easy to have a top team in the small county town of Wuhua County, Meizhou City. The team started in the amateur league and it took more than 10 years to reach the top flight. The owner has put a lot of effort into the team and hopes that the team will develop better, but the reality is that it is indeed difficult to maintain a team of the Super League in Meizhou, especially for the club's investors. I hope that the fans of Guangdong can regard us as the Guangdong team, in fact, the players and coaches of our team have represented Guangdong in various competitions. If the team can return to the Chinese Super League this year, it can be said that it will also retain a place for Guangdong football in the top league. It is hoped that Meizhou Hakka can get more support from Guangdong Province and Meizhou City, so that the club can develop more healthily and perfectly.

Speaking from the heart, it is not easy to rely on private bosses to feed the professional first team and echelon, I hope that the province and city can give us more development planning support, and I hope that everyone will pay attention to and support the Meizhou Hakka team.

◆Football: What are some other memorable events from the 2024 season?

Liao Junjian: Whenever we play at home, not only fans from Wuhua and Meizhou, but also fans from Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chaoshan will come to support us. In this regard, we are very grateful to Guangdong fans for their support to Meizhou Hakka.

◆If Meizhou Hakka succeeds in supplementing the Chinese Super League, plus Shenzhen Xinpeng City, Guangdong will have two top league teams, but both teams ranked relatively low last season, what do you think?

The investors of our club have persisted for more than ten years, which is not easy, and now they especially need the support and support of all walks of life, which is very important for the sustainable and healthy development of Meizhou Hakka Football Club.

Guangdong football is in great need of a strong team to stand tall in the Chinese Super League. Guangdong's football youth players have a certain level, and now they need to be provided with a platform and time to temper in order to form a virtuous circle. For Guangdong football, we must have the determination to roll up our sleeves and work hard, and everyone will do things together.

◆On January 6, the Chinese Football Association announced the access list, judging from the current situation, Meizhou Hakka is expected to make up for the Chinese Super League, what are your moods now?

After the team was relegated, there was a lot of attention to the information about access. The Chinese Super League is the highest level of Chinese football, and we are all looking forward to Meizhou Hakka returning to this stage. We have been waiting for so many days, for the club, the preparation of the Chinese Super League and the Chinese League is different, and the investment is also different. After seeing the list of candidates for the Pro League on January 6, the club immediately organized its squad to prepare for the 2025 league season.

Now that a lot of teams have started winter training, for us it is also very passive because the Chinese Super League is still more than a month away from the new season, so we are now desperate for the moment when we will really make up for it.

◆Football: What are the teams doing now to prepare for the new season?

Liao Junjian: Now that the club has let the players return to Meizhou Wuhua, there will be big changes in the team this year, mainly in terms of the replacement of the old and the new, and many young players will join the first team to compete in the professional league this year. The club hopes that the team will have a new feeling, let more young people join the first team, make the team more energetic, show a youthful and high-spirited feeling in the 2025 season, and play the style of Meizhou Hakka football.

◆Meizhou Hakka has been hovering in the relegation circle last season, can it develop in a different way this year?

In the new season, the club has more players to change, and from the perspective of familiarity and understanding of the players, the Milan coach who returned to the team last year will have an advantage, so that he will lead the young players more easily, and it will be more helpful for the young players to integrate into the team, and the effect will be better.

◆What is the strength of the players from the Meizhou Hakka youth training system? Can they integrate into the team very quickly?

I think the overall strength of the young players at all levels of Meizhou Hakka Football Youth Training is still good, and the training conditions, living conditions and competition conditions they have experienced are much better than when we were young. In the process of growing up, they have also achieved good results. In the past, when we were training in the first team, the young players of the echelon would rotate to the first team to train, and one or two or three players would participate in each time, so that they could feel the atmosphere of the first team, which was very helpful for their growth.

They are all the wealth of Meizhou Hakka Football Club, and if they want to grow faster, they must be allowed to join a higher league platform and see stronger opponents, which is helpful for their rapid growth.

◆Last year, your team used 19-year-old Wei Zhiwei in the final stage of the league, and he improved quickly through the game. Now in the U16 national junior team, there are also outstanding players such as Wen Zhanlin, Lai Jiantao, and Wei Xiangxin from Meizhou Hakka. If these young players were given more opportunities, would there be more room for the team to develop?

From my point of view, it's time for the younger players to take on more of the stuff. To be honest, 20-year-olds are not young anymore, and in the Euroleague, eighteen or nineteen-year-olds have long been in the first team. I think these young players should be given more opportunities and the players who have the quality will definitely be able to withstand the pressure.

They will grow faster through the platform of the professional league, such as Wei Zhiwei, who was selected for the Under-21 national team last year and got a start in the team. It's obviously different when I come back to our team, I have a lot of confidence on the pitch, both receiving and passing. The team always has to take the step of using young players, and you can't always expect the old players to play.

◆Back then, you were selected for the national team during the Lippi period, but in the end regretfully withdrew from the training camp, do you remember the situation at that time?

At that time, I had trained well in the national team, and I partnered with Zhu Chenjie in central defenders, and the coach at that time, Lippi, encouraged me and hoped that I would play a greater role in the national team. I remember that the national team was training at the Xianghe base, and we played against the echelon team of Beijing Guoan, and the opposing players pressed me during the confrontation, causing some injuries, and I could not continue to participate in training at that time. Later, I couldn't catch up with the national football team, which is really a pity, but in retrospect, I feel really sorry, and it was also the best time for me to be in the best shape at that time. Of course, that's the case with football, hard work is one thing, and sometimes it's a bit of luck.