Tan Long: As long as we can stand, the banner of Yatai will not fall

Special correspondent Liu Zhun reports This year, Changchun Yatai will end the first 13 rounds of the league in a way that equals the worst start in history, which is a bit surprising. Like the 2013 season, Changchun Yatai also took the prescribed action of changing the coach, "putting out the fire" of the local coach, and taking up the appointment of foreign coaches in the middle of the league, hoping to reverse the precarious relegation situation. Now Changchun Yatai needs to step up in the predicament of the key Mr., judging from the current situation, Yatai will introduce strong reinforcements to supplement the strength during the second turn, and before that, the veteran Tan Long will continue to play the role of Dinghai Shenshen Needle to lead the team forward.

◆"Football": In the first 13 rounds of this season, although Changchun Yatai worked hard, there was no good way to win. However, the fans see you fighting tirelessly in the game, and the team really needs that kind of hard work. As a veteran, what do you think you need to do well when the team is struggling?

Tan Long: I think hard work is my professional attitude. Now that the team is at a low point, it is even more important for someone to step up and pass on the belief of winning to the whole team. So, in the game, I want to set an example for my teammates by running and fighting positively, and I also want to communicate more with the young players, especially when they are losing streaks. Football is like that, the more difficult it is, the more you have to keep your eyes on the goal ahead. In fact, Wu Yake is also doing the same thing as me, several of our old players in the team took the initiative to pick up the burden of difficulty, as long as we can stand, the banner of Yatai will not fall.

◆You are the last domestic aid to join in the 2017 Changchun Yatai recruitment period. Eight years have passed, you should have been the most successful signing that year, from a player who did not have much experience in the Chinese Super League to become the spiritual pillar of the team, what has you experienced in this period?

When I first arrived, I really didn't think about such a heavy word as "spiritual pillar", and I just wanted to play every game well. Looking back on the past 8 years, I have experienced relegation, overtaking, and relegation, and every ups and downs is my growth experience. On the day of the 2020 rush, watching Yatai fans come all the way to Chengdu to cheer for the team, I suddenly understood how deep the blood of Changchun Yatai and Changchun is. Later, I found out that the young players in the team sometimes look at my reaction and the fans expect me to perform, and this feeling of being "needed" made me realize that in addition to scoring goals, I need to be a person who belongs. Treat the club as "home" and fight every game as if it were the last game.

◆In recent seasons, Yatai's captain's armband has been passed to you, how do you play the role of captain in training and games?

When you put on the captain's armband, the first thing you feel is not honor, but responsibility. In the past, as a player, you just had to take care of yourself; Now as the captain, on the field, you have to observe the state of your teammates, who is more nervous, you have to quickly shout to him not to panic. Off the field, you should pay attention to everyone's emotions and convey the coach's requirements to everyone in a more relaxed way. I think the captain is the "glue" of the team, especially when losing or encountering controversial decisions, you have to stabilize your emotions first, and then lead everyone forward. The attitude of the captain will directly affect the aura of the whole team.

◆When the team is at a low point, as the captain, how to cooperate with the coaching staff to mobilize? After the arrival of the new coach Suarez, how to help the new coaching staff complete the run-in?

Mobilization at a low point cannot rely on shouting slogans, but must let everyone see hope. In the daily communication with the coaching staff, you can understand what the core of the new tactics is, and then combine your own experience and cooperate with the training arrangement of the coaching staff with your teammates, so as to adapt to the coaching style of the new coach as soon as possible. There will definitely be pains in the run-in process, but I always believe that as long as everyone has the same goal and is willing to run one more step for each other and make up for each other, the coach's tactics can come alive on the field.

◆Do you remember the scene when you cried when it was the hardest time to relegate?

At that time, I couldn't help but reveal it. In 2018, in the key relegation battle with Tianjin Quanjian, we scored a goal at the last moment, and when we saw the cheers of the fans in the stands, we suddenly couldn't hold back. It's not because I'm excited about the goal, but because I think that season was not easy. We were still in the top half of the table, but with injuries mounting, we fell into the relegation zone and we were really anxious. Football is not just a job, when you wear Yatai's jersey, there are thousands of fans behind you, even if there is only 1% hope left, you have to fight with 100% strength. Because the moment you give up, you hurt not only yourself, but also all the people who love Changchun Yatai.

◆Football: You're 37 years old and you're still in great shape in the high-intensity Super League, how do you keep fit?

Tan Long: My "secret" is self-discipline. Daily work and rest, go to bed early every night, and adequate sleep is the most important factor to ensure physical recovery, even in the offseason; There is also the mentality, I mean maintaining the mentality of being young and "not accepting the old", and using high-intensity confrontation in training to keep yourself in shape. In fact, the body is the most honest, and it will repay you as you do to it.

◆In your usual training, Chinese 400m hurdles legend Meng Yan will help, can you tell us how this retired track and field star has supported you?

Teacher Meng Yan has helped me so much! He was a two-time National Games champion in the men's 400m hurdles and a runner-up in the Asian Games. He told me that a footballer's movement is not just a run, it has to be rhythmic and explosive. He designed a training plan for me, such as using a hurdle frame to practice changing direction, using resistance bands to practice swing arm frequency, and even asked me to learn the breathing rhythm of hurdles to adjust the running on the field. I have gained a lot from every training session with Mr. Meng Yan, which allows me to maintain my full physical fitness after the age of 35.

◆In the past two seasons, young players such as He Yiran, Xuan Zhijian, and Jing Boxi from Yatai Youth Training have been promoted to the first team, is there anything to remind them?

Seeing He Yiran and them promoted to the first team is like seeing yourself back then. The advice I want to give them is that self-discipline is a habit carved into the bones and the key to staying competitive. Take every confrontation as an opportunity to learn, in the Chinese Super League, it is never the most talented who can survive, but the people who know how to respect the profession the most. I would like to say to young players: there is no such thing as too late in professional football, only the difference between enough and not enough.

◆Good competitive condition makes your dream national team come true, and you have also participated in the Asian Games, World Preliminaries and other events, and the number of games in the club team has exceeded 200, have you ever thought about when to retire?

Retirement is a topic that will have to be faced sooner or later, but now that I am in good shape, I can continue to fight. Every time I put on the jersey of the national team and Yatai and hear the shouts of the fans, that sense of mission will overshadow the idea of retiring. When I find that I can no longer help the team, I will choose to leave, but until then, I will treat every game as if it were the last game and make my career as long as possible because football has become an inseparable part of my life.

◆It's been a very difficult league this year, and when you lose, you stand up and say sorry to the fans, how can you get the team and the fans to work together to change the situation?

Apologizing to the fans when they lose is because I know that their anxiety and the player's blame are the same. Right now, the team is really in a difficult situation, but the more difficult it is, the more you need to replace complaining with action. I think it will take the hard work of the players, the timely adjustment of the tactics of the coaching staff and the unwavering support of the fans. Next, we will solve the problems of the team in training, and hope that the fans will continue to come to the scene to cheer and cheer for us.

◆Football: What are your goals this season?

Tan Long: The number of goals scored is secondary to me. With 17 rounds left in the season, my goal is to help the team overcome relegation by working hard. On the premise of completing the relegation task, strive for the number of goals to "go to the double". If the coaching staff needs me to play in other positions, I will not hesitate to do so, because the value of a player is not just to score goals, but to be in the most crucial positions when the team needs them most.

◆Have you counted the goals you have scored since joining Changchun Yatai?

As of now, it should be 85! Every time I score a goal, I give it as a gift to the fans, and I measure my love for this team with the number of goals scored.

◆What do you think of the unprecedented difficulties encountered by Changchun Yatai this year?

The difficulties encountered by the team this year are indeed unprecedented, with injuries, run-ins in the squad, and a dense schedule stacked together. But from another point of view, this kind of difficulty can test the essence of a team. I hope that no matter in good times or bad, I can become the "anchor of the sea" on the court.

◆In Changchun, you also started to do youth training, is it a foreshadowing before retirement?

My career has reached new heights after coming to Yatai, and the land of Changchun has given me everything. So, I want to give back to my "second hometown" with my strengths. At the end of 2023, I am based in Changchun to do youth training, and has now established a step-by-step training system for children aged 4-12, especially children born in 2019. In the future, I hope to deliver some good seedlings to the Yatai echelon.

◆Your little dragon will walk into the stadium with you every home game, what is the purpose of this arrangement?

Bringing Xiaolong into the stadium was originally just to let him feel the atmosphere of football. As for whether the son inherits his father's business, I will not deliberately plan his life, if he wants to play professional football one day, I will tell him all the experience. The most important thing now is to get him to fall in love with football first.

◆As Changchun's son-in-law, you have made outstanding contributions to Changchun football, is there anything else you want to say?

One city, one team! For Changchun, we fight together!