Last season, Chengdu Rongcheng achieved remarkable results, ranking third in the Chinese Super League (CSL) and successfully securing a spot in the AFC Champions League. However, Xu Zhengyuan, the 54-year-old South Korean head coach, is not content with this achievement. Taking advantage of the off-season, he has personally financed a trip for his coaching staff to Europe for further learning.
Xu began his tenure as the head coach of Rongcheng in December 2020. He has been in this position for four years. Prior to coming to China, Xu had served as the head coach of Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the South Korean league for six years, accumulating rich experience.
Under Xu's leadership, Chengdu Rongcheng has made significant progress over the past three years, achieving a "three-level jump." In 2022, the team ranked fifth in the CSL; in 2023, they moved up to fourth place; and in 2024, Xu successfully led the team into the top three, just behind the Shanghai duo in the league standings.
Xu hopes to lead the team to even greater success next season, believing that he and his team still have much to learn. According to Sichuan media reports, Xu has always been a learning-oriented coach. Over the past few years, he has made it a habit to travel to Europe for learning during the off-season. This year, he has continued this practice.
It is reported that Xu brought a total of five coaching staff members on this trip, including three South Korean assistant coaches, one Chinese coach, and one Korean translator. With a grand lineup, Xu's six-person team embarked on a "pilgrimage" to Europe.
Notably, all expenses for the European trip, including airfare, accommodation, and match tickets, were paid for by Xu himself. To promote the progress of his team, Xu believes this investment is worthwhile.
In an interview with South Korean media, Xu's words were touching: "As a head coach, I want to cultivate talent, so I am leading the team to Europe to observe advanced football. Only through this can our team make progress."
During their European tour, Xu mainly visited two countries: the United Kingdom and Germany. In the UK, they watched two matches: Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur vs. Chelsea. In Germany, Xu reached his main objective: to study the tactics of Bayer Leverkusen and Mainz.
Both German teams employ a three-center-back formation, which is also the system Xu commonly uses in Chengdu. During his time in Europe, Xu recorded numerous videos and meticulously studied every detail of the Bundesliga teams' pre-match, in-game, and post-match activities.