Liu Guoliang's Recent Assessment of CNT's Six Key Male Players

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In the December issue of "Table Tennis World", Liu Guoliang made the following assessment of the six key male players of CNT.

Zhang Jike has extraordinary physical abilities, tremendous mental strength, and advanced and courageous playing styles. He’s very explosive in the arena and a man for crisis. He’s now still in his prime, rising rapidly in the last two years and already reaching the very top. He’s now the leading figure of our team. On the other hand, he has not reached a point where he has absolute advantage over everybody else, and that’s an issue that he has to address. Therefore, we are going to educate and guide him so that he is always eager and driven. The key for his success in Rio will be strong motivation and strict self-discipline.

Zhang+Jike+Liu+Guolian+Olympics+Day+3+Table+21ae9LhpCwXl.jpg

Liu Guioliang with Zhang Jike - Photo by: Feng Li/Getty Images Europe

Ma Long is very ambitious. Winning World Cup and the National Games is good but still a long way to his goal of winning a Grand Slam. Ma Long trains very hard, is good at studying the techniques , and puts a lot of effort in the sport. His overall abilities and achievements have long put him among the super-class players, and he has made great strides in psychological adjustment. Ma Long is now also in his prime. Furthermore, he has an unfulfilled dream and is therefore very eager for the Olympic champion title. He is one of the most capable competitors for Rio Olympics. However, there are some concerns about Ma Long, too. He has had a lot of experience but far less success, and he lacks the will to win at critical moments in big games. He does not have a distinctive style nor does he have plays that could deal a fatal blow to an opponent. These are the issues he needs to focus on during this cycle.

Although a crowned World Cup champion now, Xu Xin still has major issues judging from his performance in the National Games. He is relatively young, has extraordinary talent, and shined at early age. He has the dual responsibility of being the successor of penholder tradition and achieving success in that tradition. However, he did not have strong faith, did not set the bar high, and did not push himself hard enough, which resulted in being shallow in his study of table tennis techniques, soft in confrontations, and unstable in performances. That puts him in an awkward position in the team. To be honest, being at his current state, his No. 3 position in the team is far from secured, and the new generation will catch up with him soon if he slacks in his efforts.

Fan Zhendong is a rising star in the team. He has now entered into the elite group of CNT with his recent outstanding performances. People now have high expectations for him. Although people spare no effort in hoping and praising, I must caution that people should not be too enthusiastic; otherwise, we might spoil things by undue haste, and haste makes waste. He still has a lot to learn in terms of playing abilities, adjustment abilities, improvising on the scene, and experiences in big games.

Yan An is a smart guy. He has a unique playing style, his speed, touch, adjustment ability, and variation are extraordinary. When he's playing normally, he sometimes could make some unbelievable plays. However, his play is not stable and sustainable. When he's in tough situations, he lacks mental strength and nerve. He is aspiring but not persistent, clever but not grounded, strong but not courageous, stubborn and difficult to tune.Therefore, persistence, resilience, courage, and working together with his coach are the keys for his future development.

Zhou Yu has excellent physical ability. He trains very hard, and is very persistent in his pursuit. He has an aggressive playing style, high technical qualities, and a fighting spirit. He won men's single's title in 2012 Chinese National Championships with his tenaciousness. Zhou Yu is noted more for his persistence than his talent. He still has some problems with his understanding of the game, the ball touch, and variation, which are what he needs to work on in the future.
 
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Dan

says editing a big TTD Team episode... stay tuned 👀

Dan

says editing a big TTD Team episode... stay tuned 👀
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This is fantastic thanks for sharing zjkfanforever! Liu Guoliang is such a great leader for the CNT. I love what he says about Fan Zhendong, this is very good. It keeps Fan Zhendong determined and knows he needs to keep pushing forward. Success Never Sleeps :D

Brilliant read!
 
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I will probably get crucified for writing this, but IMO LG's characterization of ML as "lacking a distinguished style" is correct - ML is the perfect embodiment of classic TT technique, and he's bloody fast as well, but he does not have a unique style - unlike, say, Ma Lin or Wang Hao.
 
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