Host: In the past four games, Dalian Pro got 2 draw and 2 lost games. Does the result reach your expectation?

Rafa: "If you analyze the teams, we have played two teams that list the top of Chinese football. You analyze the style of competition, it could happen. But I am really pleased with the players’ performance, the commitment, with the effort".

In the past four games, what advantages and disadvantages has the team exposed?

Rafa: "Obviously, we are a young team, with a lot of inside energy. We saw that because we do not give up until the end. At the same time, the disadvantage is the lack of experience. Sometimes you pay when you make mistakes and you lose points".

Do you think the team has reached the best status?

Rafa: "For us, every game is important. We learn something more when we talk about young players. They are improving and it is a matter of time. I think they will get better because the team is training really well".

When do you think the team will reach the best status?

Rafa: It is really difficult to say. I think the second-half performance they played against Shanghai Shenhua is good. So I am really pleased with the performance they have played. Hopefully, we can see this performance in the next game.

Football is matter of results. Four games without one winning, has you felt the pressure?

Rafa: "As I said before, we played against the top sides. You have a young team. So far, I think we are unlucky in some games, but we are very competitive. We could win any of them. This is my feeling. It is disappointing that we didn’t do it, but we are doing well to sustain the game to the last minute. I will more worried if we cannot compete, but we are competing in every game. We have chance to win the game".

After the match, will you pay attention to the online comments of you and the team?

Rafa: "No. I hope the young players just focus on the training session, not worrying about what people will say. When you analyze football, analyze performance, you need to know what is going on during the week. So, we know the players are working really hard and we are really pleased with that. If the Chinese football wants to grow, to improve, what they have to do, is to concentrate on the training sessions, coaching, working of the players, not just the final score. We have to support the young players and help them to develop".

So far, Rondon lists top of the scoring list and Tong Lei ranks the top of assisting list, but the team ranks second last in the table. Do you have some concern about that?

Rafa: "The good thing is that you see they are high in the stats. It is positive always. But in terms of the team, the young players are growing, you see Tong Lei, Dong Yanfeng, Wu Wei, Sun Guowen, they are getting better. And if you have Rondon at the top of scoring list, it is not just him, because of all of them to help him score the goals. My job is not to praise Rondon and I know him very well. My job is to make sure the Chinese players improve. They are getting better".

With the youth storm this season, which players have reached your expectation?

Rafa: "I give some names now. Wu Wei, Tong Lei, Dong Yanfeng, Sun Guowen, Li Shuai. These players are trying to improve, trying to learn what you want to teach them. That is really pleasing to see Cui Mingan coming from the bench and making a difference, making impact. And Lin Liangming, we have a lot of young players and they are doing well. That makes me happy to see how they progress, how they train, how they learn every week.

Last summer the team signed Cheng Hui, Shan Huanhuan and Zhou Xiao. But they seldom get match opportunities. How do you evaluate their situations in the team?

Rafa: "The key word is balance. We are using some young players but the others have to wait a little bit. The situation of Huanhuan, we are working now because he is injured. They also need more time. We are giving chance to all of them. They just need to push and make my decisions difficult".

What comments will you make about the new foreign players?

Rafa: "With the change of the rules, you have to change the kind of foreigners you are looking for. We were lucky to have found Dannielsson and Larsson. Now Boateng is coming back from injury. And with Hamsik and Rondon, I think we have a really good balanced group of foreign players. They work hard. They try their best for the team. I am happy with them because you see Rondon is top scorer. All of them make contribution to the success of the center forward".

Why have you chosen Hamsik to be the captain this season?

Rafa: "You see the players you have on the pitch. Normally Marek used to be there, and he has experience in international level. His inspiration for the whole team, he works really hard, that was the idea. The option we had before was Zhang Chong. The keeper is too far away from the middle of the pitch, so we choose Marek because he could be more useful for the team".

We have talked about the blueprint of your coming to Dalian. So far one year has passed, is everything going well as you planned?

Rafa: "The main thing that has changed the world is the virus. The league is different. The rules are different. So, everything has changed a little bit. Now we must adapt. Obviously, we are trying to the things in the same way. We are working hard with the young players, with the academy, the system. We are trying to promote these young players. But the way the competition is going on is different. So, the project is still there, but a lot of things have changed, and we have to react depending on that. The idea is similar. We have the training ground, we have the young players, we must cooperate with them to improve, to use the facility we have. The virus has changed the timing a little bit".

Dalian is called the city of soccer in China. How do you think about that?

Rafa: "We knew the history, the past. I understand the fans would like to see the team to get back to that level quickly. But as I said before, the change of the rules, the change of the situation around the world, make it difficult to fine the foreigners that can inspire the team and make a difference. So we have to bring good professionals, good players, but we have to give them some time. At the same time, the Chinese market is very complicated, so you have to produce your own players and they will need time. So, players aging between 25 and 28 are normally in the big clubs, you cannot have these players. You cannot forget that last year we are one of the oldest team, now we are the youngest team in the super league. That means we will need some time. But anyway, we want to win".

Rebuilding the football system of Dalian Pro is a long-time project. How long do think to accomplish the rebuilding process?

Rafa: "I am happy with the things we have done. The culture of the schools, the academy, the youth system. Little by little, we have changed the methodology. We are now just ready to produce these players, these kids in this case, to give them something to keep improving. They will grow and they will arrive in the first team. Every year, what we have to do is to promote the young players. In two of three years, we have a team with enough experience, enough quality to compete against the others. In the meantime, you must try to win games. Obviously, it is a matter of time of young players. A young player in Europe could be 19, 17, 20 years old. Here the young players could be even 24. We have 4 years difference. What we have to do is to keep promoting young players and be sure the young players we have now will be experienced in 3 or 4 years".

You have been in China for more than one year. What things should China do to improve the football?

Rafa: "To give chance to young players. You have some senior players with quality. But if you want to compete in ten years, you have to give chance to young players, to grow, to get the experience at different level, to encourage them to try things even when they make mistakes. These things they should carry on. I was in Italy, Spain and England. When the young players make mistakes, the job of the coach is to encourage them to try again, try again and try again. In China, sometimes the people start pointing at the young players, blame them for the mistakes. That is the wrong thing to do. We have to encourage them to try again even when they make mistakes. This is the only way they can learn, they can improve. In the training session, I will not worry about the mistakes, I will get worried if they do not try. If they try again and again and, in a few weeks, they will get better and better. If they learn to do that, they will be more competitive. So the project, the progress, is not to win a couple of games. It is to prepare the basic that you can be successful in the future, not in a couple of games. To do that, you have to prepare the basement, to give them the principles, you have to teach them the principles. With that, they can improve, and every week faster. If not, you just win one game, you are happy with that, but you do not learn anything. So, we must make them think, learn and improve".

This is your first time attending such kind of competition, how do feel?

Rafa: "Nobody has the experience. This special situation around the world. Normally it is 5 days, 7 days, or a couple of weeks. But so many days together in a place like that, it is not easy. We have to adapt. It is a different kind of experience but always you can learn from anything".

What have you learned from this experience?

Rafa: "We stay here longer, and I will improve my Chinese".

What Chinese have you learned so far?

Rafa: "Only the ones I can use in the games. ‘Baohu’,’Zhuyi Shenhou’,’Damen’. ‘Shangwuhao’ and goodbye. (hahaha)".

Have you got used to the Chinese dishes? Which Chinese dish do you like the best?

Rafa: "I am practicing trying different things. Sometimes we have pizza, hamburger, dumplings, and seafood. Seafood is really good in Dalian".

What kind of Dalian food you like best?

Rafa: "Cherry. At the right time, they are really good".

I often saw you talking to members of other teams. You have many old friends here?

Rafa: "Paolo, the brother of Fabio Cannavaro, the assistant of Donadoni, Giovanni, you met them outside the games, you communicate with them the information of the football in Europe, about the competition, the players. Yeah, I spend some time with them".

Will you discuss other teams' performance in the super league with them?

Rafa: "No. We talk about Chinese football. We talk about the difficult interviews they do sometimes. Like this one with a difficult question. Seriously we talk about football in general, Chinese football, the highlights we saw on TV and things like that".

There is long time you have not update your blog on the website. When will you update?

Rafa: "I am preparing one for the couple of days. You have to find something more or less interesting about Chinese football, European football. It has to be interesting. If not, there is no sense".

What is your entertaining way in this hotel?

Rafa: "Normally we talk with the staff after lunch, after dinner. We played Ping-Pong and I have played several times, but it is too difficult for me. Usually you stay in the room. Because the timing is different. I talk to my family, I talk to people here in the training ground, after with the people in Europe later on. You do not have too much time and you have to go to sleep".