Dalian’s twin stars make their national team debut; Li Guoxu’s advice: be more confident, be bolder

Written by Zuo Rui On the evening of the 5th, the national team defeated Singapore in an away friendly. The 21-year-old Mao Weijie and Zhu Pengyu made their debut in an international “A” match. After the match, Dalian Yingbo head coach Li Guoxu spoke with the two newcomers, urging them to continue representing the country and bring more glory to Dalian football.

After returning from a family trip to Xi’an, Li Guoxu was waiting for the national team matches. He believes that without adequate rest, there can be no outstanding work performance. Zhu Pengyu, who played continuously in the league and National Games last year, and then participated in U20, U22, and senior national team camps, suffered injuries early this year and started the season in poor form. After several setbacks and adjustments, he was finally recalled and made his national team debut.

Unlike Liu Zhurun, who was on loan last season, Zhu Pengyu and Mao Weijie are young players developed by Dalian Yingbo. “Especially Mao Weijie, who entered the first team at age 16, played from the China League Two to the Super League, and now made his national team debut—this makes me particularly gratified,” Li Guoxu told his two disciples after the match: “In the national team, you should be more confident, bolder, and show yourselves better.” Before the two left for national team duty, the head coach also set requirements: “You must give your all when playing for the country.”

Mao Weijie became the fifth international player in Dalian Yingbo’s history, following Liu Zhurun, Liao Jintao, Lyu Zhuoyi, and Zhu Pengyu. This season, Mao Weijie switched from winger to full-back and has contributed one goal and two assists in the league. Li Guoxu believes this new role is not a temporary measure. The national team has also used him in the same position, indicating that the club’s transformation of the player has been successful, and his football career now has a new main direction.

Relatively speaking, Zhu Pengyu had less time to showcase himself. He came on in the 62nd minute and was substituted off in the 81st minute due to Wu Lei’s 100th appearance celebration. After the game, Li Guoxu did not specifically discuss this with Zhu Pengyu. “I think he is a relatively mature kid. I believe he can handle this situation well,” Li said. During their call, Li Guoxu told him not to rush and to take it step by step.

For young players, their national team debut is a big day. “Under such circumstances, maintaining a good mindset is crucial,” Li Guoxu said. He noted that young players may experience fluctuations in form when returning to the league. “So after coming back to Dalian, the key is to guide them to maintain a stable state as much as possible and give their full strength to compete with foreign players.”

After the national team friendly, Li Guoxu continued to follow the Toulon Tournament. Since the match ended late, he did not call Yang Mingrui, who played 68 minutes in his second game, but he will surely have a talk with him after he returns. “Yang Mingrui is actually very distinctive and talented,” Li said. “He has made 14 appearances in the first half of the Super League season, and the Toulon Tournament experience is very valuable. I hope he can accumulate match experience game by game and improve his ability to read the game.”

In Li Guoxu’s view, Yang Mingrui’s future opponents may not just be from the Chinese Super League, “but from Asia, or even world-class players. If he reaches that level, he must have a deep understanding of football and be able to read the game well.” Leading the team for the past five years has made Li deeply realize that young players desperately need matches to gain experience.

Dalian Yingbo’s commitment to developing young players started from the China League Two days, and even now, the newcomers get more playing time than most established Super League teams. In daily training, Li Guoxu reminds Mao Weijie, Zhu Pengyu, and Yang Mingrui: “You are not competing with domestic players; you are competing with foreign players.” He believes this mindset determines how far these players can go. “So we often tell them: what is your core competitiveness?”

Stanciu is the most important signing for Dalian Yingbo this season. His ball-holding in midfield, final passes, attacking orchestration, and long-range shooting have all greatly improved the team. “But I think his sense of responsibility in games, his cohesion in the locker room, and his encouragement to young players—these effects are even greater than the technical and tactical aspects,” Li Guoxu said. Another new foreign signing, Achim Peng, is also a role model in terms of professionalism.

Liao Jintao and Lyu Zhuoyi, who have been called up to the national team, have established themselves as starters in the league. These two players in their prime have a noticeable impact on the field, both in terms of their role and their hairstyles. Li Guoxu said that these two excellent players both come from Guangdong. He hopes they can maintain their own style while making their technical play more consistent, and while growing themselves, they can also help the whole team grow.

For these two key players, becoming core players and inspiring younger players is “one thing they need to do well in the future.” Li Guoxu said: “I also believe they will do it well.” Currently, he is still searching for talented kids in the club’s youth teams, hoping to develop them to strengthen the squad.