Arsenal head coach praises U17 national team: they have the ability to play in Europe, 2 players stand out and impress me

On August 4th Beijing time, Arsenal U17 men's head coach Adam Pilling praised the Chinese U17 national team in an interview, stating that they have the ability to play in European leagues, with two players particularly outstanding and leaving a deep impression on him.

In the first round of the Shanghai Future Star Champions Cup last night, the Chinese U17 men's team edged out Arsenal U17 men's team 3-2 with a last-minute goal. The performance of the U17 national team also earned high praise from Adam Pilling after the match.

"Although it's not convenient for me to give a score to the Chinese team, their performance was outstanding. I wouldn't use the word 'lucky' to describe their last-minute victory. Because the Chinese team has many excellent players, and you can see they are well-trained and well-organized."

"If I were leading a team in the U17 World Cup, I would not want to face an opponent like the Chinese team. I believe they will pose a great challenge to opponents in the U17 World Cup. They are very tough and a difficult team to deal with."

When asked which U17 national team players impressed him, Adam Pilling named two: "A versatile defender for China, the number 10 player (Zhang Junhao). He often switches to a midfielder role and then returns to the backline."

"In addition, the forward who scored (Zhao Songyuan) performed very well in the first half. In the number 9 position, he was able to show some very nice moves. He is tall and has a strong presence, but he actually plays intelligently and uses his feet skillfully. These two are the players who stood out the most to me."

The Arsenal youth team head coach also stated bluntly that the U17 national team players already have the ability to play in European leagues: "I see no reason why this cannot be achieved. Moreover, I hope that in the future, everyone will pay attention and take note of this."