Xinhua News Agency comment: Please be more patient with the Chinese women's volleyball team moving forward with heavy loads. Cai Bin | Women's Volleyball Team | China Women's Volleyball Team
After winning six consecutive victories in the 2023 World Women's Volleyball League, the Chinese women's volleyball team led by Cai Bin suffered two consecutive losses, which put some pressure and questioning on the team. For this team that has been burdened with a shortened preparation period and missing important players, more tolerance and patience should be given.
The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics means that Cai Bin, who took office in 2022, only has about two and a half years to practice his lineup and prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the current year when two star attackers, Zhu Ting and Zhang Changning, were unable to return to the team due to different reasons, the road to the revival of the Chinese women's volleyball team is destined to be not smooth.
Moreover, the failure of the Tokyo Olympics reflects the problem of declining internal cohesion within the team, which has not yet been completely eliminated. This problem may be more challenging than the technical and tactical aspects, and the ultimate solution requires the efforts and wisdom of many people. Unity and looking forward are important prerequisites for the revival of the Chinese women's volleyball team.
The solution to the problem takes time, and the recovery from injuries takes time. However, the team's preparation cannot stop. Cai Bin can only wait for good news while doing his best to improve the team's combat effectiveness under the existing personnel conditions. From the current 8 games played, the overall performance of the Chinese team has made significant progress compared to last year. The improvement in attacking speed, the use of two-point substitution and three-point tactics, and the performance of substitute setter Xu Xiaoting have shown the effectiveness of the training. At the same time, it is needless to say that, measured by the standards of a mature and strong team, the Chinese team still has a significant gap, and the problems of relatively single strong attack points and insufficient bench depth have not substantially improved.
However, there is no need to doubt people, and there is no doubt about employing them. Since the Chinese Volleyball Association has chosen Cai Bin, who took on the task in the face of danger and courageously shouldered heavy responsibilities, it should give him enough trust and space. There was a gap of 20 years between the first and second Olympic championships of the Chinese women's volleyball team, and it took 12 years to reach the peak from Athens to Rio. After taking over as the head coach of the Chinese team in 2013, the legendary coach Lang Ping also experienced setbacks and setbacks. We should give Cai and his team enough patience.
The work of coaches has a strong personalized color, and each coach has their own habitual teaching and employment methods. The conditions and environment of each coach are different, and the "credit limit" and space each coach has are also different. Simple analogies can sometimes be biased. On the one hand, facing and overcoming pressure is one of the essential qualities for coaches; On the other hand, we should also see that in this difficult period, from the coaching staff to the athletes, every member of the Chinese women's volleyball team is a brave person facing life. These people who carry heavy loads and move forward deserve enough respect.
For the Chinese women's volleyball team, the most important task this year is the qualification round for the Paris Olympics in September. Let's give head coach Cai Bin and the women's volleyball girls full patience and confidence, hoping that they can go up to the next level through the trials of the World Women's Volleyball League, lock in their spots for the Paris Olympics in the first time, and lay a solid foundation for climbing the peak again.