Which Chinese WS players will go to Olympics?

**Justin L** · 06-21-2012, 02:27 AM

I believe LYB's agony and pressure are no worse than the girls, even though he makes his decision after consultations with the coaches, trainers and support staff(eg sport psychologist). Should things go right,all praise and he shares the credit with everyone and the girls get the medals and rewards as well. However,should things go wrong,all accusing fingers will point at him,they will say the ultimate decision is his, who will want to share the blame with him.

Looking back,if not for LXR's sudden rise, his decision is made by itself,no need for him to do anything. Actually,the headaches he is getting is a luxury not enjoyed by anyone else who can only envy him.

My vote is unequivocal : WYH + WX + LXR. The inexperienced one LXR may be so motivated as to rise above herself during the OG,it often happens. Much as I feel for WSX,her style of play and tactical weakness make me lose heart in her until such time she overcomes it. On the other hand,if given a new lease of life,WSX may rise to the occasion, still my bet is on LXR who I believe is more feared by her non-CHN opponents.

**madbad** · 06-21-2012, 02:32 AM

Originally Posted by Justin L

I believe LYB's agony and pressure are no worse than the girls, even though he makes his decision after consultations with the coaches, trainers and support staff(eg sport psychologist). Should things go right,all praise and he shares the credit with everyone and the girls get the medals and rewards as well. However,should things go wrong,all accusing fingers will point at him,they will say the ultimate decision is his, who will want to share the blame with him.

Looking back,if not for LXR's sudden rise, his decision is made by itself,no need for him to do anything. Actually,the headaches he is getting is a luxury not enjoyed by anyone else who can only envy him.

My vote is unequivocal : WYH - WX - LXR. The inexperienced one LXR may be so motivated as to rise above herself during the OG,it often happens. Much as I feel for WSX,her style of play and tactical weakness make me lose heart in her until such time she overcomes it. On the other hand,if given a new lease of life,WSX may rise to the occasion, still my bet is on LXR who I believe is more feared by her non-CHN opponents.

Non-CHN players will be somewhat heartened by Saina's defeat of LXR and I'm sure they will be analyzing tapes on how she did it.

But it's got to be WYH, WX and LXR. Can't see LYB sticking his neck out for WSX, otherwise it'd be his own neck on the chopping block

**ctjcad** · 06-21-2012, 02:40 AM

all 1st timers in an Olympic event...

i think a better question should be "Which CHN WS player can LYB ill afford not to include to go to the Olympics?"..

**Justin L** · 06-21-2012, 03:03 AM

Originally Posted by madbad

Non-CHN players will be somewhat heartened by Saina's defeat of LXR and I'm sure they will be analyzing tapes on how she did it.

But it's got to be WYH, WX and LXR. Can't see LYB sticking his neck out for WSX, otherwise it'd be his own neck on the chopping block

Except that that tape would only show an untypical LXR in an unusual environment. In G1, LXR at her best. G2, at her worst. G3,somewhere in between. Too much amplitude in one match,need to have a few more tapes of her with opponents who beat or come close to beating her to get a better picture.

**repentedboy** · 06-21-2012, 03:47 AM

But seriously though, LYB has to reveal who are three at the moment to go? He cannot keep delaying this...It's really stupid.

If I were LYB, I asked Tang Xianhu or Zhang Ning to decide and finalise who to go.

**repentedboy** · 06-21-2012, 03:50 AM

Originally Posted by Justin L

Except that that tape would only show an untypical LXR in an unusual environment. In G1, LXR at her best. G2, at her worst. G3,somewhere in between. Too much amplitude in one match,need to have a few more tapes of her with opponents who beat or come close to beating her to get a better picture.

I have to say it sorry. There's no big deal about her win. It's pure luck and it was her day.

I bet the situatiion will a lot different and will not be in her favour if she plays in London.

If she plays against Schenk or Baun in Europe, she will struggle.

**Justin L** · 06-21-2012, 04:17 AM

Look at from another angle,that unexpected defeat of LXR could be a blessing in disguise. She was on a roll,practically unstoppable even in a tourney CHN wasn't taking seriously. And when Porntip troubled her in a close three-game encounter, I thought her phenomenal run would end at Juliane's hand and when it didn't happen, I was sure Wang Yihan would be third time lucky against her but no it failed to materialise much to my amazement, finally the inexplicable happened when she lost form in the midst of a match...the rest as they say is history.

Nevertheless, as Zhang Ning has said LXR's lack of stamina (arguable) and inexperience (so true) are her present weaknesses. Well,both can be overcome, one by training,the other simply requires time and opportunity, and she had just learnt a valuable lesson that can only enrich and strengthen her - Wang Yihan's case is exemplary.

I suspect,as pcll99 has said,LYB has already made up his mind but he's not saying to keep the rest of the world (maybe including the 4 girls too) guessing as part of his overall strategy (Sun Zi's Art of War and/or Yue Fei's Gumu Yishu ?) You can be sure,whoever are finally selected will redouble their efforts and give their all at the Olympics !

**Justin L** · 06-21-2012, 04:45 AM

To be honest,even if WSX had beaten Saina in the INA Open QF, I'd still be unconvinced and have little confidence in her,my bet unchanged on LXR. Just compare,the number of difficult opponents in WSX's list isn't small whereas who is/are LXR's troublesome opponents - to me it's more like LXR is her own worst enemy.

Wang Xin's inconsistency is a cause for concern too but when she is in her element she can take any tournament by storm. Let's hope,the OG, which is such a special 1-in-4-yrs event known for often producing the unexpected,is the one where she peaks at the right time and the right place.

**repentedboy** · 06-21-2012, 05:22 AM

whoever the third WS will be, her task is to protect Wang Yihan at all cost. The second seed has to survive on her own

I vividly remembered the WS event Asian Games 2010. WX and WSX had no protection at all but somehow managed to help China scrap gold and silver.

**Justin L** · 06-21-2012, 06:46 AM

Originally Posted by repentedboy

whoever the third WS will be, her task is to protect Wang Yihan at all cost. The second seed has to survive on her own

I vividly remembered the WS event Asian Games 2010. WX and WSX had no protection at all but somehow managed to help China scrap gold and silver.

How to when WYH herself still has to beat her own opponents,besides the so-called "protector" has her own problems to take care of too? To me, the one and only protection is to be at your best irrespective of opponents.

CHN having three instead of only two contestants simply means she has one more chance at winning a medal which she deserves as she has the top 4 ranked players. Anyway, from what we know,LYB's priority is that ChN wins gold not any particular player. Furthermore,I think LYB won't be telling the 3rd WS her task is to "protect" WYH as that will demoralise and affect her performance, the "plan" may backfire. LYB has to take care of the girls' feelings, nobody likes to be the sacrificial lamb,unless forced to (asked Ye Zhaoying).

**repentedboy** · 06-21-2012, 06:55 AM

Originally Posted by Justin L

How to when WYH herself still has to beat her own opponents,besides the so-called "protector" has her own problems to take care of too? To me, the one and only protection is to be at your best irrespective of opponents.

CHN having three instead of only two contestants simply means she has one more chance at winning a medal which she deserves as she has the top 4 ranked players. Anyway, from what we know,LYB's priority is that ChN wins gold not any particular player. Furthermore,I think LYB won't be telling the 3rd WS her task is to "protect" WYH as that will demoralise and affect her performance, the "plan" may backfire. LYB has to take care of the girls' feelings, nobody likes to be the sacrificial lamb,unless forced to (asked Ye Zhaoying).

In other interpretation of protecting WYH, that will reduce the pressure from that third player. Remember WSX in AG 2010 ? She was not expected to win. Her presence is just a backup plan should WX fails because everyone is banking on WX to win the gold.

Her semifinal opponent is definitely from the top 8 (could be Baun or Schenk) but my statistics and probability states that Sung JiHyun could be her likely semifinal opponent; Schenk or Baun could meet Nehwal in the QF. That third player's responsibility primarily is to knock SJH out. Help WYH advance without risking any of her knee injuries to relapse.

**repentedboy** · 06-21-2012, 07:00 AM

If I am LYB, i would do the same to the two players; be it third or second player whoever they are.

Second seed player: Do your best and help Wang Yihan to win (defeat any player you meet from top 8)

Third seed player: Help Wang Yihan to advance (from the semi onwards)

These peep talks are kept private and confidential without letting Wang Yihan know about the actual strategy. But the essence of this is to remove unnecessary pressure of the second and third players so they could play with their mind set free though for the wrong objective.

If that could help them prepare mentally, why not do it?

**limsy** · 06-21-2012, 07:11 AM

some people sound like they are training some dogs to win the dog skill contest instead of managing HUMAN players

**pcll99** · 06-21-2012, 07:14 AM

Originally Posted by repentedboy

If I am LYB, i would do the same to the two players; be it third or second player whoever they are.

Second seed player: Do your best and help Wang Yihan to win (defeat any player you meet from top 8)

Third seed player: Help Wang Yihan to advance (from the semi onwards)

These peep talks are kept private and confidential without letting Wang Yihan know about the actual strategy. But the essence of this is to remove unnecessary pressure of the second and third players so they could play with their mind set free though for the wrong objective.

If that could help them prepare mentally, why not do it?

Let's say the Semi-Final is like this:

Semi-Final 1: WYH vs WSX

Semi-Final 2: WX vs Bae JY

Let's say Semi-Final 1 will be played first. If you were LYB, what will you tell WSX and WYH?

For your reference, the three Wangs H2H record against Bae JY is as follows:

(1) WYH vs Bae : 3-2
(2) WX vs Bae : 5-1
(3) WSX vs Bae : 6-0

**repentedboy** · 06-21-2012, 07:18 AM

It should be part of the strategy to boost the morale of your troops when facing a large army in the battle field.

Mind games and psychological warfare involving their own players will tip the scale of the outcome.

That's how Yue Fei managed to fend off 10, 000 Jurchen soldiers with his 800 available units to defend Southern Song. LYB must be referring to the fable Wumu Yishu in badminton context heheh.

**repentedboy** · 06-21-2012, 07:20 AM

Originally Posted by pcll99

Let's say the Semi-Final is like this:

Semi-Final 1: WYH vs WSX

Semi-Final 2: WX vs Bae JY

Let's say Semi-Final 1 will be played first. If you were LYB, what will you tell WSX and WYH?

For your reference, the three Wangs H2H record against Bae JY is as follows:

(1) WYH vs Bae : 3-2
(2) WX vs Bae : 5-1
(3) WSX vs Bae : 6-0

Wang Yihan to advance. H2H doesn't give WSX any advantage with the coach lacking confidence in her ability now.

Let the experienced soldier deal with the final battle!

**repentedboy** · 06-21-2012, 07:23 AM

Originally Posted by repentedboy

Wang Yihan to advance. H2H doesn't give WSX any advantage with the coach lacking confidence in her ability now.

Let the experienced soldier deal with the final battle!

But having said that, it would be different if Baun plays in the semi. WX for the win :P Easy meat

11-0 head to head for WX.