Chen Long ( 谌龙 )

Chen Long is completely humbled by Momota today, that after putting up such a good fight in their previous meeting which even earned Momota's praise.

It goes to show how smart and analytical a player is Momota. At the same time, Momota is proof that you need more than raw speed and power to beat him. Similarly for great players like Lin Dan and Lee CW in their heyday though Lin Dan is well-known for his explosive attacking game.

Chen Long in his prime, during which he snatched three consecutive major titles from LCW, still is not as talented and smart as Lin Dan and LCW but he has the amazing physicality to make up for what he lacks in skills and anticipation, that is his forte.

Unfortunately, as Chen Long crosses the 30 mark in age, I have my doubts he can reach his peak once again, not easy at all for him, unless or provided he is able to learn new tricks. But, the key question is, how to teach an old dog new tricks? Especially when Chen Long is not considered a smart, thinking player, in my opinion?

Makes me wonder what Li Mao can do for Chen Long when Xia Xuanze and Zheng Yu couldn't until now. At most, Chen Long can return to or near his former peak, even that is quite a challenge, let alone enable him who is about to reach his twilight years (in badminton terms) attain greater heights.

Lin Dan was able to peak twice in his career - around Beijing'08 and then at the London 2012 Olympics - the first time by his explosive attacking style based on speed, power and accuracy, and then the second time by developing into a more all-rounded and complete player as he matured and accumulated much valuable experience to complement his thinking ability and smartness. Of course, in both cases, he possessed the requisite high level of consistency and quality shotmaking, characteristics which define all great players at their best, albeit there was a slight change in playing style in the sense that he was less aggressive than in 2008 but became a bit more patient and rallying before sudden injection of pace in 2012. As we know, after a year-long hiatus, from 2013 onward, he transformed into an entirely different kind of player as he ages and largely by choice, a conscious decision of his for which I need not elaborate as it is plain obvious for all those who have been following him all these years.

But, all in all, let's not forget that Lin Dan was still only 29 when he peaked the second time at the London'12 Olympics. Chen Long, on the other hand, will be turning 31 next January 18, and for such a physical player, age is even more of a concern, a definite disadvantage as the years go by. Frankly, I don't see Chen Long transforming into a rallying, stroke player a la Lin Dan in 2013 - I just disbelieve he can succeed no matter how hard he tries as I opine that he simply lacks the smartness despite having the maturity, knowledge and experience accumulated over the long years of his career.

As for LCW, he is another special case, also a rare talent like Lin Dan, and his ability to transform himself into a highly offensive player post-Beijing'08 and quickly reached his peak, and, not only that, he then continued to maintain his peak conditions for so many years till age finally caught up with him leading to inevitable decline, a phenomenal feat indeed. Even so, just before he was struck down by a disease that eventually forced him to retire, he proved his outstanding talent by, at the ripe old age of 35, beating the then 24-year-old Momota for the MAS Open crown in 2018, against the most in-form and hostshot player at that time. Truly an exceptional achievement for any player around that age, in their twilight years.

Perhaps, I'm sounding rather harsh towards Chen Long, coming immediately after his humiliating defeat to Momota today at the Denmark Open'19 Final, and that without waiting for the newly-appointed and much-touted coach, Li Mao, enough time to get to work on him. That's just my opinion, offhand.

Ok, I shall for the time being suspend my somewhat pessimistic judgement of Chen Long and Li Mao's ability to elevate his game to another level or regain his former prowess if that is sufficient to win the highest glory. Let's wait and see.
 
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Allow me to add,I personally do like Chen Long quite a lot - he is polite, humble, diligent, disciplined, a really nice guy, overall, and, most of all, I feel he fully deserves much more respect and appreciation than is generally given for his accomplishments as an Olympic and multiple world champion, all of which he achieved during the era of Lin Dan and Lee CW, the latter when he was still very much the player to beat for everyone.

While it's understandable some fans find his game quite boring, lacking in creativity, not exciting to watch and unspectacular (except if you regard his defensive and retrieving ability amazing), we do have to give him credit where due. Mind you, in his best years, he had beaten none other than the two most brilliant, stylish and awe-inspiring players that most of us loved to see. So, logically speaking, he can't be that bad in terms of entertainment value, in my opinion.

Most remarkably, let me remind you that Chen Long was the only one who could beat the mighty LCW four times in a row in their H2H records and he did it not just once but twice. Not even the GOAT Lin Dan could do that to LCW once, at most inflicting three successive defeats on LCW a couple of times. That is a historical record we cannot deny Chen Long of creating, a rare phenomenon between two great players in badminton.
 
One more thing, Chen Long since attaining the height of his career at Rio'16, the pinnacle, all-conquering, all-winning way of a great champion, has over these three years never returned to that top form, instead, his consistency has wavered from tournament to tournament and even within the same tournament, nay, even within the same match more often than not.

To me, that is an unmistakable sign of decline, unsurprising, especially considering he's 30 now going on 31 years of age, as well as the fact that he is not a late bloomer. Makes one wonder what it would take for him, taking into account everything that applies to him specifically, to overcome the odds and do it one more time, that is, peak again to achieve the highest glory.

I'm sure Chen Long's fans would love to see an encore from him before he finally retires. All the best to Chen Long. Jiayou!

Well, Li Mao certainly has the work cut out for him as his coach. We can only wait and see.
 
Special mention should be made of Sun Jun's contribution as a coach to Chen Long's capturing of at least two of the three major titles he won in 2014 WC, 2015 WC, and the 2016 Rio Olympics.

But, apparently, even Sun Jun can't do much for Chen Long this couple of years, let's see what Li Mao can bring to the table and work his magic on The Dragon.
 
Don't be mistaken, I'm not doubting Li Mao's ability, just that I can't help but be somewhat skeptical that Chen Long, having shown signs of decline these few years, can around the age of 31 still able to peak a second time in his career.

That's not to say it's impossible, only highly improbable. Who knows, Chen Long may be a rare exception, and that would be history in the making, and we can accordingly give most of the credit to Li Mao, presumably.
 
I think CL with comeback with Li Mao help.. Seems like he's firing not full cylinder but almost better than before..
 
Justin L said:
Allow me to add,I personally do like Chen Long quite a lot - he is polite, humble, diligent, disciplined, a really nice guy, overall, and, most of all, I feel he fully deserves much more respect and appreciation than is generally given for his accomplishments as an Olympic and multiple world champion, all of which he achieved during the era of Lin Dan and Lee CW, the latter when he was still very much the player to beat for everyone.

While it's understandable some fans find his game quite boring, lacking in creativity, not exciting to watch and unspectacular (except if you regard his defensive and retrieving ability amazing), we do have to give him credit where due. Mind you, in his best years, he had beaten none other than the two most brilliant, stylish and awe-inspiring players that most of us loved to see. So, logically speaking, he can't be that bad in terms of entertainment value, in my opinion.

Most remarkably, let me remind you that Chen Long was the only one who could beat the mighty LCW four times in a row in their H2H records and he did it not just once but twice. Not even the GOAT Lin Dan could do that to LCW once, at most inflicting three successive defeats on LCW a couple of times. That is a historical record we cannot deny Chen Long of creating, a rare phenomenon between two great players in badminton.
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I think you're a bit too harsh with Chen. The fact that he reached the final, when younger hotshot failed to reach by the likes VA,AG,JC AA, speak volume of a man, aged nearly 31 contesting the final. He won the Denmark open more than any other player of non European heritage.

The fact the he was World number 1 for more than year when the so called legends where in their prime LD and LCW.
 
London_Player said:
I think you're a bit too harsh with Chen. The fact that he reached the final, when younger hotshot failed to reach by the likes VA,AG,JC AA, speak volume of a man, aged nearly 31 contesting the final. He won the Denmark open more than any other player of non European heritage.

The fact the he was World number 1 for more than year when the so called legends where in their prime LD and LCW.
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No, when he became #1 in the rankings, LD and LCW were NOT in their primes anymore... they're both past 30 y/o at that point.
But again, reaching the final last week was a good sign. He might be playing himself into form right now.
 
http://sports.sina.com.cn/others/badmin/2019-10-26/doc-iicezuev5012725.shtml
Even Chen Long is saying he's feeling the strain having to play so many matches and tournaments, but he would still try to give his best. He added that it's inevitable for one's physicality to be affected as a result of playing more tournaments and, therefore, he must also as much as possible avoid unnecessary injuries, to protect oneself is very important.

The interview was given after his quarterfinal match with Rhustavito.

[I think this is the first time we hear Chen Long talking like that, perhaps he's beginning to feel his age as he's going 31 next January 18].
 
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Chen is peaking at the right time for the next year's Olympics, when he will go all out to win and then retire. You bet he will give everything for the Olympics to get another Gold and then retire gracefully.

He said in an interview that he won everything there is to win and now enjoys his game. A hungry CL for the Olympics is the hardest of all opponent for Momota or anyone rival to content with.
 
London_Player said:
Chen is peaking at the right time for the next year's Olympics, when he will go all out to win and then retire. You bet he will give everything for the Olympics to get another Gold and then retire gracefully.

He said in an interview that he won everything there is to win and now enjoys his game. A hungry CL for the Olympics is the hardest of all opponent for Momota or anyone rival to content with.
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Right, Chen Long is showing definite signs of gradually returning to his former prowess but somehow, I feel, he's still somewhat not consistent enough to my liking as compared with his heyday.

In last week's semifinal with Axelsen, he had to come from far behind to win the decider, and, similarly, in G2 today with Ginting, he had to come back from 12-18 down to win the next 9 points on the trot to close out the match in two sets. No doubt, it's remarkable and showed commendable determination, steadiness, and fighting spirit as well as exciting to watch, but, I don't think it's the best way to capture the set or the match. It's to close for comfort and you may not be so 'lucky' the next time.

However, I've to admit that at the rate he's going and, presumably, coupled with the strong motivation and renewed zest to grab another Olympic gold to cap off his career, he might well be one of the few main contenders at Tokyo 2020 to finally step onto the highest platform, without a shadow of a doubt posing a very real threat to the hot favourite, Momota, on his home ground.

That said, Li Mao's engagement as CBA's men's singles coach couldn't have come at a better time. Way to go, Chen Long, The Dragon!
 
I realise Chen Long is very fit now. When his Fitness at the highest level, he's like the Great Wall of China. Nothing gets past him. A. Ginting has no answer for his loss in yesterday semi final. Anyone including momota will have a problem to face a very fit Chen Long. He definitely stand a chance for OG gold if his Fitness peak at the correct time.
 
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Chen Long, heartiest congratulations for ending your title drought after five finals and twelve months, retaining the French Open title today.

Frankly, before the final match with Jonatan Christie, I was wondering if Chen Long might begin to feel the toll of accumulated fatigue playing his 10th match in two consecutive weeks as opposed to his young opponent's sixth match. At the same time, I was asking myself if he would be able to maintain the same high level of consistency throughout the entire tournament, something which he has not been able to do for quite a long while, esp as compared to his heyday.

Well, I'm glad he proved himself better than I expected on both counts, incidentally winning all his matches this week in two straight games and in style as commented by Gillian Clark who despite that also remarked he looked tired at the end of the match with Jonatan.

For me, arguably, we can say Chen Long's fitness and stamina is still pretty good, his age 30 going 31 notwithstanding but, personally, I'm equally concerned about whether he has the ability henceforth to regain the high level of consistency that took him to the top in his heyday.

Admittedly, one tournament victory in five finals and that after about a year is simply not enough to convince us of anything, at most, it's just a sign of a good beginning and, hopefully, a positive indication that Chen Long, The Dragon, is on the rise again. For that, of course, we will have to see him garner a much better, if not solid, set of results going forward all the way to Tokyo 2020. We shall see.
 
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Seems like Chen Long has his motivation back again. Plays really really well. When his crosscourt smash there he's basically unstopable unless your name is Kento Momota. Really hope he can keep this going, an early exit from future tournaments would not be fun.

Then again, he is quite old now and looked more tired than I thought he would be after the final. Still happy that he won, hopefully he can keep going for as long as possible, giving the youngsters like Jonathan and Ginting plenty of valuable experience, showing them what it takes to win as much as someone as Chen Long has done(even if that will probably still not help them solve the Momota case, too much).
 
http://www.badmintoncn.com/news.php?id=22950

人物| 谌龙：妻儿给予更大动力 与新帅李矛产生共鸣
CL : wife and kid give me greater motivation, connecting well with (new coach) Li Mao

最近半年，谌龙的变化不可谓不大：赛场外，儿子的出生使他升级为父亲，进入奶爸行列；赛场上，资深教练李矛的加持，让他的状态明显回升，带来的变化不止是丹麦、法国两站公开赛的一亚一冠，更多的是他在比赛中呈现出的积极状态。人们似乎看到了巅峰时国羽领军人物的那个谌龙又回来了。
you can't say that is no big change to CL in the recent 6 months : outside the court, he has become a father ; inside the court, the inclusion of Mao has seen him regain his form, beside a 1-2 finish at French/Danish Open, there's the positivity of his gameplay. People seen to see the return of the peak CL.

与新教练产生共鸣 (connecting well with Mao)

巴塞尔世锦赛上，谌龙以国羽头号男单身份出战，顺利晋级八强。1/4决赛中，他意外地两局不敌最后的亚军安东森，这也成为了他自2014年以来在世界单项大赛上的最差战绩。从2014年、2015年世锦赛两连冠，到2016年奥运会摘金，再到2017年和2018年连续两年获得世锦赛铜牌，有人质疑这就是谌龙的职业生涯抛物线。
In Basel, as china no.1 MS, CL unexpectedly lost to Anderson 0-2. This is his worst WC outing since 2014. Champion in WC 2014-2015, to Olympic gold in 2016, then to bronze medalist in 2017-2017, people suspect this is CL career spiralling downard gradually.

但在世锦赛后，谌龙用实际行动把曲线又往上画了回来。世锦赛后，国内资深教练员李矛进驻国羽男单组，和谌龙成为合作关系。虽然，至今我们尚未看到李矛亲自坐到教练席上，但他在幕后给予谌龙的帮助是有目共睹的。作为成功的优秀运动员，谌龙的变化不是主要体现在技术上，而是在理念上。
But after Basel, CL work hard to revitalise his performance. Mao joined the MS coaching setup and work together with CL. Though we don't see Mao taking the coaching seat at the court side, his work behind the scene is for obvious to all. As a successful sportsman, the change in CL is not in his technical ability, but in a conceptually side (i think it means the way on how you see to play the game. i recalled Mao said that china has good players but wrong way of playing, that can't fulfil their potential).

我们经常在赛场上看到的情景是，谌龙打两局球的时间比隔壁场打三局的还要长，这就是谌龙的多拍和防守反击特点。现在，谌龙在和教练的不断沟通中产生了另外一种理念：我跟对方斗三局的消耗不一定比我用两局进攻的消耗少。当然，这仅是一种想法，它需要融入到运动员特定的技术和体力分配上，每个人都不一样。
Many times we have seen CL used more time in a 2-games match, compare to adjacent courts where a 3-games match took lesser time. This is CL's playing style, longer rally and counter-attack. Now after continuous communication with the coach, he has a different thinking: the energy i expensed in a 3-games match is not necessarily less than that of a 2-games. of course this is just a thought, which depends on a player particular skills set and energy management. this is different for each player.

半个月后在常州，我们看到了非常不一样的谌龙，进攻的频率明显上升。顺利打进四强后，谌龙的对手是世界排名第一的桃田贤斗。从交手记录看，谌龙以5胜3负领先，但大家都清楚，以桃田现在的强势，这场比赛谌龙占据劣势。
Half a month later at Changzhou, we saw a very different CL, one who attack more frequently. Going into the semi, he faced Momota. although CL lead 5-3 in head-head, we know that with Momota current form, CL is less favoured to win.

那场比赛，谌龙打得相当不错，频频化解桃田的进攻，再以反击得分，主动进攻令人满意。就在比赛的最后时刻，谌龙因为几个失误让出了胜利，桃田耗时97分钟才以19比21、21比18、21比16险胜。赛后，应该没有多少人会觉得谌龙打得不好，但这不包括谌龙本人。在混采区，谌龙仿佛刚打完一场以0比2脆败的比赛，满脸写着不满意，因为他正在懊恼最后几个失误。这种懊恼的来源很简单，那就是谌龙并不觉得这是一场不能赢的比赛。
CL did not played badly in that match, time after time he defended KM's attacks and won the point after counter-attacking. His attacking initiative play was also satisfactory. a couple of errors near the end saw him lost the match. KM won after 97mins of play in a closely contested game, 19-21, 21-18, 21-16. after the match, many felt CL played well, but not to CL himself. in the interview after the match, he looked unhappy as if he just lost 0-2 convincingly. he was unhappy over the few errors he made, as he felt he could he can win this match.


欧洲行强势卫冕 (Strong run in Europe)

经过国庆十天的训练和调整，谌龙来到丹麦公开赛，先后淘汰了李梓嘉、维尔玛和周天成，在半决赛中又上演大逆转，击败东道主选手维克多。在决赛中再遇桃田贤斗，谌龙的这一次表现不如在常州时出色，仅44分钟就以14比21、12比21落败。
10 days of training and conditioning after China National day (1-oct), CL played in the Danish Open. he eliminated Lee Zii Jia, Verma, CTC, and in the semi, a come from behind victory against VA. he met Momota again in the final, but this time he fared poorly compared to Changzhou, losing in just 44 mins, 14-21, 12-21.

隔周，谌龙以卫冕冠军的身份来到法国。五场比赛中，他连克拉斯穆斯、林丹、舍沙、金廷和乔纳坦，强势卫冕。当时，谌龙每赢一轮，球迷脑海里那隐约的“龙哥要卫冕”的声音就越清晰。要数欧洲两站比赛男单MVP，不是今年已经夺得九个冠军的桃田贤斗，而是连打十场最后九胜一负、夺得一冠一亚的谌龙。凭借着卫冕的积分，谌龙在当时的世界排名重新回到前三。他用这一波九成胜率的十连战告诉大家，他依然是中国男单可以信任的领军人物。
The next week, he played the French Open as defending champ. In 5 matches, he beat Ramus, LD, Rhustavito, Ginting and Jonatan. every round he progressed, fans vision of "CL is going to defend his title" get clearer. looking at the MS performance in these 2 euro stops, the MVP is not Momota, but CL (9 wins in 10, 1 gold and 1 silver). with the French win, CL return to the top 3 in WR. he want to tell people with this good run, that China MS can still count on him.

连续两年在法国公开赛夺冠，这是近十年里都没有男单选手能做到的事，这个小小的成就展示了巴黎是谌龙的小福地。于是，马上有球迷要起哄说：2024年巴黎奥运会！这个评论真够意思的。巴黎不知道，但近来的成绩让我们对东京更有期待。
Winning consecutive French Open is something no MS player has achieved in the recent 10 years. this small accomplishment show Paris to be CL's lucky ground. hence fans start to shout out : "Paris 2024!". with this recent run of good result, we are looking forward to Tokyo 2020.

妻儿给予更大动力 (wife and kid give me greater motivation)

去年，谌龙在丹麦公开赛上得到了王适娴怀孕的消息，结果一轮游了。隔周在法国，喜闻当爹的他力克桃田贤斗夺冠。今年，他又在这里夺冠了，不同的是，儿子已经快半岁了。
谌龙和王适娴管儿子叫“咖啡”，自从他出生后，谌龙的兴趣爱好似乎都没了，只剩下回家“奶”儿子这一个爱好。妻子王适娴也说，谌龙当爸爸后变得更加恋家、更加柔情，还更加啰嗦，总是隔着微信或视频电话问儿子吃了没、睡了没等问题。
CL was informed that WSX was pregnant when he was playing in Danish Open 2018. and he was knocked out consequently in the 1st round (too excited that he lost focus i think). the next week in France, he beat Momota to win the title. this year he won again, and this time his son is almost 6 months ago.
CL and WSX called his son "coffee". ever since he came to this world, CL seems to lost all his hobbies, except going home to take care of his baby. WSX even said, after becoming a dad, CL appear more homesick, more tenderness, and also more long-winded. he will asked through wechat or video call, "has our son eaten? has he gone to sleep? etc etc".

现在，只要比赛在中国举行，王适娴就会带着儿子到比赛城市，和谌龙并肩作战。在赛场上经历恶斗后的谌龙，只要回到房间，把咖啡抱在怀里，就会有一种岁月静好的安定感。但他同时明白，孩子在身边陪自己作战，只是繁多比赛中的几次例外，因为他更多时候是在国外比赛，他还是要梳理好对家庭的想念和对事业的追求。
now if a tournament is hold in China, WSX will bring their son to the host city, to 'fight' alongside CL. after a hard-fought match, when CL return to his room and hold the baby in his arms, he will have a sense of tranquility. barring a couple of days, he know that his son is with him, as he fights on the court. knowing he will spend more time in overseas competing, he know he has to manage his focus between his love for his family, and his ambition for his career.

在法国赛成功卫冕后，谌龙在微博中写下一句话：“记得最初的理想，闪烁着最坚韧的信念。”这小半年里，谌龙的转变很大，不变的是他对家庭的责任感和对羽毛球事业的使命感。
after the win in France, CL left a note in his Weibo : "Remember the initial ideal, flashing the toughest beliefs" (direct from Google :p). this half year, there is a big change in CL, what remind unchange is his responsibility to his family, and his sense of mission to his badminton career.
 
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Twice at the World Tour Finals'19, Chen Long was comprehensively beaten by Ginting in two straight games. Sorry, can't hide my utter disappointment with Chen Long, not so much because he lost twice to the same opponent but more the way he played and lost as if clueless, that coming after the French Open in October where he clinched the title and actually prevailed against the very same opponent en route to the final, winning in two straight games, 21-19 and 21-18.

As Chen Long already can't match Ginting in speed for which his young opponent is well-known for, I feel he has to make full use of his height and reach to try and take the shuttle as early as possible, play more aggressively, and at the same time neutralise Ginting at the net area. I know, easier said than done.

Wonder what Li Mao can do to tweak his game, not easy at all as Chen Long is not young anymore and past his prime at 30. Besides, Chen Long is, if I may put it bluntly, not a smart, thinking player, you literally have to spell it out to him - it's as good as trying to teach an old dog new tricks.

Li Mao certainly has his work cut out for him, it is going to take quite a bit of time, patience, much effort before Chen Long finally gets it right whatever Li Mao has in store for him, if he succeeds.

Chen Long in his prime has exceptional physicality, what he lacks in technical skills, he made up for in his remarkable physical condition, youthful vigour, extreme diligence (he's known to do extra training on his own when everyone else is resting), singleness of purpose, self-discipline and perseverance coupled with boundless motivation as he strove to accomplish the mission he set for himself. And we know what he has to show for it, two world championships and one Olympic gold plus a host of other prestigious titles. But that was then, now is now as he makes another bid for Olympic glory after about three years of mostly indifferent results post-Rio'16 Olympics, pointing to some definite signs of a decline.

As to whether he can still revive his fortunes at this late stage of his career from age 30, it remains to be seen. Li Mao, who was roped in by CBA to helm the CHN MS department a little over a month ago, has expressly stated his intention to focus on Chen Long among other CHN MS in preparation for their Olympic quest in Tokyo 2020.

So far, it seems to me, Chen Long is still like a work in progress in the hands of Li Mao. At the moment, Chen Long has shown some significant progress lately in his performance by making two finals in as many weeks, the Denmark Open and the French Open, capturing the latter title. However, today at the World Tour Finals, he faltered in the semifinals, beaten again by the same opponent he lost to decisively at the round-robin stage, Anthony Ginting, no doubt a matter of concern.

Chen Long himself admitted he has yet to perform up to Li Mao's expectations with respect to what he's been taught to do during training. Specifically, Li Mao instructed him to play a more offensive game, be more proactive, inject pace and go on the attack more often, in this aspect he seems to be doing fairly well though he said he knew it's still not up to Li Mao's satisfaction. On the other hand, I also noticed Chen Long oftentimes trying to construct the rallies better rather than the straightforward and predictable manner that he is wont to do, but, it appears to me, in this aspect he is falling short. I assume that's Li Mao's instructions for I can't imagine he giving one set of instructions and the coaches on courtside during competition giving a different set as that would almost certainly confuse Chen Long.

For now, I can only hope Li Mao with his admirable track record succeeds in working his 'magic' on Chen Long, the sooner the better. Undoubtedly, it's still too early to say after just one over month of coaching, to be fair. It sure takes time, a reasonable amount and, I believe, the player's attitude, self-motivation, perseverance, and, of course, talent count for much too.
 
Justin L said:
Twice at the World Tour Finals'19, Chen Long was comprehensively beaten by Ginting in two straight games. Sorry, can't hide my utter disappointment with Chen Long, not so much because he lost twice to the same opponent but more the way he played and lost as if clueless, that coming after the French Open in October where he clinched the title and actually prevailed against the very same opponent en route to the final, winning in two straight games, 21-19 and 21-18.

As Chen Long already can't match Ginting in speed for which his young opponent is well-known for, I feel he has to make full use of his height and reach to try and take the shuttle as early as possible, play more aggressively, and at the same time neutralise Ginting at the net area. I know, easier said than done.

Wonder what Li Mao can do to tweak his game, not easy at all as Chen Long is not young anymore and past his prime at 30. Besides, Chen Long is, if I may put it bluntly, not a smart, thinking player, you literally have to spell it out to him - it's as good as trying to teach an old dog new tricks.

Li Mao certainly has his work cut out for him, it is going to take quite a bit of time, patience, much effort before Chen Long finally gets it right whatever Li Mao has in store for him, if he succeeds.

Chen Long in his prime has exceptional physicality, what he lacks in technical skills, he made up for in his remarkable physical condition, youthful vigour, extreme diligence (he's known to do extra training on his own when everyone else is resting), singleness of purpose, self-discipline and perseverance coupled with boundless motivation as he strove to accomplish the mission he set for himself. And we know what he has to show for it, two world championships and one Olympic gold plus a host of other prestigious titles. But that was then, now is now as he makes another bid for Olympic glory after about three years of mostly indifferent results post-Rio'16 Olympics, pointing to some definite signs of a decline.

As to whether he can still revive his fortunes at this late stage of his career from age 30, it remains to be seen. Li Mao, who was roped in by CBA to helm the CHN MS department a little over a month ago, has expressly stated his intention to focus on Chen Long among other CHN MS in preparation for their Olympic quest in Tokyo 2020.

So far, it seems to me, Chen Long is still like a work in progress in the hands of Li Mao. At the moment, Chen Long has shown some significant progress lately in his performance by making two finals in as many weeks, the Denmark Open and the French Open, capturing the latter title. However, today at the World Tour Finals, he faltered in the semifinals, beaten again by the same opponent he lost to decisively at the round-robin stage, Anthony Ginting, no doubt a matter of concern.

Chen Long himself admitted he has yet to perform up to Li Mao's expectations with respect to what he's been taught to do during training. Specifically, Li Mao instructed him to play a more offensive game, be more proactive, inject pace and go on the attack more often, in this aspect he seems to be doing fairly well though he said he knew it's still not up to Li Mao's satisfaction. On the other hand, I also noticed Chen Long oftentimes trying to construct the rallies better rather than the straightforward and predictable manner that he is wont to do, but, it appears to me, in this aspect he is falling short. I assume that's Li Mao's instructions for I can't imagine he giving one set of instructions and the coaches on courtside during competition giving a different set as that would almost certainly confuse Chen Long.

For now, I can only hope Li Mao with his admirable track record succeeds in working his 'magic' on Chen Long, the sooner the better. Undoubtedly, it's still too early to say after just one over month of coaching, to be fair. It sure takes time, a reasonable amount and, I believe, the player's attitude, self-motivation, perseverance, and, of course, talent count for much too.
Click to expand...

I’m also completely puzzled by his decision to rally without taking the initiative. The few times he attacked he actually got opportunities and distrupted Ginting’s flow. 4 consecutive games lost using the same poor tactic. I have no idea what the coaches or he himself was thinking. But I think they’ll sort it out by next year. Definitely not an ability problem I think.
 
rhoder said:
I’m also completely puzzled by his decision to rally without taking the initiative. The few times he attacked he actually got opportunities and distrupted Ginting’s flow. 4 consecutive games lost using the same poor tactic. I have no idea what the coaches or he himself was thinking. But I think they’ll sort it out by next year. Definitely not an ability problem I think.
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Right, let's hope Chen Long figures it out by early next year and acquires the knack of whatever Li Mao is trying to impart to him based on his attributes and current age as I believe Li Mao might've also thought it somewhat unrealistic, if not impossible, for Chen Long to return to his former prowess based largely on exceptional physicality(that's my speculation, I may be wrong about this part).

Anyway, since Li Mao has spoken out on what he would do for Chen Long, I trust he knew what he's talking about. We'll just have to wait and see then.

As of now, Chen Long is first in the running for Tokyo Olympics qualification among the CHN MS - presently at No, 5 in the Race to Tokyo Standings, way ahead of his fellow teammates (Lin Dan at No.22, Lu Guangzu at 23. Shi Yuqi at 27, etc. I suppose we can safely say he will be one of the two CHN MS to grab an Olympic ticket barring unforeseen circumstances.

Personally, my top CHN MS pick is Shi Yuqi - if I were Li Mao, I would work hard on him and place my bet more on him than on Chen Long whom I regard as second-best choice. Somehow I'm confident that by the April Olympic Qualification deadline, we would see Shi Yuqi leapfrog to well within the top 16 ranked qualifiers and be selected as one of the top 2 CHN MS for the two allotted Olympic spots.

Yes, I daresay Shi Yuqi will catch up and overtake the rest of his colleagues and be neck and neck with Chen Long for the two Tokyo Olympic tickets. Mark my words.
 
Justin L said:
...

As Chen Long already can't match Ginting in speed for which his young opponent is well-known for, I feel he has to make full use of his height and reach to try and take the shuttle as early as possible, play more aggressively, and at the same time neutralise Ginting at the net area. I know, easier said than done.

Wonder what Li Mao can do to tweak his game, not easy at all as Chen Long is not young anymore and past his prime at 30. Besides, Chen Long is, if I may put it bluntly, not a smart, thinking player, you literally have to spell it out to him - it's as good as trying to teach an old dog new tricks.

...
Click to expand...
Apologies for cutting part of your comment, just trying to focus on this part.
I am not sure if Chen Long not able to match Ginting's speed, but in this match he gave all the initiative to Ginting and allowed the opponent to shine where he is best at. On rare occasions during the second game, CL played simple and direct shots and was able to obtain the initiative and keep Ginting under control but not sure why, CL would go back to the former game plan and gave the initiative and the game control to his opponent. Maybe accumulation of match fatigue?
 
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