[情報] 索蘭奇：美夢成真，初登場就打歐冠
http://www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2014/10/
words-with--dominic-solanke.html
Words with: Dominic Solanke
Fri, 24 Oct 2014
Dominic Solanke discusses his midweek debut, his busy summer and his
desire to keep improving...
Dominic Solanke made his first team debut on Tuesday evening, capping a
remarkable six months in which the forward also signed his first
professional contract and scored in victorious finals for both club and
country.
When Solanke wasn't helping Chelsea win the FA Youth Cup and England the
European Under-17 Championship in May, his focus was on his GCSE exams,
including one taken the morning after the final of the latter tournament
in Malta. He passed them all.
Amid that flurry of achievement Solanke became the first Chelsea Academy
player in a decade to score 20 goals for the Under-18s– all the more
impressive considering he was still a schoolboy – and this summer he was
part of Jose Mourinho's squad for our pre-season European training camp.
His rapid ascent continued with a spot on the bench at Selhurst Park last
weekend and then, in the second half against Maribor, his first senior
action.
'I've been here since I was seven and this is what I've been working
towards,' beams Solanke. 'To finally achieve it is amazing.
'I used to come here as a fan when I was younger so to get on the pitch
and make my debut in front of all those fans at Stamford Bridge was just a
dream come true.
'At a club like Chelsea you are going to have some of the best players in
the world and playing alongside them was just amazing really. I can only
learn from them.
'The manager helped me too. He gave me some last-minute tips before I came
on and said to play freely because he has faith in me. For someone like
him to have faith in me at my age shows there's an opportunity there.'
Indeed, Solanke joins Lewis Baker and John Swift on the list of players to
have progressed through the club's Academy and made their first-team debut
this calendar year.
Solanke is quick to credit those who have aided him during his rise
through the schoolboy teams at Chelsea, including Under-21 manager Adi
Viveash, who also worked with the striker at Under-18 level before both
stepped up the age groups ahead of the current campaign.
'At the beginning of last season I certainly didn't expect to have the
year that I did but Adi helped me a lot and gave me confidence throughout
so I managed to go on and have a really good season,' he explains.
'It was great to see Adi move up as well in the summer. He's put a lot of
faith in me and helped me get where I am today so it's good to be working
with him again this season.
'All of my coaches during my time at Chelsea have always shown me support
and helped me along the way so I'm thankful to all of them.'
Another important factor in accelerating the speed of his evolution on the
pitch, according to Solanke, is an integral part of the club's Academy off
it.
'Coming to the school at Cobham meant I was in full-time so it gave me a
lot of opportunities to train with older players. That has helped me grow
and develop more quickly than had I just been coming in a few times a week
on day release.'
The school programme allowed the bulk of the Under-16 age group to feature
in some capacity for the youth team last season, with Solanke's fellow
schoolboys Jay Dasilva and Jake Clarke-Salter playing in both legs of the
Youth Cup final at a time when GCSE exams were in full swing. For Solanke,
however, juggling football and traditional academic pressures continued
into late May as he sat several exams overseas at the European Under-17
Championships.
'I had quite a few GCSEs while I was out in Malta and it was difficult to
balance them with my football but I knew I had to do well in both.
Fortunately, we managed to win the tournament and I passed all my exams so
it worked out really good for me.
'International football is a lot different to playing with your club; you
play with a lot of different players from clubs around England so you're
learning things from them, as well as playing against opposition from all
around Europe so you never really know what you're coming up against. That
can only help with development. We had a good start in the tournament and
to go all the way and win the final was just amazing.'
Last month he celebrated his 17th birthday and marked the occasion by
signing his first professional contract at Chelsea, the club he has been
at since joining as an Under-8. It was a moment Solanke was proud to share
with his supportive family.
Now his focus is on maintaining the steep rate of progress in recent
years. With that in mind, some facets of his game – such as his heading
and back-to-goal play – have been identified by him and the Academy staff
as areas to improve upon.
'As I'm full-time now I can work on those areas and get stronger,' he
acknowledges. 'I like to get on the ball and come deep but I've also been
working on going in behind as well to mix up my game so defenders won't
know what I'm going to do.
'At Chelsea there are a lot of world-class players at the club so you just
have to keep working and your time will come. If you put talent with hard
work then I think anyone can achieve their dreams.'
It is exactly that attitude that helped one of Solanke's dreams come true
earlier this week.
- There is a short clip of Solanke in action below with further highlights
of his goals in the Chelsea TV on-demand section of this website...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEaF87TiztE
Dominic Solanke: Chelsea's newest debutant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18qgw1FyEq4
Solanke: Over the moon
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※ 編輯: JamesCaesar (36.231.130.7), 03/25/2016 07:35:15
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