Mark Selby

Liang's the real deal

Wed Sep 23 04:19PM

I played Liang Wenbo the other day in a couple of practice matches and I got to see up close what a talented player he is, because I have never actually played him in a competitive match.

I was also in Shanghai when he got to the final of the Masters and it really provided a great buzz around the place. It was great for China and also for snooker in general to have one of the local players doing so well.

Liang is just so popular over there now and I think he might have even overtaken Ding Junhui in the popularity stakes.

It is hard for us British players to appreciate how much pressure the Chinese lads are under because it is so much more intense for them over there than it is for us.

I get the impression that maybe Liang has been handling that expectation a little bit better than Ding because he just goes out and enjoys playing the game while Ding puts a lot of pressure on himself to win.

I think the Chinese players also find it very difficult when they come over here first. They often keep to themselves and mix with their own friends but you can see with Liang and Ding that they are starting to adapt to life in England more and more which helps them too.

Ding's English has improved a lot over the last few years and he is now mixing with the other players on the tour a lot better and the same is starting to happen with Liang.

After playing Liang, I think his strong point is his long potting which is just superb, but it has to be said that his all-round game has come along leaps and bounds in the last few seasons.

He has always been an attacking player but in the past I actually thought he was too aggressive; now he seems to have found a balance that suits him.

I have to say that I have always found it more difficult to play attacking players than defensive ones.

If you play an attacking player on form, you can be doing what you feel are all the right things by playing safe, but then against a player like Liang or Jamie Cope, they can land a long pot and quick as you like you can find yourself a frame down without having done anything wrong.

Liang plays in the final round of qualifiers for the Grand Prix on Thursday and he is one player, along with many others, who you would be glad to avoid in the opening rounds, especially when you consider how good he is playing at the moment.

I do not think you can write off Liang, or indeed Ding, becoming a future world champion. He certainly has the potential, but then again, so do many other players so it is hard to predict.

As for our practice matches, I won one and he won the other - but they were both very close.

Log on to eurosport.yahoo.co.uk on Friday when Mark will answer questions set by you the readers and where you can also pose a question of your own.

Comments1 - 3 of 3

Liang will lose to Ebdon in the first round of the Grand Prix. His style of play is rather fulish, and he has played by far the worse shots captured by camera.
From vlado_mato on Sun Oct 04 11:50AM
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Who else thinks its disrespectful of neil robertson to wear gold on the back of his waistcoat in this years grand prix when Paul Hunter always wore gold and was known as the golden boy, he isn't alive now to compete so why disrespect his memory by doing this. He would have gone far if he had of lived and loved by many. R I P Paul, love you loads xxxxxx
From joff_h2006 on Mon Oct 05 07:38PM
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Vlado you are a prophet
From dido_mil on Tue Oct 06 09:24AM
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