The 2018 China Cup was all part of a learning process for Lippi’s charges
Print Edition
BY any measure, it was not a good run for China’s national team in the recent China Cup International Football Tournament: China suffered two defeats, scored only one goal and conceded 10 in their two games.
The results may have been a bitter pill to swallow for most fans, but it is important to bear in mind the value Team China can extract from its experience at the tournament.
At the very least, China can learn from their opponents, hone their skills and try to bridge the gap going forward.
As defender Feng Xiaoting said in a pre-match press conference, a defender can only improve himself if he plays against many different types of forwards. And he believes that playing against Gareth Bale will definitely help him improve his defensive skills.
China’s first opponents were Wales, and their new coach Ryan Giggs brought his best squad here.
The chance to play against such strong opponents has definitely helped the Chinese national team gain more experience and improve on its weakness.
Even though China lost 0-6 to Wales, the performance of some players was worthy of note. For instance, Yu Hanchao nearly scored a goal, but his shot after cutting in the penalty area from left wing was denied by the post.
It is undeniable that China, under the lead of head coach Marcello Lippi, has made progress, but they still need more games, especially against strong teams, on their way to being more competitive in world football.
In an after-game press conference during the tournament, Lippi apologized to the fans for conceding too many goals. But he explained that the gap between China and the top-class teams is still there, and it’s a systematic project to improve the performance, which cannot be achieved within a few years.
“But we have made great progress within Asia so far. We only lost one game in the World Cup qualifiers since I took the job, and we were just one point away from going into the next round of games,” said Lippi.
The Italian coach was happy to see that some of his young players had taken up responsibility in the team and were making progress.
“From my personal point of view, there are a few young players in the team (who are promising), and there are some more players who will join the team soon. Given two to three years, they will make greater progress, and the team would be better by then,” Lippi added.
In the second game against the Czech Republic, China lost 1-4, but the criticism leveled by fans was much less compared with the first game.
Lippi also acknowledged the players’ efforts, saying that they played with the correct attitude and in a correct way.
“There’s no need to be sad or angry. We need to accept that the gap is still there. I hope the Chinese fans can have more patience and confidence. My colleagues and I are working hard together, to give more chance to the younger generation of players, and we are able to achieve good results in the future,” Lippi said.
The improvement of the national team’s skills is one of the major objectives of this event. Launched by the Wanda Group and the Chinese Football Association, the China Cup is an A-grade international event acknowledged by world football governing body FIFA.
“We hope that the China Cup will become a great platform for the Chinese national team to play against top-class teams in the world and also a great opportunity to promote the development of the sports in China,” Wanda Group President Wang Jianlin said during an earlier event to promote the tournament.
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