Considering that the third place of the four groups with the best results can advance to the round of 16, the prospects for the national soccer team are still optimistic this time. Qatar may rotate their lineup after locking up their first advancement, which gives us more to look forward to in this match.
With Wei Shihao back from injury, will Wu Lei continue to start? If you win and lock up second place in the group, you have a good chance of advancing. Should the national football team change their lineup or continue to stick to the defensive base of three center backs?
01. The foundation of the national football team to move forward is the three center guards: the protection of the middle abdomen is the first priority.
a. The national team played very hard: the three center backs have a strength advantage
While countless people have complained that the national soccer team has turned in blanks in its first two games, it's also important to note that the team has played more than 180 minutes and still kept a clean sheet.
From the first two group games, the national soccer team is very attentive and hard working in the matter of confrontation. Even if some players are physically inferior to Lebanon, the strength and speed of the three center backs are not bad, which is the basis for not conceding goals.
Dai Weijun's defensive commitment cannot be considered very high, and the National Football League can be seen backing up with only seven men on offense and defensive transition.
But as long as one of the double backs moves across to protect the wingbacks and the three center backs stand firm in the middle, it's hard for the opposition to really strike deep into the national box, and more often than not, they have to opt for long-range shots (luckily for the Lebanese team, they took two long-range shots over the crossbar).
Take this wave of offense and defense for example. After a turnover in the midfield, Xu Xin was counterattacked by the opponent. The key was Zhu Chenjie's strong top line, allowing the backs to finish the clip and break behind the defense.
Even when Dai Weijun was sacked for the second time, the boys of the national soccer team worked very hard and froze, forcing the opponent to pass back and unable to move on.
Tajikistan is more tactically literate, has a more fluid overall offense, and likes to play against Lebanon as opposed to the hard bridges. The national soccer team does not do a good job of limiting their movement.
This time, they broke through the ribs of the National Soccer Team, just by one of the three center backs moving laterally and pushing the other team to the outside. The pass was then sent to the back post, where the middle of the National Football League was crowded and blocked the ball, not allowing it to hit the inside of the goal box.
b. Defending the penalty area and letting in a long shot: the opponent is not strong enough for a shutout
This kind of national football three center back play, meet the Asian second and third-rate team, or a high probability to keep the draw. After all, the opponent can not really deep into the hinterland, so there is no certainty of scoring.
Even though Tajikistan overpowered the national soccer team on the field, they had 0 shots on goal from 8 shots in the second half after they lost their fitness. Although the offense was threatening, it was actually so close and so far from scoring.
This goal is typical. When the opponent cuts inside with the ball, three national soccer players surround him. However, the Tajikistan player had a good sense of passing and found the open player behind him, Desalinov.
It was center back Jiang Guangtai who got forward in time at the crucial moment. Because the national football team has three center backs, they can push forward more decisively in defense to protect the space behind them.
Although Jiang Guangtai was unable to stop the shot, he somewhat interfered with the opponent and limited the angle of the shot, allowing Yan Junling to pounce on the ball.
Overall, national soccer teams can actually be vulnerable to opposing scheduling, whether it's a double back or a trio of midfielders. Instead, putting three center backs behind the ball is more conducive to saving the game.
02. Wei Shihao's comeback is a great benefit: the national soccer team is more full of scheduling
a. Wei Shihao's comeback: the national football team's offensive propulsion greatly improved
The biggest problem for the national soccer team in this Asian Cup is the midfield advance. Past the center circle, there are too many mistakes, and the team's offense is difficult to start effectively, while also giving the opponent too many opportunities for counterattacks.
If Wei Shihao can find form, his ability to carry the ball and hold it up individually will help the national soccer team. In the preliminaries against Thailand, he tried three times and succeeded twice Wei Shihao created two excellent scoring chances and provided an assist.
The current national team is in great need of players like Wei Shihao who have the individual ability to make plays, even if he has some attacking options that are not so good.
This crossing was followed by a long attack halfway down the pitch, ending with a somewhat unique long range shot of his own, but his individual ability would have boosted the threat of the National Football League's attack by Endo.
At the end of the day, it takes a single strong point to break down an opponent's defensive position for a really good counterattack opportunity.
Characterized by his ball-less receiving and running, Wu Lei may be able to get out of his slump quickly with the help of center forward Zhang Yuning and Wei Shihao behind him.
Thailand, who have performed well at this year's Asian Cup, were beaten by the national football team in the preliminaries in a reverse fixture, thanks to Wei Shihao's success in helping Wu Lei break through after launching a counter-attack on a breakaway.
b. Wei Shihao doesn't have to start: it's more appropriate for him and Xie Pengfei to start first.
However, Wei Shihao just came back and the team may not need him to be advanced. It just means that the best option for the national soccer team is to play Wei Shihao, Zhang Yuning and Wu Lei at the same time.
On the other hand, Xie Pengfei will also be a good option to advance the midfield. Because Wei Shihao was not available in the previous game, Xie Pengfei was allowed to make two appearances as a substitute in order to ensure the backhand's momentum. Perhaps it is the best option for the national soccer team for him and Wei Shihao to take over one after the other in this game.
In the match against Tajikistan, Xie Pengfei was almost the hero of the win. In fact, he took a quality corner kick that went right to Zhu Chenjie.
Unfortunately, this beautiful header on goal was nullified by the referee when he blew for interfering with the defense from an offside position and the goal was disallowed.
On the other hand, Xie Pengfei also has some penetrating scoring ability, but unfortunately, this time, he received a wonderful pass from Lin Liangming, and headed high after stepping forward into the penalty area.
In the match against Lebanon, Xie Pengfei crossed the ball over the top, but Lin Liangming in the middle of the field couldn't get on top of the ball, and the two missed each other's great pass.
Both on his feet and in his head, Xie Pengfei has some counter skills and some footwork.
Compared to Dai Weijun, he and Wei Shihao will have a stronger and more effective offense. This time, Xie Pengfei's header was swung in and Liu Binbin's cross created chaos. Unfortunately, Xie Pengfei's last shot was a bit soft.
The second goal of the national soccer team's come-from-behind win in the preliminaries against Thailand also came from Xie Pengfei's assist. He was not very successful in his excellence, but both against Thailand and Lebanon, he was powered by his feet, switched feet and then took the ball and delivered a great pass.
Lin Liangming failed to get on top of the ball against Lebanon, and in the battle against Thailand, Wang Shangyuan headed home to help the national team win.
03. If you want to win the game, you still have to believe in Wu Lei!
a. National team's best offensive combination: in the making
The statistics against Lebanon show that the national soccer team had an advantage in terms of ball possession, shot attempts and positive shots, far better than in the first game against Tajikistan.
This is because the national soccer team arranged for Zhang Yuning to work with Wu Lei and achieved good cooperation results. Wu Lei needs a front teammate who can hold the ball relatively. Zhang Yuning is slow and Wu Lei's speed and agility can make up for his shortcomings.
If you can once again add a strong individual ability, able to hold the ball attack Wei Shihao, may be the best trio in the offensive end of the national football team.
Just like this attack, Zhang Yuning has some strength and technical advantage at his feet, but his movement is slow. Wu Lei's follow-up shot was very sensitive, which allowed Zhang Yuning to regain the ball and finish with a second shot that almost scored.
Let's take a look at the offense, which was the most effective team push the National Football League had the last time they faced Lebanon.
It was the use of center forward Zhang Yuning's work that allowed Wang Shangyuan to cut back while flanker Wu Lei's high-speed ball-lessness captured the deep space behind the opposing defense.
In order to ensure the stability of getting the ball up front, the national soccer team needs a center forward. Zhang Yuning can play and have great offensive value for the national soccer team.
Wu Lei is always keen to catch the opponent in deep space, but unfortunately this time the quality of Wang Shangyuan's last pass was so poor that he let the opportunity be lost.
b. In front of the goal, Wu Lei's reaction time is fast: no one can replace the national football team.
In the last match against Lebanon, Wu Lei missed two great scoring chances, but he could also create offensive threats.
In total, he only touched the ball 18 times and shot 4 times. This is due to the fact that Wu Lei's reaction in front of the goal is very sensitive, and he has an advantage in speed and frequency of movement, which makes it possible for him to score at any time.
There is no other team in the National Football League with such characteristics and advantages, so the team still needs to trust Wu Lei in order to win the game.
For example, on this corner kick attack, Zhang Yuning did well, but the root cause of the shot was Wu Lei's ball-less movement.
In Asia, his quick start makes it easy for him to shake off one-on-one defenders, which gives Wu Lei the chance to finish off a deadly strike in front of goal.
Unfortunately, Wu Lei is now 32 years old and will be less explosive in his last action. Actually, Wu Lei's follow-up shot wasn't too bad this time. After all, it was a rebound from the opposing goalkeeper and there was a lot of chance involved.
Wu Lei's ability to get away from defenders and suddenly shoot from the back to the front shows his strengths. With Qatar locking up first place in the group early, the defenders may not be as focused as Lebanon, and it could be a chance for Wu Lei to redeem himself.
