In a recent exclusive interview, former Australian international footballer and sporting director of Central Coast Mariners FC, Matt Simon, gave his insights into the upcoming World Qualifier match between Australia and China and the current state of Chinese soccer.
Needs and Expectations for the Australian Team
Simon made it clear that the Aussies needed to win this game to turn around a situation where they only scored one point in the first two rounds. In particular, the loss to Bahrain in the opening match and the draw in Indonesia have left the team in desperate need of a win to boost morale. He expects it to be a "big game" with a lot of attention and hopes that the Australians can pull it off. He also mentioned that the game will be watched by many Chinese fans, as many Chinese have settled in Australia.
Bullish on Australia's young players
Simon spoke highly of the young players in the Australian squad, especially Ilan Kunda. He believes that this is a new building cycle for the team and it is good that the young players are getting a chance and they will only get better and stronger with more experience. He also said that it was very helpful for these young players to be involved in such a big tournament.
Evaluation of China's performance
Simon expressed his surprise at China's 0-7 loss away to Japan in the first round. He thought the Chinese team was very good in his impression, but such results do happen from time to time in soccer. He emphasized that Chinese soccer can't get too deep into it and should see it as a bad day, but it doesn't mean that there will be such results in the future.
Suggestions for the Chinese Football League
In response to the current situation of the Chinese soccer league, Simon offered his suggestions. He believes that for the league and clubs to achieve sustainable development, they need to use their funds wisely and invest more in youth and local soccer. He also suggests that the maximum number of foreign players in the Chinese league should be kept at 4-5 to maintain the sustainable development of Chinese soccer as a whole and to take into account the balance between local and foreign players.
Thoughts on China's soccer youth training system
Simon mentioned the importance of the youth training system for the development of soccer. He heard that Chinese soccer started to develop youngsters 10 years ago, but it is more important for clubs to have their own football schools (academies). He cited the examples of Shandong Taishan and Central Coast Mariners soccer academies as examples of how having good soccer academies is crucial to developing good young players and creating a healthy development.
