After watching the China Asian Games men's soccer team vs. India U23, I have the impression that this is a story of a "reckless boy trying to drive a half-assembled classic car". Very vivid and typical.
Since China's Asian Games team was playing at home, they fielded a bunch of mature and powerful (compared to the teams) players. It's pretty obvious what they want, which is to be able to play well at home and prove that Chinese soccer has also helped to bring big brothers out of the shadows (there was too much criticism for being drawn by Malaysia and beaten by Syria before). Coach Djurdjevic also vowed to be confident, despite the lack of publicity leading up to the tournament.
It's true when the game starts. The Chinese team's "three axes" were really fierce, so writers who have been covering the national soccer team for years rarely see such scenes. Tan Long's hard work, passion and all-around attributes are very similar to those of a European center forward; Dai Weijun's dexterity, escaping and excellence on the sidelines are quite colorful in South American soccer; and the back and forth of Gao Tianyi and Tao Qianglong is full of hard work, which is rare.
That goal was also the result of our many sieges on India, supposedly to highlight the national football team's hard-nosed superiority over India. Whether it was accurate passing, high pressure from Tan Long and Zhu Chenjie, or Gao Tianyi's goal kick, they were all in great form. This is really "unlike" the national football team.
As you can see, we were full of motivation and confidence in the game and the belief that we would win. However, this mood lasted for about 15 minutes. In the following time, just like the passion of young people dissipated, the national football team quickly returned to the familiar "old path".
When you get the ball, you must stop for the first time, get your head up for the second, and get out for the third. The Chinese Asian team relies on starting passes on both sides of the ball to find the big center strategy. This stop is too consuming. Overall, he is still a "young man" with "immature skills".
This penalty didn't go in and the replay looked really hurtful. Why was Zhu Chenjie placed as the penalty taker? I really don't know.
When possession became easy, the Indians showed a different ability to control the ball and pass it far beyond what the fans thought of them. Very fluid and thoughtful. I should say they were really thoughtful. Although they focus on ground attack, they are different from the traditional ball control design in Southeast Asia. They focus on efficiency and are more focused on showcasing their individual abilities.
India's equalizing goal is a proof. Speed + breakthroughs + individual ability make it a bit difficult for national players to defend. This is the advantage of fundamentals and multiple games, which can also be transformed into key utility at critical moments.
Of course, the Indian team still has a lot of problems, such as the accuracy of the last strike, the inefficiency; the connection between the striker and the defender is not enough. That said, when we start talking about them, they are more like a "classic car", with ideas, designs and novelties. What's missing is time and bonding.
When the Indian team encountered problems in physical fitness, China's opportunity came again. After a change of possession, Dai Weijun once again gave full play to the young man's "vitality" and turned the score around again with a violent shot. This shot was really colorful and exciting.
The 3rd and 4th goals after that were also well earned and arguably very dominant.
Overall, the score of China vs India was acceptable and we really played what we really wanted to play at some point. However, there are still some overall problems, especially the "take, stop, look, pass" time wasting, which should not be done. This should be the first improvement for the next game. In addition, Dai Weijun should be set as an absolute key point. How he combines with Tao Qianglong and Tan Long will directly affect the future direction of China's Asian Games team. Fang Hao's replacement talent must also be fully recognized! Come on!
