Reporter Wang Wei reported that on the evening of February 22, in the last match of the training in Spain, China's women's football team drew 0-0 with Ireland's women's football team, ending the training in Spain with 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss.
Immediately after the game, Chinese women's head coach Shui Qingxia accepted our interview, summarized the Spanish training: "I think through the actual battle test in Spain and European women's football, we lost the ball, technology and tactical application, the overall gap is very large, in the attack or offensive moments, decision-making response is relatively slow, especially defensive aggression, I think we still have a lot of work to do. "
Shui Qingxia also pointed out that the strength of the Haitian women's soccer team, which has just advanced to the World Cup in the same group as the Chinese women's soccer team, should not be underestimated. "Both the overall confrontation and individual ability are stronger."
Four matches were scheduled for training in Spain, two of which were in the Spanish Women's Premier League and the other two were International A matches between the two national teams of Europe.In the two musical teams in Spain, the Chinese women's soccer team first defeated Real Betis Women's Soccer Team, 2-1, and then defeated Huelva Sports Women's Soccer Team, 4-0. Sweden and Ireland are international A-level matches between national teams.
To be precise, the two matches against Sweden and Ireland were the focus of the Chinese women's soccer team's training in Spain. Therefore, from the starting lineup and substitutes in these two games, we can gain insight into Shui Qingxia's initial thoughts on preparing for the World Cup.
On the evening of the 22nd, in the match against Ireland, Shui Qingxia sent goalkeeper Xu Huan to start, with Chen Qiaozhu, Wang Xiaoxue, Wang Linlin and Li Mengwen in the back line; Yao Lingwei, Zhang Rui and Zhang Xin in the midfield; and Xiaoyu Yi, Wang Shanshan and Lou Jiahui rushing ahead. The starting lineup had only three adjustments against Sweden, namely Chen Qiaozhu replacing Wu Haiyan, Xu Huan, Zhu Yu and Lou Jiahui.
In addition to using the main framework of the Asian Cup, Shui Qingxia also used some newcomers. For example, in the use of Chen Qiaozhu, the Guangdong girl not only played the whole match against Ireland, but also came on as a substitute against Sweden.
In the previous match against the Huelva Sports Women's Football Team, Wu Chengshu, Ou Yiyao, Fang Jie and substitute Shao Ziqin scored goals to help the Chinese Women's Football Team beat their opponents 4-0. Both Ou Yiyao and Shao Ziqin are very young players. Among them, Ou Yiyao is only 22 years old, Shao Ziqin is only 20 years old, and Shao Ziqin is only 20 years old and 1.80 meters tall. Her impact could be a secret weapon against teams from Europe and the U.S. Under-24 Fang Jie was selected for the Chinese women's soccer team in 2019. This overseas training session scored a goal in each of the two matches against Real Betis and Sporting Huelva Women's Soccer, the most goals scored by a Chinese women's soccer player in an overseas training session.
Wang Shuang missed the opportunity to train overseas due to his return to club training, but Wang Shuang will join the next overseas training as soon as possible.
In addition to digging newcomers, this Spain training, the Chinese women's soccer team's greater purpose is to feel the intensity of the confrontation of European teams, hoping to find the gap to make up for the shortcomings.
After the draw with the Irish women's soccer team, Shui Qingxia pointed out: "This game, because the body of Ireland is still relatively high, including the whole of Europe, their high ball still has its own characteristics, including the boundary ball. Today, according to the requirements of this preparation meeting, we did better, especially after the high ball game. From this game, we achieved the purpose of the exercise and the game ended 0-0. As a matter of fact, both sides had the possibility of scoring. Therefore, we should keep strengthening our defense in the next stage. Overall, the players made a great effort."
Through four Spanish games, water Qingxia saw the biggest gap between Chinese women's football and European women's football, "We went to Spain to play two international games and two club games, from the reaction to the game, we and the European team there is still a big gap, especially after losing the ball after the counterattack, the use of technology and tactics, I think that overall there is a big gap. "
"Also, when we go from offense to defense or from defense to offense, we are relatively slow to react to our decisions because the pace of the domestic game is completely different, and the European women's soccer teams go from offense to defense with aggression, and I think they do a much better job than we do." Shui Qingxia told reporters.
"So just from those two games (Sweden and Ireland), it's not like finding a reason because this is also the first year that we're playing against a European team and looking at the overall development of the European women's soccer team, I think it's relatively fast, and on an overall level, including soccer, I think it's doing better than we are." Water added that the game of soccer is like that, "It's only by playing against the stronger teams that we can see where we are in all aspects of the game."
"Just in terms of our preparation for the winter training, I think the preparation for the winter training was ok or more satisfactory, especially in the transformation of the offensive and defensive ends of the game, I think we have made some progress compared to before." But she also emphasized, "But in the details, especially in the confrontation, in the body collisions, in the proper use of techniques and tactics I think there are still some gaps, the European players are clearer and faster after the second touch stop, especially the moment of going forward especially, so it's worth to learn from that as well."
In the early morning of February 22, the Haitian women's soccer team defeated the Chilean women's soccer team 2-1 in the 2023 Women's World Cup qualifying playoffs to make it to the Women's World Cup. The other three teams in Group D for the Haitian women's soccer team were China, England and Denmark.
Talking about the Haitian team, which has just become the rival of the same group, Shui Qingxia said: "Haiti can win the final victory, including entering the game. I think the Haitian team is relatively strong in terms of overall confrontation and individual ability. This is the biggest problem we are currently facing. Currently, throughout Europe, including Africa, the individual confrontation ability of women's soccer players is definitely much better than ours, so I hope that through this game we can first understand our gaps and the aspects we need to improve. Then strengthen it in training in March, and then see what areas need to be constantly adapted through matches in April."
"In any case, I think the most important thing is to find the right direction and then work in that direction. And then look at the areas we need to improve on, especially the aggressiveness of the defense. I think it's still a work in progress. Defense is really important, so I hope that through this game, we all wake up to the fact that we can only gradually shorten some of the gaps with them if we keep improving our abilities. In recent years, European women's soccer has developed really fast, especially what we used to see on TV and what we really encountered are really different. This kind of aggressive defense puts a lot of pressure on the players and the team." Shui Qingxia said:Â "No matter what, I hope everyone can work together to do better in these trainings, matches, and work."
