Women's Soccer East Asian Cup Warm-up Match Review
In the late afternoon of July 20, the Chinese women's soccer team started their second match of the first round of the East Asian Cup at Toyota Stadium, defeating Chinese Taipei 2-0. The result was both expected and unexpected. Nonetheless, the entire schedule shows that this so-called "warm-up match" has initially achieved the desired goal.
The first battle is a "warm-up" battle!
As the Asian Cup champions, the Chinese women's soccer team is traveling to the East, and the outside world has high expectations for it. However, the girls, including head coach Shui Qingxia, have kept a low profile, emphasizing the concepts of "focusing on the World Cup" and "practice and warm-up". This is easy to understand, although the level of the East Asian Cup to a certain extent more than the Asian Cup Women's Football Tournament, but the opponent is limited to the Asian region. In the future World Cup, the Chinese women's soccer team will face more teams from Europe, America and Africa. Therefore, the showdown with the two Asian powerhouses is undoubtedly an excellent "practice" opportunity, especially for young players to experience more of such high-level matches, their personal growth will be very beneficial.
Called the game with Chinese Taipei as "warm-up", but also from the perspective of the women's soccer team itself. After all, after winning the Asian Cup, the women's soccer team has not played an international warm-up game. According to the schedule of this tournament, the next match between South Korea and Japan is obviously more critical, therefore, this game is regarded as a warm-up for the subsequent matches. In fact, from the point of view of the starting lineup of the women's soccer team, the intention of exercising young players and arranging a "bewitching formation" is very obvious.
Looking back at the Asian Cup in February, the Chinese women's soccer team's first match was also against Chinese Taipei. However, under the comparison of the starting lineups of the two matches, we can find the changes. For example, in the Asian Cup, the Chinese women's soccer team used a 442 formation, but this game was changed to a 4231. At that time, Wang Shanshan and Zhang Linyan partnered as a pair of strikers, but in this game, Wang Shanshan was in front of the front, and Zhang Linyan was adjusted to the left flank; Zhang Xin was originally playing as a left defender, but in this game, she was placed in a defensive midfielder position. There are many other similar adjustments, including the second half replacement Lou Jiahui, in the Asian Cup as a right back, but this game is in the left wing position, replaced by Zhang Linyan. Yao Wei in the Asian Cup as a left back, this game was arranged to the attacking midfield position, roaming behind Wang Shanshan. This kind of "Qian Kun Da Shift" naturally has the effect of confusing the opponents. And, don't forget, South Korea and Japan's technicians are in the stands, paying close attention to the Chinese team.
As for the presence of numerous young players in the starting lineup, it is easier to understand that the aim is to give them more experience of the atmosphere of an international tournament.
Therefore, from the point of view of this arrangement, the result of this game is not really important, because with the strength of the Chinese women's soccer team, taking the game is almost a nail in the coffin, and the only suspense is exactly how many goals can be scored. The only question is how many goals can be scored. And the score of 2-0 is certainly acceptable.
Even in the substitution adjustments in the second half, they were actually preparing for the next game. For example, Wang Shanshan was replaced after the first half and Xiao Yuyi took over. And Tang Jiali also came on the field after 65 minutes in the second half to find the feeling. As for Wang Shuang and Wu Haiyan, who returned from injury, they were on the sidelines, so it's easier to understand that they were all preparing for the game ahead.
Korea-Japan war is more critical
Of course, if there is any regret, it is that after the change of personnel in the second half, despite creating numerous chances, they were never able to further change the score, especially after several attackers were replaced. Obviously, the Chinese women's soccer team needs to improve its attacking efficiency and conversion, because in the next two matches, it will be difficult for the Chinese women's soccer team to create as many chances as they did in this match. This is just like the previous day's match between the South Korean and Japanese women's soccer teams. After the South Korean team lost the match, the head coach Belle lamented that she couldn't understand the loss because she failed to score more goals after creating so many chances.
From another perspective, the fact that the Chinese women's soccer team was able to create a lot of chances and have an advantage on the field against Chinese Taipei is not unrelated to the fact that the Chinese women's soccer team has an advantage in terms of body. Of course, in the whole of Asia, the Chinese women's soccer team is still in the leading position in terms of body, and it is only difficult to have an advantage when confronting Australia. But the problem is that since the Chinese women's soccer team is preparing for the World Cup, the future is to confront the European and American teams. At the European Women's Football Tournament currently underway, I am afraid that the development of European women's football has again refreshed people's understanding of women's sports. In this case, the Chinese women's soccer team needs to have a sense of urgency.
Secondly, from the process of the game, the Chinese women's soccer team needs to further strengthen the rationality of handling the ball after taking it, i.e. how to pass forward better and quickly in terms of changing from defense to offense, which is very crucial, I'm afraid. However, the women's soccer girls' passing in the game was on the slow side, which was easily judged by the opponents. In the second half of the game, Chinese Taipei further strengthened their defense, especially in the mutual defense, which made the Chinese women's soccer team unable to score more goals. And the opponent's goalkeeper's heroic performance is certainly one aspect.
But in its own way, since it is a "warm-up" game, there is no need to be too attached to the score or the result. Perhaps the subsequent matches against South Korea and Japan will show a completely different situation. And that's probably what more people are looking forward to. Next, the Chinese women's soccer team will move to Ibaraki to prepare for the next two rounds of matches. Hopefully, the women's soccer girls will be able to go further in the later matches.
