A report by South Korean media outlet Sportal Korea points out that despite the setbacks to the national football team's naturalization strategy, there are still voices that are convinced that it is still the key to the team's rise to prominence.
Former Chinese football boss Lippi has repeatedly supported the naturalization strategy in public recently, and although the addition of naturalized players has not helped the national football team gain a ticket to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, there is still a view that it has been difficult to make it to the World Cup stage with local players alone.
Lippi led the national football team to a 0-3 defeat against Iran in the UAE at the 2019 Asian Cup and then announced his resignation. After leaving the national football team, Lippi returned again with one condition - to bring in naturalized players. However, after a 1-2 defeat against Syria in the 40-team tournament, Lippi once again resigned and said goodbye to the national football team.
Recently, the national football team is still centered on five naturalized players: Ackerson, Jiang Guangtai, Alan, Fernando and Luo Guofu. But in their 10 matches in the Round of 12, they only managed one win, three draws and six losses, and their World Cup dream has suffered another blow.
The pros and cons of the naturalization strategy and its sustainability are still highly debated in China. However, Lippi is convinced that the strategy should continue, stating: "I have no doubt that naturalized players will play an important role in the future of the national football team. But we can't just focus on short-term solutions. I advocate a more systematic selection of naturalized players, which will naturally improve the strength of the team. With a population of more than one billion people and a wealth of talent in naturalized players, China is a completely trustworthy choice."
