In the early hours of October 8, Beijing time, China will face their third opponent in the Round of 12 - Vietnam - in Sharjah, UAE. Both teams are currently winless, but Vietnam's team performance is slightly better. Recalling Fan Zhiyi's outrageous prediction after the China-Thailand battle back in the day, coupled with the strength of soccer in both countries, the battle between China and Vietnam has continued to heat up on social media, making it a losing battle for the Chinese men's soccer team.
At 10:45 p.m. on October 6, the pre-match press conference was held in tension. Head coach Li Tie and captain Wu Xi attended, Li Tie said: "The past month, the players are very difficult, our preparation intensity and training volume is very large, the players live a two-point-one-lane life every day, in addition to training, most of the time spent in a small room, the happiest time of the day is to go to the practice field. Originally we planned to play 3-4 warm-up matches, but due to the epidemic, we ended up playing only one against Syria. Tomorrow's opponent is Vietnam and we have done a lot of targeted training, we will respect and pay attention to every opponent and hope to have a great game tomorrow."
Talking about physical recovery and condition adjustment, Li Tie said: "Recently, we do practice very hard, I believe it will be better than playing Japan and Australia, but whether it can reach the specifications of the Top 40, I think we need to play to verify. Our players every day to arrange the training in the evening, after the sun goes down, I and the leader of the team this month almost did not see the sun, this is the recovery of the players, sleep may bring some impact, but this is the players must overcome."
In response to Vietnam's preparations, Li Tie said, "Apart from individual injuries, the players are in good shape and have a strong desire to fight, so I hope to show the best side in tomorrow's match."
On the strength of the Vietnamese team, Li Tie said, "We will cherish the opportunity to play every game in the Top 12, and I believe the players think the same way, we will respect and pay attention to every opponent, and the goal of every game is to make every effort to win, no matter who the opponent is."
Talking about the long time closed training faced by the national team, Li Tie said: "The long time training is very cruel to the players, it is not a month, but from the beginning of the year, the players have very little time with their families. The next few months they may still need to live like this, this is a great test for the players' psychology, but there is no way, this is what we have to face. Like Wu Xi's children are still young, every day can only chat with them through video or read books in their rooms. The coaches mainly talk about their work with each other. We have also thought of many ways to help players to relax, such as playing poker, organizing table tennis games, only through these ways, try to help players to relax, in the country may be easier to create similar conditions, in foreign conditions are more limited. But there is no way, because for us, epidemic prevention is still the most important, we must ensure that the players return home safely and healthily. Frankly speaking, it is really not easy to train for a long period of time in closed quarters, and it is a great test for the national team. I haven't experienced it either."
Talking about the training conditions provided by the UAE Football Association for the Chinese team, Li Tie said, "Thank you very much to the UAE, for providing us with a very good venue, and the whole organization is very careful."
Asked about the situation in the group, Li Tie said, "The most important thing for us at this stage is tomorrow's game, we have to find a way to take tomorrow's game, that's the most important thing for us."
A Vietnamese media outlet asked Li Tie: "Tomorrow is a survival duel for both China and Vietnam, what do you think of this view?"
Li Tie said, "Any game for the national team is a decisive battle, a battle for survival. For us, playing Vietnam or Japan is the same, we have to fight with all our might to win."
Asked by the Vietnamese media how to comment on the technical and tactical style of the Vietnamese team, Li Tie said, "Each country's style is different, and Vietnam has undeniably progressed quickly over the past four years." (Sohu Sports Bui Li)
