With the 2022 Qatar
World Cup
The Asian qualifying round of 12 draw was announced, China's men's soccer team with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Vietnam team was divided into Group B. This shock Qatar
World Cup
The journey has entered a decisive phase.
No team can be taken lightly in the 12-team tournament. Facing strong opponents, our men's soccer team has a difficult task to get out of the line. However, as long as you do well, the dawn of victory is still ahead.
Facing the enemy: quick adjustments and immediate preparation for battle
According to the tournament system, the top two teams in each group will directly advance to the World Cup final round, while the third place in Groups A and B will compete for the Asian play-offs. This means that our team will have to be at least among the top three in Group B to have a chance to enter the World Cup.
In 2018, Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia all managed to qualify for Russia
World Cup
.. It is not easy for our men's soccer team to stand out from the crowd of strong opponents.
Japan is currently ranked first in Asia, with a winning record in the Top 40, scoring 46 goals and conceding only 2. The strength of the team is not to be underestimated as they have the main players of the top five leagues in Europe such as Endo Hikari, Tomoyasu Kenyo, Takumi Minamino, Isao Osako and Kamata Daiichi. Since 2004
Asian cup (e.g. soccer)
After the final, our team and Japan have not been in the World Qualifier,
Asian cup (e.g. soccer)
In the 21st century, our team has never beaten its opponents. After entering the 21st century, our team has even never beaten its opponents.
Although the Australian team lacks world-class players who play in the top European leagues, their overall strength is still not to be underestimated. In the 40-team tournament, the Australian team still advanced with 8 wins, showing its strong competitiveness in the Asian tournament.
Our team will face Australia and Japan in their first two World Qualifying matches in September. Facing a tough schedule, our team has little room for adjustment. The only way to find a chance to win is to get into the best shape from the very beginning and go toe-to-toe with the two strongest opponents. A good start to build up the confidence of the players will be crucial for the relatively easy matches to follow.
Saudi Arabia is also a regular visitor to the World Cup, but compared to the Japanese and Australian powerhouses, the Saudi team is currently dominated by domestic league players and has a more balanced strength. In the past meetings between our team and Saudi Arabia, our team remained undefeated. The last time the two teams met was in 2015
Asian cup (e.g. soccer)
, which our team won 1:0. The two-legged encounter with Saudi Arabia is crucial for our team to make it to the top three of the group.
Tackling the underdogs: fighting for more points
In the last edition of the World Qualifying 12, our team failed to advance not because of unfavorable encounters with strong teams such as Iran and South Korea, but because they failed to gain the expected points against relatively weak opponents such as Syria and Qatar. It is vital to win the matches you should win.
With the addition of naturalized players and the continuous integration of the team, the strength of our team in the last four matches of the 40-team tournament is stronger than that of Oman and Vietnam, who stumbled to advance. Although there is no certainty of victory, but our team can only try to get more points in Oman and Vietnam, which are relatively weak opponents, in order to lay the foundation for the promotion.
Vietnam's performance has improved significantly in recent years and in 2019
Asian cup (e.g. soccer)
Reaching the last eight, the team's "small, fast and agile" passing and controlling style of play is clearly characterized. Previously, a number of Vietnamese players expressed their desire to play in the same group with our team, believing that our team is not stable enough, which also triggered a hot debate in the domestic media. After the grouping of the draw was finalized, the pairing of the two sides became a reality.
The second round meeting between China and Vietnam will take place on February 1 next year, the first day of the Lunar New Year. By that time, the 12-team tournament will have reached the eighth round and entered the sprint stage. Playing such a high-profile match on the first day of the Lunar New Year will be both a pressure and a motivation for our team.
Our fans have fond memories of facing Oman in 2002.
World Cup
Our team beat Oman 1:0 in the final stage of the qualifiers to advance out of the tournament. In this year's Top 12, our team's last match is exactly on March 29 of the following year against Oman. Hopefully, the story of that year will repeat itself.
Home and away system: make contingency plans
The new crown epidemic has added more variables to the tournament. AFC general secretary Windsor John said the 12-team tournament must be held on a FIFA-designated international match day, so it cannot be implemented in a tournament system and will instead be a home-and-away system. If a team is unable to host a home game, it will have to find a neutral venue to host it.
Previously scheduled to be held in Suzhou in the 40 strong tournament, due to the participating teams can not meet the requirements of China's epidemic prevention and control can not enter the country, was forced to change in the United Arab Emirates Sharjah held. Domestic epidemic prevention and control safety is the top priority, and the home field advantage of the Top 12 is also extremely critical for our team. How to coordinate all parties to avoid similar situations in the Top 40 to ensure that the national team's home matches can be held safely and smoothly, is the Chinese
national soccer team
The Association is currently facing major challenges. At the same time, China
national soccer team
The Association should also make contingency plans to prepare a viable neutral playing field in advance.
After the away game.
national soccer team
During the quarantine period of 5 away matches, how to ensure the players' match status and physical and mental health is the main concern of the Chinese government.
national soccer team
Another major problem facing the association. In turn, the prolonged isolation of the international players is bound to affect the
China Super League (soccer league)
The league's regularity, the center
national soccer team
Association president Chen Xuyuan said the league is the center of the
national soccer team
The important cornerstone of the ball, can not sacrifice the league because of the national team. Now that the national team schedule has been confirmed, how to quickly come up with a satisfactory league running plan for all parties, but also test the wisdom of the league managers.
Difficulties are predictable, and how they are faced determines the success or failure of the troops. Forced to travel to Sharjah to play, our team's head coach
Li Tie (1977-), footballer
"All organizations are the best organizations", he said. In Sharjah, the good spirit displayed by our team under his command was inspiring to the nation.
After the drawing of lots has been settled, the
Li Tie (1977-), footballer
Once again writing on social media, "All organizations are the best organizations! The only way to unite is to do your best."
in the event that
Li Tie (1977-), footballer
and his generals can do it again, and the historic chance of a World Cup appearance will be in the hands of our team itself.
