With only three days to go, China's national soccer team is about to embark on a World Cup qualifier away to Thailand. Compared with the time when former CFA president Chen Xuyuan was at the helm, the situation of the national team traveling to Thailand has been vastly different. According to Oriental Sports Daily, the national team will leave for Bangkok in the afternoon of the 14th. It is worth paying attention to is that this trip, the international players will take civil aviation flights to arrive at the destination. Chen Xuyuan period, whenever a major away game, the national team more choose to chartered flights, and equipped with professional chef team to ensure that the players diet.
After Song Kai took office, resolutely canceled the national football team's chartered aircraft treatment, also did not provide the team with an exclusive team of chefs. On this road trip, the treatment of the national soccer team is even more simple compared to the past. Song Kai personally went to the airport to see off the team, but will not accompany the team to Thailand to supervise the game. The top management of the FA will also not join the team. At present, the national football team members are in Shenzhen to prepare for the game, Song Kai also arrived in Shenzhen, encouraging the morale of the players, hoping that the players to remove the psychological burden, and strive for good results. This move by the senior management of the national football team is obviously intended to reduce the pressure on the players.
Song Kai, the new president of the Football Association, will not only personally visit the national team members preparing for the World Cup qualifiers in Shenzhen, but will also conduct a site visit to the city's soccer youth training and training work. In an interview with the domestic media, national team head coach Jankovic expressed his confidence in leading the team out of the group, however, judging from the performance of the recent warm-up matches, the national players are not in the best shape. In recent years, the overall level of the national team decline has become a certainty. This battle on the road, the national football team will undoubtedly face difficulties.
The CFA has changed its high-profile style, canceled the national football team's special plane system, did not configure a team of professional chefs to ensure logistics, and senior leaders are not personally involved in the away game. This move is not only designed to let the players to calm mindset away from home, reduce pressure, perhaps also intended to avoid the new leadership team to withstand the media and fans of public opinion pressure, especially in the team's performance away from home is not satisfactory. This move also reflects that the leadership of the Football Association does not have high expectations for the national team's trip to Thailand. As long as the team does not fall behind in the game and does not concede on the road, it is considered to have accomplished the set goals.
As far as the group qualifying situation is concerned, if the national soccer team fails to beat Thailand in the first match, its group qualifying prospects will quickly fall into crisis. Although the second qualifying match will be played at home, but against the powerful South Korea, there is little hope of winning. Therefore, this away game with Thailand is a fateful match for the national soccer team.
