China's national soccer team has long been known for its intensive long-term training, a tradition that never seems to change. Unfortunately, the performance of the Chinese men's soccer team has not improved significantly despite the increasing intensity of training. What's more, some of the most talented players, such as Huang Zichang, have been physically and mentally fatigued by frequent call-ups, and have suffered injuries and illnesses that have prevented them from realizing their full potential. Nonetheless, the men's and women's soccer teams continue to train at an unrelenting pace, as if the training grounds at home and abroad have become their second home.
However, it is widely recognized in soccer that the professional league is the solid backbone of the national team. Players involved in professional leagues often get more promotion than just training. Unfortunately, Chinese soccer always seems to be mistaken as the domain of amateurs. This year, after a period of overseas training, the Olympic team is about to embark on a 26-day-long closed-door training session on home soil in preparation for the Qatar U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, which will be held from Sept. 6 to 12 in Dalian. The Chinese Football Association (CFA) announced that the Olympic team will assemble in Dalian from August 19th to September 13th.
The training brought together 25 players, including the best from Shanghai Shenhua, Wuhan Sanzhen, Shandong Taishan and other Chinese Super League and Chinese League One clubs. Their prolonged training not only affects their individual form, but also brings losses to their clubs. However, we don't deny that long-term training itself goes against the natural laws of soccer and is not as commonly used in developed soccer countries.
For the upcoming U23 Asian Cup qualifiers against the likes of UAE, India and Maldives, there seems to be no need for the Olympic team to have a long closed training session. After all, fans know that the Olympic team has already advanced well in previous matches. If the Olympic team does not have enough confidence in the first place of the group, then we may only be able to quote Fan Zhiyi's famous words of the year to express their feelings.
