On the battlefield of the Asian Games, the Chinese women's soccer team is ambitious, but the challenges ahead of them are as complex as a maze. The core issue is the lack of unity in the squad, and the reason behind this is surprisingly simple - the Asian Games are not held during the international competition cycle set by FIFA, but rather during the gap period. FIFA's rules are ironclad: if a player wants to leave the country during a non-international tournament cycle, his club has the right to refuse to release him.
Take, for example, players from the top five leagues, many of whom are playing for top clubs in the Premier League or La Liga. The road back home seems out of reach for them. Once they are not in the international playing cycle, they cannot easily return. Clubs do not have to cooperate and can even refuse their departure. Because of this, the Chinese women's soccer team may face the dilemma of absenteeism of their main players. On the one hand, the Women's Super League is about to kick off on September 10, while the Asian Games lasts from September 22 to October 6, leaving China's women's football team with a drop in the bucket of time to prepare for the tournament, making it almost impossible for them to train adequately.
Not only that, but there is a hidden worry. Women's soccer superstars like Zhang Linyan are actively seeking opportunities overseas. If they do choose to go abroad, the club will likely not let go. After all, the women's soccer tournament at the Hangzhou Asian Games, from the group stage to the final, is outside the official international match days, so summoning Shui Qingxia back to the team will undoubtedly be difficult. How would we react if we attempted to call up these players, only to be met with the club's firm refusal to release them? Against this backdrop, it is likely that we will encounter bottlenecks in recruitment, making it difficult to assemble the strongest squad for the Asian Games. In such an adversity, the road to the championship will undoubtedly be more difficult.
