Despite failing to advance in the group stage of the World Cup, the Chinese women's soccer team still made some gains. They realized the shortcomings of their own strength against European powerhouses such as England and Denmark, especially against Haiti. Despite sometimes being unlucky, the overall improvement in the level of women's soccer in the world is obvious. At the same time, the women's soccer players are entering the critical stage of their careers, with young talents such as Zhang Linyan rapidly emerging, while veterans such as Wang Shanshan are entering the end of their careers, and middle-generation players such as Wang Frost are playing a stalwart role.
In the last three games, Zhang Linyan has been particularly impressive. Despite being only 22 years old, he has shown maturity beyond his years. He is not only the main player of the team, but also the core of the offense, and has given many wonderful performances. Obviously, compared to last year's Asian Cup, Shui Qingxia's reuse of Zhang Linyan has increased significantly. The outside world has high expectations for him, hoping that he can lead the team out of the dilemma. However, for Zhang Linyan, after the World Cup, the new challenges he faces have already appeared.
Zhang Linyan studied in Switzerland and not only helped the Grasshoppers win the third place, but also won the league MVP and his personal reputation climbed rapidly. However, at the peak of his career, he chose to leave the team. After the expiration of his lease contract, he returned to his old club Wuhan Women's Football Club. Although many fans felt sorry for him because he had just become famous in Europe, there was widespread concern. After the World Cup, the media revealed that Zhang Linyan would be joining Europe's top five leagues, a news that quickly sparked heated debate and eventually came true.
However, the range of choices in the top five leagues is so wide that the disparity between the leagues cannot be ignored. For example, the competition and exercise value of the English Premier League far exceeds that of Serie A, Bundesliga, and even La Liga and Ligue 1. While the outside world is speculating, informed media revealed that Zhang Linyan's next stop could be the EPL. This is exactly what we expect to see, because the competition and exercise value of the English women's soccer is much higher. However, the results of Zhang Linyan's study abroad still need time to be tested, as the Chinese women's soccer team is preparing for the Asian Games and the Olympic preliminaries.
It is worth mentioning that Tang Jiali studied at Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League, but failed to become a starter and stayed with the team after her lease contract expired. Therefore, if Zhang Linyan joins the English Premier League, the outside world is hoping that the 1.54-meter taller will be able to do justice to the women's soccer team and show the international style of Chinese players. It is worth mentioning that to go to the English Premier League is also Wang Frost's desire, but unfortunately last year could not be realized, she turned to the U.S. professional league.
