According to the latest report from Beijing on May 17, Shanghai seaport newcomer Zhang Linpeng recently accepted an in-depth conversation with the media, reviewing the recent key battle of the national football team's 1-3 defeat against Vietnam.
Zhang Linpeng admitted that the battle had a profound psychological impact on the players involved: "That loss is etched in our minds, we talk about it a lot, and for me it had a far greater impact than that oval goal. It was against Vietnam on the first day of the New Year and we all wanted to give our fans a New Year's gift, but the pressure was intertwined with a lack of preparation and with the injury doubts surrounding Chiang Quang-Tai, we were under pressure. The contempt and lack of preparation for Vietnam made us sleepwalk through the whole game."
Talking about the cyber attacks suffered by Wu Xi, Zhang Linpeng said, "Wu Xi is our friend who played soccer together since childhood, and is a good brother on and off the field. He is a responsible person, network abuse we have long been accustomed to, because of love and hate, on-field mistakes are inevitable, the coach and fans of the criticism is also normal."
For the national football team in the current 12 strong performance, Zhang Linpeng blunt: "We did not play well, but I do not think it has hit rock bottom. We must recognize that compared to the Asian powerhouses, our strength gap is obvious. We have shortcomings in terms of desire, rhythm, handling of the ball, etc. Football is the art of details, and a little negligence can lead to losing the ball. Our lack of preparation and many details not done properly led to this result."
