The result of Vietnam's shock 3-1 victory over China in the last match of the 12-team tournament has sent shock waves through the Chinese soccer world. In an exclusive interview with Vietnam's "ZING" website after the match, former Japanese national team coach Jean-Pierre Troussier, who has coached in China, boldly predicted that Chinese national football team manager Li Xiaopeng could leave his post quickly due to non-football factors and predicted that an Eastern European coach would take over the national football team.
It is reported that Troussier has coached China's Shenzhen team and Hangzhou Greentown, and has declined the invitation to coach the Chinese national team. Talking about the future of China's national soccer team, he said: "After losing to Vietnam, Li Xiaopeng's job prospect is worrying. According to my coaching experience in China, such changes are often determined by factors other than soccer. Let's not forget that former national soccer coach Li Tie was also dismissed because of his conflict with the FA, although his strength is not to be underestimated."
Troussier further noted, "This is a common phenomenon in soccer in developing countries. People have extremely high expectations of soccer, but extremely limited patience. They always expect a new manager to bring miracles. I suspect that the CFA might hire an Eastern European coach who adapts to the Chinese soccer and social environment."
Troussier, who has been coaching in China for many years, knows a lot about the Chinese national soccer team. He said, "I was approached twice by the CFA with offers, but politely declined because I felt I wasn't ready. It wasn't until 2011 that I actually came to China to coach Shenzhen. Although the club was not equipped to realize all my visions at that time, I witnessed the potential of Chinese soccer and the desire for results."
Talking about the two upcoming World Qualifying matches, Troussier offered a different opinion on whether Vietnam should use young players, arguing that Vietnam should keep the strongest squad to consolidate the momentum of the victory over China and boost confidence, "If young players are used, it may interrupt the victory and affect the result of the match."
Regarding naturalized players, Troussier said: "From a professional point of view, I do not discriminate against using players from different backgrounds, as long as they have the strength and respect the national team jersey. The success of my country, France, is due to the greatest ethnic diversity in the world. But we also need to be aware of potential problems, such as the fact that when the team is winning, overseas players go unchallenged; when they are losing, they are easy targets. Take, for example, the experience of the former Arsenal No.10 with Germany. I have also encountered the problem of naturalized players when coaching in Africa and France. Therefore, these players should be targeted as early as possible and attempts should be made to integrate with their home countries as early as their teenage years." (Fuchs)
