Under the starlight of Doha, the Chinese team continued to sharpen their skills on the training ground of Qatar University at 8 p.m. on Sept. 4. The national football team was under heavy pressure in the face of the loss in the first match against Australia. Leader Zhang He revealed in front of the media that despite the defeat, the players did not sink in the locker room, but instead actively started technical and tactical exchanges.
Zhang He emphasized: "The team summarized at two levels after the first match. First of all, our coaching team, headed by Li Tie, has been with the team for more than a year, the lack of intercontinental warm-up matches during the epidemic, especially in the fight with Asian rankings higher than our opponents lack of combat experience. The first match against Australia, the opponent ranked in the top four in Asia, and consecutive World Cup, the world ranking is also higher than our country. Therefore, the summary of the first match is particularly important. Secondly, according to the tournament system, we will face Australia again at home in the sixth round, so we need to summarize the match quickly and share the summary with the players. For the time being, the team's summary has been put on hold, and in the locker room after the match we told the players that the Japanese team had arrived in Doha, so we hope that they can quickly move on from the loss and focus on preparing for the next match."
Speaking about the players' emotions, Zhang He said: "The experienced players did not show any loss in the locker room, and I was impressed by the technical and tactical discussions between them. I believe they will be able to recover from the loss and get ready for the next match. After returning to the hotel, the coaching team watched the video of the China-Australia match and analyzed the starting players in depth. We will review the personnel arrangement, technical and tactical application, etc., and formulate a strategy for the meeting with Australia in the sixth round. At the same time, how we solve our own problems and adjust our thinking in the face of high-level Asian teams will also be applied to the match against Japan."
Talking about the situation of preparing for the Japanese team, Zhang He said: "From the beginning of the preparation for the 40 strong match, our technical analysis team has paid close attention to the Japanese team. 12 strong match after the draw, we on the Japanese team's technical and tactical play, the characteristics of the European players to carry out a detailed study. After the match, we will make a comprehensive analysis according to the process of the game and the personnel situation, the coaching team will quickly adjust the strategy, into the preparation for the Japanese team. The team's preparation meeting and coaching group meeting are routine procedures.
Zhang He said: "As the leader of the team's first interview with the media, I would like to say that our national team has never had such an experience in the history of foreign competitions, and we know the significance of the game. We hope that people who really care about the national soccer team will support us. All members of our delegation will be away from their families and will not waste their time here, we will give our best."
After the first match, Chen Xuyuan, the president of the National Football Association, also encouraged the team to maintain confidence, stabilize their position, learn from the last match and give their best for the next matches.
