On a late November night, reporter Zhao Yu prospectively dissects the upcoming battle between China and South Korea, sharing his strategic perspective.
Zhao Yu said: "In the East Asian Cup, facing the South Korean team, we often adopt the strategy of contracting the defense. In the formation, Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Shenglong and Wu Shaocong, as the core of the center back, constructed a solid defensive barrier. Li Lei guards the left flank, Zhang Lin guards the right defense, and the five of them work closely together to form an impenetrable defense."
"In the midfield area, Wei Shihao and Wu Lei are divided into left and right, they are not only responsible for defense, but also have the ability to quickly counterattack. In the middle zone, Wu Xi and Wang Shangyuan or Li Ke cleverly switch to play the role of organizational core. As for the front line, Tan Long or Zhang Yuning are always ready to charge into battle, but Zhang Yuning's recent form has been slightly up and down."
"When we adopt the 541 formation, the defenders, including Tan Long, are contracted to the 40-meter zone, like an impregnable fortress. I believe that the South Korean team will feel great pressure when facing such an iron barrel formation."
"It's good to look back at the games in this year's league where Guoan won ports with solid defense. Although Guoan is often jokingly called 'timid', it was this strategy that gave them the last laugh. We might as well follow suit and start a seven to eight minute onslaught by giving our opponents three strikes first. If we fail to make a breakthrough, we will quickly return to defense and stabilize our position. Scoring points is not the primary goal in this matchup with Korea, showing the demeanor of a mature team is the key."
