China's top soccer teams have been playing a lot of warm-up matches, not only the national team, but also the national youth team, which is preparing for the upcoming U23 Asian Cup. Despite their success in the Olympic qualifiers, the national youth team has set a much tougher standard for themselves, otherwise it will be difficult to make a breakthrough in the upcoming campaign. For this reason, the Cheng Yaodong coaching team is committed to improving the team's internal strength, especially the tacit understanding between the players. Looking back, Cheng Yaodong's coaching team prefers to find out the deficiencies through actual battles. Previously, they have traveled to Croatia twice to participate in the local second division league, and now they are back in China and plan to communicate with the Chinese Super League team.
Since October, the national Olympic team's warm-up matches have been staged one after another. In the first match, they encountered the traditional strong team Guoan, once leading by one goal, but finally returned with 1-2 hate. Despite the loss, the overall performance of the National Olympic team was still recognized. Two days later, the National Olympic team will face the less powerful Jinmen Tigers, who are ranked in the middle of the league. In contrast, the National Olympic team brings together the domestic U23 elite, high morale, and long-term common training makes the tacit understanding multiply. With the upper hand in terms of strength, coach Cheng Yaodong expects the team to return home in triumph.
In order to enhance the effectiveness of the workout, both sides decided to play three quarters. After the opening, the Tsimshatsui Tigers were no longer satisfied with being a chaperone, and the midfield was fiercely contested. The Jinmen Tigers were tactically sophisticated, adopting a circuitous strategy and not rushing to attack. The National Olympic Team attacked aggressively, but was too impulsive, and there were obvious holes in the rear defense. Jinmen Tigers once made several consecutive victories, and after three quarters of fierce fighting, they won 5-2 against the National Olympic Team. The result of this game was surprising, and the Jinmen Tigers performed a cold game.
Yu Genwei also helped the players to adjust their condition through the warm-up matches. Similar to the last warm-up, the National Olympic team added penalty kicks to help the goalkeeper find his touch. 2 games in 3 days ended in losses, both against Chinese Super League (CSL) teams. Although it is understandable to lose to a strong team like Guoan, it is unbelievable to be attacked by Jinmen Tigers with 5 goals.
Despite two consecutive defeats for the National Olympic Team, the warm-up games continue. The coaching team of Cheng Yaodong wants the players to gain more practical experience and plans to complete at least 20 matches by April 2024 in order to select the best starting lineup.
