Sports: Too little, too late?
China see improvement under Lippi, but WC dream still distant
After grabbing only two points in five games, China’s hopes of making it to the 2018 World Cup have dimmed as they sit at the bottom of the Asian qualifying group.
But their latest game – a scoreless draw with Qatar at home in Kunming – has raised hopes that the national team can do better, rather than continue their trend of underachievement.
Though the team is yet to score a goal after converting two in their first match in the finalround qualifier series, scoring will just be a matter of time, as attacking football resulted in an 18-9 lead in terms of shots on goal in the Qatar clash. In the previous four matches, China averaged only 6.5 shots per game.
Different philosophy
China’s new head coach Marcello Lippi has identified his first task as improving the players’ mentality. After taking the helm, the cigar-loving silver-haired Italian has already had an impact, bringing self-esteem to the internationals.
“He always reminds us that we are decent footballers,” said Cao Yunding of Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, who made his debut for the national team in the Qatar match.
“He has stressed that we must have the desire to win and believe in ourselves, and with good discipline we can be on the same level as the top Asian teams.”
Cao’s solid performance for Shenhua in the second half of the Chinese Super League season won him high praise, with fans and media calling for him to be included in the national team squad. Lippi’s predecessor Gao Hongbo had simply dismissed him.
And in contrast, Gao played down China’s hopes of success. “We qualified for the final round at the last minute; we are the underdogs of the group,” he said.
Gao is the man who led the team to a minirevival to qualify for the final round of the World Cup Asian qualifiers after a hasty takeover from Frenchman Alain Perrin.
His tenure with China saw Team Dragon lose 3-2 in a spirited performance against South Korea, followed by a 0-0 draw with Asia’s No.1 team Iran at home, before disastrous consecutive defeats to Syria and Uzbekistan which cost him the job.
Scoring power
Given the fact that China are seven points adrift of third place – the lowest in the six-team group that can secure a World Cup berth – China need to strengthen their scoring power as they are vastly inferior in terms of goal difference.
The team has languished in a 374-minute goal drought after scoring two goals in their first qualifier against South Korea when they were three goals down, prompting some to accuse the team of lacking a consistent striker.
Lippi led Italy to the 2006 World Cup title, four years after China made their first ever appearance at the football world championship in 2002, when they failed to win a point or even score a goal.
The Italian’s debut as the head coach of China was marked by an inspirational performance, with several golden chances falling to players like Wu Xi and captain Zheng Zhi during a game in which China did everything but score.
Unfortunately the 68-year-old seems to lack choices in finding better replacements for his players. Only two Chinese players are among the top-20 scorers in the country’s top-tier league.
Wu Lei of Shanghai SIPG led Dong Xuesheng of Hebei China Fortune to make it onto the list. Wu is in second place with 14 goals and Dong is in 15th with nine goals.
Wu has wasted several opportunities during his national duties, while Dong is not included in Lippi’s roster.
For now, future hopes are pinned on Zhang Yuning, the only Chinese international currently playing overseas.
But with the 19-year-old making it into the starting lineup of the national team three times in five qualifiers, the center forward position appears to be lacking in depth.
The young man is still available to play junior competitions, but many see him as more mature than his teammates.
In an interview with Italy-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, Lippi described Zhang as someone whose off-the-ball ability is “rare” in China.
“There are a few exceptions though, like Zhang Yuning, who plays for Vitesse. He’s a 19-year-old lad, a very powerful striker,” Lippi said. “He’s physically strong with good qualities, and he knows how to play without the ball, which almost no-one knows how to do in China.”
Building for the future
Zhang aside, no one else can step into the shoes of being a prolific striker for China, as the country’s under-23, under-19 national teams, both suffered group-stage exits at their respective Asian championships this year.
With China, who remain at 84th in the FIFA rankings, aiming to be a footballing superpower by 2050, it seems unrealistic for this chronically underachieving team to step onto the path of greatness in a short time.
Lippi, whose contract runs until January 2019, the time the Asian Cup will be held in the United Arab Emirates, hasn’t given up hope on reaching the 2018 World Cup, but admits it would be a “miracle” if China qualify.
He has promised to lead the team to progress and build for the future, but only time will tell how far the improvements he has brought to China will bring the team.