The Qatar men's Asian Cup has been decided. Through watching, interviewing and analyzing, the reporter summed up some common characteristics of strong teams playing well and weak teams improving, which may be enlightening for the Chinese men's national football team that ended the schedule with the worst result in team history (2 draws, 1 loss and zero goals).
The Chinese team needs to find out the gap, get out of the haze, and play well in the next world preliminaries. Otherwise, if you still stand still, there are really not many teams that the national football team can beat with confidence.
Speaking about his impressions of the Asian Cup, Jurgen Klinsmann, head coach of the German and South Korean team, told Xinhua News Agency at a press conference on January 25 that the gap between the teams is narrowing because teams in West Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia are improving.
From the time I've been in charge of the Korean team, it's not an easy job because the teams are very competitive. It's hard to underestimate any team now. The tactical literacy of each team is improving, for example, they can quickly make up for the exposed space. Even though we had 85% possession in a game, we were still conceded by our opponents (Malaysia) to score three goals. Klinsmann, who won the 1990 World Cup with the team as a player, said, "Teams in West Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia have developed a distinct technical and tactical style, and we need to analyze and learn from each game. ”
Long-time manager of the UAE team, Paulo Bento, said he was impressed with the progress of several teams.
I don't know how they achieved it, but a lot of teams are improving. Tajikistan, for example, was able to dominate the game and execute their plans effectively. It tells us that there are a lot of things that need to be improved and the players need to be aware of that. The manager, who has coached in the Chinese Super League and South Korea, said.
As the two coaches said, the pattern of this Asian Cup has changed. After the group stage, with the "dark horses" Tajikistan, Indonesia, Syria and Palestine advancing to the knockout stage for the first time, the overall advantage of West Asian teams is more obvious, occupying nine places in the round of 16. Central, Southeast and East Asian teams each have two seats, and one is the "transfer student" Australia team from Oceania.
So, where are these teams stronger?
First, the attitude of the game highlights three words: enthusiasm, desire to win and impact.
For example, the Japanese team is the favorite to win the championship, and its technical advantage is stronger than other teams, why is it suppressed by the Iraqi team? I still remember this group stage, as soon as the opening whistle blew, the Iraqi players in white rushed to the Japanese team's half like a tide. Every run, tackle, and fight for the top seems to show the passion of blood boiling, the desire of "I want to win you", which catches the opponent off guard, and the transmission and control technology is difficult to effectively use. Iraq scored in the opening five minutes to win the game 2-1. This level of commitment is a common trait in West Asian teams.
Second, the content of the game is in line with the international trend, and the players have courage and execution.
Whether it is the 352 formation based on the three central defenders, or the 4231 and 433 formations that focus on passing and attacking, they are very common in this Asian Cup, and the technical and tactical literacy of each team has improved significantly. For example, although the Thai team lost 1:2 to the Uzbekistan team in the round of 16, in the face of high-level pressing, the players dared to respond, get rid of, and pass, so as to make the midfield and backfield connection smoother, layer by layer, side and center, and the positional attack and counterattack line were clear and smooth. In the game of the South Korean team to eliminate the Saudi team, although the opponent's coach Mancini's "Italian anti-counter" system blocked the two wings, the "Taiji Tiger" resolutely opened the two wings when the score was behind, and the side players showed the confidence and aggression of "I want to pass you", and finally succeeded in going down, 1:1 "draw" the opponent, and finally won the penalty kick. In addition, Southeast Asian teams such as Vietnam have been able to play low crosses from the flanks or inverted triangle cuts, which have proven to be effective means of scoring goals. But in the game of the national football team, these contents are almost not visible.
Third, the "four-in-one" of player training: youth training-oriented, league-based, overseas "leveling", and naturalization supplementation.
What is the level of youth training of these teams? The intuitive feeling is that the players have passed the basic skills, which is manifested in the delicate sense of stopping the ball, the fluency of the combination of man and the ball, and the accuracy and rationality of passing and receiving the ball, which is where they dare to make technical moves and play a normal level under the fierce confrontation. In this regard, the improvement of Southeast Asian teams is particularly noticeable. After the youth training has laid a good foundation, the level of the domestic league determines whether the players can adapt to the fast pace and high intensity of the Asian Cup. Taking the Uzbek team that entered the round of 16 as an example, most of their international players play in their own leagues, and the Tashkent Cotton Farmers Club is a major international player, indicating that the quality and intensity of the country's league is ***. In terms of staying abroad, it is the consensus of the players to go to the European league with the highest level of promotion. Needless to say, Japan and South Korea and other strong teams, a closer look at the list of the Iraqi team shows that nearly half of the players in the team play in European clubs, showing the determination and self-motivation of Asian players to go to Europe. In addition, the "Europeanized" central axis of the Indonesian team, which is composed of 6 naturalized players, reflects the long-term planning of the Indonesian Football Association and South Korean coach Shin Tailong, and is also a supplement to the overall strength.
The above are the strengths of these teams, and they are precisely the shortcomings of the national football team. Lebanon, who failed to beat in the group stage, are ranked 20th in Asia, which seems to indicate that the national team is not sure to beat any of the top 20 teams.
Of course, some people in the industry said that this time the national football team could not be said to have played at its full level. In any case, China's football cause must continue, and the development idea must be clear.
First of all, the youth training should lay a good foundation, the level of youth coaching and the basic skills of the players are the key, and the old problems such as fear of pressing and slow pace need to be solved in the combination of high-level competition and training, and the problems that should be solved at all ages cannot be left to the senior team. Secondly, the Chinese Super League needs to improve its speed and quality to avoid low-level repetition, otherwise it will be difficult for the international players to improve. A fellow photographer said that he could choose photos while filming the Chinese Super League, but when he arrived at the Asian Cup, he found that he couldn't do it at all because the pace of the game was too fast. It is worth looking forward to the adjustment of the foreign aid policy of the Chinese Super League in the new season, and a maximum of 5 foreign players can play in each game. This may help to increase the pace and intensity of the game.
Editor in charge: Sun Yuanxi.