On January 24, the starting players of the Chinese team took a group photo before the game. Xinhua News Agency
In the early morning of January 25, although the U23 national football team failed and finished second in the AFC U23 Asian Cup final, this was still the best result in the history of the Chinese team participating in the event. Li Yingfa, the 82-year-old Chinese football legend and coach who created Liaoning Football Team’s “ten consecutive championships” stayed up late to watch the live broadcast of the final. In an exclusive interview with this reporter, he said: “Being able to reach the final is a huge progress in itself. The progress of the new generation of Chinese football players is worthy of praise.” In Li Yingfa’s view, the journey of this U23 national football team is a vivid portrayal of Chinese football’s gradual rise from the trough, allowing fans across the country to see the growth potential of the new generation of players.
Rising from the trough, igniting hope for Chinese football
Looking back at the entire tournament, the U23 national football team, as the fourth team, qualified in the group stage with an undefeated record of 1 win, 2 draws and 5 points, without conceding a goal, showing a solid defensive system; in the knockout round, they defeated the favorite Uzbekistan team in a penalty shootout, and defeated the Vietnamese team 3-0 in the semi-finals, setting a new record step by step for the best record in team history. “This is not the credit of a few players, but the result of the efforts of the entire team.” Li Yingfa emphasized that the coaching staff’s precise formation, the players’ resolute execution, and their tenacious fighting spirit when facing strong teams are all worthy of full recognition.
What makes the coach even more gratified is that from the steady performance in the group stage to the daring fight in the knockout rounds, the players’ tactical awareness and coordination on the court have made great progress compared with the past. “Especially the performance on the defensive end, with zero shutouts in the first five games, which is extremely rare in intercontinental competitions, shows that the team’s defensive system has taken shape, and the young players’ psychological quality and tactical discipline are maturing through constant tempering.” Li Yingfa said that this improvement is not accidental, but the result of long-term training and actual combat accumulation. It also marks that Chinese football’s youth training work is beginning to show results. “This is a sign that Chinese football has stopped falling and is picking up.”
After seeing the gap clearly, lay a solid foundation and actively catch up.
Talking about the final, the score of 0 to 4 is like a mirror, clearly reflecting the gap between Chinese football and the top levels in Asia and even the world’s top teams. Li Yingfa said frankly: “Japanese football has progressed very quickly and is now in the top 16 or even the top 8 of the World Cup. The many goals we conceded in the finals were essentially caused by a weak foundation.”
Li Yingfa made an in-depth analysis of the gaps from four dimensions. On the psychological level, the players had a heavy psychological burden in this game, and their lack of self-confidence affected the normal performance of technical movements; on the physical level, although the Chinese team players were older and taller, they were not as good as their opponents in terms of jumping, core strength, footwork and confrontation ability. The physical coordination and athletic ability of the Japanese team players were the result of long-term scientific training, rather than simple differences in physical conditions; At the technical level, basic skills problems such as excessive ball stopping and passing errors frequently occur, which is in sharp contrast to the Japanese team’s precise passing and receiving, and skillful ball control. The Japanese team’s average passing success rate of 91% and 68% ball possession rate per game are an intuitive reflection of technical advantages; at the tactical level, the Chinese team’s “three lines” are too parallel, lack triangular passes and staggered positions, and cannot form an effective offensive and defensive system.
“Exposing problems is more important than covering them up.” Li Yingfa believes that only by seeing the gap clearly can we firmly pursue the goal of catching up. He emphasized that Chinese football must face up to these shortcomings at the basic level and cannot be hasty for success. It must be down-to-earth to lay a solid foundation and systematically improve from technology, tactics, physical fitness and other aspects in order to gradually narrow the gap with top teams.
If Liao Football can do it, Chinese football will definitely do it.
When talking about the future of Chinese football, Li Yingfa bluntly said that Liaoning football cannot be avoided. The former Liaoning team provided a large number of outstanding players to the national team and once supported half of Chinese football. But now, Mao Weijie is the only Liaoning player in the U23 national football team, which has strengthened his determination to promote the cultivation of Liaoning football talents.
“If Liaoning football is good, Chinese football will definitely be good.” This is the belief that Li Yingfa adheres to. In his opinion, Liaoning football has a profound foundation and excellent football tradition. Whether it is physical fitness or understanding of football, Liaoning players have innate advantages. Today’s talent gap, the core problem lies in the lack of youth training system, especially the gap in the early childhood football stage. Li Yingfa pointed out that the cultivation of football talents must “start from childhood”. This is not a slogan. Liaoning football and Chinese football need to establish a complete youth training system from kindergarten to primary school, middle school to professional teams.
Li Yingfa said that the development of Chinese football requires the integration of the north and the south. Only by combining the tough style of northern regions such as Liaoning, Shandong, and Beijing with the technical style of southern regions such as Guangdong and Shanghai, and drawing on advanced football concepts from Europe and South America, can real competitiveness be achieved.
Li Yingfa finally said: “Chinese football must allow more outstanding young players to stand out through scientific youth training and systematic training. Only in this way can Chinese football truly embark on the right path and achieve greater breakthroughs in the future world arena.”
Ma Cheng, senior reporter of Shenyang Daily and Shenyang Daily
