0:1 with a small loss to Japan, Beijing time on the evening of the 7th once again set foot on the national football team at the Khalifa International Stadium, and suffered the second defeat of the top 12 match.
Compared with the disappointment in the 0:3 loss of the national football team to Australia, this loss to Japan is more of helplessness with a glimmer of hope.
The frustration is that although the national football team tried their best, they still couldn't overcome the gap with the Japanese team.
The hope is that after the 0:3 defeat in Australia in the first game, the national football players have adapted to the intensity and rhythm of the top 12 matches, and are more able to find their own characteristics and advantages.
How to play in the next 8 World Preliminary Top 12 matches?
Believe that the thinking has become clear, this game has great reference significance.
One goal is a small loss to Japan, for this national football team to do their best.
Image source: Osports All Sports Photo Agency
In general, the Japanese national football team lost a small goal, no matter the result or the process, it is an acceptable result, which may also be the best result that the current national football can achieve.
After all, the Japanese team is currently ranked first in Asia and 24th in the world, representing the top level of Asian football.
The national football ranks 9th in Asia and 71th in the world.
In terms of team value, the Japanese team is worth 118.6 million euros, the national football team is only 22.93 million euros, and the opponent striker Kamada Ochi is worth 25 million euros. This person alone is worth the national football team's worth.
In terms of overseas players, Wu Lei is the only one in the National Football Team, while the Japanese team has as many as 17 people.
These are the gulfs that are difficult to bridge.
Therefore, in the 12 clashes since the beginning of the 21st century, the national football team has 5 draws and 7 losses without a win. The last victory over Japan dates back to 1998.
As for how this huge gap arises, it is a cliché, and there is no need to go into details.
The national football team's consecutive invincible matches against the Japanese team continued to 12 games.
Image source: Osports All Sports Photo Agency
The coach Li Tie said before the game: "We must play this game as a final."
When the strength of the team is not as good as the opponent, it is true that we can only emphasize more on the mental attributes, and strive to narrow the gap.
In the game, the national football soldiers did indeed achieve this.
The last time the national football team competed with the Japanese team in an international competition, which happened to be in the final. In the final match of the 2004 Asian Cup, the host national football team lost 1:3 to the opponent.
Seventeen years have passed, and that game has still been talked about so far. Even the Japanese team’s second goal has a great handball controversy. Looking back, it is also the last "good memory" left by Chinese football.
Since then, Chinese and Japanese football has followed different trajectories.
The Japanese team represents the top level of Asian football, and its strength is increasing day by day.
In the 1/8 finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Japanese team was tied by Belgium with a 2-goal lead in regular time and suffered a reversal in overtime.
This defeat allowed the world to see the hard power possessed by Japanese football.
And Chinese football, in the four years and four years of impacting the World Cup dream, sinking into the reincarnation, in the Asian Cup, it can only hover around the top 8.
Central defender Jiang Guangtai (right) played a key role in this game.
Image source: Osports All Sports Photo Agency
In this world’s top 12 preliminaries, the two teams with completely different trajectories have met for a long time, and in the previous opener, the Japanese team also lost, losing to Oman 0:1 upset at home, and was under great pressure from public opinion.
Faced with the national football team, this campaign can be described as menacing.
Due to the loss of 3 goals in the first round to Australia, the national football team made certain adjustments for this campaign. Li Tie chose to play 5 defenders, Wang Gang returned to the starting lineup as a right-wing defender, Li Ang became a central defender, and Yin Hongbo replaced Zhang Xizhe in the midfield. Starting from the start, a steady defensive posture has been launched.
But even so, it still can't withstand the opponent's goal.
First, Kuan Jianying hit the post in the 22nd minute, and in the 40th minute, Jun Ito also assisted Dasuke Yuya with a header.
It is worth mentioning that before the Japanese team scored, the national football team just pressed forward slightly. After the defender Jiang Guangtai intercepted the ball, he took the ball forward and sought a counterattack. The defensive gap scored the goal.
I have to say that this is the efficiency and ability of the top Asian teams.
Wu Lei's counterattack opportunities in this game are limited.
Image source: Osports All Sports Photo Agency
After 15 minutes of the second half, coach Li Tie changed his tactics and replaced Yin Hongbo, Jin Jingdao and Li Ang with Hao Junmin, Alan, and Luo Guofu, returning to the 4 guards.
The intention of this move is very obvious. Since the "Desperate" plan was shattered, it would be better to use the remaining half an hour to compete more proactively with opponents and get more offensive opportunities.
It is also this half an hour, let people see a little hope for the national football team to compete in the next 8 top 12 games.
With a more balanced offense and defense, even in the face of the No. 1 team in Asia, the national football team can create a certain threat, and even forced the Japanese team to slow down at the end of the game.
Alan and Luo Guofu, who came off the bench, are full of fighting spirit and have shown a certain role, including veteran Hao Junmin, who has recovered from the previous state. His stable holding of the ball in the midfield is exactly what the national football team currently needs.
Because of Zhang Linpeng's injury, Zhu Chenjie, a teenager who was in danger in the 5th minute, played relatively calmly after experiencing the first half of the top 40 in Lippi period.
All these have allowed Li Tie to have room for optimization in terms of personnel combinations and targeted tactics. It also allows the outside world to see that the national football team is still promising in the top 12 matches.
Jin Jingdao (left) competed with his opponent for the top spot.
Image source: Osports All Sports Photo Agency
And objectively speaking, it is not unacceptable to lose to the top two teams in Japan and Australia in the first two rounds. The key lies in the subsequent matches with direct competitors Saudi Arabia, Oman and Vietnam.
Competing for the third place in the group and getting a place in the play-offs is the most realistic goal for the current national football team.
On October 7, the national football team will play against the Vietnam team in Sharjah, UAE "at home".
It is reported that the Australian team, which was also forced to play home games overseas with the national football team, will return to the real home games in the world preliminaries in October.
Compared with other teams in the group, this has become the biggest disadvantage of the national football team in terms of objective conditions.
Luo Guofu (left) competes with his opponent for the top spot.
Image source: Osports All Sports Photo Agency.
If the key battle between the national football team and Oman in November can not be carried out at the domestic home court, then this disadvantage will be further expanded.
Prolonged overseas operations will be a great test for the national football soldiers.
In a certain sense, starting from the match against Vietnam, the national football's fault tolerance rate in the game will be further reduced, and every game is a "cannot afford to lose" game.
In the next month, the national football team will prepare for the match in Sharjah, UAE. It is hoped that the national football team will achieve a good result in the two games against Vietnam and Saudi Arabia in October.
(Author Bian Liqun)