In the Asian Cup, the national football team should be confident
On the evening of May 11, Beijing time, the results of the 2023 Asian Cup final group draw were announced, and the Chinese team was divided into Group A with the hosts Qatar, Tajikistan and Lebanon. As we all know, this is an Asian Cup that was originally planned to be held in 10 cities in China, but due to the impact of the epidemic, it was announced last year to be held in Qatar, which has just hosted the World Cup. It is worth mentioning that considering the local weather in Qatar, the competition originally planned to be held in the summer of 2023 was changed to winter, and the specific time was locked in January 12 to February 10, 2024. The Chinese team lost the opportunity to participate in the Asian Cup as hosts, but were placed in the same group as the new host Qatar.
Park Ji-sung, draw out the Chinese team
China, ranked 81st in the world, is currently ranked 11th in Asia, so it is placed in the second tier of teams for the draw. South Korean soccer star Park Ji-sung drew China to Group A. Faced with the result of this draw, the first reaction of the media is that the Chinese team drew a "lot". What do you mean by that? It's also very simple to say, although Qatar in the same group is both the host and the defending champion, but the Chinese team is still in a relatively leading position compared to Tajikistan, which is participating in the final stage of the Asian Cup for the first time, and Lebanon, which continues to be affected by the war, not to mention, according to the Asian Cup qualification rules, in addition to the top two natural promotions in the group, the top four with the best results in the six groups can also advance to the round of 16. In this context, the Chinese team's group qualification is naturally a high probability thing. In fact, even if the Chinese team is not placed in this group, it should not worry too much about qualifying from the group.
Defeat after defeat, never give up
If this is the case, why are we always accustomed to analyzing the positions as soon as each draw is revealed? First of all, this should be said to be a need to popularize technology and information, after all, there are still many beginner or even beginner fans who need such "technical analysis". Secondly, this should be said to be a sign of lack of confidence. As we all know, on the first day of the Chinese New Year last year, the Chinese team lost to the Vietnamese team, which was ignored by many people, which made everyone's reaction angry and reaction: the Chinese team's football has completely declined and degenerated. Coupled with the anti-corruption in football that has continued since the end of last year, and has not even seen an end, more people no longer dare to have any hope for Chinese football that has "rotted to the root". In fact, since November 18, 1997, when Ms. He Huixian, then Director of the Information and Publicity Department of the National Sports Commission, issued the article "How to Accurately Position Chinese Football", positioning Chinese football as "Asia's second-rate", the status of Chinese football in Asia can be said to have never changed. Although the Chinese team entered the World Cup in Japan and South Korea in 2002, the team's performance in the World Cup fully proved that Chinese football did not usher in a "glorious moment" as many people thought. In fact, Chinese football has always been in the midst of frequent failures, struggles and "hatred is not steel". Of course, there are many people who think that Chinese football is actually not "Asian second-rate", but "Asian third-rate", we can understand everyone's emotions and dissatisfaction, but the ranking status and performance of the Chinese team in Asia has always conveyed the message of "Asian second-rate".
Asia's second-rate, the positioning is right
Since it is the second tier in Asia, it is a matter of course and should be that the Chinese team will be in the round of 16 in the Asian Cup final stage with 24 teams participating. In such a context, the joyful analysis that the Chinese team has drawn the "lot", or the pessimistic belief that "no matter how it is a problem", can actually be said to be a false proposition. It can be said that it is precisely because we have lost at least self-confidence that everyone is "worried" about the results of every group draw of the Chinese team.
Jankovic, rise to the challenge
By the way, after the group draw was announced, the official website of the AFC listed four matches as "noteworthy matches" for this Asian Cup, the first of which was the match between China and Tajikistan on January 13, 2024. The reason why the AFC official website "values this match" is actually largely based on the fact that this is Tajikistan's first appearance in the Asian Cup final. And, notably, in the AFC's analysis, there is this sentence: "This provides the Central Asian country with an opportunity to show its ability in competition with elite teams in the continent." In other words, in the AFC's view, the Chinese team is still "Asia's elite team". We can demand more from our team, but we must not fall into the cycle of negating everything. In difficult times for Chinese football, even in dark moments, we especially need to look at our national team with a positive attitude.
Group lottery and treat it fairly
Sun Wen, who participated in the draw as vice president of the Chinese Football Association, also made it clear in an interview with the host on the spot: "I think the Chinese team should believe in itself. Then try to do what they can to get good grades. At the same time, Chinese coach Jankovic said in an interview with the AFC: "There are no weak opponents at this stage, and we are very happy to represent China in such a major competition." It's always fun to play against the host team and it's going to be a big challenge for us as well. We are excited, and the whole Chinese team is excited to play in the final stage of the Asian Cup. Although this may seem like an "official", it is actually the normal attitude and right attitude that the Chinese team should have - we know that we are not the best team in Asia, and we know that Chinese football is in difficult and even chaotic times, but as long as we stand on the pitch, then we should be full of confidence. In last year's World Cup match in Qatar, Saudi Arabia could overturn Argentina, who won the championship, so why should we limit our thinking to the group draw that is really not so important?!