On September 20, 2023, the men's football team easily defeated India with a score of 5:1 in a match, which made an exciting start for Chinese football. Not only that, this match also showed the spirit of Chinese football and set an example for the women's football team in the Asian Games. But compared to the men's team, the Chinese women's football team is more outstanding, winning the Asian Cup last year and creating a brilliant record. However, the defeat in the group stage of the World Cup has taken the Chinese women's team from the top, and the hiring of head coach Shui Qingxia has sparked widespread controversy, and this time at the Hangzhou Asian Games, she once again made a high-profile ruling to expel four players from the team, which is really remarkable.
Looking back at the Women's World Cup in July this year, Shui Qingxia led a strong Chinese women's football team with 11 overseas players, which can be described as luxurious. However, they were out early in the group stage, which sparked extensive discussion about Shui Qingxia's employment. Players such as Tang Jiali and Xiao Yuyi, who won the Asian Cup, were hidden in the snow, causing many players such as Shen Monroe and Tang Jiali to express their dissatisfaction on social media after the game, questioning the selection of coaches, and even rumors that Shui Qingxia may leave class. This Hangzhou Asian Games has become an opportunity for Shui Qingxia to prove herself again.
The Chinese Football Association announced the squad of the Chinese women's football team, but four players were not selected, including Tang Jiali, Zhao Yujie, Shen Monroe and Xiao Yuyi, a decision that once again raised doubts. Among them, Shen Monroe and Shen Mengyu both play for the Celtic and have performed well in the last two games, but they have not been reused in China.
Tang Jiali has been excellent in La Liga, where her team of Levantelas Plas Women's team played a central role in a 2-1 victory over Ewar Women in a highlight match. Now, the dressing room of the Chinese women's soccer team seems to be filled with discordant voices, and the failure of the four players to make the Asian Games squad has sparked a series of delicate relationships. Shui Qingxia explained the absence of the four, saying that they had just joined a new team and needed time to adapt, so they were not called.
Although Shui Qingxia's explanation sounds reasonable, players such as Wang Shuang and Zhang Linyan also rushed back to the national team from the club, seemingly not needing an adaptation period, which raised more questions. Some media sources revealed that the selection decisions of the Chinese women's football team are not completely controlled by the head coach, and governments at all levels will also intervene to balance the distribution of players and avoid the situation of concentrated training of players in some provinces.
This situation also occurred in the women's football team led by Jia Xiuquan, who suffered a crushing defeat in the Tokyo Olympics because of the uneven distribution of places, and was subsequently fired. Jia Xiuquan said after the match that the national team quota is not up to him and that the responsibility should not be placed entirely on him. Judging from various indications from the outside world, the Chinese women's football team may face many challenges in this Asian Games journey, and it is not easy to overcome various interest games to win the championship. Friends, what do you think of this situation? What wonderful stories and emotions will be waiting for us to explore in this Asian Games.