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The bell of the 2023 Asian Cup is about to ring, but the preparation of the national football team seems to be like an insurmountable quagmire, deep in it. This is not alarmism, but the brutal truth of the warm-up game.
In front of Oman and Hong Kong, China, the national football team lost like a lost child, without discipline and fighting spirit. The poor performance was staggering, as if they were "preparing" for the Asian Cup in the most incredible way in the world.
However, a victory seems to have become the antidote to the national football team. In their final battle before leaving the UAE, they won 6-2. This victory, like a drop of spring found in the desert, made people once full of confidence in the national football team. However, don't get too excited, the opponent is just a local low-level team, and you haven't even heard of the name.
The small victory of the national football team in the warm-up match seems to have ignited a flame of hope in the hearts of fans. However, it is still a huge question mark whether this flame will be enough to withstand the stormy waves on the Asian Cup battlefield. After all, in the previous matches against Oman and Hong Kong, China, the national football team did not even win a single victory, and the scene was extremely ugly.
Jankovic, as the team's manager, is perhaps the only one who is satisfied with the team's performance at the moment. He confidently expressed his satisfaction with the performance in the final game. But looking back at the last Asian Cup, the national football team reached the top 8, and defeated Thailand in the round of 16 to the top 8. But now, Jankovic says it's hard to believe the team can regain the glory of four years ago.
The reason for this is that it is not difficult to find that the strength of this group of players has not improved substantially, and is even declining. Compared to 2019, the overall level of the team has not improved significantly, and the level of the coach is far inferior to that of Lippi at that time. At the same time, the domestic football environment has also been criticized, and in this context, the performance of the national football team in the Asian Cup is really difficult to be optimistic.
The predicament may not be all bad, at least the grouping of the national football team in the group stage looks acceptable. Whether it is Tajikistan or Lebanon, the level of these two countries, the national football team should have the strength to fight. Even the host country, Qatar, is not insurmountable compared to some of the traditional powerhouses in Asia.
However, it is this seemingly "okay" team that is always refreshing the lower limit of fans' cognition. There are almost no opponents who dare not lose, so if the national football team really fails to qualify in the group stage, fans may already be surprised.
Perhaps the most disappointing thing is not the team's performance, but the fact that the Football Association does not have a clear goal for this Asian Cup. In the current situation, qualifying from the group seems to be the minimum requirement for fans, but considering that the national football team is now ranked 11th in Asia, if it can reach the top 8 at that time, it will be considered to have exceeded the task.
In the national football team, only Jiang Guangtai is now left as a naturalized player, and Wu Lei, as the top player of the national football team, also returned to China from Spain last year. It is amazing that there is no player in the national football squad who plays in the top five leagues. Compared with Asian powerhouses such as South Korea and Japan, the lineup of the national football team looks quite shabby. Therefore, this Asian Cup, perhaps we should abandon too high expectations.
Under the gloomy sky, the road ahead of the national football team seems to be becoming more and more tortuous. The 2023 Asian Cup is like an unknown adventure, and fans can't help but speculate whether this once glorious team can rise in the face of adversity.
The result of the warm-up match was like a strong cold snap, leaving fans with a cold reality in disappointment. Losing to Oman and Hong Kong, China, the national football team seemed to be hovering in the abyss, and it once made people wonder if they still have the competitiveness of the Asian Cup. However, just when he was disappointed, a small victory was like the sun shining on the snow-covered ground, instantly melting the frost in the predicament.
This 6-2 victory may have made the fans ecstatic for a while, but in the cruel stage of the Asian Cup, this victory seems to be a curse. The opponent's strength is mediocre and the value of the game is almost zero, but it is like a charming lie, which makes people mistakenly believe that the national football team has regained the confidence to compete in the Asian Cup.
Jankovic's satisfaction may have made him a lonely optimist. He was pleased with his team's performance in the final game, perhaps because they finally tasted victory in the warm-up game. However, compared with the previous Asian Cup, he admitted that it was difficult to reproduce that glory.
In the last Asian Cup, the national football team reached the top 8 and defeated Thailand. But now, the satisfaction of the manager and the expectations of the fans seem to be diverging. The quality of the team has not improved substantially, and the quality of the manager cannot be compared with that of his predecessor Lippi. This makes fans even more worried, can the performance of the national football team in the Asian Cup really surpass the glory of four years ago?
In the group stage, the group in which the national football team is located does not seem to be bad. Tajikistan, Lebanon, and the host Qatar, these opponents should not be insurmountable for the national football team. However, under the recent performance of the weak national football team, even the so-called "passable" group situation is also worrying.
The glory of the national football team has long been a thing of the past, and the strength of the current team may be disappointing, but there is also a glimmer of hope hidden in the gloom. On the football field, a small miracle can often change everything. However, whether the national football team can counterattack in the Asian Cup is an unknown gamble.
Before the Asian Cup, people expected that the Football Association would set clear goals for the national football team and give them a clear expectation and task. Surprisingly, however, the Football Association seems to have remained silent about the Asian Cup. At this stage, the team needs more support and encouragement, but faces an unknown silence.
Fans may have more expectations for the future of the team than the Football Association, but if even the Football Association fails to set targets for the team, how can the future of the team not be worrying?
In the national football team, naturalized player Jiang Guangtai has become the banner of the lone team, and Wu Lei is the team's top card. However, it is sad that there is no player in the squad who plays in the top five leagues. Compared with Asian powerhouses such as South Korea and Japan, the lineup of the national football team looks quite shabby.
But perhaps it is in such adversity that the national football team can regain its former pride. With the remainder of the team, the team may be able to face the Asian Cup in a more united manner. When the fighting resumes, they may be able to surprise the fans.
On the road ahead, it is still difficult to predict the dangers and obstacles of the national football team. Maybe under the cloudy sky, they can gradually regain their former self-confidence, or maybe in the Asian Cup, they will rise because they are not favored.
However, football is always a battle with endless variables, full of controversy and anticipation. May the national football team find their glory in this adventure, so that fans can see the hope of survival in the quagmire. The 2023 Asian Cup will be a test for the national football team and an opportunity for them.