1. The severe test faced by the national football team
At 9 p.m. on June 6, Beijing time, the national football team will usher in a life-and-death battle related to the fate of the World Cup qualification. Facing the strong Thai team, the Chinese men's football team is undoubtedly in a dilemma.
Looking at the previous World Preliminary Tournament, the national football team undoubtedly brought a lot of disappointment to the fans. In the first leg against South Korea, they were almost overwhelmed and eventually lost 2-0. After that, they beat Vietnam 2-0 at home, but it only gave the team a chance to survive.
Now, the biggest opponent of the national football team has become the Thai team, which was previously regarded as the boy of Southeast Asia. According to the standings, the national football team is temporarily ahead of Thailand by 3 points. However, this superficial advantage does not truly reflect the difference in strength between the two teams.
Judging from the schedule, the national football team is undoubtedly facing a "devil's schedule". After a fifth-round away trip to Thailand, they will travel to South Korea in the final round, which will undoubtedly be a tough one. In terms of the current strength of the national football team, there is a high probability that there will be a fiasco. This means that whether the national football team can qualify depends entirely on the outcome of the life-and-death battle with Thailand.
On the other hand, the Thai team, in the last round, they are at home against the Singapore team that has been eliminated early, which is undoubtedly an easy relegation battle. Therefore, whether Thailand can finally beat the national football team has become a key battle for the fate of the two teams to qualify for the World Cup.
Second, the response of the national football team
Since the life-and-death battle facing the national football team is so urgent, how does this team deal with this difficult situation?
From a technical and tactical point of view, there is only one way out for the national football team at present - to play defensive counterattacks. This is also evident from previous matches. Once the national football team grasps the initiative, due to the lack of creativity and basic skills, it is easy to be cut off by the opponent. They were then beaten on a quick counter-attack, which is why they conceded in the first leg against Thailand.
On the offensive side, if the national football team wants to score goals, it is difficult to rely on traditional offensive methods. Ivankovic is deeply aware that if the national football team wants to win the life-and-death battle with Thailand, the only way to pin their hopes on set-pieces is to pin their hopes on set-pieces.
This also explains why the national football team wants to "bet" on set-pieces in this crucial game. We know that Wu Lei, the ace striker of the national football team, will be absent due to injury, which is undoubtedly a big blow to the team's offensive end. Coupled with the fact that Thai players are generally thin and small, this has brought a ray of light to the national football team's set-piece offensive.
As pointed out in the article, players such as Jiang Guangtai, Zhu Chenjie, Zhang Linpeng, Zhang Yuning and other players have a good advantage in heading. As long as they can grasp a set-piece opportunity at a crucial moment, the national football team is expected to steal this crucial victory. This is undoubtedly their best option to avoid a sure-off situation against tough opponents South Korea in the final round.
Of course, the practice of relying solely on set-piece attacks also reveals many problems on the offensive side of the national football team. The lack of creativity and lack of basic skills are important factors restricting the offensive side of the national football team. This also reflects the lack of existing combat power of this team.
3. The dilemmas and hidden dangers faced by the national football team
Although the national football team is actively seeking ways to deal with it, it is not difficult for us to find that the difficulties and hidden dangers they are currently facing are really not optimistic.
First of all, the national football team drew 0-0 in the first leg away from Thailand, which undoubtedly gave the opponent a chance to take advantage of. If the two sides draw again in this do-or-die match, then they will be tied with the national football team with Thailand beating the eliminated Singapore team at home in the last round. At this point, the two teams will need to compare the difference in goal difference. It can be seen that the national football team does not have an advantage in this indicator.
Secondly, the plight of the national football team on the offensive side is also worrying. In addition to relying solely on set-piece attacks, their lack of creativity and fundamentals has also plagued the team. This also explains to a certain extent why the national football team has been repeatedly blocked on the offensive side in past games.
Moreover, the loss of the national football team in terms of personnel has also cast a shadow on their way to qualify. Wu Lei's absence is not only a big blow to the offensive end, but also greatly reduces the national football team's ability to score goals. And the injury problems of players such as Benitez have made matters worse.
Finally, the national football team suffered a heavy defeat in the previous match against South Korea, which undoubtedly hit the morale and confidence of the players seriously. Even if they win against Thailand in the next round and play South Korea in the last round, it will be very difficult for the national football team to win. As a result, there are also deep concerns about whether they will be able to break through in the fierce group stage.
Fourth, the last hope of the national football team to qualify
Although the national football team is facing many obstacles, as long as they grit their teeth and persist in this life-and-death battle, there is still a glimmer of life.
First of all, the national football team must go all out to beat the Thai team at home. As mentioned earlier, this game is crucial for them. Only by winning this battle will they be able to avoid a tough battle with South Korea in the final round.
To achieve this goal, the national football team must play to the maximum organizational and defensive capabilities. Despite their problems in attack, it is not impossible to win as long as they can hold their ground and seize the opportunity from set-pieces when the opportunity arises.
At the same time, the national football players must also give full play to their fighting spirit and determination in this key battle. They must abandon the previous negativity, enter the game with full form, and conquer their opponents with a tenacious fighting spirit. Only then will they be able to turn around their slump at the last minute and finally advance to the next round of World Cup qualifying.
Perhaps for the national football team, this life-and-death battle is not a desperate situation, but an opportunity to re-emerge. As long as they can work both technically and mentally to beat Thailand with home advantage and set-piece advantage, the task of facing South Korea in the final round will be relatively easy.
This is undoubtedly the last ray of hope for national football fans. They expect this team to step up in times of crisis, use tenacious fighting spirit to create miracles, and finally fight their way out and regain qualification for the World Cup.
Fifth, the future outlook of the national football team
Even if the national football team is unable to break through the encirclement in this world preliminary tournament and return to the World Cup stage, they still have unlimited development potential and prospects.
First of all, the painful experience of this World Preliminary Tournament will surely become a valuable asset for the future growth of the national football team. They must learn this lesson, seriously reflect on their own problems, and carry out comprehensive reforms and improvements in terms of technical and tactical skills, staffing, and player fitness. Only in this way can they avoid repeating the mistakes of the past in future competitions and really set sail.
Secondly, the national football team should continue to adhere to the concept of cultivating young rookies. We have seen that in this World Preliminaries, the injuries of players such as Benitez and Wu Lei have dealt a heavy blow to the national football team. This undoubtedly highlights the importance of the team's talent echelon. Therefore, the national football team should pay full attention to the construction of the youth training system, continue to discover and cultivate more outstanding young players, and inject fresh blood into the sustainable development of the national team in the future.
Finally, the national football team should continue to strengthen the overall quality education of players. We see that in addition to the improvement of professional skills, the moral cultivation, team awareness, and sense of social responsibility that an excellent athlete should possess are equally important. As mentioned earlier, table tennis players like Sun Yingsha are a good illustration of this. Therefore, the national football team should not forget to improve the soft power of players while cultivating their hard power, so that they can become well-rounded excellent athletes.
In general, the defeat of the national football team in the world preliminaries, although it disappointed the fans, also pointed out the direction for their future development. As long as they can conscientiously learn lessons and lessons, adjust their mentality, and constantly improve their own strength, I believe that in the near future, they will be able to regain their former glory and add new glory to China's sports industry. Let's look forward to the wonderful performance of the national football team in the future with confidence!