On September 2, 2022, the curtain rises on the 12-team Asian qualifying tournament for the World Cup. In the early hours of the next morning, September 3 at 2:00 GMT, the Chinese men's football team, coached by Li Tie, will face Australia at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha. Although the opponent is ranked third in Asia, with overseas players as the base, the national football team is still full of confidence in the first battle to grab points.
Back in 2015, the Asian Cup 8 round, the national football team in the foot of the host Australia defeat, 0-2 score is still fresh in the memory of the fans. However, with the retirement of the "golden generation" represented by Cahill, the Australian team has temporarily failed to produce players who can establish a foothold in Europe's top leagues. Of the 27 players in this campaign, 26 are from overseas leagues, but the national soccer team does not feel the pressure.
Affected by the epidemic, the Australian team has been delayed in assembling, and the 27 players have only conducted two training sessions after arriving in Doha, so the problem of insufficient integration exists objectively. However, most of the players in the team have just finished the European League and are in good condition, especially the return of the core midfielder Muy, which has improved the strength of the team.
As the first game of the Top 12, Australia will enjoy the advantage of "home field", and is expected to adopt a pressurized offensive tactics, to play its traditional advantage of high-altitude bombing. It's worth mentioning that 22-year-old Soutar, the team's top scorer with six goals in the 40-team tournament and a solid and reliable performer at the Tokyo Olympics, is on the backline. For this tall player with both offensive and defensive skills, the national football team has made key deployments in defensive tactics.
Under the leadership of Li Tie, the national football team has been nearly two weeks of preparation, the main lineup is gradually clear. In addition to Guo Tianyu and Wang Qiuming missed due to injury, the other 30 international players have the conditions to play. Although Alan is resting due to muscle fatigue, he is still on standby. Surprisingly, Guangzhou player Luo Guofu, who made his comeback in the first phase of the Chinese Super League, has performed well in the preparation stage, and is not only capable of playing in the offense, but also as a back, which is expected to become Li Tie's odd man out. On the front line, Ackerson and Wu Lei have improved their tacit understanding and will take on the heavy responsibility of impacting the opponent's defense.
Midfield position, in addition to the captain Wu Xi, several other positions may not be determined until the last minute. Li Tie expects the midfield of the national football team to be able to effectively control the rhythm of the opponent's attack and defense transition.
The Australian team also has former Suning defender Sainsbury and former Shandong Taishan defender McGovern, who are more familiar with the national football players. The national football team intelligence staff from the 40 strong match to systematically collect information on the Australian team, Li Tie also paid attention to the whole process of Arnold led the Australian national Olympic team to participate in the Tokyo Olympics, both sides do know each other. For the hot weather in West Asia, China and Australia are not worried. As the main stadium for next year's World Cup in Qatar, the turf conditions at the Khalifa Stadium are world-class and the air conditioning will be turned on during the games. The South Korean referee team is experienced in enforcing the law and there are fewer disputes between the two teams.
Whether it is Li Tie, Wu Xi, or Wu Lei, Zhang Xunzhe, Yan Junling, Wang Shenchao and other players, said in an interview that they are confident of grabbing points from the "Kangaroo Army".
Looking back to four years ago, the World Cup Asian qualifying round of 12, the national football team faced two of the strongest rivals in the same group, South Korea and Iran, and ultimately took only one point in two games. Now many of the core players in the national football team have the experience of the last 12 games, can they play in this tournament to the normal level? Let's wait and see.
