Team China's salvage mission

Beleaguered squad bids to rescue some pride by ending miserable qualifying campaign on a high

With only pride to play for, Team China will bid to end its World Cup qualifying campaign on a positive note over the next week.

China faces Saudi Arabia in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, on Thursday, before finishing with a match away to Oman next Wednesday. After a thoroughly disappointing campaign, China hopes to at least produce some positive performances in those games to get disillusioned fans back on side and plant some seeds of hope for the future.

"In these last two matches, we need to fight for the honor of our nation," said Zhao Junzhe, a Team China coach, in Sharjah on Monday.

"We also need to fight for our families, the next generation of Chinese soccer and everyone who is part of the Chinese soccer community. We want to bring them hope. We need to recover from our previous failures.

"During the current training stint, we have been focusing on details. We will face intense competition, so we have made specific plans to prepare for the match against Saudi Arabia."

Team China has come in for heavy criticism from fans and pundits in the wake of its dreary qualifying campaign for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

With just a win and two draws from its past eight qualifiers, China now sits fifth in the six-team Asian zone Group B, 14 points behind leader Saudi Arabia.

China's lackluster performances led to the resignation of head coach Li Tie in December. His replacement, Li Xiaopeng, got off to a dismal start－a 3-1 defeat to bottom-of-the-table Vietnam, which further riled fans.

Team China trained in Haikou, Hainan province, before arriving in Sharjah last week in upbeat mood despite its recent struggles.

"We showed good spirit during the warm-up matches before coming here. I feel all the players have great momentum now. That's the attitude that all Team China players should have," said midfielder Dai Weijun.

"We have a great atmosphere in the team now, and we are united. We also have confidence. We have faith in the coaching team, and we are confident in producing good performances in the remaining qualifiers."

Big-name absentees

China, however, will be without its four Brazilian-born naturalized players and star forward Wu Lei, who played key roles in attack in previous qualifiers.

Naturalized forwards Ai Kesen (aka Elkeson), Luo Guofu (aka Aloisio), Fei Nanduo (aka Fernandinho) and Alan terminated their contracts with Chinese Super League club Guangzhou FC earlier this year due to the club's financial crisis, thereby putting their international futures in doubt. Team China head coach Li Xiaopeng cited fitness concerns for omitting the quartet from his squad.

Wu is remaining in Spain as he tries to revive his career with Espanyol, where he is struggling for first-team minutes in La Liga this season.

Forward Wei Shihao and midfielder Chi Zhongguo are also absent due to injuries.

British-born defender Jiang Guangtai (aka Tyias Browning) is the only naturalized player in the squad. "Good to be back with the national team after a couple of months," Jiang wrote on social media after linking up with the squad last week.

Sun Jihai, another member of Team China's coaching staff who famously donned Manchester City's shirt during his esteemed playing career, is hopeful the squad can begin to rebuild.

"Although we can't qualify for the World Cup now, we still need to take the remaining matches very seriously. I believe we will produce a satisfying result for the fans in the coming qualifiers," said Sun.

"Chinese soccer is facing big challenges, especially with the pandemic. The competitiveness of the players and even the domestic league have been adversely affected by it all. It's not easy for the players to stay in shape－both mentally and physically.

"But it's not easy for anyone. We are all facing challenges together, and we improve through these challenging times."

The absence of star names presents a chance for Team China's lesser-known players to shine. Midfielder Liao Lisheng, for one, is raring to show what he can do.

"The training has been very intense but we completed the sessions well, so now we feel like we're in good condition," said Liao.

"Our head coach asks a lot of us, and is very focused on the details. But most importantly, we need to show our spirit on the pitch in the coming qualifiers.

"We need to show our tactical awareness and our courage. Each player brings his own unique skills to the squad. Personally, I need to remain focused and hopefully I can contribute to the team."