After China’s 3-2 loss to Nigeria,
Chinese head coach Ma Liangxing answered some difficult questions from the
nation’s press and examined why his side found themselves down by three goals
with just minutes to play.
“Our biggest deficiency was in midfield,” confessed Ma ruefully at the
post-match press conference after the second of two warm-up games.
Ma was also the first to admit that China’s poor showing could be attributed
to some of the changes he made in personnel. After the first warm-up match,
which China won 1-0, he brought in four new players and moved striker Bai Jie,
who scored the only goal in the first match, back to her old position at left
back. That reshuffle seemed to shatter the team’s cohesion and left them looking
awkward all over the pitch. After such a disappointing display, coach Ma may be
yearning for the days when China’s midfield was held together by lynchpin Liu
Ailing.
China’s playing style has always placed a heavy emphasis on controlling the
middle of the park. The Steel Roses’ stranglehold on possession was one of the
main reasons why they dominated the Asian confederation for so long and why,
ever since the first FIFA Women’s World Cup back in 1991, they have managed to
stay on an equal footing with the more physical, technically accomplished
European and American teams.
In the past, China’s midfield relied on Zhao Lihong’s explosive breaks down
the left flank and Liu Ailing’s domination of the middle to seize the
initiative. The Steel Roses miss not only Liu Ailing’s ability to pass and move
the ball into good positions, but also her knack for hitting lethal strikes from
distance. Her two brilliant goals against Korea DPR in the Final of the 1997 AFC
Women’s Championship were typically decisive.
In the first warm-up match against Nigeria on 22 August, Ma Liangxing sent
out the quartet of Pu Wei, Liu Ying Ren Liping and Zhao Lihong, who was later
replaced by Zhang Ouying. Ren Liping was then shifted into Zhao Lihong’s
position on the left, with Zhang Ouying slotting into her old position on the
right wing.
However, during the second warm-up against
Super Falcons on the 25th, the midfield was adjusted to include Ren Liping, Liu
Ying, Pu Wei and Wang Liping. The ploy backfired, and trailing by two goals in
the second half, coach Ma brought in Zhang Ouying on the right, moving Wang
Liping to replace Sun Rui.
The struggle to find a spiritual successor to Liu Ailing is obvious, and so
far none have staked their claim decisively.
30-year-old veteran Zhao Lihong is saddled with injuries, new hopeful Pan
Lina has had knee surgery this year and is not up to full speed, and while Pu
Wei and Zhang Ouying have the experience, neither brings the danger of Liu
Ailing. The weakened middle line has brought down the overall cohesion of the
team, and Ma Liangxing now faces the challenging of finding the best he can in
less than three weeks until the kick-off of the FIFA Women’s World Cup USA 2003.
