Xinhua News Agency, France, obanee, June 3 (Reporter Prince Jiang) after the Chinese Olympic team lost 1:4 to the Irish team under 21 in the first game of Group C of the Toulon Cup youth football match on the 3rd, coach Hiddink said, it is very difficult to enter the Tokyo Olympic Games, but as long as several players selected for the national team return in next January, the Chinese team still has the opportunity to advance.
“We still have time now. After participating in this competition, we will continue the training in September, October and November. Of course, the most important thing is the match in next January (U23 Asian Championship). At that time, our four to five players selected for the national team will return and the team will be stronger. We may have a chance, although it must be very difficult.”
He said that this time he attended the Toulon Cup for learning. “The Toulon Cup is a very historic famous football event. For Chinese players, it is a very good learning opportunity to participate in this famous event.”
But he also said that this game made everyone see the gap with the world’s high level, “the result of the game is very clear, the Irish team is used to this kind of game with high physical strength. Although we fell behind by 0:2 in less than 10 minutes, we handled it well.”
In the first half, the Chinese team quickly recovered one point with Li Yang’s header. However, in the second half, the referee continuously sentenced Chinese players to handball foul, and awarded the Irish team two penalty kick chances. The opponent’s player, Ida, took the penalty, the Chinese team also lost the chance to catch up. Hiddink said: “In the end, the referee likes to play penalty kick. Of course, this is not a big problem for us.”
He thinks that many players such as Zhang yoning, Yang Liyu, Zhu Chenjie and Jiang Shenglong were selected into the national team led by Lippi, which caused great losses to the strength of the whole team.
“I’m not complaining, but we have four players selected for the national team. I miss them because there are two main central defenders and two strikers among them, it is good for them to be selected into the national team, which is good for the development of Chinese football. We need to adapt the people who replace them. This competition is a good experience for them. Young people must be improved when they come.”
The Old Dutch handsome sat on the edge of the field with strong atmosphere. After the match, all the coaching staff members of the Irish team shook hands with him, and many small Irish players also came up to say hello to him. After the game, when the reporter asked him where the Chinese team needed to improve most from this game, he said: “The physical aspect and the understanding of international football. International football matches have very high requirements for physical confrontation. Our players have good skills and strong Psychology. I am very willing to be with them. But we must know where we need to improve, and we must do our best for it.”
When talking about the changes of the Chinese team since he took office, he said: “I think technically, everyone knows what to do on the court, and they handle the ball faster. When I first arrived, their speed was very slow. If they want to participate in international competitions, they must speed up. I think everyone is doing better and better, which is why we come to this competition.”