Football is a game that evokes both love and hatred. A few days ago, I saw that the Football Association announced the new training list for the U20 national team. These young players are about to play in the Asian Cup at home, and honestly, this lineup looks quite interesting, unlike before when it was hard to get excited.
This U20 national youth team gives people the first impression of being different. Shandong Taishan contributed seven players. These children grew up in a professional youth training system and climbed step by step with the team. Now some of them have already made their mark in the Chinese Super League.
Zhu Pengyu and Mao Weijie from Dalian are also two interesting kids. They worked hard in the China League One last year, helping the team advance to the Super League. This practical experience is definitely a good thing for the national team.
Wang Yudong's performance at Zhejiang team is also quite surprising. At a young age, he has played in the Chinese Super League and AFC Champions League. Such big-stage experiences are really important for a young player.
Du Yuezheng is also doing well abroad. He can get substitute playing opportunities in top teams like Atletico Madrid, which shows that he indeed has some skills.
Speaking of the U20 Asian Cup, the biggest advantage is playing at home. The players don't need to adjust to time differences or worry about acclimatization issues.
However, to be honest, there is also pressure in playing at home. Fans' expectations will definitely be high, after all, everyone has been looking forward to seeing a capable and competitive national youth team for so many years.
The previous friendly matches against Australia and Kyrgyzstan were not particularly ideal in terms of results, but the performance on the field was not bad, which gave many fans confidence.
In the match against Australia, we scored a goal at the beginning, although it was later equalized, the overall performance was still acceptable, at least proving that the gap between us and them is not as big as imagined.
The top four in this Asian Cup can get tickets to the World Cup. Honestly, this goal is not easy, but it's not completely hopeless.
Although the opponents in the group stage are tough, we have faced them before and know where their strengths lie. This familiarity is a good thing for us.
Qatar has not been met before, but their strength in Asia is only mid-level. As long as we perform normally, taking them down should not be a big problem.
The current issue is to adjust the mentality. After all, most of these children have not experienced such big games, and there will definitely be psychological pressure.
Many of the selected players this time come from the youth training camps of professional clubs, which indicates that our youth training system is gradually changing.
We always used to say that China's football youth training is not good enough, but from this batch of players, we can see some changes. At least they all have practical experience in professional leagues.
The increase in overseas players is also a good phenomenon. Playing abroad can learn a lot, especially tactical awareness and game rhythm control.
However, youth training is something that needs to continue to be adhered to. We cannot expect to see results in one or two years; it requires time and patience.
This U20 national youth team feels more pragmatic, without too many frills, just solidly playing football.
The head coach's tactical thinking is also relatively clear, which is to bring out the characteristics of the players and not engage in pretentiousness. This pragmatic attitude is quite good.
Judging from the spirit of the players, these kids are indeed stronger than the previous national youth teams. At least they all have practical experience and know what the game is about.
Finally, no matter what the result is, I hope these kids can put forth their best at home and give the fans an explanation.