At 3:00 p.m. local time on October 9th, and 12:00 p.m. Beijing time on the 9th, the 2006 Chinese U17 team will face their opponents in the last round of Group G of the U17 Asian Cup qualifiers in Shepparton Sports City, Australia. The host team Australia U17 team. Judging from the competition and results of each group in the previous qualifiers, the U17 national football team must at least try not to lose if they want to qualify. Although the “life-and-death battle” that decides the fate of qualifying is imminent, the U17 coaching staff and management team, in addition to arranging training normally before the game, also tried their best to relieve the pressure of the players. For the game itself, the team’s primary goal is undoubtedly “to win the top spot in the group”, so as to advance proudly by refusing to look at competitors. The requirements of the coaching staff to the team are described in simple eight words, “Place your mind and go all out”.
After winning the Cambodia team and the Northern Mariana Islands team 9-0 and 11-0 successively, the Chinese U17 team in the 2006 age group has already locked the top two positions in the U17 Asian Cup Group G in advance. The competition system shows that the top teams of the 10 groups in the qualifiers and the second-place teams of the 6 best-performing groups will enter the finals next year. Affected by the relatively small goal difference, the Chinese U17 team temporarily ranked behind the Australian team and ranked second in Group G.
How did the U17 national football team get the right to qualify? As far as the competition system and qualifiers are concerned. Paths are not unique. But the preferred path is obviously to lock the group header. As of the final round of the qualifiers, the competition situation of each group has gradually become clear. In the previous two rounds, the Chinese U17 team has not conceded a single goal, and has scored 20 goals in total. However, due to the temporary withdrawal of Timor-Leste and Sri Lanka, only 3 teams from Group H and Group J participated. Therefore, under the background that the general rules of the competition cannot be changed, when the second-placed teams in each group are compared with each other, the rest of the teams are in the same group. The records of the 4th and 5th (5 teams from Groups A to D) will not be included in the ranking basis. Judging from the current situation, it is almost impossible for the relatively weak Northern Mariana Islands team to defeat the Cambodian team in the final round, and it is almost a foregone conclusion that they will be at the bottom of the Group G points. Therefore, no matter who ranks second in the same group, the records of the other Northern Mariana Islands teams will not be included in the qualifying competition basis.
Judging from the current rankings of the second teams in each group, including the Chinese U17 team, a total of 6 teams have obtained 3 valid ranking points, thus temporarily ranking in the top 6 in this ranking. Among the remaining 4 teams temporarily ranked second in the group, South Korea, Oman, and Laos have zero effective points. In other words, even if they win the last round, they will get at most 3 points. As for the only Jordan team that got 1 valid point in the final round, it was the Japanese team that had already secured the top spot in the group and qualified. They theoretically have a chance to get 4 valid points.
As for the 6 teams that have obtained 3 valid points, the 5 teams except the Chinese U17 team all drew or won in the final round, and the Jordan team also won, so once the Chinese U17 team loses in the final round, they may be defeated by these teams. The team is out. Even if there are other teams in the above 5 teams that lose in the final round, then the Chinese U17 team loses and there is a possibility of being squeezed out by other “3-point teams” due to the disadvantage of goal difference. In short, if the Chinese U17 team wants to qualify, they should try their best to avoid losing.
Another point worth paying attention to is that due to the large time difference in each division of the qualifiers, it is impossible for the final rounds of each group to kick off at the same time. Among all the matches in the same round, the earliest kick-off is 14 hours earlier than the last match of the same round. If the U17 national football team draws or loses, they will have to suffer while waiting. And will competitors in other groups take this opportunity to “play tricks”? It can only be left to fate. From this perspective, the U17 national football team should also avoid losing.
Facing the complicated competitive situation, the Chinese U17 team’s current preparations are generally calm. It is understood that before moving to Shepton City, the coaching staff has conducted a comprehensive analysis of the opponents in the same group including the Australian team based on the video data, and gave detailed explanations to the players. It is reported that compared with the Australian team that participated in the Southeast Asia U16 Championship in August, the Australian team has undergone significant changes in terms of personnel, technical and tactical play, and player individual ability. For example, after the new coach Maroney took office, he recruited a number of newcomers. Among them, the black striker Ilan Kunda, who has just emerged in the A-League, has performed “Big Four” for two consecutive rounds, and his personal ability stands out from the crowd.
However, the U17 national football coaching staff with Yang Chen as the coach has focused on the Australian team’s game on the field in the past two rounds. Have a more in-depth understanding of the opponent’s technical tactics and personal ability characteristics. This also provides a reliable basis for the team to “check and fill in the gaps” in the preparations for the last two days.
The Beiqing Daily reporter learned that although the “decisive battle” is imminent, the U17 national football team’s training and life after training are as usual, and there is nothing special. A female psychologist specially hired by the Chinese Football Association combined the theory with the actual situation of the team’s preparation and competition, and provided multiple rounds of psychological counseling for the players, thereby assisting the coaching team and management team to minimize the psychological pressure of the players. Some people in the team even admitted that the team would not even pay attention to the selection of referees. For the game, the main idea of the whole team is “to calm down and go all out”. Of course, as far as the competition goal is concerned, the team’s first choice is always “trying to qualify as the top of the group”, refusing to look at the opponent’s wink.
At present, the advantage of the U17 national football team is that after the two rounds, no player has been suspended, and the players are generally in good physical condition. In the second round against the Northern Mariana Islands, most of the main players were rested. Encouraged by the two-game winning streak, the players have a strong desire to fight. In addition, Shepparton’s recent daytime outdoor temperature is generally not high, which is also very suitable for football games.
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Xiao XunReturn to Sohu, see more