In FIFA's technical report after the 2002 FIFA World Cup, China's progress in the game in recent years along with the mental strength of the team were among the positive aspects reported.
FIFA's Technical Study Group,TSG, which including Brazil's Carlos Alberto Parreira, Ghana's Abedi Pele, Colombia's Francisco Maturana and Joseph Venglos of Slovakia among others, studied all the games and analyzed the team's tactics and playing systems adopted by them.
Analyzing China's performance in it's first-ever appearance in the World Cup, the TSG report said," China merely underlined the progress that Chinese football has made in recent years. There is now a fully-fledged professional league, which is beginning to gain admiring glances from top international coaches and players alike."
Commenting on the style of play by the Chinese team, the technical report said,"They adopted a 4-4-2 formation, quickly changing to a 4-3-3 when they were attacking with the ball. When on the backfoot, eight players acted in defensive roles, with one of the two main strikers dropping back into midfield."
However the team did not function as a compact unit and allowed opponents time to build up attacks, the FIFA analysis said. "When moving forward, China tended to use short passing movements beginning in defense. Li Tie was the main cog in the Chinese midfield, playing the ball into space down the wings for one of the two strikers, who would then attempt to find his partner in front of the goal. The wingers, Li Xiaopeng (right) and Ma Mingyu(left), also played an integral role in attacks by pressing forward at any given opportunity."
"China were not able to find a foothold in any of their three games, conceding 9 goals without reply. The team was always willing and never gave up, indicating the mental strength of the current squad," the report said. "However, as well as the necessary international experience, China also lack the type of player able to make a difference at the highest level," the report concluded.
(Xinhua News Agency December 20, 2003)
