China's women's soccer players will adopt an attacking passing
game after tapering off training ahead of their opening encounter
against Denmark today at the Women's World Cup in Wuhan, Hubei Province.
The pressure is on the Chinese side to impress home fans after
the national team has recorded seven wins in 11 previous meetings
with the Danes.
They have beaten China only once - in 2001 - but draw
inspiration from their impressive performances at this year's
Algarve Cup, where Kenneth Heiner-Moller's charges reached the
final while the "Steel Roses" finished a disappointing tenth.
China's head coach Marika
Domanski-Lyfors
"Denmark are a team to respect as they are physically stronger
and they can be very tough on the pitch against us," China head
coach Marika Domanski-Lyfors said.
"But we have our strengths and we will play our passing game to
try and take control of the match - it could be a good game."
Domanski-Lyfors, who took unheralded Sweden to the World Cup
final in 2003, was appointed coach in March, and was given five
months to revive a 1999 world cup runner-up suffering its worst
form in years.
"We've spent a long time getting ourselves ready for this
competition, whereas Denmark and Brazil have only just arrived in
China," she said.
"As a result, they'll be putting in extra training sessions. My
job on the other hand is to make sure the players don't over-exert
themselves, to make sure they're in top condition for the start of
the tournament."
During the five days before the opening match, China trained
just three times compared to other sides' daily sessions.
To provide a comfortable atmosphere, Domanski-Lyfors reprised
several nations during the Men's World Cup in Germany last year by
inviting relatives to keep players company during the
tournament.
"As the host team there's going to be pressure on us, so I'll be
doing my best to keep the players relaxed," Domanski-Lyfors
said.
"I want them to go out and enjoy their football. It's important
that they make the most of every minute out on the pitch.
"This is the second time that the Women's World Cup is being
held in China, so I hope this time round we can make the pressure
work in our favor. We've been playing a lot of matches in China
recently, in order to get ourselves accustomed to the playing
surfaces and to get used to the feeling of playing at home."
Denmark coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller considers the match against
the host a life-and-death fight.
"I think Brazil is the best team of the group and they will
definitely advance into the next round," he said.
"So it is a key match for us and also for China."
Heiner-Moller predicts a close match.
"China is among the world's best with a host of talented
players. Marika has been doing a good job and the team has
undergone some positive changes since she took over. It will be an
evenly contested match and the result really depends on the
players' performances. It could be a 1-0, to whoever wins."
Heiner-Moller stressed the pressure on the host increased his
team's winning opportunity.
"China is playing at home, so there is definitely going to be a
lot of pressure on them," he predicted.
"We've spent a long time preparing for the World Cup, especially
once we made certain of qualification. We're all raring to go now.
Even though the environment, food and climate in China are quite
different to Denmark, we've already got used to it in the last two
days and we'll definitely be at the top of our game when we face
China."
China will look to veteran players in the opening fixture rather
than new comers after the head coach underlined the determination
of seasoned campaigners Zhang Ouying, Han Wenxia and Xie Caixia
during the team's warm ups against England (1-0) and Hungary
(4-0).
"This showed that Marika is counting on the veterans to play the
World Cup," defender Liu Yali said.
"We are a young team, we need the veterans and their experience
is our prized asset. Without the veterans to anchor the team, the
young players tend to make easy mistakes which could ruin our whole
campaign."
But much of 11th-ranked China's prospects will hinge on
19-year-old striker Ma Xiaoxu - dubbed the "female Wayne Rooney" -
and her partner Han Duan in the frontline.
Ma Xiaoxu (front) during a
training session.
"We're feeling great right now, although there's a lot of
pressure on us to go out and win," Han said.
"At this point I'm not really thinking about how many goals I
can score. I'm just aiming to give my all out on the pitch and help
my teammates to win football matches."
Another motivational factor for the national players, who have
been struggling for financial support in domestic league and
development, is the prize money FIFA has dangled.
A surprising total of US$6.4 million has been put on the table,
US$1 million for the winning team and US$800,000 for the
runners-up.
Even if China only advances to the quarterfinals, it will
receive US$350,000, a handsome reward for the small-spending
squad.
(China Daily September 12, 2007)
