Prior to the away match against Japan in the 18-strong round of the national football team, Zhang Cheng (transliteration), the spokesperson for the Beijing Guoan, a Chinese Super League team, stated during an interview with Japanese media that no matter how cautious Japan’s head coach Hajime Moriyasu is verbally towards the Chinese team, it cannot change the fact that there is a significant gap between the two teams.
Previously, Moriyasu expressed at a press conference that the Chinese team is one that Japan needs to be wary of. Moreover, the Chinese team’s head coach, Ivanković, has extensive experience, and in the previous World Cup qualifiers, he led Oman to an unexpected victory over Japan in the first match away from home. Therefore, for this China-Japan showdown, the Japanese team must be fully alert.
Even so, in Zhang Cheng’s view, the gap between the Chinese and Japanese teams remains substantial, “Although Moriyasu speaks highly of Ivanković, I believe the gap between the two teams is very clear. Moriyasu says this merely to inspire the fighting spirit of Japanese players, which is a good way to boost morale.”
However, the opening matches of all major tournaments are difficult to play, which also means an opportunity for the Chinese team, “The opening match is challenging for every team, yet the current Chinese team lacks experienced defensive players, as evidenced by their poor performance in the Asian Cup earlier this year.”
Additionally, Zhang Cheng indicated that Wu Lei could likely be the key player for the Chinese team, “Wu Lei has performed exceptionally well in domestic competitions, but he needs to demonstrate his ability in the match against Japan.”