黑崎久誌品評國足防線：王大雷自信迎戰日本 蔣光太後防中堅

Blackburn Rovers' former head coach Hisashi Higashizaki continues to write in his personal column for Japanese media "Nikkan Sports Digital." In his latest article titled "The True Face of China's National Team in the First Match of the Final 18 - The Key Lies in 'How to Break their Strong Defense'," Higashizaki analyzes China's goalkeeper and defense.

In terms of defense, the players in these positions seem to be younger compared to other positions. Their central defender, Jiang Guangtai, who was born in Liverpool, England and obtained Chinese citizenship in 2019, is the backbone of the team's defense. Playing for Shanghai Port, he utilizes his physical advantage and has excellent man-marking abilities. Zhu Chenjie from Shanghai Shenhua partners with Jiang Guangtai and is a tall player who is good at man-marking.

I believe the starting right-back for China would be Gao Zhunyi from Shandong Taishan. Many readers may know that he previously played for Fukuoka Hornets in the J-League in 2015. Not only can he play as a right or left-back, but he can also play as a central defender and even as a defensive midfielder. He is a versatile player, and I had the chance to work with him when I was the assistant coach at Wuhan Three Towns. The left-back should be Liu Yang from Taishan. These four players are likely to form China's defense line.

Considering the analysis of China's lineup, I can anticipate some changes they might make in the future. In the past, they had a strong desire to strengthen the national team by extensively employing naturalized players. However, this time they have only included three naturalized players. The impression they give now is one of a balance between young and experienced players, suggesting a transition from old to new. I believe this is related to the burst of the Chinese football bubble. From my first-hand experience, the financial investment in Chinese football is now only about 1/10 of what it was during its peak. The lavish salaries that used to attract attention have now become similar to those in the J-League, or even less.

Although clubs like Shanghai Shenhua, Shanghai Port, and Shandong Taishan still have relatively strong financial capabilities, the clubs previously funded by real estate developers have been impacted by the burst of the real estate bubble. In such an economic situation, the Chinese national team has given up on relying heavily on naturalized players and has shifted their focus towards developing young talents. This reminds me of an old Chinese saying, "Misfortune and fortune are intertwined."

Although the current impression of Chinese football is that it is "developing steadily, gradually shaping the future of Chinese football," China, with a population of 1.4 billion and vast territory, has a wide pool of talent. Moreover, Chinese companies are gradually catching up with Japanese companies as sponsors of the World Cup, attracting attention. Personally, I believe it is necessary to pay closer attention to the development of Chinese football compared to before.

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