2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying: Lippi: China needs youth training & coaching systems
Updated 13:41, 05-Jun-2019
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Marcello Lippi's return to coaching China's national team surprised many after his earlier decision to step down in January. The Italian says his second spell came about after months of reflection, and now he's completely focused on guiding the PRC to the 2022 World Cup. Rory Coen has more.
Lippi says he will quit again if he fails to guide China to the 2022 World Cup. The 71-year-old Italian World Cup winner is back as coach of China just four months after leaving. But with qualification for Qatar 2022 beginning in September, the under-pressure legend has little time to lose if he is to get China to football's showpiece event.
MARCELLO LIPPI CHINA COACH "I went back home after seven years in China, but even though I had turned down all extension offers when I left, after three or four months at home, I realized that it's important that people have such appreciation and expectations for me, so I decided to respond to these feelings. Since the moment we turned our focus to Qatar 2022, I decided to help China pursue this opportunity, and I will keep trying to improve China's football development. But I have made no long-term plans because that would be pointless. Our goal is to go to Qatar in 2022, and the AFC Qualifiers consist of two stages, so if we cannot pass the first one, then we're eliminated, and there's no point for me to stay here anymore."
The 71-year-old led China to some success in his first term. China wes one point away from reaching the final stage of AFC qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Team Dragon also reached the last 8 in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, only to be humiliated by Iran 3-0 in the quarter-finals. Lippi stressed he has a tough job to do, as he is struggling to find new blood for China.
MARCELLO LIPPI CHINA COACH "There are very few competent forwards in China. For example, we currently have to play without Wu Lei, who is an excellent striker and had a great performance in the Asian Cup. He kept playing for his country despite breaking his collarbone. Then he went to play in Spain and had an operation on his collarbone recently. Gao Lin is also injured, so we will turn to some of our young talents, and we hope the Chinese Super League can provide new solutions. For myself, I hope to see the general environment for football improving in China. We have some new suggestions, and I'm very happy to see that they were accepted. Young players are growing fast, and now, a system for domestic coaches must also be established. We have to search for more talents from overseas as well. In all, China has to establish these systems by itself."
The ultimate goal for the Italian coach is to guide China to the World Cup finals for only the second time in history. On Friday, his new squad will be tested by the Philippines in a friendly in Guangzhou. RC, CGTN.