China are poised to embark on their World Cup campaign with a relaxed mood after trying every means to keep the players free of stress.
The Chinese women's team used to be burdened with huge pressure before every major tournament, which turned out to undermine them in their attempt to go far.
They are now determined to kick away the scourge as the World Cup is looming large upon them.
"To prepare for the World Cup is a systematic project, we have to do everything in a meticulous way to assure our work is perfect," said Yang Yimin, head of the Chinese delegation.
"If one link goes wrong, the whole thing will break down. So all our logistics operation is centered around the players. We must make sure they lead a happy and easy life inside our setup," he said.
Under the guidance of Marika Domanski-Lyfors, they scrapped the approach they used to take which usually involved some frenzied meetings, workout and snubbing of media demands.
With their first World Cup match only four days away, they are training once a day and are allowed some free time to go shopping and talk with the media.
"They feel very well with it, they are not stressed," said Domanski, the Chinese team's first ever foreign coach.
"My players have played a lot of tournaments at home and they are already accustomed to the feeling of playing at home soil. Now they need a good rest to keep themselves fresh and relaxed for the World Cup," the Swede said.
The team officials will invite some of the players' relatives and friends to watch their games in the World Cup in a move to inspire their performance.
"The atmosphere inside our team are favorable," said midfielder Bi Yan.
"If we have any problems, we could tell the team's managing staff, and they would be immediately sorted out," she said.
China keeps a low profile for the upcoming World Cup.
"Our results in the warm-up games are decent, but that count for nothing," Yang said.
"We are on the rise but still lagging behind the world top class teams, such as the United States and Germany.
"In case our players get heady, we must not exaggerate our strengths. In the World Cup, we'll try to achieve the results commensurate with our strengths," he said.
In an apparent effort to release her players off the unnecessary pressure, Domanski also chose not to tag her side as favorite to qualify for the knockout stage.
"I think Denmark and Brazil are better teams in our group, but everything is possible in the World Cup," she said.
Source: Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article