WUHAN, Hubei Province: 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.
"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 are 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.
"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 $6.4 million has been put on the table, $1 million for the winning team and $800,000 for the runners-up.
Even if China only advances to the quarterfinals, it will receive $350,000, a handsome reward for the small-spending squad.
Source: China Daily
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