Coach of the Chinese Football Team: Greater Goals Lie AheadSoccer fans should be more patient and set their sights on bigger prizes rather than focusing on a single match, Bora Milutinovic, head coach of the Chinese football team, said.Milutinovic was reacting to a question on whether he could rewrite history by beating arch-rivals South Korea at the Samsung Cup Sino-South Korean challenge on Friday. "Many people have asked me the same question - whether China can win the game or not. But I suppose the most urgent task facing Chinese footballers is to further sharpen their expertise and qualify for the World Cup, instead of just winning a single match." To convince the audience, Milutinovic raised the example of England, who beat Germany for the first time in 34 years at the 2000 European Championships, but were then knocked out by Romania. "Although England realized their 34-year-old dream of conquering Germany, they finished as a loser at the European Championships - they were even outside the top eight. "To avoid such misfortune happening to the Chinese side, we should concentrate our energies on the future - the World Cup Asian qualifiers," Milutinovic said. "Now I am confident in our players' ability and I am satisfied with their performance in training. I believe that only by depending on them can I rewrite the history of Chinese soccer." The Chinese national team has a 20-year-odd winless record against Asian power South Korea. And they lost the chance to go to the Sydney Olympics due to poor performances at the Asian Olympic qualifiers in 1999. China managed a draw and a loss in that two-legged, home-and-away competition against South Korea. China's failure at that tournament led to Englishman Bobby Houghton being sacked as Chinese head coach. Since Milutinovic took over the post earlier this year, the national team has played decently in a series international friendlies, such as a 0-0 draw with Japan, a 1-0 and 2-0 defeat against Yugoslavia and the 3-1 win over English first division club Crystal Palace. But this is perhaps the real test for Milutinovic and his army. "The friendly is an important test for both teams, especially for China," Nan Yong, deputy director of the Chinese Football Association (CFA) said. Milutinovic, who has never played South Korea as China's head coach, gave high evaluation of his rivals. "I am happy to play South Korea. For us it is not only a festival of soccer, but a holiday of friendship. "South Korea are a strong and energetic team. Playing them will provide a good chance to observe our players. "I hope that everybody in our team can get the opportunity to go on the field and they play to the best of their ability," said Milutinovic. Milutinovic complained about recent criticism and said there should be a better atmosphere for him and his staff. "I am surprised at why someone should be so interested in looking back at the past and not to the future. Beating South Korea this time is important, but beating them at the Asian Cup or in the World Cup would be much more important." |
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