BEIJING, Dec. 26-- The Chinese national football team started to bounce back from the bottom in the year 2014 after reaching the 2015 Asian Cup finals, but new coach Alain Perrin still has plenty to prove.

Losing 3-1 to Iraq in the final round, China only finished third in Group C of the Asian Cup qualifiers but were lucky enough to grab the last ticket for the final stage in Australia in January, 2015.

Thailand's last minute goal in their 2-5 defeat to Lebanon in Group B gave China the margin on goal difference to edge out Lebanon as the best third-place team. Ironically enough, it was also Thailand that humiliated Chinese team 5-1 in a friendly last year which led to the dismissal of China former head coach Antonio Camacho.

Frenchman Alan Perrin took the team from caretaker Fu Bo after the Asian Cup qualifiers and is expected to guide China to reach the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals.

The Chinese team won six of their nine matches since Perrin took charge, but all of them were friendlies.

The upcoming Asian Cup will be the first real test for the Frenchman. China will play Saudi Arabia first on Jan. 10 in Brisbane, before meeting Uzbekistan and DPR Korea.

The Chinese Super league has been attracting serious attention in 2014. Big names as Marcello Lippi and Cuca became familiar among Chinese fans while newcomers Fabio Cannavaro and Cosmin Contra are yet to make an impact in the world's most populous country.

The average attendance hit 18,982 in the Super League this season, which is the highest in the league's two-decade history. The total avenue of the 16 Super League clubs in 2014 season was more than 2 billion yuan (some 322 million US dollars).

Guangzhou Evergrande won the Super League title for the fourth time in a row, while the traditional powerhouse Dalian were relegated. For the first time in history, there will be no team from the city Dalian, known as "Soccer City" in China, in the top flight.

While top teams in big cities like Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai are enjoying prosperity, some small clubs in second division are still fighting for survival. Hebei, Chongqing, Shanxi and Shenyang are putting up "For Sale" signs.

According to a recent survey, the total amount of players salary in Super League in 2014 was around 1.8 billion yuan (some 290 million US dollars), almost 90 percent of the clubs' total avenue.

"Investing in a football club is too expensive in China, every year we have to face a deficit of 20-30 million yuan. I love football, but I could not afford it any more," said Wang Yang, president of Hebei Zhongji football club.

China's State Council in October carried out a series of policies to promote sports industry, including reforming on the widely criticized football management system inside the Chinese Football Association, which is believed to be a favorable sign for the trouble-hit Chinese football.