Next-gen thinking

Some contend that ensuring more Chinese players ply their trade abroad is key to reviving the team's fortunes.

Team China star Wang Shuang, once dubbed 'Lady Messi', made global headlines in 2018 when she transferred to French giant Paris Saint-Germain.

Wang showed she belonged at the highest level by becoming the first Chinese to score in the UEFA Women's Champions League.

However, after a year-long stint in Europe, she returned to the Chinese Women's Super League with Wuhan Chedu Jiangda, whom she helped to the domestic title last year.

She remains Team China's standout performer, as illustrated by the 26-year-old's four-goal haul in the draw with Zambia last weekend.

"During the match with Zambia, Wang Shuang only needed 17 minutes to deliver a hat-trick, and she alone scored all four goals," read a Beijing Youth Daily commentary.

"In such a tough match for Team China, Wang Shuang's individual performance was hugely superior to the rest of the team. And in that draw, Wang appeared to be so lonely."

Chinese Football Association (CFA) president Chen Xuyuan last month outlined plans to encourage more homegrown stars to play in foreign leagues. Last week, Shanghai Women's Football Club announced China international Tang Jiali will join English giant Tottenham Hotspur.

The 26-year-old Tang missed the chance to play at the Tokyo Olympics due to a knee injury. She played a vital role in China's Olympic playoff triumph over South Korea, and was sorely missed in Tokyo.

"I'm very honored and proud to join Tottenham Hotspur. Playing with a European club has always been my dream. I hope I can fit into the new club as soon as possible, and show my potential there," said Tang, who was among the 10 nominees for the Asian Football Confederation's Best Women's Player award in 2020.

Looking to the longer term, a fresh approach to the country's youth training system would also appear to be necessary.

"The priority is to select future talent for Chinese women's soccer. And we need to level up our efficiency in youth training work, so that we will live up to the kids' efforts and expectations," said legendary Team China player Sun Wen, currently the CFA's vice-president.

"If you take a look at the Brazil team this year, you would notice that the team's average age is also almost 30 years old, which shows that their youth training work is not that good. We still have many chances, and our main rivals in the future will also come from Europe.

"The key is to level up the skills of our young players. If kids don't receive quality coaching at an early age, it's hard for them in the future to make up for what they failed to learn as youngsters.

"Also there's a gap between our grassroots coaches and those of the elite nations. There are also problems related to schools and academic studies. We need to keep moving forward."