China women's football coach upbeat ahead of East Asian Cup
YONGIN, South Korea, July 8 (Xinhua) -- China's women's football team head coach Ante Milicic said Tuesday that the team is confident in its preparations for the 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, also known as the East Asian Cup, and expects to deliver three strong, competitive matches.
The tournament is being held from July 7 to 16 in Suwon and Yongin in South Korea's Gyeonggi Province. Four teams are competing in the women's event: China, Japan, South Korea and Chinese Taipei.
"What are our goals for this tournament? Basically, we want to see an improvement in our playing style, what we've been working on, and taking that into our performances in this tournament, while also looking forward to the Asian Cup," Milicic told the pre-match press conference.
"So we can see which players can compete at this international level against three quality teams. Our expectations are the same as [South] Korea and Japan - every game, every tournament, we want to win. But the bigger focus is on the way we play, the way we approach the game, and continuing to develop our playing style."
"We believe if we focus on ourselves, that gives us an opportunity to be successful, which is ultimately winning," he added.
Milicic acknowledged that some players are still regaining full fitness after injuries or long absences from competition. "You have to appreciate the speed of international football compared to the local competition, there is a big difference."
He said the team had spent nearly two weeks preparing in Qingdao, where the weather conditions are similar to those expected in South Korea. "Our girls worked very hard, very smart. If we can focus on ourselves and play to the level that we know we can, then we have an opportunity to be successful," he said.
Team captain Wu Haiyan said, "This tournament is both a chance to show our team spirit and a test for us, to see what level we can demonstrate after such a long period of training."
China will face host South Korea in its opening match on Wednesday. ■