Fifa Women’s World Cup: China could unleash Wang Shuang for must-win clash with England
- Head coach Shui Qingxia admits absence of suspended playmaker Zhang Rui is ‘huge loss’ after red card against Haiti
- Head coach Shui Qingxia could turn to Wang after striker came off bench on Friday to score winner and keep China’s campaign alive
Head coach Shui Qingxia admitted the absence of suspended playmaker Zhang Rui is “a huge loss” ahead of China’s pivotal Fifa Women’s World Cup clash against European champions England on Tuesday, but was coy on US-based striker Wang Shuang’s chances of starting in Adelaide.
Vice-captain Zhang was sent off in the 1-0 victory over Haiti on Friday before Racing Louisville striker Wang came off the bench to score the penalty that earned the Steel Roses the three points which kept their campaign alive.
But while the 28-year-old impressed in second-half cameo appearances against Haiti and the 1-0 loss against Denmark, Shui refused to confirm whether the former Paris Saint-Germain star would feature in her line-up in the must-win clash at Hindmarsh Stadium.
“This is a tricky one. Wang Shuang is an outstanding player.” Shui said. “As to why she was put on the bench for the first two matches, that was out of consideration for the team strategy.
“I wanted to make sure that she could be given more opportunities for her attacking skills because when it comes to reading the game and also pressuring the opponents we want to make sure her time is spent at the prime moment.
“That is why we decided to put her on the bench initially.”
As current Asian champions, China’s performances have been fitful so far, with Wang providing much of the team’s limited creativity and quality in the attacking third when she was introduced at half-time in both games.
Shui’s side will need to show a marked improvement even if the English, already hit by injuries to key players before the finals, will be without Barcelona midfielder Keira Walsh after she damaged her knee in their 1-0 win over Denmark.
“In football matches, and in critical matches especially, we must be proactive in both our mentality and our actions,” Shui said. “When it comes to tactics, we must be active in our actions.
“Let’s not forget, there are many changes in football matches so we will be adopting a combination of methods [against England].
“There have been difficulties but we are going to do what we can to go through each and every step. And then with every kick we’ll make sure we do all that we can in the match. Of course as the coach I want our team to win, that’s for sure.”
England lead the Group D standings with six points from their opening two games but need at least a point to be certain of advancing to the next round.
Matters for China are more complex and victory for Shui’s side might not be enough to maintain their perfect record of reaching the knockout rounds at the Women’s World Cup finals.
A win over their heavily favoured opponents would have to be by a margin greater than any victory achieved by second-placed Denmark when they take on Haiti in Perth, with the two games set to kick off simultaneously.
“We have to win and then anything can be possible,” Shui said. “That’s the truth. This is true for our opponents too, and our group is indeed quite complicated.
“But what matters most is that we fight our very best to win while we also keep an eye on the progress of the other match.”
England coach Sarina Wiegman has previous experience of facing China, having led her native Netherlands in a one-sided 8-2 thrashing of a Jia Xiuquan-coached side in the group phase of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.
Two years on she acknowledged situations have changed for both parties.
“It’s a different team, it’s a different coach and I think they are well organised, they can play a possession game and they can also play a direct style of play,” she said.
“We expect a different game than we had against Haiti and Denmark. We had moments in both games where we played really well and then we had moments were we lost the ball a little bit too much, were they could counter-attack.
“We want to keep the patience, keep the ball going and the passing game in a good place and then try to create chances and score goals, which is what we always want.”
