Mainland China opportunities help Hong Kong players, boss Jorn Andersen says – and he explains who will face Lionel Messi
- ‘It is a Hong Kong player in a better league, which is positive,’ national team head coach says after Matt Orr joins Chinese Super League club Sichuan Jiuniu
- Andersen explains make-up of squad for friendly against Inter Miami, and selection for first leg of Guangdong Cup before that on Wednesday
Hong Kong head coach Jorn Andersen says Matt Orr’s move to Sichuan Jiuniu in the Chinese Super League is positive for local football because the country’s mainland offers a stronger competition.
Striker Orr, who started all three of Hong Kong’s matches at the AFC Asian Cup this month, was in demand after a 15-goal season for Guangxi Pingguo Haliao in China League One last year.
The 27-year-old sought advice from Andersen before plumping for newly promoted Sichuan, who will relocate to Shenzhen for the 2024 season.
“He had four or five possibilities, and needed to make the right choice for his career,” Andersen said.
“It would be no good if he took the money from a club like Shanghai Port or Shanghai Shenhua, then was sitting on the bench.
“I said to him, ‘Please choose the team where you have the best chance to play.’ He would have played at his previous club, but wanted to take the step to the Super League. The team he joined have problems up front, and he can help. It is a Hong Kong player in a better league, which is positive.”
Orr has only three goals from 22 international appearances, but Andersen sees a bigger picture around the player, recognising scoring chances are at a premium when you play for Hong Kong, and valuing a prodigious work-rate that is made for the head coach’s hard-running formula.
Nevertheless, there is growing competition for Orr’s shirt, with a number of forwards recently acquiring passports. Orr switched to the left to accommodate Michael Udebuluzor in Hong Kong’s closing Asian Cup game against Palestine, while Everton Camargo also started, and another Brazil-born pair, Stefan Pereira and Juninho, came off the bench.
“The naturalised players increase the quality and push the others,” Andersen said. “I do not want a team full of passport players, but it is good to have enough to raise the standard and competition.
“Matt knows Michael and Stefan are waiting, and if he does not perform well, or is not often playing for his club, he can drop out of the team.”
Andersen has remained in Qatar to watch the Asian Cup’s last-16 ties, but will return home in time for Hong Kong’s Guangdong Cup first leg on Wednesday. Some of the players who featured in the under-23s’ run to the Asian Games semi-finals last year will be involved at Mong Kok Stadium, and in the Guangzhou return fixture seven days later.
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“It was my thought to play mainly with the team from the Asian Games,” Andersen said. “We had success, but people in Hong Kong have not seen them play.
“We had to make some changes, so we added more youngsters. It is a chance for them to play international games and improve.”
The Guangdong Cup matches sandwich the glamour friendly between a Hong Kong team and the Inter Miami of Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez on February 4.
The city side will be managed by Andersen, who must trim a provisional 40-strong squad over the coming days. The longlist, including Hong Kong internationals and foreigners who play in the local Premier League, was released after the national team’s arrival in Qatar.
Andersen ensured every top-flight club was represented in the original party.
“I told the Hong Kong players to forget the Miami match, and all that was important was the national team,” he said. “I could not pick them all – some of them would be tired, and their clubs would be angry if they were away for longer.
“It was not only my decision, but I said we should try to play with a mixed team. I spoke with five or six [Premier League] coaches, and everyone was happy and agreed.”
