Fifa Women’s World Cup: China’s Shui Qingxia plotting route back to top of global game for Steel Roses
- China take on Denmark in their opening game in Group D in Perth, looking to return to the final of tournament for the first time since 1999
- The Steel Roses have never failed to reach the knockout stages of the World Cup when they qualify
Shui Qingxia has set her sights on taking China back to the top of global football as her team prepares to launch their Women’s World Cup challenge against Denmark in Perth on Saturday, more than 24 years after the country’s only appearance in the tournament’s final.
The Chinese lost in a penalty shoot-out at Pasenda Rose Bowl to hosts the United States in 1999 in an era when the nation dominated the game within Asia and battled the Americans for global supremacy.
Those days have long since gone but Shui, a silver medal-winning midfielder at the 1996 Olympics during her playing days, is hoping this year’s competition can be the latest step on the steep climb back to the top.
“We’ll treat this World Cup as a tournament to reposition China’s women’s team,” Shui said. “I want this to be a fresh start for our team to find their positions, including this generation and future generations.
“I hope that we can play better and better in the future and to give our best performance in this tournament. Everything has a start and I wish this could be a fresh start for us.”
The Steel Roses come into the competition as the Women’s Asia Cup champions after a surprising win over South Korea in a final that came just three months after Shui’s appointment.
She replaced Jia Xiuquan in November 2021, three months after the team finished bottom of their group at the Tokyo Olympics.
The performance at the Asian Cup secured World Cup qualification and Shui’s team open their Group D campaign against the Danes, before taking on newcomers Haiti and European champions England.
Despite the slide from the game’s upper echelon in recent years, no Chinese side has failed to advance to the knockout rounds of the Women’s World Cup when the country has qualified for the tournament and the pressure is on Shui to maintain that record.
“It’s not that I look like I’m relaxed, I am relaxed,” Shui said. “I think we need to enjoy the game of football and our players give me a lot of signs to make me feel relaxed.
“This game will be very significant for us. We will play one game at a time to get the results or to get the experience. We don’t need to overthink things too much.
“It will be tough, so we will give our best performance and fight to the end.”
Shui did not rule out the possibility that captain Wang Shanshan would play in the centre of defence instead of in her regular position upfront after the United States-based 33-year-old impressed during China’s Asian Cup success.
“I think there are many uncertainties in every game,” Shui said. “Over the course of the game, I think psychologically we should be more confident and more organised to perform what we are capable of. Let’s do our talking on the pitch.
“I think the teams know each other quite well. We have watched their tapes and they will have watched ours. We know that they as a team are a very big threat.”
The Chinese are expected to have the backing of most the crowd at Perth Rectangular Stadium, and Denmark coach Lars Sondergaard believes he has studied his opponents well enough to not be caught out by any last minute changes.
“Historically China have also been very successful at these championships,” he said. “So, we have a deep respect for the team but also believe in in our own qualities.
“The World Cup is all about different football cultures. We are playing against England and, as a European team, we’re more than used to that than playing against China or Asian teams or, for that matter, South American teams.”
