- Title: Lippi says confidence building first task as he takes on China role
- Date: 28th October 2016
- Summary: ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PICTURE (SOUNDBITE) (ITALIAN) CHINA NATIONAL TEAM MANAGER, MARCELLO LIPPI, SAYING: (APPROXIMATE TRANSLATION) "We need to play one match at a time, we need to face Qatar next month and we hope that through this match the members of the national team can get some confidence and self-esteem back, the other match will be against South Korea, and down the road against Uzbekistan. I think after we've played one match at a time there might be some change in the situation and the possibilities will keep increasing, all our work is being done through a small team, we hope that the result is good but if the result is not as anticipated then then we will turn our attention to the next Asian Cup." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) VICE CHAIRMAN AND SECRETARY GENERAL OF CHINAS NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM, ZHANG JIAN, SAYING: "We're thinking that there will be two phases, to be detailed, the current agreement is from now until the 2019 Asian cup, to be clear the signing of this agreement is until the 2019 Asian cup. Once the 2019 Asian cup is over we will look at the situation and the desires and conditions of Mr Lippi and the Chinese football association, before starting the next round of discussions." MEDIA SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (ITALIAN) CHINA NATIONAL TEAM MANAGER, MARCELLO LIPPI, SAYING: (APPROXIMATE TRANSLATION) "Because this shows they have a winning mentality, that they have an understanding of international soccer, and these are all positive things, which could lead us to positive results. This is especially important for the first game when we need to be safe and be conservative." CAMERAMAN FILMING VARIOUS OF LIPPI STANDING WITH CHINA TEAM SHIRT
- Embargoed: 12th November 2016 11:18
- Keywords: Lippi Italy China soccer
- Location: BEIJING, CHINA
- City: BEIJING, CHINA
- Country: China
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA00255X4PQ7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: New China national team manager Marcello Lippi said on Friday (October 28) rebuilding player confidence will be his first task after taking on the job.
The World Cup winning Italian replaced Gao Hongbo, who resigned this month after a 2-0 defeat in Uzbekistan dealt a further blow to the country's slim hopes of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.
The 68-year-old, who won the World Cup with Italy in 2006, enjoyed a successful three-year spell with Guangzhou Evergrande, winning the Chinese League title three times and the Asian Champions League in 2013.
Chinese officials declined to reveal how much Lippi would be paid, but they said his current contract would run to 2019.
"We're thinking that there will be two phases, to be detailed, the current agreement is from now until the 2019 Asian cup, to be clear the signing of this agreement is until the 2019 Asian cup. Once the 2019 Asian cup is over we will look at the situation and the desires and conditions of Mr Lippi and the Chinese football association, before starting the next round of discussions," said Zhang Jian, a top official with the Chinese Football Federation.
Lippi had been linked with a return to Guangzhou but the Chinese champions cleared the way for him to take the national team job when the club announced on Saturday they had agreed to terminate a contract signed early last month.
The Italian said he would be taking a number of players from the Evergrande team to form the basis for his China squad.
"Because this shows they have a winning mentality, that they have an understanding of international soccer, and these are all positive things, which could lead us to positive results. This is especially important for the first game when we need to be safe and be conservative," he said.
Lippi's first match in charge will be the World Cup qualifier against Qatar in Kunming on Nov. 15 but he will have his work cut out to resurrect their campaign.
The loss to Uzbekistan left China bottom of the six-team Asian Group A with one draw and three defeats after four of 10 matches in the round. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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