The last international break was a complete horror show for the Chinese national team.
The first match ended with the expected win against Guam, although people expected for a higher result than a 7-0 win. Then came the second match against The Philippines, and China finished with a goalless draw. It was the first time that China failed to beat The Azkals since 1919.
China is still in a good position in the race for the next round in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, as they are ranked second in the group, only two points behind Syria. Their results are also good enough to qualify even as one of the best runner-ups. Still, it's not satisfying enough for China, and they are looking to improve the team.
Before the qualifying tournament kickoff, China started with a process to naturalize players. It began with players like Nico Yennaris that got his Chinese passport due to his mother's Chinese descent. A few weeks before the first match against the Maldives, China made a breakthrough with the naturalization of Elkeson. The Brazilian striker had no connection to China except for playing for local clubs in the last eight years.
Back then, the naturalization of Elkeson, who changed his name to Ai Kesen and renounced his Brazilian nationality, led to criticism in social media against the Chinese FA. People thought this move means giving up on the chance to develop the local players. According to sources in China, the naturalization of players was one of Marcello Lippi's requests in order to lead China to the World Cup.
After the recent results, the Chinese FA decided to accelerate the process and to naturalize more players. Four more Brazilians will join Elkeson in the Chinese national team squad. The leading player will be Ricardo Goulart, who plays for Guangzhou Evergrande since 2015. Goulart is currently loaned to Palmeiras, but he is supposed to return to Guangzhou, as he is no longer considered as a foreign player.
The other players are also playing in China for a while now. Alan Carvalho is playing in China since 2015, and he is also a Guangzhou Evergrande player and currently loaned to another Chinese club, Tianjin Tianhai. The 26-year-old winger Fernandinho is in China since 2015, and now he is loaned to Hebei China Fortune. The fourth player, Aloísio, could be a surprising name, as the 31-year-old striker who arrived in China in 2014 is currently playing for Guangdong Southern Tigers from the second division.
Will it be enough for China? Next month, China will play against Syria in Dubai. That match could be decisive in the race for the next stage of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. As we already saw from the Chinese FA in the past, you can never guess what their next move will be.