Original title: Millicic meets the media for the first time (introduction)

The new coach of women's football team will lead the team to set sail again (theme)

Beijing Daily (Reporter Zhao Xiaosong) Yesterday afternoon, the media meeting of the head coach of the Chinese National Women's Football Team was held at Xianghe National Football Training Base. Ant Milicic, the new coach of the Chinese women's football team, said at the meeting that he and the team would do their utmost to improve the level of the Chinese women's football team and return to the "right place".

Milicic, 50, officially took the post of China Women's Football Coach on May 11. At the beginning of the meeting, the Australian coach said: "So many reporters came, which shows that everyone still cares about China Women's Football Team. Thank the Chinese Football Association for giving me the opportunity to coach China Women's Football Team. My whole team and I are looking forward to the next journey. I also know that the identity of the head coach of the Chinese women's football team carries the expectations of thousands of Chinese fans. "

Milicic is leading the new Chinese women's football team to gather training in Xianghe for two warm-up matches against Australia at the end of this month and the beginning of next month. He said frankly that due to time constraints, he and the team can only select players by watching videos of previous matches of the Women's Super League and the Chinese Women's Football Team, It is difficult to bring obvious changes to the team in a short time, but he and his team members will try to use every minute to make progress.

Milicic, the new coach of the Chinese women's football team, was at the media conference. Photographed by Beijing Daily reporter Zhao Xiaosong

Without the chance of the Paris Olympic Games, the next major competition task of the Chinese women's football team is the Asian Cup in 2026. Milicic said that the task of the team at this stage is to investigate the players around the Asian Cup and adapt the playing method through intensive training. In view of the problem that there is no big match to play before the Asian Cup, Milicic said that the team will try its best to find opportunities for training. The Chinese Football Association will also actively organize international events and try to coordinate with the club to organize training.

At present, China's women's football ranks 19th in the world. "The current ranking is not my decision, but next we will continue to work hard to train and let the Chinese women's football team return to its rightful position." Milicic also clearly saw the gap between the Chinese women's football team and the top teams in Asia and the world, "The Chinese team has two players playing in the Women's Premier League. If you look at their playing time in the last two rounds and compare it with the Australian players playing in the Women's Premier League, you can see the problem."

The transition between the old and the new is a problem that the Chinese women's football team is currently facing. Milicic stressed the importance of fresh blood for the future of Chinese women's football. He believed that young players should first gain a foothold in the Women's Super League. In the next two years, while preparing for the Asian Cup, he will also win 15 to 20 international competitions for young players entering the national team.

After the meeting, the reporter watched the intensive training course of the Chinese women's football team on the spot. Milicic and his assistants get along well with the women's football players, and the atmosphere of the training ground is very relaxed. Wu Haiyan, a veteran returning to the national team this time, said that the Australian coach is very friendly and has communicated with each member individually. When talking about the "restart" of the Chinese women's football team, Wu Haiyan said: "I hope we can calm down and give the Chinese women's football team some time and support. We need to get back on track. As long as we are firm enough and know what to do, we will be in the best condition."

Li Mengwen, who "stayed abroad" for Brighton in the Premier League, said that the whole team faced the future with an optimistic and firm attitude and was eager to show the style of the Chinese women's football team in the friendly match with Australia. She introduced that Milicic hoped that the team would focus on passing and controlling in the future, which requires more time for the Chinese team from outside. "As long as it is passing and controlling, we should not be afraid of mistakes, but dare to try. I hope we can make progress on the right track."