China head coach has complete trust in players, says former captain

SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates - Former China skipper Fan Zhiyi said he could judge from the way the Chinese team was managed in their 2-0 win over the Philippines in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers that the head coach Li Tie has complete trust in his players.

China scored two goals after going through a lackluster first half against the Philippines to keep their World Cup hopes alive on Monday.

"I watched the game where the Chinese players played well," said Fan who captained China in the 2002 World Cup finals.

"When his players could not score, Li Tie did not make any change to the team. This means the coach has complete trust in his players," he said.

"I think the Chinese players had a very good psychological approach to the game, considering the change of the match venue and the high temperature there," he said.

"So I was not worried when they could not find the net," he added.

The remaining Asian World Cup Group A qualifiers had been scheduled for Suzhou, China, but they were moved to Sharjah after only one match, where China beat Guam 7-0.

China, which sits second in Group A with 13 points, five points behind leader Syria, is to face the Maldives on June 11 before meeting Syria on June 15.