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Bruno Bini to rebuild Chinese team in debut against England

Xinhua, October 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

Bruno Bini indicated that he was prepared to test new combinations for the Chinese team here on Thursday as the French head coach will make his debut in the international women's soccer tournament.

The 60-year-old Frenchman, who signed a four-year contract with the Chinese Football Association last month to succeed Hao Wei, will start the first match under his guide on Friday, when China hopes to seize an opening victory over the World Cup semi-finalist, England.

"Though England are ranked world No. 5, I don't care too much about the score and result," said Bini, who has steered the French women's team to a fourth finish at the 2011 World Cup as well as the 2012 London Olympic Games.

"The players on the field tomorrow may not be the best ones in the Chinese team. The team is composed of players in three categories: the frequent starters in World Cup, the substitutes with less chances and the young players selected from the Super League to be developed," said the French coach, implying that he may give chances for new faces in the squad to gear up for the Asian qualifying for Rio 2016.

The Chinese women's team reached the quarterfinal of the World Cup this summer, and Bini said he would try to fulfil their potential to go further under his four-year term.

When asked about why he choose young striker Xu Yanlu instead of captain Wu Haiyan to appear in the pre-match press conference, Bini showed his French humour.

He directly responded by asking: "How do you know she will not be the possible new captain?"

China will also play against Australia on Sunday in the three-team tournament. And that match could be a valuable test for Bini as the world No. 9 is a major opponent.

With less than one year to go before the Rio Olympics and the Asian qualification to start in February, the Frenchman foresaw an uphill battle for China in vying for the two tickets on offer against World Cup runners-up Japan and Australia. Endi