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There are two ways we can react to Guangzhou’s predictable pasting of the Mariners. We can grumble about money and then ignore it, or use it as a springboard to better understand how to compete in Asia.
A 5-1 aggregate defeat in their AFC Champions League Round of 16 tie doesn’t look great on paper, but the truth is Central Coast gave a decent account of themselves.
Like several A-League sides before them, the Mariners simply lacked the poise and polish of many of the continent’s big clubs and were subsequently punished for their mistakes.
We shouldn’t have expected any different, and it seems like a subtle shift in terms of the way Guangzhou were analysed means the misguided belief Australian teams will dominate Asia is not as pervasive as it once was.
Many media outlets described Guangzhou as the “Manchester United of Asia” – an odd description which lacked the caveat that Evergrande have only ever won two Chinese top-flight titles, rather than 20.
Of course, what that description is supposed to mean is that Guangzhou have bucket loads of cash, but to focus solely on the fact is counterproductive.
Firstly, for all the talk about Guangzhou’s much-vaunted foreign contingent, two of their best players over the two legs were Chinese.
The marauding Zhang Linpeng was a bit like a Chinese version of Scott Chipperfield, but an even more interesting player was Gao Lin.
The agile striker almost scored with a spectacular scissor kick in Gosford before settling affairs at a raucous Tianhe Stadium with a neatly-taken finish.
Like Zhang, the popular Gao made an early debut for the Chinese national team and his inauspicious start makes for instructive reading.
He was sent off five minutes into his debut against South Korea at the 2005 East Asian Football Championships by overzealous Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura, in what was an obvious case of mistaken identity.
“I don’t know why I was sent off. Everyone could see it was Li Weifeng who pushed the other player, but he is too important to the team so I didn’t complain to the ref,” a bemused Gao said after his nightmare debut, which culminated in China finishing the game with just eight men on the pitch.
What has that got to do with Australian football? Well, for one thing the Socceroos take part in the East Asian Championships in July.
For another, we understand very little about some of the geopolitics which affect the way the game is played in our region.
Think that’s an overstatement? Wait until July when China and Japan kick seven shades out of each other in Seoul.
What else can we learn from Guangzhou Evergrande? That decent scouting works wonders.
Their best player by a country mile was not Dario Conca or Lucas Barrios – two of the highest-paid players in Asian football – but rather the elusive Muriqui.
The slender Brazilian struggled to make his mark in his homeland, yet he looked a world beater in Guangzhou colours.
No doubt it helps to run out in front of crowds of 40,000 – in midweek against a relatively unknown opponent, it must be said – and Guangzhou are proof that signing good players and playing attractive football generally draws in the punters.
Learning how to lure Asian fans through the gates will provide the steepest learning curve for Australian officials over the next couple of years, because this country will soon host the Asian Cup.
And for all the flowery talk about the Asian Century and forging links and building bridges, we’ve heard very little discussion on how Australian officials actually plan to make that happen.
Football has rightly made plenty of positive headlines of late.
But a bit of humility wouldn’t hurt our approach to Asian football, for there’s still plenty to learn if Australian sides are to become a force in the region.