China national team head coach Marcello Lippi said Chinese players have made significant improvement under his reign, although the team failed to make progress in the rankings.
The former World Cup winner took charge at the China national team in October last year, replacing Gao Hongbo. The team are currently at the bottom in group A of the 2018 AFC World Cup qualification.
With just six points from 8 matches, China will not be able to qualify directly for next year’s World Cup, but the team may still advance to the playoff rounds.
“We’re not in a great position, but we will try our best tomorrow,” the Italian coach told reporters.
“The players have made significant progress. The only unsatisfying aspect is our position in the ranking,” he added.
“Since taking over, the players have been improving all the time. The team has a lot of faith in their game”.