The local football market remains weak this season. However, with their participation in the Asian Games and the AFC Asian Cup, the Hong Kong team has regained the support and enthusiasm of many citizens, with match attendance consistently exceeding 5,000 people. The visibility of players in the Asian football scene has also significantly increased, with several national team members being sought after by Chinese Super League teams for development opportunities in the north.

Key defensive midfielder, Wu Chun-Ming, is pleased to see teammates challenging themselves in the Chinese Super League: “The more Hong Kong players can participate in the Chinese Super League and join higher-level teams in better environments, it is good for the national team. These teammates also deserve these opportunities. As for myself, I have not received any formal invitations after the finals week. Perhaps the timing is not right, or there are already many quality Chinese players in the defensive midfield position.”

No pressure

“After the East Asian Cup last season (2022), there was actually an opportunity when a Chinese club officially made an offer. However, it was during the mid-season of the Chinese Super League, and mainland China was still implementing quarantine measures. After reporting, I would have to undergo a 21-day isolation period. After that, there were only four or five league matches left. Whether I could immediately regain full form and seize the opportunity to play after the isolation period is uncertain.”

“Furthermore, the contract offered by the other party was only for half a year. If I couldn’t secure playing opportunities, there might not be a place for me in the Hong Kong Premier League after the contract expired. More importantly, at that time, the postponement of the AFC Asian Cup had not been announced yet, and I didn’t want to jeopardize my chances of being selected due to the aforementioned reasons. So even if I missed the opportunity, I wouldn’t regret it. Success in venturing abroad depends on many factors. If the venture fails and causes me to miss the Asian Cup, it would be even more regrettable. It’s best to let things unfold naturally. If there is a suitable club, of course, I would like to give it a try, but I’m not forcing it.”

Currently focusing on winning the remaining two local trophies for the team, Wu Chun-Ming also hopes to break his own trophy drought: “When I first started my career, Kitchee won the double, but I only participated for about ten minutes. I wasn’t in the squad when Eastern won the silver medal, so I really hope that this year I can win my first professional trophy. The team’s hardware facilities have improved, and I am grateful for the club’s investment in the players, especially growing up in Hong Kong and knowing that none of this is guaranteed. Therefore, I really want to achieve new milestones for the team.”

Lee Man are currently at the top of the league table without experiencing a defeat this season. However, they have only kept a clean sheet in four matches out of all competitions since the start of the season, and their recent form has declined: “At the beginning of the season, we went through a training camp in Korea, and immediately had a series of tough matches. So we have been playing at a high intensity. However, as we entered the middle of the season and faced more lower-ranked teams, sometimes we would take an early lead and then slow down the pace. To put it bluntly, we might have already protected the lead and didn’t need to push ourselves to have outstanding performances. This may not be what the team wanted during the briefings, but it has created a noticeable discrepancy in the team’s performance in the eyes of the spectators.”

Ups and downs

This season, Wu Chun-Ming has played as a key player in the Asian Games and the Asian Cup, reaching the pinnacle of his professional career. He has witnessed the roller coaster journey of the Hong Kong national team over the past six months: “After the 2018 Asian Games, I already took off my jersey for everyone to sign as a farewell to my youth team career. I never expected to have multiple opportunities to compete in the Asian Games. In fact, I wasn’t even in the preliminary squad. It was only a month before the tournament that I found out I would be playing. At that time, the team wasn’t well-prepared. We only had two training sessions at the FTC before departing. Many eligible players were also experiencing Coach Andersen’s tactics for the first time, which took time to adapt to. And the performance of the Hong Kong team has been fluctuating. Would the streak of reaching the Round of 16 in consecutive editions of the Asian Games end with us?”

“Having a good performance at the Asian Games also boosted our confidence. We carried that momentum into the World Cup qualifiers against Bhutan. We performed well in the first half, but in the second half, it became increasingly challenging. In the return leg, we couldn’t achieve the desired result at all. After advancing, we conceded two goals early against Iran, and there were concerns about whether we could maintain our momentum and avoid embarrassment in the final week.”

In the end, although the Hong Kong team lost all three matches in the Asian Cup, their performance was recognized by fans and opponents, especially when they held their own against a world-class opponent like Iran: “The turning point was the match against China during the training camp. Objectively speaking, China was not in a good state at that time, but defeating them boosted the players’ confidence and showed the results of our hard training. We also performed well against Tajikistan and Saudi Arabia, especially in the match against Saudi Arabia, where we forced them into many mistakes and made it difficult for them to play. This kind of performance continued into the final week.”

Coach Andersen

Wu Chun-Ming was first called up to the Hong Kong national team in 2017 for a friendly match against Laos, but he didn’t have another opportunity to play for the team until Coach Andersen’s tenure. It was under Andersen’s keen eye that Wu was selected for the Asian Cup qualifiers and gradually became a key player for the national team. While expressing gratitude, Wu also holds a high regard for the coach: “His insistence on the pressing style of play faced significant controversy in the beginning, but he has persisted in this tactical philosophy, which has made us believe that we can excel in this style of play. However, the support Coach Andersen receives is not as sufficient as that of top Asian countries or neighboring regions, which means he needs to put in greater effort in preparing for matches.”

Rumors of Andersen’s departure have been rampant since the Asian Cup, and Wu Chun-Ming believes that it would be a great pity if he were to retire abruptly at this moment, especially when everyone has started to familiarize themselves with Andersen’s ideas and playing style. If a new coach arrives with entirely different ideas, everyone will need to readjust, which could potentially affect the team’s performance: “He has led the team to achieve one milestone after another, and he has also noticed the players’ ability to execute the high-pressing tactics. If there is a sudden change, it will have a significant impact. We have already experienced this when transitioning from the U-23 team to the senior team. Initially, Coach Kim Pan-Gon emphasized players’ physical fitness and sprinting abilities. Then, when Kim Sir took over as the senior team coach, the new coach Xavi Bravo focused more on possession-based play. When players moved up to the senior team, Kim Sir had to reassess whether they were suitable for his style. This phenomenon is far from ideal.”

Regardless, the highs and lows of the Hong Kong national team over the past two years have become part of history, and Wu Chun-Ming, who considers himself a fan at heart, reflects with mixed emotions: “I was present at the Hong Kong team’s devastating loss to Saudi Arabia in Siu Sai Wan. I gradually witnessed the increasing number of spectators after the Hong Kong-mainland China matches, and now I have the opportunity to be on the field myself. Especially when you have experienced an era where only a few hundred people watched the Hong Kong team, and now there are thousands of fans attending each match, I feel honored and fulfilled to have such an experience. The Asian Cup exceeded all expectations in terms of the number of supporters, with more and more people attending each match. This scene is truly a dream come true. I hope that in the upcoming international windows, the team can maintain their momentum and strive to reach the Asian Cup finals once again.”

Profile

姓名	胡晉銘 Wu Chun Ming
Pos.	DMF
Preferred foot	右腳
Birth	1997/11/21
Pro Team	Pegasus（2015-19） Eastern（2019-23） →Pegasus（2020-21） Lee Man（2023-）
International Call	20（HKG, untill 2024/1/23）