Is Cai Zhenhua the answer to the Chinese National Team's problems?

This Tuesday, the Chinese Football Association unveiled their new president, and the man charged with dragging the national team out of the mire. At the press conference, he spoke of "determination, confidence and perseverance" and bringing "Chinese soccer back to its right track". The new president's name is Cai Zhenhua, he is a former table tennis world champion, and he has never worked in football before.

Cai Zhenhua, newly elected president of the Chinese Football Association

Cai will be responsible for overhauling a footballing culture which is still struggling with lingering corruption and poor coaching at grassroots level, as well as a managerless national side currently ranked 92nd in the world. Former president Yuan Weimin, who retires aged 75, had presided over the disastrous appointment of former Spain coach Jose Antonio Camacho as manager of the national team, who was to plumb new depths in heavy defeats at home to teams as varied as Uzbekistan, Brazil and Thailand.

With Yuan and Camacho now departed, Chinese fans will hope that Cai can replicate his success from his 13-year tenure as national table tennis coach, where he helped turn China into an Olympic powerhouse after retiring as a player. He also has experience in handling the bureaucracy which is intertwined with Chinese football, having worked as a director within the powerful State Administration for Sport.

Despite this experience, Cai should not expect an extended honeymoon period at the helm of the Chinese Football Association. A new manager needs to be appointed before the crucial Asian Cup qualifier away to Iraq in March, where China need a draw to secure qualification to the 2015 tournament in Australia. Italian World Cup-winning manager Marcello Lippi has long been linked to the manager's position, particularly after success in both the Chinese Super League and the Asian Champions League with Guangzhou Evergrande, and is the outstanding candidate to take over.

Frontrunner: Marcello Lippi

However, interim coach Fu Bo has steadied the national team with wins against Australia and Indonesia after Camacho's departure, and the CFA could be tempted to select a domestic manager after Camacho's alleged difficulties with translators. The Spaniard's eight million dollar salary also drew criticism from the Chinese media, and it is likely to take a similar outlay to tempt Lippi away from Guangzhou. Former Dalian Aerbin manager Aleksandar Stanojevic, meanwhile, could be an interesting third option for Cai and his colleagues. The Serbian coach, who was recently fired by Beijing Guoan despite finishing third in the league and progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League, has experience of working in China and plays progressive, attacking football.

Furthermore, appointing Stanojevic would reunite him with two of China's most important young players, Yu Dabao and Zhang Xizhe, whom he managed at Dalian and Beijing respectively. Yu, who scored in recent victories over Australia and Singapore, has emerged as China's most consistent goal threat, while Zhang has the potential to be the creative heart of the team. The 22-year-old playmaker, who has recently been linked with a move to Celtic, plundered 11 goals from midfield under Stanojevic at Guoan last season. Along with Shanghai East Asia's Wu Lei, these two players could make a formidable attacking trio behind the mercurial Gao Lin in a modern 4-3-2-1 formation.

Defensive linchpin: Guangzhou Evergrande's Zhang Linpeng

In defence, meanwhile, Zhang Linpeng and veteran Zheng Zhi both excelled for Guangzhou Evergrande in their triumphant Asian Champions league campaign, playing with a rare blend of aggression and composure. In goal, the promising Wang Dalei will hope his recent move from Shanghai Shenhua to league runners-up Shandong Luneng will allow him to challenge Yang Zhi for the goalkeeper's jersey. Indeed, it is clear that the talent within the current Chinese squad means qualification for not only the Asian Cup but the 2018 World Cup should be realistic goals for Cai Zhenhua and whoever he appoints as the national team's new manager.

Evergrande's success at continental level has renewed China's appetite for footballing success after the lean years following the nation's sole World Cup appearance in 2002, and Cai will be under immediate pressure to transfer his undoubted expertise in table tennis to a wholly unfamiliar sport. Radical changes to China's footballing culture are needed, but before he can begin to address the nation's shortcomings at youth level, the CFA's new president must choose his manager wisely.