South Korea didn't progress beyond the group stage but caused one of the upsets of the competition when they overcame defending champions Germany 2-0 in their last group match. A special mention goes to Iran, who didn't make it to the knockout stage despite conceding only twice in their three matches.

3. Foreign coaches can succeed

China have had eight foreign coaches since Klaus Schlappner became the first non-Chinese boss of the national team in 1992. It hasn't always been a successful experiment, but Russia 2018 has shown that managers holding foreign passports can prosper on football biggest stage. The best example of this has been Roberto Martinez.

The Spaniard's tactical acumen and pragmatism have allowed Belgium to finally unlock their potential, having progressed to the last four of the World Cup for the first time since 1986. Other foreign coaches to lead their teams into the knockout stage here were Norwegian Age Hareide (Denmark), Colombian Juan Carlos Osorio (Mexico) and Argentinian Jose Pekerman (Colombia). Kudos should also go to Argentinian Ricardo Gareca for guiding Peru to the World Cup finals for the first time in 36 years.

The performances of the aforementioned teams gives China has every reason to believe that its strategy to look beyond its own shores will yield results. Current boss Marcello Lippi, who guided Italy to World Cup glory in 2006, deserves every chance to instil his philosophies and methods in the national set-up.

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