Jia hinted that Wang Shuang, who plays at PSG, needs to improve her form.

"Wang Shuang is a quality player, and the fans pinned high hopes on her," he said.

"I gave her complete freedom to roam on the field, and she could go anywhere to take the ball," he said. "I wanted her to organize a decent attack upfield."

"But she carried huge psychological pressure onto the World Cup stage. I wished she could have performed better," Jia said.

Wang, 24, had managed no shots on goal or assists during China's three group games.

Jia, who considers himself a disciplinarian, said he could be harsh when his players made mistakes in training.

"I was very strict with my players during training," he said.

"But when the World Cup was approaching, our coaching staff tried to encourage the players, and tried to create a relaxing environment for them. It worked," he said.

But the Chinese players need to relax further in order to perform well in the knockout stage, according to Jia.

"If they can bring out 60 or 70 percent of their ability in the next game, they can bring us a surprise," Jia said.

The coach added that China's scouts had been closely following England and Italy, one of whom will face China in the final 16.

"We have sent scouts to follow them. They are teams of different styles. We must be well-prepared whomever we will play," he said.

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