Wu Lei celebrates scoring for China during their 2-0 victory over the Philippines in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Asian zone Group A qualifier in Sharjah, the UAE, June 7, 2021. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - Chinese football players have to come to terms with criticism from the media with a strong mentality, said former Chinese international Li Yi.

Former Chinese international Li Yi made the comments when the Chinese national team is under fire after they won one and lost three of their first four games in the third round of Asian World Cup qualifiers

Chinese players, especially the national team ones, tend to become the laughing stock of the fans when things go wrong with them, said the head coach of China's second-tier side Sichuan Jiuniu.

"Above all, you need to be mentally strong to face the criticism. Otherwise, you probably cannot get over it," said Li.

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"When I was young, I could not figure out why others could get away with a mistake on the field while that could leave me having to face a flood of stick," he said.

"But you have to get to grips with it, which in turn could help you develop a strong mentality," he added.

Li made those comments when the Chinese national team is under fire after they won one and lost three of their first four games in the third round of Asian World Cup qualifiers.

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"The fact that you are being criticized means you are still being valued," Li noted.