On the afternoon of July 27th, Beijing time, the Chinese men's soccer selection team will face off against the Hong Kong team in the final round of the 2022 East Asia Cup at the Toyota Stadium in Japan.
For the national football selection team, this is a game they can't afford to lose.
For the 50-year-old Serbian coach Jankovic, it is an important test to test his coaching ability.
Although there is no authoritative channel to confirm the direct connection between Jankovic and the official national football coach, if he can hand over a convincing report card during this East Asian Cup, it will undoubtedly improve Jankovic. Qi's impression score inside and outside the Chinese Football Association.
As the coach of the Chinese team in the Hangzhou Asian Games, Jankovic is bound to continue to be trusted and reused by the Chinese Football Association.
After the World Cup in Russia ended, the Chinese Football Association consciously introduced some high-quality "faculties" from outside in order to strengthen the technical support for national teams at all levels. The Football Association also introduced the young and powerful former Serbian national youth team coach Alexander Jankovic in the same period.
On September 28, 2018, Jankovic was hired as the then head coach of the Chinese U19B team.
The relationship between the Serbian coach and the Chinese team in the 1999 age group was forged by this cooperation.
After the National Youth Team in this age group was defeated in the Asian Youth Championship, the Chinese Football Association, considering that the team in this age group will also carry the heavy responsibility of the Hangzhou Asian Games competition, specially invited Jankovic to play the role of U20 in the 1999 age group at the end of November 2018. The role of the national team coach (the official announcement will officially take over on January 1, 2019).
It is by virtue of his down-to-earth work style and the theoretical level and professional literacy shown in the process of leading the team that Yankovic was initially recognized by the Chinese Football Association. The two sides will be in Suzhou in late October 2020. After the renewal of the contract, the cooperation period between the two parties will end after the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Affected by the epidemic, this 1999-age team has not participated in any form of international competition for more than two years in the past three years, except for a few trainings, invitational matches or friendly matches in 2019.
In terms of cultivating and exercising newcomers and running in the lineup, the Jankovic team encountered great difficulties.
At the same time, the Chinese Football Association actually lacks a reliable basis for how to judge Jankovic's actual combat ability.
Before this East Asian Cup, the 1999-age Chinese team prepared for the Hangzhou Asian Games with the U23 national football number, but it was precisely because the Hangzhou Asian Games was postponed to next year for some reason. The Dubai Cup in late March this year became the team's participation in the past three years. The first official international competition.
In this event, the Chinese U23 team lost twice to the UAE U23 team in the first round and qualifying, but in the second round they defeated the Thailand U23 team 4-2, thus finally securing the fourth place in the event.
Compared with the results of wins and losses, the biggest gain of this team is the accumulation of some international competition experience.
It is precisely because of the limited number of competitions that it is still difficult to clearly present the geometry of Yankovic's coaching fineness.
Under such circumstances, the East Asian Cup will undoubtedly become an important yardstick for the national football selection team and Jankovic's personal ability evaluation.
If the national football selection team's 3-goal defeat at the feet of the South Korean team is within a "reasonable range", then the team's draw with the powerful Japan team in the second round of the East Asia Cup is eye-catching, and at the same time gives the difficult situation. Chinese men's football brings some solace.
Can Jankovic do it?
At least its use of soldiers on the spot was successful.
But after the "upset", the national football selection team and Jankovic must face another reality, that is, facing the relatively weakest Chinese Hong Kong team in the last round, can the Chinese men's football selection team continue the previous situation and make a big effort Take down your opponent.
Affected by the uneven strength of each team, the final round of the national football selection team will obviously not be as heavy on defense as in the first two rounds, but how to interpret the team's offensive football, Jankovic also faces a new challenge.
If the performance of the Hong Kong team in the final battle is not satisfactory, then the occasional "stunning" of the national football selection team and the leading effect of Yankovic himself may be offset.
It is worth noting that the Chinese men's football selection team currently in the East Asian Cup actually signed up for this East Asian Cup as the Chinese team.
After the official national football team ended the Qatar World Preliminary Tournament at the end of March this year, there is no preparation or game plan this year. The answer to the question of whether the team's head coach Li Xiaopeng will stay or stay has not been officially confirmed.
From this point of view, it is inappropriate to associate Jankovic with the official position of the national football coach.
Text/Reporter Xiao Xun