China News Service, Beijing, February 24 (Reporter Bian Liqun) With less than a month left before the next World Cup preliminaries, the national football team has finally completed its coaching change.
On the 24th, the Chinese Football Association announced that Ivankovic became the new coach of the national football team.
For coach Ivankovic, who is about to celebrate his 70th birthday, the next task will be very arduous.
Can this "old acquaintance" of Chinese football be able to lead the current national football team?
Data map: Ivankovic.
Image source: Osports All Sports Photo Agency
Chinese football old acquaintance
Ivankovic eventually became the coach of the national football team, which is not an unexpected result.
Based on the current personnel strength, salary level and other factors of the national football team, coupled with the very limited time for the selection of a coach and the time for the new coach to lead the team after taking office, Ivankovic, who recently resigned from the Oman team, has become one of the few players in the national football team. Choose one.
Ivankovic is familiar with Chinese football and Asian football. He once led the Shandong Taishan team to win the Chinese Super League championship, and also worked for Asian clubs such as Dammam Cooperation, Abu Dhabi United, and Persepolis.
At the national team level, he has also coached the Iran and Oman teams.
In the previous Asian Cup, the Oman team led by Ivankovic had 2 draws and 1 loss in the group stage and failed to qualify.
However, during the 4 years of coaching the Oman team, the team's world ranking has steadily improved.
In the top 12 of the last World Cup qualifying round, the Oman team, which was in the same group as the national football team, was only 1 point away from qualifying for the play-offs. During this period, it also defeated the Japanese team 1:0 away from home.
Ivankovic is undoubtedly very experienced in leading the team in the World Cup preliminaries.
Data map: Ivankovic was coaching Shandong Taishan.
Image source: Osports All Sports Photo Agency
Need to regain my temper
After Ivankovic takes office, the first challenge he must face is the upcoming key battle in the World Cup preliminaries.
After the bleak Asian Cup journey, the national football team needs to regain confidence and fighting spirit for the World Qualifiers in a short period of time.
The current situation in the national football team can be described as undercurrent.
The rival team Singapore appointed new coach Tsutomu Ogura in early February, while the South Korean team announced Klinsmann's dismissal after the Asian Cup.
Another opponent in the same group, Thailand, completed a coaching change in December last year. After Masatada Ishii took over, he led the team to rebound quickly in the Asian Cup. In the group stage, they drew with the Oman team led by Ivankovic at the time.
Data map: The first round of the World Cup qualifying match between the national football team and Thailand
Previously, the national football team was relatively cautious in selecting coaches, and the national football team, which changed coaches relatively late, also fell into a relatively passive situation.
After all, with the strength advantage of the Korean team, even if it falls into internal strife and coaching changes, there is still a strong room for correction in the top 36 stage.
After the Singapore team changes coaches, it may also usher in a rebound.
For the national football team, which is about to play against it in March, there will be some uncertain factors.
There is no doubt that facing the Singapore team with relatively limited strength in the group, two consecutive wins is a goal that the national football team must achieve.
But based on the team's current strength and status, it is obviously not guaranteed to get 6 points.
Needless to say, the Thai team has improved significantly.
Next, they will face the turbulent Korean team at home and away, which is a good thing for the Thai team.
Once the national football team makes a mistake in the home game against Thailand in June, advancing to the top 18 will become an impossible task.
By then, Chinese football will further step into the abyss.
Data map: National football team in the Asian Cup.
How to solve bigger problems
In addition to the dangerous external situation, as far as the national football team itself is concerned, the problem of upgrading also needs to be solved.
This burden started before the 2019 Asian Cup and has been left behind until today.
When Jankovic took office early last year, he originally thought that he, who had led the Asian Games team, would help the national football team eliminate this burden.
But nearly a year has passed, from the warm-up matches to the World Cup preliminaries to the Asian Cup, the issue of replacement has never been resolved.
Considering performance, the national football team, with a group of veterans as its main team, is the team with the second highest average age in the Asian Cup, but in the end it ended up with the worst record in history.
Data map: The National Football Team was eliminated from the Asian Cup group
Now facing the World Cup preliminaries, the pressure on the national football team's performance is greater than that of the Asian Cup. How to update it has become a problem before us.
In addition, the use of naturalized players may become a variable for the national football team in the future.
In addition to the always steady Jiang Guangtai, Alan who has returned to the Super League, Fernando who has improved in form, Li Ke who is absent from the Asian Cup, and Exon who was abandoned by Jankovic, if Ivankovic can activate these four Players may make a difference in a short period of time.
(over)