In the 18th round of the Asian qualifying round of the World Cup on September 5, the Chinese men's soccer team suffered an unprecedented defeat on the road, going down 0-7 to Japan, the powerhouse of Asian and even world soccer. After the match, head coach Ivankovic could not hide his disappointment at the press conference, reflecting deeply on the result and vowing to strengthen preparations for better results in future matches.
Ivankovic began by congratulating Japan on their victory, recognizing that Japan is a strong team in Asia and around the world, and noting that the Chinese team had studied and prepared well for the Japanese team before the match. However, despite specialized training on the defensive end, the Chinese team made undue mistakes in the match, leading to several goals conceded. Ivankovic said that the match was one of the saddest nights for him personally, but he also emphasized that as a coach, he must learn from the defeat and prepare for future matches.
In response to a reporter's question about the defense, Ivankovic admitted that although the Chinese team had focused on the defense before the game, some problems were still exposed in the game. He said that he needs to revisit the video of the game and analyze and summarize it with the players to find out where the problems lie and improve them in the future training. At the same time, he also mentioned the cooperation and tacit understanding between the players, which needs to be constantly honed and improved in daily training and games.
As for the tactical adjustment of playing five defenders in the second half, Ivankovic said that it was a decision based on the first half of the game. He hoped to limit the opponent's attack by increasing the number and intensity of defenders in the penalty area, but unfortunately, this adjustment didn't fully work, but allowed the opponent to seize the opportunity to score more goals. Ivankovic also admitted that this positional change may not be easy for some players to adapt to, but he believes that as the game goes on and the training progresses, the players will gradually adapt and play better.
Commenting on the huge contrast from the 0-1 loss to South Korea to the 0-7 defeat to Japan, Ivankovic said it was not unexpected. He emphasized that Japan is a strong team in the world, with many excellent players and outstanding technical and tactical levels. Although the Chinese team has made full preparations, they still seem to be out of their depth when facing such an opponent. However, he also said that he will take this loss as an opportunity to strengthen his preparation and make more thorough preparations for future matches.
