Yang Zexiang plays as a left back. Previously, under the command of former Shenhua head coach Wu Jingui, he was just a fringe player who couldn't play a consistent game. After Russian coach Slutsky took over Shenhua, he won the trust of the manager with his tireless efforts and outstanding performance. In the first 14 matches of the Chinese Super League, he took part in 13 matches and started in each of them, and has become an indispensable and important player under coach Slutsky's account.
Compared to national team left back Liu Yang, Yang Zexiang may not be as good as the former in terms of forward assists and activating the wingers' offense; however, Yang Zexiang has a higher success rate in passing and is more consistent in wing defense. There are rarely any low-level mistakes like Liu Yang. Therefore, against the attacking Thailand team, Ivankovic may reuse Yang Zexiang, who is selected for the national team for the first time, to stabilize and put Liu Yang, who has more experience in the national soccer team, on the bench.
The most important thing for the Chinese men's soccer team to do in front of the Thai men's soccer team is to guard against arrogance and impatience. It might surprise Chinese fans if Yang Zexiang, who has a stronger sense of responsibility, is reused by Jankovic.
