In December, the national soccer team prepares for the Asian Cup into the countdown. For this reason, Yankovic coaching staff will begin a new round of assembly. On the one hand, the 36th World Preliminary Round in November, the results are barely past, but it is not yet known whether it will be able to get out of the line. We should not take it lightly, we need to go all out. On the other hand, Jankovic has the heavy responsibility of completing the transition between old and new, and needs to select younger players to join the team. The third line needs to be well stocked. If we look forward to 2026, the age of the players will increase by 3 years, and it will be difficult for the existing veteran players to achieve great usefulness even when they reach the age of retirement, forcing the coaching staff to prepare the players in advance.
It should be noted that since Yankovic took office, the national soccer team has been adhering to the principle of sharing between the old and the new, constantly bringing in fresh blood and cycling through the old and the new. This time around, in December, the team will be training overseas, which is more physically demanding. There will still be young players appearing. According to informed media reports, Jankovic will add a new defender from Chengdu Rongcheng, the fourth-place finisher in the 2023 Chinese Super League. The latter is only 22 years old and in 2023, his first individual debut season in the Chinese Super League, made only 11 appearances, basically as a substitute. For once, he was able to make the national soccer team, which surprised the outside world. He also became a surprise for Janko.
From the goalkeeper position, the national soccer team already has Yan Junling, Liu Dianzuo and Wang Dalei. The former is about to turn 33, while Liu Dianzuo and Wang Dalei will both be 34 and 35. Although goalkeepers have longer careers, the best financial situation is between 28 and 33 years old, and some who keep well can reach 35 years old. Therefore, in terms of age structure, it is necessary for the national soccer team to stockpile young goalkeepers early. Despite having to carry four goalies, this adjustment is necessary, especially for Towers.
Of course, it remains to be decided if Witao will be able to play due to the fierce competition for the goalkeeper position. According to the plan, the Witkovic coaching staff has scheduled four warm-up matches, so it will allow as many players as possible to show up and feel the atmosphere of the matches. In addition, in order to attract more players, Vikovic made a list of about 50 players very early, including many U-tier players. Guangzhou's captain Eiffel is definitely among them, and the latter will sooner or later make it to the national soccer team.
The December training roster is expected to be announced next week. Jiang Guangtai, Wang Qiuming and Li Shuai who missed the last edition will also return. The central core of the midfield, Zhang Yuning and Dai Weijun, will also be selected. The national soccer team has a relatively complete lineup. Next, we will start training to get fully prepared for the Asian Cup.
