Serbians generally believe that the biggest characteristic and advantage of Chinese players is their obedience. In previous public appearances, Jankovic has expressed the view that he has exchanged ideas with many Serbian coaches who have coached in China, and he is convinced that Chinese players possess strong obedience. The new Asian Games coach Djurdjevic is a fellow Serbian recommended by Jankovic. I believe his understanding of obedience is basically similar. Perhaps, in their view, too much popularity and achievement might influence Chinese players to take advantage of the so-called obedience.
The attitude of service to country is not an invention of Jankovic. Many successive national soccer coaches have had similar ideas, but that in itself is a false proposition. Li Tie also talks to players before delineating the international roster to get a sense of what they want, but soccer is not a simple patchwork. Both Jankovic and Djurdjevic's experience and ability used to be disputed and doubted by outsiders. It may be that the Serbian coaching staff dropped Wu Lei to prove that they took a unique and innovative approach. Such a choice is full of challenges and risks, but the benefits and risks go hand in hand. Maybe this time the coaching staff wanted to win back a victory for Chinese soccer and themselves!
