In the 36-team tournament, Ivan favored a 442 diamond formation, but the tactic did not work as expected due to the lack of good No. 6 and No. 10 players in the national football team. Therefore, in the key battle with South Korea, Ivan adjusted the formation and sent Jiang Shenglong and Wang Shangyuan to partner as a double back, in order to enhance the midfield's interception and coverage ability. In the end, the national team lost 0-1 to South Korea, but still managed to eliminate Thailand by virtue of being ranked second and advancing to the Round of 18.
In this 18-team tournament, the national football team's opponents include five teams - Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Indonesia. Compared with the 36-team tournament, the national football team is facing significantly stronger opponents. Therefore, if the national football team wants to get a good result, it must insist on fighting in the 18-team tournament.
The 541 formation mentioned by Dong Lu is a good suggestion, but Ivan may continue with the 442 parallel formation in the early stages. If the Chinese soccer team can withstand the attacks of Japan and Saudi Arabia in the two matches in September, then Ivan will not need to continue to adjust the formation. If the Chinese soccer team suffers heavy losses to Japan and Saudi Arabia in September, it may consider switching to the 541 Barrel Formation for subsequent matches.
