Ivankovic is officially the head coach of the national soccer team. His next priority is to select the new national soccer team roster in preparation for two back-to-back preseason matches with Singapore in March.
According to the official news, the national football team will challenge Singapore on the road on March 21st, and then continue to face Singapore at home on March 26th. In order for the national football team to beat the Asian fish, the Football Association has also deliberately put the venue of the March 26 match in the Tianjin Olympic Sports Center.
Keep in mind that the last time the national soccer team played in Tianjin was in 2013, coincidentally against a Singaporean team as well. At that time, Fu Bo was on the verge of death after Camacho's sudden dismissal and led the national soccer team to beat Singapore 6-1. That's why the FA put the venue in Tianjin, hoping that the national soccer team will replicate the 6-1 scoreline again, allowing the national soccer team to advance to the Top 18.
However, just choosing a "blessed place" for the national soccer team is not enough. Ivankovic in order for the national soccer team to successfully enter the 18, once again into the World Cup, you have to change the lineup, adjust the personnel of the national soccer team. After all, the current lineup of the national soccer team is in urgent need of new and old replacements, before the Asian Cup national soccer team has been exposed to the problem of lack of offense.
As we all know, the national soccer team has failed to score a goal or win a game in three Asian Cup group stage matches. It has been proven that several midfielders and front players are no longer fit to stay in the national soccer team or continue as starters. It is worth noting that Ivankovic was there to watch the Super Cup match between Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai Port on the second day of his tenure, but unfortunately, Wu Lei, who is the top scorer of the national soccer team, had an extremely average performance.
As a result, Ivankovic should correct two young players, Wei Shihao and Lin Liangming, in place of the fading Wu Lei, and allow them to team up with Zhang Yuning, which will also require adjustments to the team's attacking and defensive switching positions at the back. Sounders like Li Yuanyi and Li Tixiang are expected to replace Wu Xi and Wang Qiuming in the national soccer team and are expected to make the starting lineup.
It is worth mentioning that Wu Lei once again won the Golden Ball Award, he was completely amortized when he delivered his acceptance speech. Wu Lei said he was ashamed to receive this award, because the performance of the national team in recent years is not particularly ideal, Wu Lei also specifically pointed out that the national football team can not pass the Asian Cup rankings of Asia's second-class level.
Of course, Wu Lei has also said that he is confident of helping the national team to reach the top 18 of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers as it is a task that must be accomplished, but it is clear for Ivankovic that it will not be easy to get into the top 18 if they still use the current players of the national football team.
