Now that Yankovic has officially become the head coach of the Chinese men's national soccer team, the conversation around him has changed from "whether he will become the head coach of the national soccer team" to "whether he can lead the national soccer team well".
One, what is so attractive about Jankovic that the FA can't get enough of it.
1. Loss of confidence in domestic coaches.
From Li Tie to Li Xiaopeng, two excellent domestic coaches have failed to make the national football team achieve the desired results, which has become the most direct reason for the change of manager. In addition to the results, the international players have little advantage in terms of mental state, fighting spirit and technical and tactical performance on the pitch.
Even if you want to continue to look for other domestic coaches to take over, the FA can't imagine who would be able to take on that responsibility. In addition, the media is frustrated with the domestic soccer environment, and due to the current state of the national soccer team, the only way to find a foreign coach is to look for one.
2. Yankovic's professional qualities were the key to his election.
Initially, the Football Association was looking for a foreign coach for the national soccer team and Jankovic was just a substitute. Quality coaches from European and American soccer and the World Cup in Qatar were key to the Football Association's considerations.
However, the international reputation of Chinese soccer now seriously affects the subjective judgment of foreign coaches. Many excellent foreign coaches have refused the invitation of the soccer association, which makes the association feel embarrassed.
There was no way around it, and since they couldn't find the ideal foreign manager, they had to find it in China, from the club to the national brand. At this point, Jankovic, who has led the National Youth Football League (NYFL) to outstanding performances over the past few years, has become a key target of the FA. Especially in last year's East Asian Cup, the technical and tactical qualities of the young players led by Jankovic became a key factor in impressing the FA.
Combined with his overall training attitude over the past five years and the FA's selection criteria, Jankovic became the best candidate in the FA's mind.
2, Jankovic's "promotion" may make Chinese soccer more dangerous.
Going from head coach of the national youth or Olympic team to head coach of the national team is certainly a promotion for Jankovic. It's a good thing no matter what industry you're in, and it's no different for Chinese soccer and Jankovic.
But can Jankovic really be the savior of Chinese soccer?
Jankovic is recognized because he has shown Chinese fans through his actions and achievements that there is a young soccer team to look forward to when the real national team continues to slump. The same young team he led before.
Why has he been able to lead the team to good results? You know, Jankovic came to China five years ago for the young national youth team. He is too familiar with the habits and playing characteristics of these young players. No matter which young player he is, he can cherish them and give excellent advice that suits them. And develop appropriate strategies based on these characteristics.
These are things he has slowly built up over time that no one can appreciate.
Now Jankovic has left the position he knows best for the much more pressurized national team. To be honest, he's really not optimistic. It's not that we don't trust Jankovic, but our national soccer uncles have broken the can, the skills have been formed, the confidence can't be changed, and basically not much will change no matter who it is. World famous coach Lippi and two great domestic coaches have done their best. Is Jankovic better than them?
After Jankovic's departure, Djurdjevic became the head coach of the Asian Games, i.e. he succeeded Jankovic.
Who exactly is this Djurdjevic? We've checked a lot of sources and there is very little about him, and basically no obvious achievements in either his playing career or his coaching career. But Jankovic is said to have introduced him, and the FA didn't have too many problems with him, announcing his appointment straight away.
What kind of operation is this? Currently, among the U-branded national teams, this Asian Games team is the most promising, even sending such a head coach to the post. What does the FA think?
Jankovic takes over the national soccer team and Djurdjevic takes over the Asian Games. We can only pray for the best of both worlds, but the odds are too slim. Most likely Jankovic didn't change the national soccer team and Djurdjevic didn't have Jankovic's ability to delay the Asian Games. In the end, both the national soccer team and the Asian Games lost!
3, What does Jankovic think about his becoming the head coach of the national soccer team.
Prior to the official announcement, Jankovic was not interested in the position of national soccer coach, he just wanted to focus on the Asian Games.
However, several trips to the CFA gradually convinced Yankovic to let go of his inner obsession and focus on studying the national team instead. Given that idea, the subsequent campaign was essentially a matter of procedure, and Li had known the outcome for some time.
Being a passive national soccer coach is nominally a promotion and highly recognized by the Soccer Association, but in fact, it is backed by greater pressure and helplessness.
According to Yankovic's thought-provoking interviews in recent days, his main centerpiece will be the external requirements of the players, not to mention those of skill, tactics and ability. For example, Yankovic admits that international players with a body fat percentage of more than 10% will be left out of the lineup, regardless of whether you were a former national team starter or excellent with your feet.
This must be a good sign that the players are at least required to be strict in their habits. There are also many fans who are worried about the intervention of the FA, believing that this one-size-fits-all obsessive standard may further reduce the performance of the national football team.
In fact, we've had similar situations before. Schlapner's advocacy of involving attacking players in defense resulted in a number of good attacking players not being selected for the international team. In the end, the FA really couldn't take it anymore and made Schlapner step down and leave. Now we see once again that if we follow Schlapner's demands, Chinese soccer will surely go to another level.
Now that Jankovic is also using this one-size-fits-all approach, I wonder if the FA will intervene again. Jankovic's main focus will reportedly remain physical fitness and discipline for the next while, and if he doesn't meet the standards, he will be fired outright.
IV. Writing at the end
The choice of Jankovic to become the national soccer coach was a decision of the Chinese Football Association. Since there were many problems within the soccer association, such as Chen Xuyuan and Liu Yi being investigated, the decision was made by the top five footballing meritocrats in China, Xu Genbao, Shen Xiangfu, Wei Kexing, Changchun Yatai coach Chen Yang, and Guangzhou coach Zheng Zhi. The five of them basically agreed with Yankovic and decided to change the fate of Chinese soccer.
There's just one more flaw. Why have a Chinese coaching staff when the decision was made to put Jankovic in full charge? Zheng Zhi and Chen Tao are tentatively scheduled. In addition, Shao Jiayi and Chen Yang are also scheduled. With so many Chinese leaders involved, it's inevitable that there will be "small teams". Who will we listen to then?
