Countdown to the National Football League's East Asian Cup assembly! Zhang Yuning, Wu Xi lead international squad

According to the exclusive disclosure of Sports Weekly, in the East Asian Cup, due to the change of the opponent's situation, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) may be adjusting the participation strategy, deciding not to send the U23 national football team, but to send the Chinese men's football selection team to participate in the competition in the name of the adult national team. Such a decision has caused widespread concern in soccer circles. ! [East Asian Cup tournament pictures](https://www.ballti.com/UploadFiles/Sinaimg/202206/2022062817141314396133089.jpg) The Korea Professional Football Federation (KPFF) announced on the 24th that the schedule for the 22nd to 25th rounds of the K-League will be adjusted in preparation for the East Asian Cup. The adjustments will give South Korea's head coach Paulo Bento the opportunity to form an adult national team made up of elite K-League players. With overseas players Son and Hwang Hee-chan set to miss the tournament, South Korea's squad will be made up of Korean players from the K-League and other Asian leagues, including Son Jun-ho, who plays for Shandong Taishan in the Chinese Super League, and Kang Xiang-woo of Beijing Guoan. Although they are yet to be confirmed for selection, the tournament is expected to be a crucial moment for Paulo Bento in confirming South Korea's final World Cup squad. The schedule of the East Asian Cup has made it so that South Korea's first match will be against China. Facing the adult national teams of Korea and Japan, which are made up of the league's elite players, even the U23 national soccer team, which brought along three overage players, will find it difficult to compete with their opponents. Moreover, as an A-level tournament certified by the World Football Federation (WFF), the U23 national football team's poor performance in the East Asian Cup will have a direct impact on the Chinese team's international ranking. In the latest FIFA rankings, China has fallen out of Asia's top 10 and is ranked 78th in the world, the lowest in nearly four years. Facing the local elite players of Korea and Japan, the pressure on the U23 national soccer team is obvious. It is worth mentioning that the Japanese Football Association (JFA) has confirmed that it has taken over this East Asian Cup and changed the original Japanese U21 national team to an adult national team. As a result, the CFA is also expected to reconsider the participating teams to ensure the seriousness and importance of the tournament. After all, this is the highest level tournament of the East Asian Football Confederation. In order to maintain their current WFA ranking and fight for at least the second slot in the Asian Cup tournament bracket, the Chinese team must fight for points. As a result, the chances of sending the U23 national football team to the tournament will be further reduced. In light of this, the CFA has decided to change its previous strategy and instead of sending the U23s to the tournament, it will send a "National Selection Team". In terms of coaches, the CFA decided to let Jankovic, the former head coach of the U23 national football team, lead the team. This not only avoids Yankovic's embarrassing situation, but also allows him to retain the title of head coach of the U23 national football team, this trip is only "selection team temporary head coach". The situation is similar to that of Li Tie, who led the Chinese team to the East Asian Cup three years ago. The Chinese team this time is no longer the U23 team, but the "selection team", and South Korea, Japan and the two teams did not send the strongest lineup to form a counterpart. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand that this East Asian Cup Chinese team called up Zhang Yuning, Gao Tianyi, Wu Xi and many other international players. As Yankovic has been the head coach of the 99-age U23 unit before, and is relatively more familiar with the 99-age players under his command, the basic structure of the team for this East Asian Cup tournament is likely to be dominated by the U23 players, plus far more than three overage players, which is to some extent the basic skeleton of the new Chinese men's national team in the future. After all, the national football team fighting in the 12 strong tournament needs fresh blood and a big renewal. Currently, the list for the East Asian Cup is being drafted. Before the CFA's final list is announced, all kinds of possibilities exist. But one thing is certain, on behalf of China to play in the East Asian Cup will not be U23 national football team!