The national soccer team unexpectedly broke into the top 18 after defeating the Singaporean goalkeeper, however, the first two rounds of the 18-team tournament exposed the slowness of Ivankovic's clinical command. In the first round away to Japan, a 0-7 defeat left no room for technical inferiority to hide; in the second round at home to Saudi Arabia, a 1-2 loss was even more unacceptable. Despite the fact that the national soccer team took the lead in the opening 14 minutes (with a Saudi oval goal) and played one more Saudi player in the 19th minute due to a red card, Ivankovic failed to capitalize on this advantage. It was only towards the end of the match that he remembered to replace Alan and Lin Liangming. On the field, many international players were already showing fatigue, and Ivankovic's clinical command seemed to be in trouble.
The latest report from Tianjin Tonight newspaper says that Ivanovic is likely to remain in charge of the national soccer team until the remaining eight matches of the 18-team tournament due to time constraints and the FA's difficulty in finding a suitable new coach.
Tonight's analysis of Ivankovic's retention in the National Football League is based on three main points:
1. The schedule is intensive and time is running out for the selection of new coaches. The next 18 matches will be held next month, the Football Association has no time to worry about, and the head coaches of the U19 and U21 national football teams, Djurdjevic and Antonio, can only be a temporary fire, and can not take charge of the national football team for a long time.
2. World Cup hopelessness. Fans, the media and the Football Association are clear that with the current strength of the national football team, talking about the 2026 World Cup in the United States and Canada is undoubtedly a fool's errand. At this level of competition, it seems to be of little significance to change coaches halfway through the Top 18.
3. High cost of termination. Ivankovic has nine months left on his contract with the national soccer team and earns an annual salary of 1.5 million euros. If the FA were to fire him, it would have to pay a salary of about 8.8 million dollars. From the perspective of Zhidao, Ivankovic is a 70-year-old man chosen by the FA itself, who must finish his coaching career in tears. His customary 442 formation seems to be eating its dust and lacks aggressiveness. Perhaps coaching the national soccer team was Ivankovic's last job, and he used it to earn a little income. There is nothing wrong with following the contract. The FA lacks an automatic termination clause for poor performance in the selection and contract setup. The Chinese men's soccer team lost a real upside when the FA let Ivankovic continue coaching. With Ivankovic's tactical and field abilities, the high-intensity international matches in the Top 18 should have been the stage for the players to show the best results of their training, but the opportunity was wasted due to his command.
