Compared to past coaches of the national team, Ivan's emphasis on naturalized players has been particularly noteworthy. Under his watch, Ackerson and Allan have been able to return to the national lineup, while Fernando and Jiang Guangtai have also received more national team call-ups. However, in recent interviews, Ivan revealed a new strategy: he plans to focus on developing young players during the 18-team tournament and to keep unearthing hidden soccer talents in the league, aiming to lower the average age of the national team.
Apparently, Ivan has gained insight into the latest rules of the Football Association that the national team will no longer be able to bring in naturalized players during the 18-team tournament. As the team's head coach, he must turn his attention to discovering new stars to the league. Unfortunately, there aren't many young players in our league who have shined. Take Bhairaki for example, he is not a hardcore starter in the Shenzhen team, but Ivan dared to include him in the national team list, which has shown his remarkable insight. Finding more new blood in the Chinese Super League is definitely a challenge for Ivan.
Nonetheless, Ivan may be able to expand his horizons to the Central League. Second-placed Chongqing Tongliang Dragons have a lot of young talent in their ranks, with 20-year-old captain Xiang Yuwang a rising star up front with eight goals and two assists this season. If China's national soccer team does not bring in any new naturalized players for the 18-team tournament, perhaps rising stars like Xiang Yuwang will be given more opportunities to showcase their talents!
