In our soccer world, foreign coaches often hold a cautious attitude towards local coaching teams. This caution is not unwarranted, as their involvement sometimes hinders the growth of the team instead of promoting it. Looking back at former coach Jankovic's coaching career, he was not able to use his favorite players at will, and all decisions had to be designated by the local coaching team. As for current coach Ivan, he had to rely on the wisdom of local coaches as he had little knowledge of Chinese players when he first took over. So, what is the reason behind the divisions that have been witnessed within the Chinese coaching team?
According to the official announcement, the Chinese coaches joining the coaching team are Shao Jiayi, Zheng Zhi and Chen Tao, who are not only local coaches trusted by the FA, but also Song Kai's close friends. They are like supervisors in the army, closely monitoring Ivan's movements and reporting back to Song Kai in a timely manner. Among the three, Shao won wide recognition and trust for his character and skills. On the contrary, Zheng Zhi has been criticized for various controversies.
Sports commentator Huang Qiang has pointed out that when Ivan took over the Chinese men's soccer team, people were concerned about his coaching ability, especially since he retained members of his former coaching team, such as Chen Tao, Shao Jiayi, and Zheng Zhi, which made people even more skeptical about Ivan's future. Many believe that as long as these three local coaches are present, Ivan's life will not be too easy. But Ivan has long anticipated this, and he made it clear that the task of Shao Jiayi, Chen Tao and Zheng Zhi is merely to communicate with the players, and not to make decisions on the use of the players. They are like bridges of communication, similar to translators, responsible for communication and introduction, rather than real decision makers. Therefore, they have relatively limited say and play more of a supporting role. So, will these local coaches become trouble makers? Will Ivan choose to stop relying on these three coaches after taking control of the team?
