With the departure of Jankovic, Ivankovic has taken over the reins of the Chinese men's soccer team, marking the beginning of a brand new page. At the moment, Ivankovic is busy going back to China to deal with visa matters, and his official appointment will have to wait for a few more days.
With the urgency of the preliminaries looming, Ivankovic is in dire need of quickly assembling a new national team squad. Given the depletion of talent in the country, there are very few quality players who can make it to the national team. Ivankovic's new national soccer team will probably be based on Jankovic's old lineup and make drastic changes.
In other words, he may eliminate some players who have not performed well at the international level, while bringing in a group of players who had been overlooked by Jankovic but are quite expected by the fans. In order to revamp the aging structure of the team, the best of the mid-generation players are expected to be favored by Ivankovic. Overall, the following three mid-generation players have the highest calling to be part of the new national team.
First, there is Gao Junyi, who has just joined Shandong Luneng. The 28-year-old, who comes from a soccer family, has the qualities of an all-round defender, able to play both center back and wing back. Whether at Guangzhou Evergrande or Wuhan Sanzhen, he has been a star performer. He even scored a key goal in the AFC Champions League match for Shandong Luneng. In terms of individual ability, Gao Zhunyi is one of the best players in his age group. However, he was not trusted by the national team under Jankovic's rule and was even left out of the Asian Cup squad. The arrival of Ivankovic may open a window to his door in the national team.
Next, there is Huang Zichang, who plays for Henan Province. The young striker, who was a shining star in the Chinese Super League, attracted a lot of attention with his outstanding performance at the age of 21. He played 22 games for Jiangsu Suning, contributing 5 goals and 1 assist. At one point, he was hailed as a hopeful star of the national soccer team, but injuries sunk him in the Chinese Super League for several years. It was only in recent seasons that Huang Zichang found his form in the Chinese Super League, playing 60 games for Henan and contributing 13 goals and 11 assists, an impressive offensive efficiency.
Finally, there is Zhong Yihao, also from Henan. The 27-year-old midfielder has all-round skills and can play almost any position in the team. In Henan, he has been getting better and better at the offensive end in recent years, and his organization and scheduling skills have been improving. In 60 games over two seasons, he has contributed 10 goals and 7 assists, demonstrating a strong attacking ability in front of goal. Unfortunately, he had also been overlooked by Jankovic. After Ivankovic took over the national soccer team, Zhong Yihao is expected to be the focus of promotion.
Gao Zhunyi, Huang Zichang and Zhong Yihao, these three middle-generation players are not only physical and energetic, but also the backbone of Chinese soccer. At a time when the national soccer team is in dire need of a change of blood, they deserve to be reused and become the mainstay of the national team. Unsurprisingly, these three brave mid-generation players will be called up by Ivankovic to join the national team's preseason squad.
