The latest decision by the Chinese Football Association (CFA) to appoint Ivankovic as the new coach of the national team has attracted a lot of attention. After an in-depth analysis by the Daily News, we should not rush to apply the label of "familiar with Chinese soccer" to Ivan.
It's been more than a decade since Ivan's last involvement in Chinese soccer, and during that time there has been a lot of turnover in the playing staff. The players who have not been associated with Ivan are all new stars born after 1993. Even if there is some research on Ivan, it is only limited to a few of the Chinese internationals he coached in the last Top 12 tournament. Therefore, it is too early to label Ivan as "familiar with Chinese soccer".
The national soccer team is set to kick off its preparations for a two-game tournament against Singapore on March 11th. The first match is scheduled to be played away from home on March 21, leaving new coach Ivankovic with just 10 days to prepare. The second match will follow on March 26 at Tianjin's home ground, with an equally tight preparation schedule. For Ivankovic and his coaching team, the first challenge is how to quickly adapt to and master the situation of the team. At the same time, how to quickly understand and utilize the ability characteristics of the national team players is also the second major test they must overcome.
The first half of the Chinese Super League is divided into two intervals of 18 days each, which provides plenty of time for the Chinese team to train and play. However, with Jankovic sacked after the Asian Cup, the new head coach will need more than a month to turn the Chinese team around, and this is undoubtedly the third major test they are about to face.
