National football team prepares for the Asian Cup: goals and challenges at the same time
On December 18th, our national soccer team departed from Shanghai and headed to the United Arab Emirates to prepare for the upcoming Asian Cup. Before embarking on the journey, head coach Jankovic received an in-depth interview with the media, responding to the concerns of many fans.
Talking about the set goals of the Asian Cup, Yankovic did not disclose specific targets, only said that the last Asian Cup our team broke into the top eight, which may be the limit of soccer in Asian countries. Although the soccer association has not clearly announced the goal, but the outside world generally predicted that our team's goal should at least be consistent with the last.
Jankovic emphasized that, as a coach, he is judged on the team's ability to fully utilize their skills and tactics. He likened it to the fact that, just like in the World Qualifiers, we can only aim for gradual progress in the next matches. A small goal has been set within the team to give their best in the first match against Tajikistan.
For this Asian Cup, the national soccer team has selected more than 20 people to participate in the competition, and the final list has not yet been determined. In this regard, Jankovic said that the final lineup will be decided through the preparation stage. He firmly believes that every player called up is worthy of the honor and has the strength to play for the team.
In the group stage of the Asian Cup, our soccer team's opponents include Qatar, Lebanon and Tajikistan. Qatar's strength is slightly stronger, while Lebanon and Tajikistan, although the international ranking is not high, but our team should not be taken lightly. It is reported that Lebanon and Tajikistan have a number of naturalized players, and they are also eager to win the Asian Cup group qualification, so they have also begun intense preparation. Jankovic said that our team should respect their opponents, but should focus on themselves and actively prepare for the game in order to win.
In fact, from Yankovic's speech, it is not difficult to see that the Football Association may have some internal instructions on the goal of the Asian Cup, and do not want him to easily disclose the specific goals. Our team's strength in Asia may be limited to the top eight, and if we meet stronger opponents after the group stage, the top eight may be difficult to touch. Therefore, keeping a low profile at this time may also be a wise move.
