China's World Cup Qualifier Outlook
China's performance in the group stage of the U.S.-Canada-Mexico World Cup qualifying tournament last month showed a mixed trend, with a 1-1 record leaving the team standing in third place in the group. The team beat Thailand 2-1 on the road, but lost 0-3 to South Korea at home, while Thailand beat Singapore 3-1 on the road. All of this makes the upcoming matches especially important.
The next two matches between the national soccer team and the Singaporean team become especially critical, especially the third round of the game away from Singapore, the national soccer team must win and strive to score more goals, in order to have a chance to regain the group out of the chance.
Despite the great efforts made by all the players of the national soccer team in the group stage of the World Qualification Tournament, the problems at the attacking end are still prominent. The role of the center forward is crucial in the 343 formation set by Jankovic for the national football team. However, the return of Zhang Yuning from injury and the end of Guo Tianyu's career have left the national team without an outstanding center forward.
With Ackerson no longer able to play as the team's main striker, Jankovic decided to go with 35-year-old veteran Tan Long as the main striker. However, Tan Long's performance in the World Cup was not good, and his contribution to the team was almost nil except for two shots that hit the goal frame.
Jankovic plans to tweak the squad during the Asian Cup, with Zhang Yuning the obvious choice to start at center forward, while Wu Lei and Wei Shihao will continue to play as wing players. Wu Lei is good at running, while Wei Shihao has become a nightmare for opponents with his speed and breakthrough ability.
Next January, the national soccer team will participate in the 2024 Asian Cup in Qatar, where they will face tough opponents such as Tajikistan, Lebanon and hosts Qatar. If they fail to score enough points in the first two rounds of the group stage, their chances of advancing to the knockout stage will be slim.
Jankovic's coaching position could be lost if the national team does not perform well in the Asian Cup. The new FA president Song Kai is interested in hiring a German coach to coach the national team. Jankovic's dismissal could lead to changes in the national soccer team's player lineup, and an away victory against Singapore in the World Preliminary League will face uncertainty.
Despite the limited strength of the Singaporean team, the national football team still needs to keep vigilant. The match will be broadcast live on CCTV5, the CCTV sports channel, so let's look forward to the national football team's success in defeating the Singaporean team on the road.
