Many soccer fans hold a general dissatisfaction with the recent state of Chinese soccer. In the Asian Games, the national Olympic team lost 0-2 against South Korea, while the national Olympic team had to win in the last minute against India. The performance of the national soccer team was even more disappointing. Jankovic picked a host of veteran players over the age of 30, leading to a 1-1 draw with Malaysia at home and a 0-1 defeat against Syria on the road. The sluggish pace and lack of fitness of the national soccer team made it unbearable for countless fans, who even began to question Jankovic's selection criteria.
Nonetheless, there are still some fans who are understanding of Jankovic. They believe that Jankovic has not recruited young players because the Olympic team and the Asian Games have depleted the young players. With the Olympics and Asian Games behind him, Jankovic's options are shrinking.
Not long ago, the national soccer team announced its roster for the October warm-ups. The list does include a number of new faces, but the backbone of the team remains the old guard. Among them, the choice of the goalkeeper position raised the biggest questions. Yen Chun-Ling's performance was disconcerting, but the new faces did not appear in the goalie position. The position is still held by veterans over the age of 30 such as Yan Chunling, Wang Dalei and Liu Dianzuo.
However, the latest news comes that Liu Dianzuo is unfortunately injured and unable to participate in the national team's training, which has left Jankovic's team looking for a new replacement. According to Beijing Youth Daily, the replacement for the goalkeeper has been confirmed, and it is Shanghai Shenhua's goalkeeper Ma Zhen. This is the first time Ma Zhen has been selected for the national team, bringing the new number of national team members to five.
However, some fans have questioned the up-and-coming candidate. While Ma Zhen's performances at Shenhua have certainly been outstanding, he has received a red card for punching an opponent in the face since the May 24 match against Chengdu Rongcheng, and the Disciplinary Committee of the Chinese Football Association then imposed a five-match suspension and 50,000 yuan fine on him. Ma Zhen's form is in doubt after his comeback. In Shenhua's recent matches, Bao Yaxiong has replaced Ma Zhen, making it appear that Ma Zhen has been relegated to the bench.
So, has it been a long time since the National Football League has paid attention to Shenhua's games? Are they unaware of Ma Zhen's recent form? In other words, is the data that the National Football League has at its disposal when it comes to selecting players too far behind? If that's the case, it's worrying.
However, we are still expecting newcomers to be selected, especially fresh blood at the goalie position. It's been years since there has been a newcomer in this position, and this newcomer seems to have broken the deadlock. Therefore, we would like to congratulate Ma Zhen for his selection and hope that he will be able to recreate the style of his Shenhua days in the national team.
What is your attitude towards Ma Jin's national team journey? Do you think he will be able to show his strength against Vietnam and Uzbek Republic?
