On June 6, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) unveiled the latest training list for the national men's football team. According to Beijing Youth Daily, Wang Qiuming has become a potential candidate for the much-anticipated back position in the national team, while Li Ang's absence is quite surprising.
Five players, including Wang Ziming, Wang Qiuming, Li Lei and Gao Junyi, failed to make the cut in the last training session, but they are about to return to the national team. All five players have performed well in the early part of the season in the Chinese Super League. Especially Wang Qiuming, as the captain of Jinmen Tigers, his central role and goal-scoring ability is crucial for the team. After Wu Xi's injury, Wang Qiuming became the right choice for the back of the national soccer team. Tomorrow has been a steady starter since joining Jinmen Tigers, and his consistent performance has been crucial to the team's undefeated record. Gao Junyi was unable to participate in the last training session due to injury, but he is also one of Jankovic's highly valued players.
Wang Ziming and Li Lei, as players of Guoan, often played for the national soccer team during Lippi's reign. Prince Ming scored three goals in nine games, while Li Lei returned to Guoan after a year of study in Switzerland and quickly took over the left-back position, impressing Jankovic with his running and sense of assist.
In terms of naturalized players, only Ackerson and Jiang Guangtai were selected. And seven players, including Tan Long, Barton, Wu Xi, He Chao, Li Ang, Liu Yiming and Ren Hang, including those who took part in the warm-up match in New Zealand, were not included in this training list. Among them, Tan Long and Barton will participate in the Asian Games, while Wu Xi, He Chao, Liu Yiming and Ren Hang are absent due to injury. Li Ang's absence comes as a surprise, as Jankovic seems to favor other players despite his frequent appearances in the Chinese Super League.
The national football team's backline features Wei Zhen, Wang Shenchao, Zhang Linpeng and a number of other players who are capable of playing in the middle and on the wings, which led to Jankovic's eventual decision to drop Li Ang to give other players a chance to show what they can do.
