The Chinese Football Association (CFA) recently unveiled the schedule blueprint for the 2023 season of the Chinese Professional League (CPL) and the Football Association Cup (FA Cup). According to senior soccer journalist Ma Dexing, the national team will not start the regular long-term training mode this year.
Although the national team is set to meet the decisive phase of the World Cup qualifiers and the Asian Cup this year, the latest arrangement by the Football Association reveals a very different strategy from the past. Instead of regular long-term training, the national team will focus on training during the window set by FIFA for national team matches. According to the FA's preparatory team, the league matches before the national team's competition window will be held only two days in advance, and the national team will be given only two more days of training than during the competition window.
As an example, the window designated by FIFA for national team matches in June is scheduled for June 12th to 20th. The 12th round of the Chinese Super League will be played on June 8 and 9, after which the national team can start training. Similarly, the window for national team matches in September is set for Sept. 4-12, but the 24th round of the Chinese Super League will end on Aug. 27, and the FA preparatory team has scheduled the FA Cup quarterfinals for Aug. 30 and 31 only, while the national team's training will begin on Sept. 2.
National team coach Yang Kovic made it clear after his trip to New Zealand in March that he was against long-term training and preferred players to stay in top form by participating in the league. Perhaps because of the national team's reduced training requirements, the Chinese Super League showed no signs of adjusting its schedule even during the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September.
