Two consecutive warm-up matches for China's national men's soccer team in March have been key matchups so far. The team has been through a tough time, the domestic soccer environment is in the doldrums, but the national team still needs to move forward. These two friendly matches are winless, but will be crucial in boosting the confidence of the domestic media and fans. It is worth noting that these two matches will be significant for the team as they will be the first and second official matches of their coaching career under the new leadership of Jankovic.
It is reported that the national team is based in Auckland, New Zealand, and is fully preparing for the upcoming two matches. Coach Jankovic trains strictly and emphasizes the physical construction of the players.
Internal players revealed that Jankovic focuses on discipline and emphasizes team spirit and dedication, which are seemingly mundane elements that are indispensable for today's international players. At the technical and tactical level, the new manager will adjust his strategy according to the characteristics of the opponents, with defense and detailing currently becoming the top priority.
For fans, the biggest concern is how the coach will line up his players. Due to injury problems, Jankovic is facing many challenges in his selection. In the center back position, Li Ang and Wei Zhen are expected to partner in the starting lineup; Zhang Jiaqi will play mainly in the center back position; Sun Guowen and Zhang Linpeng are competing for the left and right back positions. In the midfield, Xu Xin and Wu Xi will join forces, while Lin Liangming, Xie Pengfei and Liu Binbin will compete for the positions of wingbacks.
Jankovic's tactical philosophy is to use a double striker, with Tan Long or Barton expected to play as the main attacker and Wu Lei as the shadow striker. Unlike in the past, Jankovic favors a combination of four defenders plus four midfielders, so the striker position can only accommodate two people at most.
It will take time to reveal about the effect of the match. Facing a strong opponent, the challenge of the national soccer team in New Zealand should not be underestimated. But no matter what the result is, the team's attitude is the most crucial, and a sincere attitude is the medicine that the current Chinese soccer team needs to recover.
