While the eyes of the international soccer world are focused on the national football team's upcoming overseas training, a major preparation battle for the fate of Chinese soccer is also quietly kicking off. The team will be assembling soon to build up their strength for the two matches against New Zealand in March. Although New Zealand is ranked outside the top 100 in the world rankings, the hosts have a definite advantage by virtue of their past record. Therefore, even if the national football team is in the world ranking, the fruit of victory is not easy to get, careful preparation is the key. However, one of the major challenges facing the national soccer team is the change of coaches, and the coaching ability of the current head coach Li Xiaopeng is highly controversial.
The storm around the national football team to change the coach has lasted nearly ten months, but the management has never given a clear answer. Among the list of candidate coaches, 50-year-old European coach Jankovic, who led the team in the East Asian Cup, was once in the spotlight. But given that he needs to take care of the Asian Games task, can not serve two positions at the same time, its popularity began to cool down. At the same time, a number of foreign managers who have participated in the World Cup also rumored intentions, however, two months have passed, still inconclusive. Obviously, the national football team selection road is full of bumps, after all, this is a two-way test.
However, time waits for no one. If you don't change the coach decisively, what you miss will be the most precious period of integration. As the Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers are getting closer and closer, the new coach needs time to familiarize himself with the players, and the players also need time to adapt to the tactical style of the new coach. Once you miss this part of the process, a change of manager may just be futile. As a result, the expectation of the result has become more and more urgent. In this selection process, well-known coaches such as Queiroz missed the boat, while Jankovic seems to be closer to becoming the first choice.
Recently, is leading the team to prepare for the Asian Games, Yankovic ushered in the management of a comprehensive investigation. To this end, an investigation team consisting of five coaches, including Xu Genbao, Wei Kexing, Shen Xiangfu, Li Chunman and Chen Yang, has arrived in Foshan. They will conduct a comprehensive assessment of Jankovic through observation and visits, and report to the management.
The results of said evaluation will likely be key to Jankovic's availability. This will be the last hurdle. If successfully passed, Jankovic is expected to stand at the top of the national football team. Of course, given the low likelihood of a part-time job, once Jankovic takes over the national soccer team, the AFC could face a change of manager situation.
