As the next World Cup draws near, countries around the globe are gearing up for it, and Asian countries are no exception, making intensive preparations for the Asian Cup. Looking back at history, our national soccer team's World Cup preparations are usually the first in the world to start, and I'm afraid this time will be no exception. As of now, even the selection of the coach has not yet been finalized. It is reported that the national team's coaching target has been newly adjusted, and is now locked in Pedro, Jordy and Xu Zhengyuan among the three candidates.
On social media, Xu Zhengyuan, as the head coach of Chengdu Chengdu, has been warmly received by many fans and media. Last year, Chengdu Chengdu broke into the Chinese Super League (CSL) as a dark horse, and despite the fact that most of the players had not participated in the CSL and the foreign attackers were not outstanding, the overall performance was extremely resilient. Frankly speaking, Chengdu's style of play is quite similar to that of a Korean team, and they even beat Shanghai Port once to advance to the AFC Champions League.
Given the current trend of "civilianization" of the national soccer team, a more pragmatic coach like Xu Zhengyuan seems to be more in line with the team's needs. Of course, Xu Zhengyuan's coaching achievements in Chengdu Rongcheng are obvious to all, but whether he is capable of coaching the national team is still an unknown. The national team is very different from the club, where players are generally more conservative, fearing that injuries will affect their club performance. After all, if you don't make money at your club, no one will sympathize with you for "contributing to your country". This perception is not only found in soccer, but also in other fields.
Realistically, the construction of the Chinese soccer national team does not depend on the head coach alone. Although Li Tie's performance in the national team coaching position is controversial, is it all really his personal behavior? Perhaps not. In general, there are many obstacles in the position of national team coach, even the world-class coach Lippi, it is difficult to easily manage the national soccer team.
Of course, not all national soccer coaches are useless. As a national soccer coach, Seo Jung-won is able to bring at least some of the style and play of Korean players to the team, which is rare among domestic coaches. In this context, when the national soccer team selects a coach, it may be worth considering a more affordable foreign coach, and Seo Jung-won undoubtedly has such an advantage.
Currently, the naturalized national soccer player Ekerson is expected to join Chengdu Chengdu. Despite the fact that he is in the twilight of his career, Iverson is still a "giant" in terms of decision making as a striker, or at least better than Wu Lei in the forward line. Therefore, despite the news that Xu Zhengyuan is interested in coaching the national team, it is still unknown whether the Chengdu club will agree to it.
