The drums of war for the East Asian Cup soccer tournament are beating in Japan on July 19th, and on July 20th at 18:00 GMT, the Chinese men's football team will welcome their first challenge of the East Asian Cup against none other than the three-time dominant team of South Korea. A team of U23 players, their faces will be revealed on the field of play.
China's U23 men's soccer team is youthful compared to its strongest rivals
This year's East Asian Cup saw China field a vibrant U23 national team, with the original addition of five overage internationals missing due to injury, leaving only Jiang Guangtai and Tan Long as the only two overage players. This makes the average age of the Chinese team only 22.6 years old, becoming the youngest among the top four. Japan and South Korea have an average age of 25.4 and 25.5 respectively.
Jankovic (front left) in preparation for the game
Twisted experience, U23 national football team ready to go
This year's U23 national football team has experienced the challenges posed by the epidemic and missed out on important tournaments such as the U23 Asian Cup. At the Dubai Cup in March, the U23s won 1 and lost 2, finishing in 4th place.Despite the lackluster results, fans are still expecting a great performance from this young team at the East Asian Cup.
Jankovic: We're more motivated against tough opponents
Compared with the Japanese and South Korean teams, the Chinese team has an obvious gap in strength and experience. Japanese and South Korean teams regard the East Asian Cup as a preview of the World Cup, with all the main players playing. Facing such opponents, outsiders are worried about the prospects of the Chinese team, but Jankovic is full of confidence, emphasizing the team's motivation.
Yankovic reveals tactics as he prepares for opening match against South Korea
For the first match against South Korea, Jankovic revealed that the team will focus on rehearsing their strategy against their opponents, emphasizing playing their own style. He emphasized that the team needs to focus on itself and take advantage of opportunities to grow.
Can China make a breakthrough in the East Asian Cup? Let's wait and see.
