On the evening of March 26, China's men's soccer team in Muscat, Oman, in the second training, although the core of the midfield Jin Jingdao did not participate in the joint practice for two consecutive days, but the team is still methodically in accordance with their own rhythm of preparation. It is reported that facing the Omani team, which is one notch below our strength, our team must ensure that they are undefeated in order to avoid slipping in the Asian rankings. Head coach Li Xiaopeng and the whole team are eager to finish off the upcoming 12-team tournament with a win. For this reason, our team has consciously strengthened the offensive end of the training in the last two days, to improve the speed and quality of the transition from defense to attack became the focus of the evening's training.
Our team arrived in Muscat on the afternoon of March 25 and quickly proceeded to the resident hotel to recuperate. That evening, the entire team trained at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Center secondary field, the same field where the match against Oman was played on the 29th. At that time, a total of 21 players participated, including Zhu Chenjie, Dai Weijun and Jin Jingdao, who all had playing records in the Sino-Saudi match, were absent due to injury. In the training on the night of 26th, Zhu Chenjie and Dai Weijun have returned, while Jin Jingdao continues to stay in the hotel to recuperate.
At the beginning of the joint practice, Zhu Chenjie and Zheng Zheng, the left center back who made his debut in the last round, accompanied by the team doctor, walked slowly on the sidelines, and then jogged. From the team's reflection, the two men's injuries were not serious, and both were able to participate normally in training and matches after recuperation. Dai Weijun, on the other hand, participated in the day's joint practice in full.
In fact, Jin Jingdao was originally one of the candidates for the starting double back that the coaching staff considered in the Sino-Saudi match. However, due to an injury sustained in pre-match training, Jin Jingdao was ultimately unable to make his debut. After playing as a substitute, his thigh muscle injury further aggravated. In this case, the coaching staff had to strengthen his physical protection.
It should be noted that captain Wu Xi was able to make his comeback this round after being suspended in the previous round. Unsurprisingly, he will be back in the national soccer team's starting lineup for the away match against Oman, partnering with Xu Xin in the double back.
On the evening of the 26th, the training volume of our team was significantly reduced compared to the previous period. After the physical recovery training such as pulling, the coaching team has organized a small range of cooperation, 7 to 7 local passing and receiving and rebounding the ball, shooting and other special training. Although the whole training time is not more than 70 minutes, but the organization of training content is targeted. It is understood that, combined with the previous preparations and the actual situation of China-Saudi Arabia match, our team will continue to play the main "three center back" tactics in the away match against Oman without any surprise. In view of the strength of the Omani team compared to the Saudi Arabia team is much inferior, our team's specific formation may be adjusted from "541" to "343". With the return of captain Wu Xi, our team will consciously strengthen the attack. The training on the 26th is to improve the speed and quality of the team's transition from defense to offense.
Currently, our team and Oman are ranked 9th and 10th respectively within Asia. If our team loses this match, then the rankings of the two teams will be swapped according to the scoring rules. This will undoubtedly bring more losses to the national football team. From this point of view, it is necessary for the national football team to improve the quality of their offense and conclude their trip to the Top 12 with a victory.
