Antonio Puche, the head coach of the U21 Spanish national team, seems to be the favorite to be the next head coach of the national football team. Given that the U21 national football team will be participating in the seventh U23 Asian Cup qualifier next August, Antonio is expected to juggle both team duties during that time. The importance the CFA attaches to him is evident, and the fact that he has been rehired is a testament to his ability. Antonio's coaching record is also excellent, especially at last year's U20 Asian Cup, where he led the U20 national soccer team to the last eight and developed outstanding players such as Bayram. His in-depth knowledge of the Chinese men's soccer team makes him a good choice for the new coach of the national soccer team.
Although the dust has settled from the first two matches, public anger and dissatisfaction remain high. Former international footballer Xu Yunlong was blunt: "The scoreline predicted before the match did not materialize and we may have lost by a small margin, but the course of the match was surprising. If the Chinese team can show the toughness against Saudi Arabia, the 0-7 tragedy in the first match may not have happened. Now, we have to evaluate the team on a technical and tactical level, and the first thing to focus on is the team's spirit. The fact that none of the players cramped up in the 70th minute speaks volumes. Whether or not to change the coach is the FA's responsibility, and it's not helpful to discuss it now, but it's clear that there is a problem." Xu Yunlong's comments reveal the problems that exist in the national soccer team.
Despite the gap in strength against Japan, the attitude of the players on the field was really questionable. In the second match, the national soccer team suddenly lost their composure when they were leading, and even with an extra man at half-time, they could not turn the situation around, and eventually lost to Saudi Arabia unfortunately. These two losses provoked a lot of anger, but analysts pointed out that the main responsibility lies with Ivankovic. He was widely questioned about his use of personnel and tactical arrangements, and the players were equally to blame.
