On July 7, Beijing Youth Daily revealed that Coach Ivan is plotting to bring in fresh blood on both offense and defense. His vision covers naturalized players Hou Yongyong and Wu Shaochong, who will soon join the Polish league. Meanwhile, young talents who have made their mark in the Chinese Super League have also become his targets.
The Chinese men's soccer team will gather in Dalian on Aug. 18 to warm up for the 18-team tournament in early September, when they will meet Japan's away challenge and Saudi Arabia's home match, according to Beiqing. Head coach Ivankovic is scheduled to depart from Croatia on Aug. 12 and return to Beijing to begin rehearsals for new tactics.
Hou Yongyong, who has continued to perform in the Norwegian First Division, recently confirmed that he still retains his Chinese citizenship, which Ivan has expressed great interest in and plans to keep an eye on. Meanwhile, Ivan is also keeping an eye on Wu Shaochong, who is playing in Europe. How to fill the vacancy in the front line has become a thorny issue for Ivan. Zhang Yuning is recovering well from his injury, but attacker Fernando has missed two consecutive rounds of the Chinese Super League, and Ivan is eager to see him back soon.
The foreign assistant coaches of the national football team are expected to return on July 8, while the domestic coaching team has begun to assist the players in their acclimatization training. After Ivan's return, the coaching team will hold a meeting to finalize the training list. The CFA also needs to communicate with Hou Yongyong's club to ensure that he can make reasonable arrangements to return to the team before the August 18th assembly.
