Sports Times disclosed that the newly appointed national football coach Ivan Kovic plans to go to Jinan to observe the first round of the AFC Champions League quarterfinal match between Shandong Taishan and Yokohama Mariners on the 6th. As a former coach of the national football team, Ivankovic's purpose of this trip is obviously to select the new stars of the Taishan team, and his experience as a coach of the Taishan team has undoubtedly added an extraordinary color to this inspection.
The official announcement of the Chinese Football Association (CFA) showed that Ivankovic had arrived in Beijing, the capital of China, on the 4th to officially start his coaching career with the national team. It is worth mentioning that he had also watched the Super Cup match between Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai Port live on February 25th. But after the match, he rushed back to Zagreb, Croatia, busy renewing his Chinese visa and packing his luggage.
Ivankovic left a deep mark on the hearts of Shandong fans when he took over the coaching reins at Taishan in 2009 and led the team to an undisputed Super League title in the 2010 season, losing only three games. However, he chose to leave the team in 2011.
Nowadays, most of the players from the Taishan team under Ivanovic have retired. 2010, only a few players such as Zheng Zheng, Zhang Chi and Wang Tong are still playing for Taishan. It is worth mentioning that all three players made their Super League debuts in the 2010 season.
Given the age factor, several of Ivankovic's former fans may no longer be on the national team. Who will become Ivanovic's new favorite in familiar Jinan? The suspense is about to be revealed.
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