In the group stage of the Asian Cup, China's national soccer team suffered a Waterloo, with 2 draws and 1 loss, a record of the worst performance ever. After the match, the head coach Jankovic's stay rumors, however, the Football Association has not yet formally issued a statement, which makes fans can not help but hang a big stone in the heart. Recently, it has been reported that the selection of the national soccer team's coach has entered a crucial negotiation period, but the real identity of the candidates remains a mystery. With two key preliminaries coming up next month, all parties must act now.
In the face of the urgent needs of the national football team, foreign coaches with Asian soccer background seem to be the most ideal candidates, however, there are only a handful of candidates who meet this condition. At the same time, South Korea is also looking for a new coach, and their attraction is clearly far greater than that of the national soccer team, which makes the path of the national soccer team's selection even more rugged. The FA will have to make a quick decision or settle for second best.
In the current situation, apart from the few candidates competing with the rest of the team, there is a major dilemma: the team's financial budget. Coaches such as Ivankovic, Queiroz and Olaroyo are undoubtedly the best candidates, but they are not well paid, especially Olaroyo. The coach, who has coached in the Chinese Super League, is reportedly paid as much as $3 million a year, which is more than the FA can afford.
A few days ago, Ivankovic was the favorite, but has now been replaced by Petkovic. He has coached in Switzerland and has a glittering resume, but there are doubts. Firstly, there is the issue of fees, which have not been made public, but are undoubtedly not low. Secondly, he lacks Asian soccer coaching experience, which is what the national soccer team desperately needs. Some coaches have outstanding personal ability, but their knowledge of Asian soccer is limited, which worries the FA.
In comparison, Ivankovic and Queiroz seem to be a better fit. Their salary requirements are not too high and both have been coaching in Asia for many years, with Ivankovic even serving as head coach of Shandong Luneng. His understanding of Chinese soccer is unmatched by many foreign coaches. Now, the relevant authorities must act quickly to bring in new coaching candidates.
It is worth mentioning that the FA's attitude towards naturalized players has turned open. This year's Asian Cup, naturalized player Jiang Guangtai is the only representative selected. According to statistics, a total of 624 players participated in this Asian Cup, of which 110 were naturalized players. The national football team's fiasco in the Asian Cup is partly due to the loss of naturalized players. Among the naturalized players, Jiang Guangtai, Li Ke, Eckerson and Fernando are playing in the Chinese Super League, and Alan will soon return to the Chinese Super League to join Qingdao West Coast. Jiang Guangtai and Li Ke are still active on the pitch and are expected to be selected for the national soccer camp in the future. The status of Allan and Ackerson is still unknown.
With the World Qualification Tournament approaching, the soccer representative team urgently needs to solve the problems of coaches and naturalized players, and hopes that the Football Association will make a decision soon.
