With the drums beating for the Asian Cup, our soccer team plans to gather again on the 17th of this month and depart for the United Arab Emirates to begin intense preparations. Coach Jankovic is said to have finalized the latest national team lineup, which has been kept under wraps pending the completion of the final round of group stage matches between the three Super League AFC Champions League teams.
Tianjin Daily revealed that this Asian Cup is both a challenge and an opportunity for Coach Jankovic, and may even concern his future fate in coaching world qualifiers. He attaches great importance to this tournament and plans to add three players during the training in the United Arab Emirates. In addition, Yankovic is very favorable to Jiang Guangtai and Wang Qiuming, who will be shortlisted without any doubt. Li Shuai, who was previously out of the World Qualifier due to injury, will also be back in the national team lineup.
China's soccer team is in the same group with hosts Qatar, Lebanon and Tajikistan in this year's Asian Cup. In terms of strength and Asian rankings, Qatar is at the top of the group, while China's soccer team is competing with Tajikistan and Lebanon for the second place in the group.
Although Qatar has many naturalized players and successive World Cup, but compared with Japan and South Korea and other strong teams, the national football team still has the strength to hit the group first.
For the FA, reaching the knockout stage of the Asian Cup is a basic requirement. Fans, on the other hand, expect the national soccer team to be at least among the top eight in order to regain confidence and secure more places for the next World Qualifying Tournament.
The first match against Tajikistan will be crucial for the national soccer team. A good start will help the team to take the initiative and get into shape quickly. However, Tajikistan, ranked 19th in Asia, is not a soft touch, and its players have excellent physical qualities. Coach Jankovic may adjust the tactics and strengthen the defense.
In this match, Coach Jankovic may send Jiang Guangtai, a solid defender, to replace Zhu Chenjie and form a three center backs with Jiang Shenglong and Wu Shaocong. Li Ke and Wang Qiuming will be the double back, with Wang responsible for organizing the attack and providing support for Wu Lei.
As for fans' concerns about Ekson and Fernando, it is less likely that Coach Jankovic will lead them to the Asian Cup. After all, both players failed to make the cut in the World Cup qualifiers and are at the end of their careers. This means that there are only two naturalized players in the national team, and they are likely to start.
