The Chinese men's soccer team is currently gearing up in Dalian for the upcoming Vietnam warm-up match. According to Beijing Youth Daily, the national team training not only ushered in new blood, but also brought new vitality to the team's internal competition, which is no longer just for veterans to provide training.
The new lineup looks vibrant compared to the slightly weakened national team from last month's warm-up matches. 14 players have not been through the last round of training, nine of whom are from the Asian Games team. Jankovic chose to step up training before the opening of the 36-team tournament, a move that is undoubtedly a response to the urgency of renewing the squad, which is in dire need of new blood to energize it.
In this national team lineup, only four players, Wu Xi, Eckerson, Wang Dalei and Tan Long, were born before 1990. 7 players over 30 years old include Wu Lei, Li Lei, Wang Qiuming, Wang Shangyuan, Xie Pengfei, Li Ke and Yan Junling. Currently, Yan Junling, Wu Lei, Li Ke, Eckerson, and Wu Xi occupy the starting positions, and more than half of the starting candidates need to compete with international players.
Yankovic has massively drafted in young players such as Fang Hao, He Yupeng, Xie Weijun, Ye Lijiang and Ma Zhen for this training session. The urgency of preparing for the World Qualifiers makes their inclusion more than just an accompaniment to the training, but rather an expectation that they will quickly integrate and become a new force in the fight for the 2026 World Cup. Both experienced veterans and newcomers need to adapt to the national team's rhythm and understand the head coach's tactical intentions in a short period of time.
