In a tight warm-up match, our national soccer team cleanly defeated Vietnam 2-0, their first win in nearly two months. Looking back at the squad from a month ago, the team has undergone a sea change with numerous Asian Games players successfully promoted to the national team.
Facing Vietnam, coach Yang Kovic carefully laid out a 352 formation to stabilize the midfield. Newly-added wingbacks Fang Hao and Liu Yang made their debut, while Wu Xi and Li Ke still occupied the starting positions in the midfield.
In the first half, Wu Xi and Li Ke did not play the pivotal role of connecting the front and back of the field. In the second half, Yankovic decisively replaced Dai Weijun, the national football team gradually control the rhythm of the field, substitute Wang Qiuming even scored a key goal.
Although Wu Xi is still the pillar of the team, the 34-year-old's form has declined significantly. He is no longer the mainstay of the Shenhua team in the league, and his performance in the national team is also a cause for concern. Many fans have been calling for Jankovic to ditch Wusi and put a younger player in his place.
Shanghai fans even suggested that a midfielder from Hong Kong could be used to replace Wu Xi. However, this player is no longer on the national team's training list.
According to Shandong media reports, the current international player was unable to represent the national team because he was taken out of the Chinese Super League. The player reportedly paid 5 million yuan, but the move was not a safe one.
Although the player's name was not revealed by the media, fans knew it by heart. He studied in Europe and played for La Liga giants Atletico Madrid before returning to his home country and joining Guangzhou Evergrande, where he helped the team win the Chinese Super League title and the FA Cup.
In the 2021 season, he moved to Shandong Taishan, where he quickly became the centerpiece of the team's midfield and Taishan managed to win the Chinese Super League double. However, only a year later, he was poached by Shanghai Harbour at a high price, sparking controversy. After joining Harbour, his performance was nowhere near as good as when he was with Taishan.
The player had been dumped by Hong Kong coach Leko due to a red card and a slump in form. This season, with Javier coaching Hong Kong, he returned to the starting lineup, but his performance in the league is still not satisfactory. With only three rounds of the Chinese Super League remaining, he has yet to score or assist.
Nonetheless, he has been selected for the national team several times this year and lost for the first time this month. Some fans believe this is due to poor performances in warm-up matches, and there are also rumors that he was recently taken away by the relevant authorities for investigation.
Of course, these rumors have not been confirmed. But in the context of the domestic soccer "anti-corruption" storm has not yet subsided, who can guarantee that such news is not true?
