Things are not looking good for the national soccer team against New Zealand. They traveled all the way to New Zealand for an overseas training session, but played two warm-up games against opponents ranked slightly lower in the world, and ended up with a draw and a loss. Fans expressed strong dissatisfaction with the course of these two matches, even after the change of manager, the Chinese men's soccer team has not significantly improved.
However, changes to the national team lineup seem inevitable. In the two warm-up matches, the form and strength of many players raised questions, or will become the national team farewell. At the same time, the dynamics of the naturalized players also came with good news.
First of all, in the domestic selection list, naturalized players Jiang Guangtai and Ackerson failed to travel to New Zealand with the team due to injuries, but they are expected to return to the national team in the future as long as they regain their health. In addition, the latest movements of naturalized players such as Luo Guofu and Fernando are also of great concern. It is reported that Fernando may join Shandong Taishan, if the news is true, the naturalized player will be just one step away from returning to the national football team.
After the arrests of Li Tie and Chen Xuyuan, there has been a shift in the FA's strategy of using naturalized players. Naturalized players have returned to the Chinese Super League, showing the FA's insistence on them. On the other hand, the lies that Chen Xuyuan and Li Tie used to tell have been exposed, and the naturalized players may not have had the best of encounters in the Top 12 tournament, with some of them even being cheated.
For the national soccer team, this year's tournament is a daunting task, especially the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers. In the face of a long world qualifying campaign, the FA needs to save for a rainy day and plan ahead. The timely return of naturalized players and the determination of the tactics and playing style of the national football team will undoubtedly help the preparation of the national team.
