Untie the group of the top 18 of the national football team! Coach Ivan: I don't want to be a passerby

Football Newspaper

2024-06-28 12:53Football newspaper official account

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01 The national football team is in Group C with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Indonesia in the round of 18 of the third stage of the Asian zone of the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup Qualifiers.

02 Although the first three teams have a limited impact on the prospects of the national football team, the fourth and sixth teams are the real problem.

03 National football coach Ivankovic said that no matter which opponent you face, you must participate in the game with an optimistic attitude and go all out with the strength of the team.

04 After the draw results are released, the Football Association and the national football team need to determine where to put the five home stadiums, and many cities have submitted bids.

05 The national football team can choose to train during the league, or it can advance the 24th round of the Chinese Super League on August 24/25 to around July 21/22.

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Reporter Chen Yong reported that on the afternoon of June 27, the draw results for the top 18 of the World Preliminary Championship were released, and the national football team had poor luck and was in Group C with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Indonesia. In this regard, the national football coach Ivankovic, who watched the draw on the spot, said that even so, he did not want to be a "passerby".

The draw ceremony for the round of 18 of the third phase of the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup Qualifiers in Kuala Lumpur, held at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, invited two celebrities, Madavecchia and Shinji Okazaki, as guests. In the end, the national football team in the fifth pot drew five opponents: Japan (first pot), Australia (second pot), Saudi Arabia (third pot), Bahrain (fourth pot), and Indonesia (sixth pot).

If you only consider the latest FIFA rankings of major opponents, the top three Japan, Australia, and Saudi Arabia are the teams with the highest rankings in their respective brackets, and it is worth mentioning that these three opponents were also in the same group as the national football team in the last 12 matches - from two groups to three groups, and still draw the same opponents, from this point of view, the luck of the national football team is really bad.

However, the top three teams have limited impact on the prospects of the national football team, after all, considering the current strength of the national football team, these opponents are not the main contenders for the national football team to compete for the fourth place in the group.

For example, the teams in the first pot, whether it is South Korea or Iran, these two teams with a tough style may not have a great advantage over other teams but are the absolute nemesis of the national football team, but Japan has a greater chance of winning against other opponents in the same group, so it is not easy to open up the difference between the national football team and other opponents.

The team in Pot 2 is arguably the worst option in the same group as Australia, but the difference is not particularly large; The third-tier team, Uzi is relatively the more feared opponent of the national football team, and being able to avoid them is the only benefit, and Saudi Arabia's level has declined in recent years, and compared with Jordan, it is not the worst option. Moreover, in the last round of 12, the national football team won draws in Australia and Saudi Arabia.

So, the so-called poor signing, the real problem is the fourth and sixth pot teams. The fourth team is the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Bahrain is tougher, and the recent record is also good, in comparison, the UAE may be a more familiar opponent of the national football team, and the national football coach Ivan also knows Oman; As for the sixth pot team, Indonesia is known as the Dutch N-team, and they are still seeking more naturalization. In this bracket, Kuwait may be the best option, North Korea can also do it, but Indonesia is definitely the worst option.

The competition for fourth place is mainly concentrated in the last three teams, and the situation is more "clear", and the results between Bahrain, the national football team and Indonesia will determine whether the national football team can reach the top four of the group.

Ivan and national football team leader Tong Jie attended the draw ceremony in Kuala Lumpur. For the result, Ivan first said that he was very happy to be on the scene, and he had some psychological preparation for the grouping, "As a fifth pot team, everyone knows that it will definitely face some strong teams, and at present, it is very difficult, compared with Group A and Group B, this is the most difficult group." ”

"Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, they all played in the last World Cup, and we know what they are capable of." Ivan named the top three teams, but said that he will take every game seriously and hope to create surprises, "We don't want to be just a passerby in the knockout stage, we have to be competitive, no matter which opponent we face, we have to go into the game with optimism and give it our all with the strength of the team." ”

The international players also have their own evaluation of the signing, but after breaking through from the round of 36 to the round of 18, many people are relatively calm, Liu Yang said: "Since you want to compete in the top 18, you don't need to care who the opponent is, you can play one game at a time, and go all out in every game." ”

And so it is. For the decision of the round of 18, based on the expectation of advancing to the semi-finals of the group, I hope to enter the next stage, but in terms of the current strength of the national football team, it is very difficult. Therefore, the national football team should balance the mentality, the opponent is not important, the important thing is to be able to play against the top teams in Asia, participate in mainstream competitions, and get more exercise, after all, from the round of 36, the national football team has been quite "lucky". On the other hand, even if they change opponents, will Oman and the UAE be better to fight? Indonesia is indeed naturalized, but is the will to fight stronger than North Korea's?

The draw results have been released, and there are a lot of things to do for the Football Association and the national football team next, and the current focus is on where to put the five home stadiums.

After the national football team advanced to the top 18, more than 10 cities submitted bids, in addition to Shenzhen, Tianjin and Shenyang, the three cities that hosted the top 36, there are also Beijing, Qingdao, Dalian, Changsha, Chongqing, Jinan, Changchun, Nanjing and other cities. At present, many cities have improved the bidding procedures, it is worth noting that each city is not just bidding for one of the games, generally will list two or three home stadiums that they want to bid for, and the football association will consider it according to comprehensive factors such as weather and flight distance.

Ivan flew directly from Croatia to Kuala Lumpur for the draw ceremony, and he will then return to Croatia, where he will arrange the next trip, including when to return to China, once the relevant plans of the national football team are finalized.

In the league, there is a 12-day break between the end of the match on 13 July and the resumption of the competition on 26 July, during which the fifth round of the FA Cup will be played on 15 and 17 July, with plenty of time to spare. In this regard, the national football team can choose to train intensively, or it can advance the 24th round of the Super League on August 24/25 to around July 21/22, so that August will become more abundant, of course, all this needs to be finalized by the Football Association.

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