Chinese football in 2024 has ushered in a tense and critical moment, and making every effort to ensure that the national football team will play in the top 18 has become the top priority in preparation. The national football team will be in the same group as Australia, Japan and other teams, which is undoubtedly a huge challenge for the national football team. The focus will be on training in advance, familiarising the players with tactics and bringing more variables through the addition of new internationals. It is reported that the training camp will start on August 23 and end on September 11, during which there will be two matches with Japan and Saudi Arabia, which will last for 20 days. This arrangement is intended to make the most of the time and allow the national football players to find better form in the match against strong opponents.
Different from the past, in order to give the national football team more time for training, the Football Association will adjust the schedule, leaving the Chinese Super League schedule for July, and the training time of the national football team concentrated in August. This decision aims to ensure that the national football players have enough time to prepare, and can also effectively reduce the pressure on the schedule of the Chinese Super League teams. Although such an adjustment may affect some Chinese Super League teams, it is a necessary arrangement for the preparation of the national football team.
However, in addition to the preparations, what attracts more attention is the selection of the next national football squad. According to reports, head coach Ivankovic has stressed that some young players will be used, and he has repeatedly stressed this as the key to the future development of the national football team. Ivankovic even mentioned young players such as Baihelam and Xie Wenneng, whose status and importance are self-evident.
In the Chinese Super League, the rise of two new stars has been ushered in, and it is reported that Ivankovic is paying close attention to two young players, Hu Hetao and Han Jiaqi. The performances of these two rising stars in the league have been in the spotlight and their excellent performances have given the coaching staff confidence in their potential.
Hu is a right-back who has been praised by fans for his bold moves and aggressive attacking awareness. In addition to his excellent defensive performances, he is equally impressive on the offensive end, daring to break through and get past people, as well as his excellent ball intelligence. In contrast, Han Jiaqi, as a goalkeeper, also performs eye-catching, and his style and experience are quite similar to the current goalkeepers of the national team, Yan Junling and Wang Dalei. In the context of the national football team's need to cultivate a new generation of goalkeepers, Han Jiaqi's outstanding performance has undoubtedly added more options to the coaching staff.
It is worth mentioning that the national football coaching staff has not only worked the cultivation of young rookies, but also continued to pay attention to the performance of veterans. Wu Lei scored a hat-trick in the league and was in hot form, while Alan also completed his comeback. The 35-year-old Wu Xi staged another stunner in this round of the Chinese Super League, and the performance of these veterans is still impressive, and their experience and ability at critical moments are still indispensable.
"In the top 18 of the national football team, every game is a tough battle", this is the coaching staff's deep understanding of this stage of the game. While the young players bring a lot of energy, the experience of the veterans is also crucial. It is necessary to constantly adjust and integrate the old and new forces while maintaining the inherent strength, and such a strategy for preparing for war is undoubtedly clear and reasonable.
Ivankovic said: "Only by reducing talents in an eclectic pattern can the national football team have hope", this sentence may be the true meaning of the current strategy of the national football team. In the combination of young rookies and veterans, the national football team will usher in new opportunities and challenges in preparing for the top 18. The road to preparation is long and full of hope, and every player will strive for the glory of the national football team with their own blood and sweat. Whether it is a young rookie or an experienced veteran, their focus and hard work will surely inject new vitality into the national football team's more dazzling performance in the round of 18. I look forward to showing more outstanding strength in the first battle next year, so that every Chinese football lover will be proud!