Chinese coach half-heartedly reformed, not removing the stars who lost to Vietnam

The 1-3 defeat at My Dinh Stadium against the Vietnamese team was a big disappointment for Chinese football, marking the team's unsuccessful 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign. Since the end of last year, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) has embarked on reforming the national team.

After 18 months since the defeat to Vietnam, the Chinese team has undergone many changes from personnel to playing style. However, it is not a comprehensive and strong innovation, nor has it brought about outstanding achievements. The current Chinese team still has many traces from the old period.

The Chinese team did not make much progress after losing to Vietnam. (Photo: Minh Anh)

Coach Jankovic caused a shock when he brought a squad of all U23 players to the East Asian Championship in late 2022. Chinese fans expected a rejuvenation of the home team. However, the developments that followed were not like that. There was no massive change in the Chinese team. In the list of the Chinese team that gathered in October, there were 13 people over 30 years old.

Compared to the match at My Dinh Stadium, there are 9 players on the Chinese team's registered list who are still staying until this training session. Some faces still play a pivotal role in the defense. They are defenders Tyias Browning (Chinese name Jiang Guangtai, or Tuong Quang Thai), Wang Shenchao (Vuong San Sieu), Zhang Linpeng (Truong Lam Bong) and goalkeeper Yan Junling (Nhan Tuan Lang).

Star Wu Lei and naturalized striker Elkeson (Chinese name Ai Keson or Ai Keshen) are still the mainstays of the attack. This has caused the average age of the Chinese team in recent friendly matches to exceed 30. Coach Jankovic rarely gives opportunities to young players. Therefore, the Serbian coach's reform of the Chinese team is still questioned.

The initial changes he made were in the formation and midfield. Coach Jankovic applied a 3-center-back formation (mainly 3-4-3), in which the defense consisted of the above-mentioned older faces.

The most important difference lies in the appearance of Li Ke in the midfield. The former Arsenal U18 and U21 captain - also known as Nico Yennaris - successfully naturalized in 2019 but was rarely used. It was not until coach Jankovic that Li Ke became a mainstay of the Chinese national team.

Coach Jankovic carries out a half-hearted reform of the Chinese national team. (Photo: VCG)

Besides the 30-year-old midfielder, two other "veterans" Xu Xin and Wu Xi are still used but only as rotation options. Wang Shangyuan is the name that coach Jankovic prioritizes but this player is also 30 years old. On the two wings, Sun Gowen, 30 years old, and Li Lei, 31 years old, are the two wingers. Sometimes, coach Jankovic even uses the 41-year-old player Li Shuai.

The half-hearted overhaul has not paid off for China. After a commendable performance by the U23 team in the East Asian Championship (finishing third overall with four points, including a draw with champions Japan), China have won just two more matches in 2023. They beat Myanmar 4-0 and Palestine 2-0, both underdogs.

During the September training session, the Chinese team was held to a 1-1 draw by Malaysia and lost 0-1 to Syria at home in Chengdu. Therefore, coach Jankovic is facing a lot of pressure and will find it difficult to keep his job if he continues to lose to the Vietnamese team.

Han Phong

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