On August 19th, according to the Beijing Youth Daily, the Chinese Men’s National Football Team plans to reconvene in Dalian on August 23rd to prepare for the first two rounds of the 18th round qualifiers in September. The coaching staff is expected to finalize the roster of 27 or 28 players for the Dalian training camp in the next two days. Defensive midfielders Wang Haijian and Wei Zhen, both from Shanghai clubs, are expected to be new additions to the national team’s training camp roster.
The report indicates that while young players like Baihelam and Xie Weneng impressed in the last two rounds of the 36th round qualifiers, the national team coaching staff haven’t found many other surprises during their observations of league play. Defensive midfielders Wang Haijian and Wei Zhen, both from Shanghai clubs, are expected to be new additions to the national team’s training camp roster. As for the majority of players participating in the training camp, and thus the next two rounds of the 18th round qualifiers, they are the same players Ivan used in the last four rounds of the 36th round qualifiers.
According to the plan, the national team coaching staff will officially finalize the roster for the new training camp earlier this week. The roster will consist of 27 or 28 players (depending on player injuries).
It is understood that before this, several young players including Tao Qianglong, Wumitijiang, Abdurosul, Han Jiaqi, Hu Hetao, and Wang Haijian have already made the initial 52-man roster for the 18th round qualifiers. However, the number of young players with consistently impressive performances is not many. Some players, after an impressive showing, have returned to the bench in their club teams. Therefore, the coaching staff is cautious about whether or not to select them. In addition, Wumitijiang, a defender who “stood out” for the Three Towns team this season, unfortunately suffered a skull fracture in the last round of the Chinese Super League and underwent surgery immediately after the game, so he is unlikely to be selected for the national team.
Furthermore, as the national team has relatively abundant options in attack and defense, the national team’s training camp this time will likely focus on strengthening the midfield, especially the defensive midfield positions. Wang Haijian and Wei Zhen, who play for Shenhua and Haiport respectively, may be included as new additions to Ivan’s version of the national team. In the “Shanghai Derby”, although Wang Haijian didn’t come on until the 52nd minute, his running ability and forward-pushing awareness were quite prominent. Wei Zhen was called up to the national team multiple times before Ivan took over the team. He is capable of playing defensive midfield and center-back, and has strong physical attributes, allowing him to increase the height of the team’s defensive barrier in the midfield and backline. He is also known for his ability to run up and down the field.
At present, the majority of players participating in the national team’s new training camp are familiar faces who have previously participated in previous training camps this year or the last four rounds of the 36th round qualifiers. The goalkeeper selection is particularly interesting. While young goalkeepers like Jiantao and Han Jiaqi have been performing heroically in the league, the performance of Wang Dalei, Yan Junling, and Liu Dianzuo, all three goalkeepers over 30 years old, has also been quite good overall. They also have more international competition experience compared to other young goalkeepers, making it unlikely for the coaching staff to make adjustments to the goalkeeper selection. If the team calls up four goalkeepers, Shenhua’s young goalkeeper Bao Yaxiong could be a valuable addition. Hu Hetao, after recovering from injury, may first be called up to the U21 National Team of the 2003 age group.
It is understood that the main criteria for the coaching staff’s selection is the players’ performance in their clubs. Therefore, some players who were previously called up may miss this training camp due to overlapping positions and low league appearance rates. For example, Fang Hao, a fast winger who was favored by both national team coaches Jankovic and Ivankovic, is unlikely to be selected because he hasn’t played for Guoan for the past two months. As for some veterans who have been called upon, they are unable to meet the requirements due to their mobility and other factors, so they will not be included in the team.
As the national team faces Japan and Saudi Arabia, two of the top teams in Asia, in the first two rounds of the 18th round qualifiers, from a strategic standpoint, the national team should prioritize defense in these two matches. Therefore, relying on players with international competition experience aligns with the “stability” approach. Of course, young players like Baihelam and Xie Weneng, who have already experienced the “life-or-death” battles of the 36th round qualifiers, have infused the team with vitality. The Chinese national team that appears in the 18th round qualifiers will still have a considerable amount of attacking power.
This article is from a user submission and does not represent the views of Soccer News Pick. If you repost it, please indicate the source: https://www.soccernewspick.com/other/20141.html
