Ma Dexing: Antonio’s Contract Follows the Same Pattern as Ivan, the National Team Coach, with Four Problems to Solve

On August 16, according to journalist Ma Dexing, the contract of the youth national team coach Antonio follows the same pattern as the head coach of the national team, Ivan Kovač. Four problems need to be solved.

On August 16, the Chinese Football Association officially announced the return of the former U20 youth national team head coach Antonio to coach the new U21 men’s national team, preparing for the 2026 U23 Asian Cup and the 2026 Asian Games. It is understood that Antonio’s contract is the same stage-based model as the head coach of the national team, Ivan.

After the selection working group finalized Antonio, a crucial step remains – determining the contract terms, including the coaching period and compensation. Antonio’s “second coming” salary falls within the range accepted by the Chinese Football Association, naturally higher than when he coached the U20 youth national team. This is because the nature of the team is completely different, but it definitely will not exceed one million euros. As for the specific duration, similar to other foreign coaches, it is a phased contract. This means that the contract will automatically renew upon completion of each stage. The first official tournament task for this team is the 7th U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers in September 2025. If the team qualifies, the contract will naturally extend to the finals in Saudi Arabia in January 2026. If the team reaches the top eight, the contract will continue until the Asian Games in Japan in September/October 2026. If the team fails to achieve this goal, the contract will be evaluated, and a decision will be made on whether to continue. This contract content and format has been adopted since the era of Jankovic, including the current head coach of the national team, Ivan. This model is beneficial for the team’s overall preparation.

Antonio’s advantage in coaching the 2003 age group team is his familiarity with the players of this age group in China. Moreover, since his previous U20 youth national team reached the top eight in the 2023 U20 Asian Cup in Uzbekistan, the overall public opinion and online sentiment towards him are favorable, so he will not face widespread distrust upon assuming his new role. However, it’s important to note that the current situation is significantly different from when Antonio coached the U20 youth national team.

Firstly, Antonio has not returned to China since the end of the U20 Asian Cup in March 2023. The development of the 2003 age group players has changed significantly. Almost half of the 23 players who participated in the U20 Asian Cup are facing uncertain prospects, with some disappearing from the domestic Chinese Super League, Chinese League One, and even the Chinese League Two. Meanwhile, many players who performed well in various leagues were not given the opportunity to join the U20 youth national team. Therefore, Antonio will likely need to re-evaluate and re-assess the situation of the players in this age group.

Secondly, the U20 youth national team’s success in reaching the top eight in the U20 Asian Cup, despite not being favored, was achieved through the “long-term training” approach that has been continuously criticized by various domestic stakeholders. Due to the impact and influence of the pandemic, players could only train together, unlike the current situation where they can participate in normal competitions. The youth national team, for instance, trained for three months from December 2022 until their elimination in the quarter-finals of the U20 Asian Cup, with few friendly matches. Now, the 2003 age group players primarily play as starters or substitute starters in the Chinese League One and Chinese League Two. It will be difficult for the future U23 national team to utilize long-term training as preparation. They will have to rely on FIFA-designated national team match weeks to organize training camps and participate in friendlies. In this context, how can the technical and tactical level of the U23 national team be maintained and further improved?

Thirdly, from a technical and tactical perspective, Antonio’s approach while coaching the U20 youth national team involved abandoning possession, focusing on counter-attacking, and emphasizing efficiency in counter-attacks. While the team achieved decent results in the U20 Asian Cup, the tactical content of the matches was not high. The highest number of passes in a single game was only 180. If this strategy is continued, it may be difficult to sustain. Therefore, as Antonio returns to coach the team, he will likely need to adjust his technical and tactical philosophy.

Fourthly, when Antonio coached the U20 youth national team, several of his assistant coaches had significant deficiencies in their coaching credentials. However, due to the circumstances at the time, the team did not scrutinize these shortcomings extensively. Now, upon returning to coach, Antonio has reportedly replaced some of his assistants with individuals who have better credentials. How will the new coaching team cooperate and perform?

Regardless of the situation, Antonio’s return as the head coach of the 2003 age group national team can be seen as a natural choice. However, the public’s expectations and demands for him will likely exceed those of his previous role. Furthermore, the competitive landscape for this age group team in Asia will likely be tougher than for the previous U20 youth national team. Therefore, while Antonio has a foundation for this collaboration, increasing the likelihood of success, the challenges he faces will also be greater than before.