U23 coach Jankovic: Full of confidence in the East Asian Cup and the Asian Games, I want to play Japan and South Korea tomorrow

Haikou, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Exclusive interview with U23 national football coach Jankovic: After the "Dubai Cup", he conducted targeted training and had confidence in the East Asian Cup and the Asian Games

(Xinhua News Agency reporters Xiao Shiyao and Liu Bo)

After ending the first international competition in the past three years, the "Dubai Cup", the Chinese U23 men's football team returned to China on April 3 to conduct a 21-day entry quarantine in Haikou, while closing the training to prepare for the East Asian Cup and the Hangzhou Asian Games.

At present, the training camp has entered the final stage, U23 national football coach Jankovic said in an exclusive interview that the team has made a comprehensive summary of the gains and losses of the "Dubai Cup" and improved it through training. With the addition of overage players such as age-appropriate players Zhu Chenjie, Dai Weijun and Wu Xi, the team lineup is more complete and full of confidence in this year's two major competitions.

The Dubai Cup was mixed

In the "Dubai Cup" held in late March, the U23 national football team scored 4 goals and conceded 6 goals, 1 win and two losses to finish in fourth place. Jankovic said that the rare international competition under the epidemic is an important test for the team.

"This is the team's first public appearance. I see a lot of positive things and we can always keep the intensity of the game relatively high, which is important. The team's problems are mainly psychological, and many players have not yet learned how to face their opponents in international competitions. This is our first international competition since the epidemic, and it is normal for problems to occur. Jankovic said.

He believes that the psychological problems of players are not insoluble. 'I'm optimistic that the players will be playing internationally this year and will gradually adapt, while new players are joining us from the senior national team and their experience will be of great help.'

Jankovic said the release of the team's locker room video every game during the Dubai Cup is also a way to help players grow. "As a coach, I have nothing to hide. I want to build a Chinese team that sacrifices fearlessly, works hard together and can get the support of the fans. The national team is about facing the public, and I tell the players that it should be an honor, not everyone has that opportunity. If you get good feedback, train hard tomorrow. If you lose and be criticized, you must turn criticism into motivation for training. That's the culture I want to build in the locker room. ”

Asked how to rate the team's performance, Jankovic said: "I never score because I always strive for perfection, 75 and 99 points are the same in my eyes, it shows that we still have something to improve, I hope the team can continue to push their limits." 」 Problems were found in the competition, and more importantly, it was through training to solve them. ”

Closed training for targeted improvement

During the training, Zhu Chenjie and Dai Weijun joined the U23 national football team. Jankovic said the integration of the two players was very smooth. "Since I became the head coach of the team in 2019, Zhu Chenjie has been playing for the adult national team, which is our first cooperation. When he joined the team, I completely understood why he was able to play at a higher level. Zhu Chenjie is young but very mature, and he is one of the natural leaders of this team. ”

"Dai Weijun is very skilled, his style of play is something that the team didn't have before, and he can give me a lot of tactical options. He was able to play quality football between the opponents and the backline, putting pressure on opponents, which is exactly what modern football needs. ”

Jankovic introduced that at the beginning of the training camp, the coaching staff set a number of physical function goals for each player, such as physical fitness, strength, and agility.

"Every morning at 6:30, I go for a treadmill run with players who have excess body fat. This is to improve the player's aerobic capacity and then reduce the body fat rate. The whole team will train on the pitch at 10 a.m. and strength training in the afternoon. According to the different weaknesses and characteristics of the players, the coaching staff has developed a personalized strength training program for each player. It is not only to help players improve their muscle strength, but also to let them learn training methods and know how to protect their bodies. Jankovic said.

"The whole team is working very hard and our goals are being achieved step by step. I said that when it comes to the Asian Games, the player's body fat rate is below 9%. There are now 10 players with a body fat rate of less than 9%, and several others are close. By the end of the training camp, there will probably be 16 to 17 players who will meet the requirements. ”

Overage players have adapted to the team

According to the rules of the Asian Games, each team is allowed to have three overage players. On the 20th, Wu Xi, Zhang Linpeng and Zhang Yuning joined the U23 national football team training for the first time.

In response, Jankovic said: "If I can, from the adult national team, I would like to choose far more than three players. I understand that people will pay attention to the selection issue, but I don't want the players to feel the pressure, I will not let them do high-intensity training, the main thing now is to let them feel the atmosphere of this team, everyone understands each other. ”

"On the one hand, I hope that overage players can make up for some of the technical and tactical deficiencies of the team. On the other hand, they want to be role models for young players. In addition, I hope that overage players can become a bridge for the inheritance of Chinese football, and footballers of different generations can defend our home stadium in Hangzhou with the same fighting spirit. ”

"The coaching staff has been exploring various possibilities with the Chinese Football Association. I am sure that by the Hangzhou Asian Games, there will be three very professional and very good over-age players to enrich the team. Jankovic said.

I am confident in the East Asian Cup and the Asian Games

In July and September this year, the U23 national football team will represent China in the East Asian Cup and the Asian Games, and Jankovic's team will usher in a real challenge. Recently, the discussion about the U23 national football team has begun to appear more and more in the media report.

Jankovic said he did not follow media reports. "It's certainly a huge pressure, and the pressure is part of football. I prefer to put all my energy into improving every detail and preparing for the game. Rather than the anxiety of not being able to compete for three years, I'm more willing to take on the pressure I have now. I have a lot of confidence in my team. ”

"I am very grateful to the Chinese Football Association for choosing to let us represent China in the East Asian Cup. The Chinese Football Association has provided all-round support to my coaching, and it feels good to have such trust as a coach. If I could, I'd like to play against opponents like Japan and South Korea tomorrow, no matter what lineup they send. The players are very excited and we will use our performance on the pitch to prove how much we value such a game opportunity. ”

"We've done a lot of preparation for the Asian Games over the years, and we're going to try to be a hard-working, sacrificial team that can play high-intensity games. If we can do that, we will naturally get the maximum support of the fans at home and go to the best results. Jankovic said.