Haikou, 2 Mar (Xinhua) -- At 11 a.m. on 1 March, this reporter met Jankovic in the gym of the hotel where the national football team is stationed.
The new manager of the Chinese men's football team only flew from the United Arab Emirates to Haikou on the evening of February 28, and he held two meetings on the evening of the 28th and the morning of the 1st, and on the afternoon of the 1st, he will participate in the first media meeting after taking office. That said, his appearance at the gym did not surprise the reporter. No matter how much time difference or busyness, fitness is Jankovic's habit every day.
Jankovic at a media meeting on March 1. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Fan Yuqing
"I should have said 'congratulations,' but I thought 'Good luck' might be more appropriate." Not seen for half a year, the reporter and Jankovic said half-jokingly.
"Thank you, I feel good. The more difficult the work, the more interesting and exciting the process, isn't it? Jankovic responded with a smile.
After more than four years in China, Jankovic rarely appears in the spotlight. Affected by the epidemic, he did not lead the team to participate in the Dubai Cup and the East Asian Cup, two low-profile competitions until 2022, and there were only a handful of interviews. Compared to his predecessors, the Serbs are not very famous. What kind of coach Yankovic is, probably most people have to put a question mark. Before and after the Dubai Cup last year, the reporter spent more than a month with the U23 national football team, in addition to interviewing Jankovic, who was the head coach of the U23 national football team at the time, three times, which can be regarded as having a certain understanding of him.
Jankovic led the national football team U23 team to training. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiao Shiyao
Looking back now, the place where reporters had the most contact with Jankovic during that time was the gym. Serbs over 50 run at least ten kilometers a day and maintain a standard athlete's physique. Leading by example is how Jankovic leads the team. He set a number of physical requirements for his players, including the famous 10% body fat rate red line. After the Dubai Cup in Haikou, reporters often saw Jankovic running in the morning at 6 or 7 a.m. with team members who did not meet the body fat rate. "As much as I run, I ask the team members to run. They are 30 years younger than me. Jankovic told reporters at the time that by the end of the exercise, the team's average body fat rate had dropped to 8.9%.
"It's always easy to make sacrifices for others. I want to be a role model for the players and push them to give. Only if I do it myself first can I be qualified to ask them to do the same. Jankovic said that as a result, he did not return to China for nearly one and a half years during the epidemic. Three days before the start of the East Asian Cup, Jankovic's father died of illness, and he also chose to stay with the team before returning home after the match.
Of course, Jankovic is not inflexible. During the Dubai Cup, the reporter met the manager of the U23 national football team after dinner one day, and the team leader and the reporter lamented that it was too stressful to eat with Jankovic: "He eats too healthy, basically broccoli, corn and chicken breast, which makes people feel very 'guilty'." "Later when asked Jankovic about his diet, he admitted that he was not too strict with the players in this regard. Since coming to China, I have been learning about the situation in China, and I understand that Chinese like to eat carbs and fat. But the players have to know that you can eat a little, but that also means you have to work harder in training tomorrow. ”
Jankovic led the national football team U23 team to training. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiao Shiyao
Jankovic's coaching philosophy always puts attitude first. Unlike most managers who have assistant coaches in training, Jankovic is always hands-on on the training ground, where his shouts are everywhere. He likes to train to the minute, training sessions are often not too long, but the players are required to give their best from start to finish. Even in the warm-up session before training, the players must go all out to grab it, otherwise he will step forward to remind him. In the training of many national teams observed by reporters, only Jankovic's team will frequently make tackles in the circle. Last year, several over-aged senior national team players joined the U23 national team training, and it was difficult to adapt to Jankovic's training intensity at the beginning.
Unlike most teams in the country, which are used to afternoon training, Jankovic's field training is almost always scheduled in the morning. He believes that this is more conducive to the player's development of good living habits, forcing the player to go to bed early and get up early, and also convenient for him to arrange strength training according to the actual situation in the afternoon. The reporter estimated that during the training period, Jankovic's team basically trained more than 10 times a week.
For the media, Jankovic was more candid in interviews than most interviewees. When interviewed by reporters for the first time in March last year, when asked about the goals of the U23 national football team to participate in the Hangzhou Asian Games, Jankovic said directly: "I want to win the gold medal in the Asian Games, and we must work towards the highest goal every time we compete." The goals I set for myself will always be higher than the goals set for me by the outside world. ”
Jankovic (centre) speaks at a media conference on 1 March. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Cheng
Another time he was interviewed before the East Asian Cup, and the reporter asked him who would be the captain of the team. Usually, if the manager is unwilling to answer, he will choose a roundabout way. Jankovic said: "I can't reveal it now because I can't let the media know about it before the player himself and I'll tell you the answer in two days. Two days later, Jankovic did tell reporters the answer.
At the meeting on the afternoon of the 1st, Jankovic once again said his goal bluntly: "As a manager, I have various ways to avoid this kind of question, I can say that the daily work is my goal, but I think we must set a clear goal, that is, to fight the 2026 World Cup with all our might." ”
After the meeting, the reporter chatted with Jankovic outside the venue and quipped again: "Today's meeting is very well answered, and the speech is comparable to that of a diplomat." The public opinion to deal with in the future can be much more complicated than before with the U23 national team, and you have to be mentally prepared. ”
Jankovic laughed: "If I am really a diplomat, how can I say that we are going to attack the World Cup?" Of course, I know what kind of situation I face. ”
The reporter thought that perhaps it was still idealism in his bones that made Yankovic say this. He has said many times that he hopes to bring some changes to Chinese football. Today's Chinese football is standing at a crossroads that urgently needs change.
On the morning of the 2nd, Jankovic will meet with his players, and the first thing he will do is to test all the physical indicators of the team, including body fat percentage. Will change happen? No one knows, everything is only left to the test of time. (Contributors: Gong Bing, Liu Bo)