Observe | Back at home, what does the national football team rely on to fight South Korea?

Against South Korea, Jankovic asked the national football players not only to continue to meet the game in full condition, but also to improve the fighting and intensity by 30% compared to the previous game against Thailand.

The soldiers approached the city, and the atmosphere was solemn. But the elder Jankovic has seen such battles several times. Playing South Korea again, the reason for him to have confidence is tantamount to the fact that the Chinese team has just completed a reversal in Bangkok.

It is undeniable that he is a good man. From the earliest to lead the national youth, to renewing the contract of the Asian Games team, to taking over the national football team, he can always save the day in danger. Including the battle in Bangkok, Mickelson's absence, and Songkrasin's injury and retirement, all helped the Chinese team to a certain extent. However, in the five years since he came to China, the South Korean team has always been a thorn in Jankovic's mind.

In the East Asian Cup in July last year, Jankovic led the Asian Games team plus a mixed lineup composed of two overage Jiang Guangtai and Tan Long, and won the third place with 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss, and the overall performance was remarkable. The 0-3 defeat to the South Korean team has always been one of the most painful defeats since he took charge of the Chinese team. "There aren't many people in that South Korean team who are still there, right?" Jiang Shenglong, who performed well in the battle in Bangkok, was one of the witnesses of the East Asian Cup that year. What he remembers so far is the center of the South Korean team at the time, No. 9 Cho Gyu-sung, "I have a very good impression of him, and I know that he scored two goals in the World Cup last year, but I am confident that I can defend him. In fact, in addition to Cho Gyu-sung, South Korea's current midfield brain Hwang In-beom and 31-year-old left-back Kim Jin-so also started in that game. In contrast, the Chinese team had more witnesses, in addition to Jiang Shenglong, Zhu Chenjie, Dai Weijun, Tan Long and Xu Haofeng all played at the time, and Wu Shaocong also witnessed the defeat on the bench.

In addition, several veterans in the team, such as Wu Xi, Zhang Linpeng, Wu Lei, Yan Junling, Wei Shihao, and Zhang Yuning, have also had the experience of playing against the South Korean team in the previous top 12 or the East Asian Cup, and everyone is no stranger to this opponent. Because of this, Jankovic put forward several new requirements for the team.

The first is to ensure emotional stability. He knows that against South Korea, the home atmosphere will be full and even full, but it is still necessary to avoid psychological fluctuations, "Although we won the last game and the performance is satisfactory, we must not be proud because the two series are not over yet." In fact, before leaving for Bangkok, Jankovic talked about this topic, "In the preparation for a big event, emotional control is a very important topic, and the most important thing is to clarify what everyone's tasks and goals on the field are before the game." ”

So for the war between China and South Korea, the second requirement he put forward is to grasp the details. "Everything about the game is determined by one detail after another, and we have to be focused. Before the start of training on November 18, he stressed this point again, hoping that his disciples would avoid the recurrence of mistakes, "For example, the goal lost against the Thai team, for the No. 6 (Sharaqi) marking, there was still a mistake of watching the ball and not looking at the person, because the goal was lost due to the leakage. At the same time, it is also clear that the importance of improving the efficiency of the attack: "The situation in football is fleeting. When there is a good scene on the field, you have to seize the opportunity. And for the grasp of opportunities, sometimes, it is the result of months or even years of accumulation..."Obviously, Jankovic is well aware that against South Korea, the Chinese team can create a relatively limited number of scoring opportunities, which requires every good opportunity to be grasped as much as possible.

The third point focuses on the further improvement of the team's style. The day after the victory over Thailand, Jankovic said that in the process of preparing for the next game, there will be no volume, no intensity. Because of the proximity to the start of the game, it is imperative to recover and adjust to the condition. However, the fact that there is not a lot of training does not mean that the requirements of the competition are reduced. On the contrary, he proposed to the whole team, "Not only must we continue to meet the South Korean team in full condition, but also increase by 30% in terms of fighting and intensity!" The labels and stigma that the team has made over the past eight months will not change much.

In the match with the Thai team, although the national football team won, many statistics on the field were at a disadvantage. For example, possession was only 37 per cent, shots were 7 to 17 behind, and the number of passes was more than 200 times different.

What is the secret of the reversal in such a difficult situation? First, unity and cohesion. In this regard, the whole team feels deeply. Veteran Tan Long said after the game, "We win in unity, everyone works together towards a goal, no matter on or off the field, everyone's performance is very moving, like a family in the game." "Actually, this is in line with the spirit of sacrifice that Jankovic advocates in the team. In normal times, he often puts "helping each other" in words, and also implements it in the assessment of everyone.

Therefore, against South Korea again, this momentum is what the team hopes to continue the most. One team source admitted, "The feeling of beating Thailand is that the victory is very pure. What the players think about every day is how to contribute to the collective, and they are really playing for the collective, for their own profession, which makes the team have a spirit of sacrifice. ”

Another lesson worth summarizing is a relatively practical and effective tactical strategy. In particular, the two goals of the Chinese team were completed through defensive counterattacks. After the game, Li Lei told reporters, "Not only is our goal a defensive counterattack, but the Thai team's goal is also a defensive counterattack, so if you want to play this kind of competition well, tightening the fence is the first place." "In fact, within the national team, everyone has always recognized Jankovic's philosophy, that is, all playing strategies must be based on sufficient intensity, confrontation and pressure. Without sufficient intensity, everything is in vain.

In this regard, a young player explained, "Whether it is a counterattack or a position, including passing and hanging, strength is the basis of everything." Just like Xie Pengfei passed the ball to Wang Shangyuan, Xie Pengfei had enough strength to grab the ball for the second time, which is the most crucial. On the contrary, even if we practice counterattacks well, but the intensity is not up to the requirements, there is a possibility that the counterattack will not be completed properly. ”

Text: Wang Xiaorui

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