National Football Coach: Chinese football will never regress, no goal is just a lack of luck, I am not afraid of getting out of class
On the evening of January 22, local time, in the early morning of the 23rd, Beijing time, the Chinese team lost 0-1 to the host Qatar team in the final round of the Asian Cup group stage, thus ranking third in Group A with a record of 2 draws and 1 loss. Although the team's exit is already a high probability event, head coach Jankovic still refused to make a negative statement in an interview with the media. He concluded: "Although there are no goals, the progress of the Chinese team in the world preliminaries is not bad, so Chinese football will never regress. ”
Jankovic began by saying: "Congratulations to Qatar for their victory and winning the group with nine points and no goals conceded. Congratulations also to the Tajikistan team for qualifying, the Lebanese team has worked hard in every game. Every game in this group is a stalemate and we are disappointed. We expected a lot but it was really difficult for us not to score and it's difficult for the team right now, but I'm proud of the spirit that the players showed on the pitch. The players are doing their best on the pitch and trying to score goals. Including the fact that I arranged Jiang Shenglong to appear in the front court, I also hope that he can use the header advantage to score. But we didn't score in the second half and missed a couple of chances in the first half. We missed a lot of chances in all three games of the group stage. If you don't score, there's nothing to expect. There is definitely a feeling of disappointment now, and we can only wait for the results of the other groups to decide our fate. ”
Regarding the weakness of the national football team, Jankovic said, "Our players have the ability and have created a lot of chances, including positional battles, sports battles, set-pieces, but there are no goals, and one goal is denied. We've created a lot of chances and it's important for the team and hopefully there will be improvements in the future.' ”
Regarding the national football team's defeat to an opponent who used substitutes as the starting team, Jankovic said, "In the first half, we had four great chances to score. No team can afford to miss a chance like this. Looking back at the other groups, the opposition may not have been able to create so many chances. But we weren't very efficient attacking in front of the box. It's like that, if you don't take it, you can't win. If we don't create any chances, then I'm worried, but the fact is that we create chances. It would have been different if we had scored late in the first game (not to be blown off) and had taken advantage of the opportunity in the second half of the game against Lebanon. But we just can't score, I can't do anything. ”
In response to a question from a foreign media reporter about whether Chinese football has regressed, Jankovic replied: "Everyone can draw different conclusions. However, the perception of something is not conclusive. If the goal against Tajikistan had not been cancelled, it might have been a different story now. Although there was no goal, the Chinese team has a good process in the world preliminaries, and Chinese football will never regress. ”
As for whether Jankovic has learned a lesson in the process of leading the team in this Asian Cup, he said, "A lot of lessons, whether it is a single game or the whole event. The preparation period for a tournament should be very process-oriented. We should concentrate on preparing for the game, maintaining a good attitude, discipline, etc., so that we can be in the best shape for the game. The teams are improving, and the gap is narrowing. Chinese football has come out of a difficult period. From the last World Preliminaries to this Asian Cup. It can't be said that the teams at the bottom of the rankings are improving, and the gap between the teams is narrowing. ”
To the question of his personal future, Jankovic replied: "I will not focus on myself. I have been in China for 6 years, and before that, I was training the next generation of athletes for Chinese football. Later, he represented the Chinese team and led the team to participate in the East Asian Cup and the World Preliminaries. For me personally, these experiences have been invaluable. My focus is on Chinese football, not on myself. Every time I lead a team, I give it my all, and this time is the same. We are alive now, no one likes to wait, they all want to take control of their own destiny, but now we can only wait. There are only two kinds of coaches in the world, one is the coach who leaves the class and the other is the coach who waits for the class. I can't think about it, and if I do, I can't work. If you're afraid of getting out of class, you won't be a coach. My job is to do my best and push the players to be the best they can be. ”
Text/Beijing Youth Daily, Doha, Qatar Special correspondent Xiao Yun