The Chinese men's football team reshapes the forward line, and Ivankovic leads the team to regain confidence
2024 is the year of a new start for the Chinese men's football team. The poor performance of a winless game in the 2023 Asian Cup has plunged the team into an unprecedented crisis of confidence. The arrival of the new coach Ivankovic is precisely to revive the morale of the team and lead the national football team to regain its combat effectiveness.
Ivankovic's first task after taking office is to lead the team to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the Asian round of 18. This juncture is crucial for the national football team, once it misses the round of 18, it will fall into the embarrassing situation of not having a major tournament to play for two years.
The shortage of strikers has plagued the national football team
In the round of 36 of the Asian zone of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the national football team has encountered an unprecedented shortage of strikers. The main striker Wu Lei and "Little Motorcycle" Li Yuanyi are suspended due to accumulating yellow cards and will miss key battles.
Wu Lei is the top scorer of the national football team, scoring 12 goals in the Chinese Super League to lead the scorer list. His absence is undoubtedly a major loss for the offensive line of the national football team. And Li Yuanyi is the core of the national football midfield, and his vacancy has also hit the midfield organization hard.
Faced with this dilemma, Ivankovic had to restructure his forward lineup. The first thing he considered was naturalized players Fernando and Allan. Fernando is a winger, and speed and breakthrough are his strengths; Allan is a centre-forward who was at the top of his game in the Super League.
Fernando has just recovered from injury and it remains to be seen how he will be; Alain is over 33 years old and it is unknown whether he will be able to regain his peak form. Naturalized player Ackerson missed the game due to injury.
There is no homegrown shooter to succeed him
When it comes to homegrown goalscorers, Ivankovic doesn't have much to choose from. The 36-year-old veteran Tan Long remains in full attendance and may be reactivated; The 24-year-old national security player Fang Hao is expected to become a "wonder soldier".
Tan Long's age and physical fitness are questionable; Although Fang Hao is active in the Chinese Super League, his experience is limited, and it is still unknown whether he can show the same performance in the national team level competition.
Ivankovic chose Zhang Yuning and Wei Shihao to partner in the attack. Zhang Yuning is the main striker of Guoan, and his strength is relatively stable; And Wei Shihao is the leader among the local goalscorers in the Chinese Super League, second only to Wu Lei in terms of goals.
The midfielders suffered a reshuffle
The absence of Wu Lei and Li Yuanyi also forced the midfield line of the national football team to reorganize. Ivankovic made some bold attempts and innovations on this route.
He asked naturalized player Li Ke to play the single midfield position. Li Ke has just shaken off his injury, has been firmly in the main force in Guoan, and has the ability to start in the first-level national football competition.
Replacing Li Yuanyi as the left midfielder is Zhang Xizhe. The midfielder's in-form since his comeback is in excellent form and is the obvious choice for Ivankovic.
Fernando will continue as a right midfielder, mainly responsible for breaking down the wing; In the No. 10 position, Ivankovic used Xie Pengfei, the assist king of the Chinese Super League season.
The line of defense remained stable
Compared with the reorganization of the offensive line and the midfield line, the lineup of the national football defense line has remained relatively stable. In the goalkeeper position, Wang Dalei will replace Yan Junling as the main force; The backline is composed of Jiang Guangtai, Zhu Chenjie, Liu Yang and Gao Zhunyi.
Wang Dalei has excelled in the Chinese Super League, impressing with his steady passing and decisive saves. The four players on the back line are all veterans and main players of the national football team, and the continuity of the lineup is conducive to the stability of the defensive line.
The situation in Singapore in the first game was tortuous
Ivankovic's first game in charge was against Singapore. The team, ranked 156th in the world, is nowhere near as strong as the Chinese team, but thanks to the arrival of new coach Tsutomu Ogura, the tactical literacy of the Singapore team has improved.
In the first leg of the away game, the Chinese team took the lead by two goals in the first half, but in the second half, the defense line deserted, and the Singapore team scored two goals in a row, and finally drew 2:2. Wu Lei scored two goals in this game, but also missed a penalty and missed the opportunity to score a brace.
After the game, Wu Lei and others expressed their disappointment, and captain Zhang Linpeng even wanted to quit the national team. Ivankovic also admitted that the results were "not ideal".
The home team turned the tide and regained confidence
Facing the Singapore team at home is a key battle for the national football team. If you lose again, the situation will become extremely serious.
In the first half, the national football team once again suffered a "black start", although it scored first, but it was equalized by the Singapore team 1 minute later. In the second half, Fernando took a penalty kick to help the national football team regain the surpass, and then Wu Lei and Wei Shihao's goals expanded the score to 4:1, and the national football team finally won 4:1.
This victory put an end to the embarrassing record of 5 games without a win for the national football team, and also regained the team's confidence. Wu Lei said after the game that after returning from Singapore, the team made a lot of adjustments and gradually got out of the disappointment.
Ivankovic also said that he was satisfied with the team's ability to withstand pressure, and even if it was equalized again, the player was able to implement the tactics firmly and finally win.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel
With a home win over Singapore, the national football team's hopes of promotion have reappeared. At present, the Chinese team ranks third in the group with 4 points, 3 points behind their direct rival Thailand.
The Thai team will next play against the strong South Korean team, and it will be difficult to get points. As long as the national football team beats Thailand in the next round, they will be able to overtake their opponents and ensure their qualification to the round of 18.
Wu Lei was absent from Alain's stand-in role
At this critical moment, Wu Lei's absence is undoubtedly a big loss for the national football team. The outstanding performance of naturalized player Alain has given fans new hope.
Alan played for the Chinese Super League powerhouse Guangzhou team and was one of the top foreign players in the Chinese Super League that year. Now back in the Chinese Super League, his performances for Qingdao West Coast have been impressive, with good goals and assists.
If Alan can extend his hand in the national team first-level competition, he will be Wu Lei's best stand-in, and is expected to help the national football team make a breakthrough on the offensive end.
Facing the life-and-death battle of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the Chinese men's football team is reshaping its forward line and looking for new offensive forces. In the absence of key players such as Wu Lei and Li Yuanyi, Ivankovic had to make changes to the lineup, and he set his sights on naturalized players and young rising stars.
Although the situation of the Singapore team in the first game was tortuous, the home team turned the tide and regained the confidence of the national football team. The next match against Thailand will be the last fight of the national football team to advance to the round of 18. As long as you win, the dawn of promotion will be repeated.
At this critical juncture, the outstanding performance of naturalized player Alan gave fans a new hope. If he can extend his hand in the national team level competition, he will be Wu Lei's best stand-in, and is expected to help the national football team make a breakthrough on the offensive end.