1-2 was reversed by the Saudi Arabian team, and the group was at the bottom of the group with two consecutive defeats, and the start of the national football round of 18 was very bad. Although there are still 8 rounds of unfought matches in this stage of the competition, and the national football team is also mentally prepared for consecutive defeats, head coach Ivankovic's use of troops has been questioned by all parties, and the voices of asking him to "step down" have come and gone. According to a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily, the Chinese Football Association has considered changing the coach to stop the decline of the team, but due to objective factors such as tight time and the huge cost of changing the coach, there are not many suitable coaches for the Football Association to choose. In such a situation, the Football Association is likely to choose among the existing national echelon coaches and "put out the fire" for the national football team as the "interim coach". Among them, Spain coach of the Under-21 national football team, Antonio · Puche, will be the main candidate.
After the match between China and Saudi Arabia, almost no one in the outside world criticized the national football team for "not working hard", and the doubts and criticisms mainly pointed to Ivankovic. Many people can't understand that when the national football team was on the rise, Ivan was conservative in his use of troops and refused to make substitutions to strengthen the attack.
In fact, since Ivan led the team to a trip to Singapore in the round of 36 for the first time in March this year, his use of troops has been controversial. And with the two consecutive defeats in the round of 18, the voice of doubt has intensified. This also puts Ivan and the Chinese Football Association under tremendous pressure.
Early in the morning of the 10th, the relevant leaders of the Chinese Football Association made a special trip to the national football station to cheer for the team and put forward clear requirements for the generals. In other words, if the team is not in good spirits in the battle between China and Saudi Arabia, then accountability will follow. For Ivan, if the performance of the team is not satisfactory to the fans and all walks of life, then "getting out of class" can only be the only result.
On the issue of whether to change the coach, the Chinese Football Association has always been cautious. On the one hand, even though the national football team suffered two consecutive defeats, it still had 8 rounds of unfought, in other words, Ivan has not had the problem of "not completing the stage leading tasks as agreed in the contract". On the other hand, the issues involved in the change of coach are complex, and in addition to dealing with the contract issues with the current coaching team, it is also questionable whether the Football Association will be able to find a suitable replacement in the short term. After all, if the coach is changed for the sake of changing the coach, once the effect is not good, the team will not only not be able to get out of the predicament, and the decision-maker who makes the change of coach will also have to take responsibility. With only a month between the second and third rounds of the round of 18, there is a big risk of a hasty change of coach.
However, judging from the current situation, the Chinese Football Association has reached the point where it is necessary to change the coach. In addition to the pressure of public opinion and fans, the current low morale of the national football team is also a fact that cannot be ignored. The data shows that the national football team has participated in 6 games under Ivan, with a record of 1 win, 2 draws and 3 losses, and since the final round of the round of 36 against Korea, 3 consecutive defeats have made the team question Ivan's use of troops. If the head coach is not widely trusted, not only will the locker room get out of control, but the effectiveness of the team's technical and tactical execution in the game will also be greatly reduced, which is what the Chinese Football Association is most worried about.
Judging from various factors, the Chinese Football Association is more likely to choose one of the current national men's football echelon coaches to take over the national football team. Serbia coach Djurdjevic in the 2005 U19 national football group and Antonio, the Spain coach in the 2003 U21 national football team, are relatively suitable candidates.
However, the U19 national football team will compete in the final stage of the U20 Asian Cup in February next year, and as a team of appropriate age for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, it will bear the heavy responsibility of impacting the Olympic Games. At this juncture, the selection of Djurdjevic to "firefight" the national football team will have an adverse impact on the preparation of the U19 national football team.
The U21 national team will not participate in the 7th U23 Asian Cup qualifiers until September next year, and it is worth noting that Antonio was able to get hired by the Chinese Football Association again, mainly because of his overall satisfactory record in leading the team in the past. During the U20 Asian Cup last year, Antonio led the former U20 national football team in the 2003 age group to the top 8, and the current international player Baihelam is one of the players reused by Antonio. After coaching in the past few years, Antonio also has a considerable understanding of the situation in Chinese football.
In the just-concluded Changsha International Football Invitational Tournament, Antonio led the U21 national football team to win 2 wins and 1 draw to win the runner-up. Although his idea of using troops with heavy defense and simple style of play has also been questioned by the outside world, the main problem that plagues the current Chinese team is precisely the lack of defense.
Overall, Antonio will be the main candidate suitable to take over the national football team at the moment. In addition, the Football Association selects national echelon coaches, which can also save costs.
It is understood that Ivankovic returned to Beijing on the afternoon of the 11th, and then will communicate with the Chinese Football Association. Whether the Football Association decides to change the manager, or what kind of new coach to choose, the answer will soon be clear.
Text/Beiqing Sports Xiao Yun