2024-01-16 17:44:34
The starting lineup for the second game of the national football group stage faces adjustments
Zhang Yuning has high demand for starting the game. First team captain Wu Xi may come back.
At 19:30 Beijing time today, the Chinese team will face the second opponent of the Asian Cup group stage, the Lebanese team, at the Toumama Stadium in Doha. Since they drew with Tajikistan in the first game, scoring all 3 points is undoubtedly the goal of the national football team in the second game. Combined with the problems exposed in the first game, the Chinese team is likely to make personnel adjustments in several key positions in the midfield and frontcourt. Rather than making technical adjustments, the Chinese team, which is under pressure, needs to clear away psychological barriers and play a normal game.
The first round of problems are more psychological
Currently, the Chinese and Lebanese teams are ranked 79th and 107th in the world respectively. As the fourth-tier team in Group A, the Lebanon team is ranked one place lower than the Tajikistan team in the world. Although they lost to the host Qatar team 0-3 in the first round, the Lebanese forward players represented by Saad had outstanding personal abilities and better physical conditions than Tajikistan players.
As Song Kai, chairman of the Chinese Football Association, said, if the Chinese team does not perform well in games, it must first find the reasons within itself. Taking the first round of the group stage as an example, the Chinese team did not turn around the situation and create scoring opportunities through personnel adjustments until the second half of the second half. Compared with most of the starting players who walk heavily and are afraid of taking the ball, the substitute players Zhang Yuning, Lin Liangming, Xie Pengfei, and Xu Xin appear particularly confident and activate the whole team. This shows that there are not only technical reasons behind the change of scene, but also psychological reasons.
It is understood that in addition to normal training in recent days, the Chinese team has also had more exchanges between coaches and staff and players. Assistant coaches Zheng Zhi, Shao Jiayi, Chen Tao and other former national players have assisted coach Jankovic in daily life to provide psychological counseling to the players and help them relieve the tension of the competition.
Zhang Yuning has a high voice for starting the game
Judging from the results of the first round of the group stage, Jankovic’s formation is indeed questionable. For example, the ball turnover rate of some starting players exceeded 80% in the game. Some players hesitated during the team’s offensive and defensive transitions, which either caused danger to the defense or delayed the opportunity. Comparing the performance of several substitute players, the Chinese team’s coaching staff is likely to make considerable adjustments to the starting lineup in today’s game.
In fact, after the first round of the game, there were already high calls for Zhang Yuning to start. Although Tan Long is dedicated to his responsibilities, it is really difficult for a striker who is over 35 years old to frequently drop back to support and assist in defense. What the Chinese team needs most right now is to improve their scoring ability. It’s no wonder that after the match between China and Tajikistan, some media reporters and fans lamented, “Even if Zhang Yuning, Lin Liangming, and Xie Pengfei had played ten minutes earlier, they would have scored.”
Wu Xi may make a comeback in this game
In addition to the variables in the selection of strikers, the national football team may also make certain adjustments in the midfield position. On the 15th, Wu Xi, who had not touched the ball for two weeks, returned to the joint training lineup. As the first captain, he may come back in this crucial battle. Xu Xin, who came on as a substitute in the last round and performed well, is also likely to get more playing time in this game.
It is worth noting that the Lebanese team has one more day of rest than the Chinese team. Therefore, the Chinese team needs to enter a high-intensity confrontation from the beginning of the game. From this perspective, Jankovic must start as many players with stronger running abilities as possible.
Data shows that the Chinese and Lebanese teams have met 5 times in official matches, with the Chinese team having an absolute advantage with 4 wins and 1 draw. The most recent match between the two sides took place in November 2009. In the World Cup preliminaries in South Africa at that time, the Chinese team defeated its opponents at home and away without conceding a goal. It is worth mentioning that the referee team of this game is from South Korea. Jankovic repeatedly reminded that it is not the referee’s whistle that dominates the game, but the players’ own feet.
Text/reporter Xiao Nan
Source: Beijing Youth Daily
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