With September approaching and a warm-up match between the national soccer team and Syria looming, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) has hastily announced a new national soccer team list, which has sparked concern from all sides.
In the face of time pressure and Coach Jankovic's lack of experience in coaching in the Chinese Super League, there were few changes to the national soccer team's roster this time around, with veterans still making up the majority of the roster. However, the figure of some recent underperforming veterans in this list, as well as the collective selection of Shanghai Harbor's eight players, has stirred up a storm of heated debate among fans.
The list features eight players from the Harbour team, including Yan Junling, Wu Lei and Zhang Linlian, in the spotlight. Despite the fact that these players are regulars in the national team, Harbour Team's recent successive defeats in the league and the AFC Champions League have left the players in a worrying state. In particular, Yan Junling's save success rate is as low as 30%, and Harbour's defense is riddled with holes.
It is worth noting that veterans such as Zhang Linlian and Wang Shenchao have slipped in form and have struggled to hold off rival forwards. The inclusion of Wei Zhen and Li Shuai also sparked controversy, with Wei Zhen having been a fringe player and Li Shuai having outstanding problems in offense and defense. Xu Xin returned to the starting lineup, but his performance was not as good as Shandong Taishan's, and the change in his midfield partner exposed his shortcomings.
Despite this, Harbour still has eight players among the national team. This referee-dependent team will be exposed for what it really is once it loses the support of the referees. Fans are worried about the national soccer team's prospects for the 2026 World Cup, and are even more perplexed by the fact that so many members of the team have been named to the national team.
