Rumors are swirling that the Chinese men's soccer team is about to usher in a new year's training season. According to a Beiqing reporter's tip-off, the domestic club tournaments and the AFC Cup schedule may face changes due to a number of factors. It is reported that the third round of the AFC Cup may be arranged in mid-December, if this plan comes true, the Super League's finale may need to be postponed to December 31st.
Nonetheless, the final of the 2022 FA Cup season has been tentatively scheduled for January 15, 2023. With the Lunar New Year approaching, the players are in dire need of a vacation to rejoice with their families. As a result, the national football team is expected to resume centralized training after the Chinese New Year, i.e. late January or early February.
As for the selection of the national football team, there is no conclusion yet. On the one hand, the local coach Li Xiaopeng's contract has not yet been terminated, if you need to terminate the contract, must go through the statutory procedures. On the other hand, the Football Association needs to fully consider the future reorganization of the national team, including the construction planning with other echelon. At present, the selection of the coach is still in the internal discussion stage.
Given Qatar's experience in the World Qualifiers and the current state of the national team, hiring a foreign coach familiar with Asian soccer may be a wise choice. However, the choice of candidate is affected by a variety of factors such as the coach's ability, experience, price and so on. Judging from the current situation of the domestic soccer world, it is impossible for the FA to pursue the so-called famous coaches without limitations. As for Jankovic, although his name has been mentioned within the FA, there is still no clear answer as to whether he will coach the national soccer team.
The Hangzhou Asian Games has been postponed to September-October next year, and the 2026 World Preliminary Asian Championships will also start on October 9 next year. This means that the Asian Games, World Qualifiers and Asian Cup will be played intensively. Considering that Jankovic may be holding two jobs, such an arrangement does not seem to be reasonable.
The selection of the head coach of the national football team will also affect the analysis of the team's opponents in tournaments such as the World Qualifiers and the Asian Cup. As the 2023 Asian Cup may be extended to January 2024, changes in international rankings will have an impact on the groupings of the national soccer team. If the new manager can familiarize himself with the opponents, it will undoubtedly be very beneficial to the next coaching work.
