According to the schedule, the Chinese national football team will face Saudi Arabia and Australia in two matches of the top 18 in March. In order to grab more points and help them compete for a second-place finish, the coaching staff has temporarily decided to arrange a training camp, which will take place from January 9th to 18th. Now, all the players participating in the training have been confirmed. According to the official news from the Football Association, the new training list of the national football team totals 32 people, and here are the specific details:
Compared to the national team list from last November, this time there are 8 additions and 3 omissions. Among the players who did not make the list are Liu Dianzuo, Jiang Guangtai, and Wu Lei. The newcomers to the list during Ivan Kozlovic's tenure include Hou Yongyong, Huang Zhengyu, Maiwulong, Yang Liyu, Jian Tao, Han Pengfei, Wu Shaocong, and Wumiti Jiang.
Statistics show that the average age of the new training list for the national team is 26.7 years old, with a total of 11 post-00s players, reflecting head coach Ivan Kozlovic's determination to continue promoting the rejuvenation of the national team. His boldness in using players even surpasses that of the previous Italian master coach Marcello Lippi.
Before the list was announced, fans thought that head coach Ivan Kozlovic would not make major adjustments to the national team lineup. However, unexpectedly, he made a bold move by recruiting 8 new players at once, especially naturalized player Hou Yongyong. This is his first selection for the national team after obtaining citizenship. Last season, he played in the second-tier league in Norway, scoring 19 goals and providing 8 assists, eventually winning the league's Golden Boot and Best Player award, showing an excellent performance.
Next, Hou Yongyong will undergo evaluation by head coach Ivan Kozlovic during the training in Haikou, and may have the opportunity to represent the national team in the top 18 matches.
In addition, Ivan Kozlovic made an even bolder decision to start the process of updating and replacing the goalkeeper position, abandoning the 34-year-old veteran Liu Dianzuo, who never got a chance to play in the top 36, top 18, or Asian Cup, only serving as the third-choice goalkeeper for the national team.
Now that Liu Dianzuo has been dropped, the goalkeeper Jian Tao, who also plays for Chengdu Rongcheng, has received an opportunity and will follow the national team for training to prepare for the top 18 matches.
Currently, the main goalkeeper for the national team is still Wang Dalei, with Yan Junling firmly holding the second-choice position. The third-choice goalkeeper will be competed for by Han Jiaqi and Jian Tao, among whom Jian Tao is 23 years old and the youngest of the four goalkeepers. In the future, he will compete with Han Jiaqi for the number one goalkeeper spot.