Wei Shihao is no longer young, and despite his individuality, he will cherish his time with the national team. Ivan Kozlovic is different from Li Tie; he doesn't throw players' phones and "wins people over with virtue." Wei Shihao, seen by Marcello Lippi as a "special case," would not dare to challenge a coach with European football concepts, as there's no need for it. Professional players should be proud to play for their country, and Wei Shihao is no exception. The atmosphere within the current national team is unprecedentedly harmonious.
In an interview, Wei Shihao said, "Many new faces have joined the team, and I'm one of the older players. I need to take good care of them." This awareness is also a sign of progress. Not counting the current World Cup qualifiers, Wei Shihao can probably only participate in one more qualifying campaign. Chinese fans have bid farewell to wave after wave of national team players, including Zheng Zhi, Gao Lin, and Hao Junmin, who have all retired, as well as Zhang Linpeng and Wu Xi leaving the national team. Wei Shihao isn't foolish; making it to the World Cup is what truly matters!
Suddenly, I remembered a movie called "Please Praise Me!" Wei Shihao may not necessarily need "praise," but his transformation reflects a personal awakening that benefits the overall atmosphere of the national team. Ivan Kozlovic rarely singles out individual players for praise, but he did praise Wei Shihao. On January 15th, according to reports from Dongti, recently Wei Shihao, as a mainstay of the current squad, has taken the lead in implementing the coaching staff's requirements, and Ivan praised Wei Shihao for his role in mentoring and leading by example.
Even Wei Shihao supports the Ivan coaching staff, so there are no "troublemakers" in the national team! Of course, the team has undergone profound changes, and the overall atmosphere is getting better and better. This is not only due to Ivan Kozlovic's leadership but also the result of the crackdown on corruption in football and the Chinese Football Association's recent focus on ideological work. According to another report from Jinwan Evening News, for Wu Lei, the "ceiling" of local forwards, Ivan Kozlovic will not abandon him. After Wu Lei recovers, the national team's forward line will still need him.
Wu Lei returned to Shanghai early and will undergo surgery this week. He will definitely miss some early-season matches and the two 18-strong matches in March. According to analysis by Dongti, Wu Lei is expected to return in June and will not miss the entire season. If all goes well, Wu Lei may return on June 5th when the national team visits Indonesia and on June 10th when they host Bahrain.
On January 14th, during the national team training, Bai Helamu did not appear. He temporarily left the national team to represent Guangdong in the first leg of the Provincial-Hong Kong Cup. After the match, he will return to the national team for continued training.
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