Beiqing: Ivankovic Returns to Beijing Tonight; Jiang Zhipeng and Other Veteran Players May Also Be Re-Selected for the National Team

According to Xiao Nan, a reporter for the Beijing Youth Daily, Chinese men’s national football team head coach Ivankovic is scheduled to return to Beijing tonight (July 13). In terms of player selection for the 18-team tournament, in addition to young players, veterans like Jiang Zhipeng also have a possible chance of being reselected.

According to the schedule, several foreign assistant coaches of the Ivankovic coaching team had already returned to Beijing on July 9, while Ivankovic himself will arrive in Beijing on July 13, after which he will officially enter the working state. Next, members of the coaching staff will also watch two CSL matches between Cangzhou Mighty Lions vs Wuhan Three Towns and Shandong Taishan vs Qingdao Seawolves live, to continue evaluating the players.

It is understood that although Ivankovic has previously made it clear that he will boldly use young players in the 18-team tournament, for such competitions, the team also needs some veteran players with rich experience in major tournaments, who can meet the requirements in terms of both ability and physical fitness, to achieve a combination of old and new.

In recent rounds of matches, some veterans who were absent from previous rosters have performed remarkably well, including 35-year-old veteran full-back Jiang Zhipeng.

It is understood that the national team coaching staff does not exclude capable and highly motivated veteran players when selecting internationals. Next, Ivan and his coaching team will comprehensively evaluate newcomers and veterans who have performed well in recent league matches to determine the best squad for the 18-team tournament.