CHENGDU, September 9 (Reporter Bian Liqun) "We must maintain enough respect for the World Preliminary Tournament, because our ultimate goal is to impact the World Cup. At the press conference, national coach Jankovic once again made clear the team's goals.

On the evening of the 9th, the national football team will warm up against Malaysia during the international break. The opponent has been on the rise of late, which is a good warm-up for the national team, which will meet Thailand in the opening match of the World Qualifiers.

National football team and Malaysia team pre-match press conference. Photo by China News Network reporter Bian Liqun

Target World Cup

This training camp in Chengdu is the third training camp led by national football coach Jankovic after taking office, and the team will play against Malaysia and Syria.

The national football team previously assembled on the 2nd and began formal training on the 3rd. Jankovic continued his habit of training on the field in the morning. It is understood that the team made a simple recovery on the first training day, followed by two consecutive days of practice a day, and gradually reduced the intensity of training a few days before the game.

National football training before matches. Photo by China News Network reporter Bian Liqun

According to the arrangement, the national football team has four warm-up opportunities left before the first match of the World Qualifiers in November, so each training camp is crucial for the team.

Jankovic also said that he would seize the opportunity of training camp to further test himself and fill in the gaps by facing different types of opponents, while gathering further information for the World Preliminary Round and the Asian Cup early next year.

During the pre-match training of the national football team. Photo by China News Network reporter Bian Liqun

Speaking about the Asian round of 36 of this year's World Qualifiers, the winners of the national football team are in the same group as South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Guam, and Jankovic made it clear that the goal is to reach the World Cup.

'We have to have enough respect for the World Cup because our ultimate goal is to hit the World Cup and we are bound to meet strong opponents along the way.'

"To represent the country, you must have enough sense of honor, represent the country to fight, and win the game. We all understand that the World Cup is the highest stage. Hopefully, we will be ready before the World Qualifiers start. Jankovic said.

National football coach Jankovic (left) and captain Wu Xi. Photo by China News Network reporter Bian Liqun

Simulating the first match of the World Preliminary Tournament

The match between the national football team and Malaysia can be described as a long time, and the last time the two sides met was 10 years ago. That time, the national football team won 2-0 at home.

In recent years, the Malaysian team has risen rapidly, from 5th in the world ranking five years ago to 178th today. They broke through from the Asian Preliminary Round and qualified for the Asian Cup after 136 years.

Malaysia also beat Thailand 1-0 in the first leg of the semi-finals at the Southeast Asian Championship in January.

In the warm-up match with Syria on the 6th, Malaysia scored 2 goals in the second half to tie the score, and even kicked Syria very embarrassed.

With the blessing of many naturalized players on the central axis, this Malaysian team, ranked 136th, is actually not to be underestimated.

For the national football team, it will be a predictable tough battle, and the warm-up value is quite high.

The venue of the national football team's warm-up match - Chengdu Phoenix Mountain Football Stadium. Photo by China News Network reporter Bian Liqun

Chinese football in the trough

Compared with the preparations for previous World Preliminary Tournaments, today's national football team can be described as a "trough in the trough".

Due to the previous 20 years of ignoring youth training, the national team is currently young, and more than half of the players in this training are over 30 years old.

And Chinese football is currently at the point of the anti-corruption storm. The professional league clubs that support the national team are also generally facing an existential crisis.

With the combination of various factors, it is foreseeable that the road to the World Cup will be very difficult.

Therefore, for today's national football team, it is a more realistic consideration to do what they should do and play their best level under limited conditions.

The national football team stepped on the field training before the game. Photo by China News Network reporter Bian Liqun

After Jankovic took office, the national football team won 1 draw and 1 defeat in the two legs away to New Zealand, with scores 0:0 and 1:2 respectively.

In the last training in Dalian, the national football team played at home for the first time in more than two years, defeating Myanmar 4:0 and Nick Palestine 2:0, further polishing the squad.

And it can be seen that the national football team is very hard from top to bottom, and the players are also working the field. Although the process was a little bumpy, this is the meaning of the warm-up game and the only way to grind the lineup.

Players need to give their best on the pitch, and off the pitch, they can't do without the support of the fans.

Although Chinese football is at a low ebb, the Chengdu training, including the previous Dalian training, the national football team has been warmly welcomed by fans.

Jankovic also expressed his happiness and gratitude at the pre-match press conference, "We have to play these two games well and reward them with victories. (End)