In the early morning of the 29th, Beijing time, the Tajikistan team, which is temporarily ranked 106th in the world and 19th in Asia, eliminated the United Arab Emirates team, which is now ranked 64th in the world and 8th in Asia, through a penalty shootout in the 1 8 finals of the Asian Cup, thus ranking among the top 8 of the Asian Cup for the first time. This Asian Cup newcomer with 9 returnees and 4 naturalized players shook the entire Asian football scene in this way. Behind the success is the careful tuning of the team by coach Seguert. According to the data, among the 24 teams participating in the Asian Cup, except for the seeded teams Japan, Australia, and Iran, which are coached by local coaches, the remaining 21 teams are led by foreign coaches. Due to their different coaching levels and styles, they have led the team for different lengths and achieved different results. However, its experience and even lessons in selecting foreign coaches can actually provide a lot of reference for the Chinese team that is waiting to be selected as a coach.
Seggert. In Doha, the venue of the Asian Cup, Tajikistan's coach Segert, who looks like Albert Einstein, impressed most with his smile and optimism. However, in the eyes of key players such as Yatimov, the Croatian coach is very double-faced. In training, he is so strict that he sometimes feels "suffocating", but in addition to training and competition, he is an absolutely kind little old man. Sehgal, who has a clear distinction between public and private affairs and a rigorous management of the army, has brought this young team with a complex composition of personnel unprecedentedly united.
Before the start of this Asian Cup, the Tajikistan team was temporarily ranked 106th in the world. It is precisely because of their first participation in the Asian Cup that they are ranked in Pot 4 of the tournament according to the rules. But anyone who has watched the Group A group stage will conclude that Tajikistan is resilient. The team's ability to reach the top 8 in its first trip to the Asian Cup is naturally inseparable from its own strength, but in the eyes of the AFC and foreign media, Seigert has the ability to turn stones into gold in terms of reusing young players and kneading the team.
Segert officially took over the Tajikistan team at the beginning of 2022 and has accelerated the team's personnel change over the past two years. The average age of the Tajikistan team in the Asian Cup is 24At 62 years old, it is about 6 years lower than the average age of players when Seguert first took over. In this Tajikistan team, there are only two players over the age of 30, and there are 10 players of Olympic age, including 19-year-old midfielder Aini. Such a youth army is more dynamic and more conducive to the implementation of Segert's main promotion of a back four. It can be said that the current results of the Tajikistan team are the result of accumulation.
After the tower team reached the top 8, an AFC competition ** at the game site gave Segelt a thumbs up and commented: "A good coach must be a plus point for a team's record, and Segert did a really good job." ”
Japan coach Hokazu Moriyasu.
It takes a long time to prove the coach's ability to coach. According to the data, among the 24 teams participating in this Asian Cup, except for the Japanese team, the Australian team, and the Iranian team, which are coached by local coaches, the remaining 21 teams are all led by foreign coaches. Japan coach Moriyasu Mori.
1. Australian coach Alexander-Arnold took over the team almost simultaneously in July 2018. In other words, they have completed their respective coaching assignments from the last four-year cycle. With the trust of their respective football associations and the support of their fans, they achieved their goals and were given the opportunity to lead the team in the next four-year cycle. The Iranian team has been at a high level for many years, and they need the icing on the cake from their coach after many years of success in Asian football.
If Japan, Australia, and Iran continue to rely on their own hard power in Asian football, then the other 21 teams in the Asian Cup have pursued the added value of their competitiveness by selecting foreign coaches. However, due to the uneven teaching level and experience of foreign teachers, the coaching effect is also different. For example, as the shortest-serving coach of any team in this Asian Cup, Lebanon coach Radulovic did not take over the team until the end of last year, and the team was eliminated from the group stage before the coaches had time to get along.
Japanese coach Masata Ishii, who only succeeded Polkin after the first two rounds of the round of 36 in November last year, has previously served as the team's technical director for a long time. Before Polkin's dismissal, Ishii Masataka had received a "hint of receiving the team" from the Thai Football Association, so whether it was the selection of personnel or the design of technical and tactical play, Ishii Masataka had made full preparations. They made it to the round of 16, and it was certainly not a stroke of luck.
Masata Ishii (right).
In fact, in addition to the Tajikistan team, the Indonesian team also entered the knockout round of the Asian Cup for the first time. Although they were eliminated by Australia 0-4 in the 1 8 finals due to their lack of game experience and physical ability. But for most of the game, the team tried to take the initiative, and their delicate footwork in local spaces also drew cheers from fans on both sides. After the game, the Indonesian fans at the scene were not depressed, although they were regretful. An Indonesian fan told a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily: "The Indonesian team has made very obvious progress under the leadership of Coach Shen Tailong. This team is not afraid of any opponent on the pitch, which is already quite remarkable. ”
Since taking over the team at the end of 2019, Shen Tailong has been in this position for 4 years. It is precisely because of him and the Indonesian Football Association's "two-way running" that the Indonesian team has made history for the team. Comparatively speaking, another South Korean coach, Kim Ju-kun, was unlucky. His Malaysian team was unfortunately in the same group as the favourites South Korea, Jordan and Bahrain, the two finalists in West Asia. However, after two consecutive defeats in the group stage and confirmed early exit, Malaysia drew 3-3 with South Korea in the final round, which was staggering. Although the South Korean team has aroused suspicion that it is "suspected of releasing water to avoid the Japanese team in advance", if the Malaysian team's attackers are not proficient in shooting, I am afraid that they will not be able to "cooperate" with the opponent to stage this drama. Similar to Shin Tai Long's situation, Kim was invited by the Malaysian Football Association about a year ago. Before Kim took over the team, he served as the head of the technical department of the Korean Football Association national team for a long time. In terms of employing people, he is also discerning.
Shen Tailong. Half of the teams in the round of 16 of this Asian Cup have coaches from Europe. This also reflects the current trend of using foreign coaches in Asian football. Among the other 8 teams, except for 3 teams led by local coaches, the remaining 5 teams have coaches from Japan (Thailand), South Korea (Indonesia), Morocco (Jordan), Tunisia (Palestine), and Argentina (Syria). They have a variety of coaching abilities and styles, but most of them have been in their current positions for more than two years.
When the Asian Cup entered the knockout stage of competition, the Chinese team was still scratching its head for a new round of coach selection. As it is now less than two months away from the resumption of the round of 36 in late March, the Chinese Football Association is indeed urgent in the selection of coaches. However, the urgency of time is not a reason to blindly follow the selection of a manager. Combined with the successful examples of the teams in this Asian Cup, the Football Associations of the top 16 are carefully selected coaches after research and judgment. And the strong coaches who arrive at the post can generally get a contract with a relatively long cooperation cycle. This also reflects from one side that the associations have an attitude of "employing people without suspicion and doubting people" on the issue of selecting commanders.
Choi Kang-hee. At present, rumors surrounding the change of coach of the Chinese team are coming and going. The two South Korean coaches Choi Kang-hee and Xu Zhengyuan, who served as the coaches of the Chinese Super League Shandong Taishan and Chengdu Rongcheng teams respectively, have been mentioned many times by relevant rumors, and the rumors of "changing coaches" are also Queiroz and Ivankovic (who has just stepped down as the coach of the Oman team) and other Asian football experts. It is understood that the Chinese Football Association has recently learned and mastered the information of alternative coaches through various channels. Combined with the various problems and drawbacks encountered in the previous coach selection work, the Chinese Football Association should be cautious in this coach selection to "avoid lightning", should not be swayed by the best voice, but should insist on judging from a professional perspective, and choose a coach who is suitable for the current Chinese football, has a mature coaching concept, and can get started quickly.
Text: Beijing Youth Daily, Doha, Qatar, Special Correspondent, Xiao Yun.
Edited by Xu Zhao.