DOHA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Focus on yourself to meet the challenges of the Asian Cup.
Interview with Chinese men's football head coach Jankovic.
Xinhua News Agency reporters Su Xiaopo, Xiao Shiyao, Liu Bo.
The Qatar Men's Football Asian Cup will start on the 12th, and the big battle is imminent. A few days ago, national football coach Jankovic accepted an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency reporters, saying that the key to preparing for the game is to focus on himself.
The Chinese team is in Group A with Qatar, Tajikistan and Lebanon in this Asian Cup. On the 13th, the Chinese team will play against Tajikistan in the first group stage.
In the previous round of 36 of the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup Asian Qualifiers, the national football team won one win and one loss in two games, and Jankovic said that the team must continue to move forward on this basis and strive to achieve good results in the Asian Cup.
I'm very happy and honored to be part of this competition. It was also an important experience and a wonderful experience for me. When it comes to the competition, we are all very motivated, clear-headed and full of energy. We will come to the race with a positive outlook and greater ambition. Jankovic said.
During the three-week training camp in Abu Dhabi, the Chinese team played four warm-up matches against Oman, Hong Kong, China and two local UAE clubs, with two wins and two losses. Among them, the Chinese team lost 0:2 and 1:2 to Oman and Hong Kong, China respectively, and the team's form still needs to be adjusted.
In this regard, Jankovic said: "We will train more intensively at the beginning, and the players will be a little heavier in the warm-up games. But I have a purpose in doing so, and we need to be ready for the tough test of the Asian Cup. So, I put the results of these warm-up races on the back burner as well. For the first ten days of preparation, we had a heavy load. But now we're getting better, our legs are getting lighter and we're more able to play. We've got a lot of fitness ready for the Asian Cup. ”
Jankovic also said: "A lot of the players from other teams are playing in the league, and although we don't have players in all positions compared to them, we have more energy. We have adapted our preparations so that players in all positions can be at their best during the tournament. ”
Talking about the first opponent of the group stage, Tajikistan, Jankovic said that because it is a technical and tactical issue, he cannot reveal too much, but it is certain that the national football team is fully prepared for the game. "Not only did we confirm the starting line-up for Tajikistan, but we also knew how we would play this game. ”
Not long ago, the Lebanese team and the Qatar team both changed their head coaches, and Jankovic said that the national football team will still focus on itself. "We don't pay that much attention to them. If we perform at our best and put our full focus, then we can compete with the top teams in Asia. We know they've all changed coaches, so they're definitely going to have some new ideas. We're going to update some of the information we have, but we're going to stick to our philosophy and try to get out of our game and get them used to us. ”
Commenting on the match against hosts and defending champions Qatar, Jankovic said once on the pitch it was all about 11-on-11. It doesn't matter if it's against the host or not, whether it's home or away, it's just one game. "I'm just focused on the game plan. Qatar, like every other team in the world, has strengths and weaknesses and we are ready to exploit their weaknesses and attack to win the game. ”
Talking about the selection criteria for this Asian Cup, Jankovic said that the players he chooses should be able to understand all the requirements he asks of the team, have a good mentality, can dedicate themselves to the team, and can play a number of high-intensity games in a short period of time.
All the players are very eager to be here, they are very professional and they are very committed to the team. They are happy to represent their country, so they will definitely contribute to a good result in the Asian Cup. Jankovic said.
Jankovic revealed that Zhang Yuning, Wang Qiuming and other players who had been injured before are gradually recovering, and the team's goal is to be able to stay healthy before the first game.
What positive impact will the experience of this Asian Cup have on the future World Qualifiers? Jankovic said that playing with Asia's top teams is a valuable experience for the national football team, which can broaden their horizons and understand their own abilities. "I believe in the players and we believe we have a lot of potential," he said. Hopefully, we will go further in this Asian Cup, play a strong game, and prepare for the next World Preliminary Tournament, which will be a valuable experience." (ENDS).