China national football team roster features only one new face, Shao Jiayis steadiness as the main focus, while also considering U23 national team building

Questioning AI · Why did Shao Jiani insist on a stable lineup before the warm-up matches?

On the morning of March 20, the Chinese Football Association announced the latest China men’s national team training roster. In terms of personnel, although as many as nine players who participated in the U23 Asian Cup were selected, most of them have previously been part of the national team. The only new face is Shanghai Port’s right-back Yang Xi. From this perspective, the young head coach Shao Jiani has not made significant strides in the team’s youth development. Facing the upcoming two warm-up matches, he still chose stability as the priority.

The nine U23 players selected are Yang Xi, Xu Bin, Kuai Jiwen, Liu Chengyu, Wang Yudong, Wumiti Jiang Yusup, Hu Hetao, Liu Haofan, and Bai Helamu. The first five are under 21. According to the original plan, goalkeeper Li Haoyuan, who helped the U23 team win second place at the Asian Cup, was also supposed to be included in the senior team, but he was ultimately not selected due to injury during the league. Hu Hetao, Bai Helamu, Wang Yudong, and Liu Chengyu are already regulars in the senior team, while Wumiti Jiang, Kuai Jiwen, Liu Haofan, and Xu Bin have also been part of previous national team training camps.

Notably, Shenhua forward Liu Chengyu, who was not selected for the U23 Asian Cup squad, has rejoined the national team roster. Liu Chengyu has appeared in all matches of the first two rounds of the Chinese Super League this season. Although he hasn’t scored yet, his performance has impressed the coaching staff led by Shao Jiani.

According to the plan, the Chinese men’s team will gather in Shanghai on March 22 and fly to Sydney that evening to participate in two international friendlies. On March 27, they will face Curaçao, which has qualified for the World Cup finals, and on March 31, they will play against African powerhouse Cameroon. The strength of these two teams is well known, and these warm-up matches are highly valuable for the team’s development. Perhaps considering the pressure of results, Shao Jiani decided to keep the lineup stable.

Shao Jiani did not include more young players partly because the U23 team will also be training simultaneously and participating in an international invitational tournament in Xi’an. If he had recruited more players under 23, it would have affected the U23 team’s preparation. This September, the team coached by Antonio Puche will participate in the Nagoya Asian Games, which is another major task for Chinese football this year.

After the senior national team announced its training roster, the U23 team also soon released its list. Although the inclusion of nine eligible players affects the team’s preparation, it also provides Antonio with more opportunities to observe talented players of the same age. Among them, Li Xinxiang from Port, who missed the U23 Asian Cup due to injury, was reselected. Wang Shiqin, who was absent from the Asian Cup due to an unprofessional act during warm-ups, returned to the team. Zhu Pengyu, who missed out on the U23 Asian Cup at the last minute, was also included. Additionally, Wizi Xian from Qingdao Hainiu, who played full matches in the first two rounds of the Chinese Super League, has been selected; this 20-year-old has already proven his ability on the professional stage. Right-back Zhang Yingkai from Chongqing Tongliang Long was also included, likely to fill the gaps left by Hu Hetao and Yang Xi’s selections for the senior team.

According to the schedule, the U23 team will face Thailand U23 (25th), North Korea U23 (28th), and Vietnam U23 (31st) in Xi’an.

To ensure the highest quality training and matches for both teams, Shao Jiani and Antonio Puche have maintained close communication. The compromises made in player selection are unavoidable.