Sports Weekly All-Media Reporter Wang Xiaorui reported in Beijing
After the World Cup 18, Ivan did not make any farewell statement after the game, and began to look forward to the East Asian Cup held in South Korea next month. Should we leave or stay in the future? His situation also received high attention from the Croatian media – “The winner is facing dismissal, while the loser is given support.” After the Chinese team played against Bahrain, “Osiyek Today” focused on the different fates of Ivan and his opponent Tarajichi with such a title.
It’s a coincidence that because they all come from Croatia, this China-Pakistan battle is also regarded as the “Croatian derby” in the round of 18. As a result, he followed his narrow victory away in November last year. This time, Ivan led the Chinese team to score 3 points again, and he also won the final victory at the last moment. However, as the winning side, Ivan’s situation is very different from that of Tarajichi.
“After this game, the Chinese team ranked fifth in the group, and the Bahrain team ranked sixth in the group. Both teams lost the opportunity to participate in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers play-offs. But what is more interesting is that rumors spread from the Chinese media that Ivankovic will be fired by the Chinese Football Association, on the grounds that the Chinese national team missed the World Cup. However, when the team lost the World Cup qualification a few days ago, the Bahrain Football Association firmly expressed its support for Tarajic, claiming that the Bahrain team is on the right track.”
It is obvious that this Croatian media is puzzled by the different experiences of the two coaches. Especially for Ivan: “The last time the Chinese team advanced to the World Cup was in 2002, 23 years ago. Since then, the Chinese team has almost replaced 14 or 5 coaches, and their results have deteriorated.At present, the Chinese team ranks 94th in the FIFA rankings, and the Bahrain ranks 84th. There is a saying on Chinese social media: “Is it really the teacher’s fault that the poor students can’t get into prestigious universities?” Do you always change coaches, but never think about whether it is our problem? ’, ‘The world’s top coaches like Lippi come to coach and cannot achieve ideal results yet. Is it really a problem for the coach? ’”
In the media’s view, as the only Croatian coach who has competed with two national teams in the World Cup (the assistant coach of the Croatian team in the 1998 World Cup, the head coach of the Iran team in the 2006 World Cup), Ivan has rich experience in international competitions. Including his club coaching career, he has also won it in Croatia, China and IranHe won the league championship and even won the second place in the AFC Champions League. As Tarajic said after the game: “Blanco (referring to Ivan) is one of the best coaches in our country, and the Chinese should be happy to have a coach like him.”
Osijek Today also believes that the transition between the old and the old is one of Ivan’s biggest gains during this time in coaching the Chinese team: “In last year’s Asian Cup, the average age of the Chinese national team was the highest among all participating teams. In the past year and over a year, Ivankovic has brought 12 or 13 young players to the national team, and they are undoubtedly an important talent base for the Chinese team in the future.” The media said bluntly: “But unfortunately, without continuity, nothing will improve, and football is no exception.” It goes without saying that Ivan’s position as a coach may not be guaranteed, and this Croatian media does not understand very much.
It is worth mentioning that after the end of the round of 18, Ivan has not made a clear statement on his personal stay or leave so far. It is reported that he will return to Croatia for vacation this weekend. When will he return to China? There is no clear definite theory yet.