National football midfielders, Yang Mingyang and Serginho are the biggest variables?

Reporter Chen Yong reports Based on the situation of the midfield and defense, if the national football team wants to play to its strengths and avoid its weaknesses, the play of midfielders is very crucial. On the other hand, they also have to help defend themselves. In this case, how the two naturalized players Serginho and Yang Mingyang perform is important, and can they strengthen the midfield of the national football team?

The biggest difference between the last two round of 18 matches and the past is that the national football team has an excellent all-round player in the front court, Serginho.

Serginho played in the last 18 of the last stage, but due to a long absence from the competition, his form was average, and he came off the bench for 45 minutes in the match between the national football team and Australia.

Since the 3rd round of the Chinese Super League, Serginho has made 9 starts in 10 appearances, playing an average of 68 minutes per game, and since the 7th round of the Chinese Super League, he has contributed 3 goals and 2 assists in 7 rounds, in addition, he has averaged 20 key passes, 1.1 tackles, 0.2 interceptions, and 1 clearance per game.

Serginho is a player who can play the number 10 and number 8 positions, and in an interview with this newspaper, he said that he prefers the number 10 position, which is also a position that is difficult for local players in the national football team. Taking past games as an example, Ivan sometimes had to arrange Wei Shihao to play as a striker, but he played more on the wing or as a striker in the league, which was not suitable and the effect was average.

Now, with Serginho, the national football team has multiple options, and he is the most suitable forward midfielder. Of course, if you talk about the front midfield of the 442 diamond position and the front of the 4231, it is obvious that the latter is more suitable for him, because it can give full play to his ability to organize and score. In the tactical system of Guoan 352, Serginho and Dawan and Gonzalo form a three-center midfielder, with guaranteed midfield thickness, or directly partner with Fabio in the front, completely attack-oriented. Judging from the league situation, whether it is in the forward midfield or in the forward position, Serginho's play is okay.

On the contrary, if it is a diamond-shaped forward midfielder, Serginho may need to take care of defense, of course, the national football team can also let the two full-backs help defend more and reduce his defensive pressure. Of course, Serginho can be directly on the front line, but the national football team does not have a suitable forward midfielder, and this arrangement may not be more effective.

Yang Mingyang joined Nantong in the 2021 season, played in the 2021 season and 2022 season, and played in the Chinese Super League in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Since Nantong has been fighting for relegation, Yang Mingyang has not received more attention.

After joining Rongcheng this season, Yang Mingyang won recognition from the outside world, starting 10 times in 12 games in 13 rounds, averaging 77 minutes per game, and scoring 2 goals. You must know that the strength of the midfielders in Rongcheng is very strong, and in the case of Romulo and Zhou Dingyang's ironclad main force, Yang Mingyang has surpassed Maitijiang, Liao Lisheng and Yan Dinghao and other powerful factions.

The midfield strength of the national football team is not enough, Yang Mingyang will theoretically have more opportunities to perform, especially in the position of defensive back, for a long time, the national football team has only Wang Shangyuan to support, the substitute players are mainly Huang Zhengyu and Wang Haijian, but Huang Zhengyu has not been fully recognized by Ivan, Wang Haijian because of the league playing time is also not on the list, in this case, Yang Mingyang, who transferred in time, is very important.

In addition to the defensive back, Yang Mingyang also brought another possibility, that is, the use of double backs, considering Serginho's comprehensive offensive ability in the frontcourt, objectively speaking, the 4231 formation is actually more suitable for the national football team, which can strengthen the midfield.

If you want to qualify for the play-offs, winning against Indonesia is a big prerequisite, and Ivan also stated that he wants to play offensive football, but not simply pile up forwards. Moreover, Indonesia also hopes to complete the battle at home and is more likely to take the initiative to attack, and the national football team's choice of a more stable 4231 formation is not only in line with the characteristics of the existing players, but also more suitable for the actual situation of the game.

Of course, Ivan generally does not change his tactical system easily, and if he continues to play in a diamond-shaped midfield, the two wing-backs will have to take on more responsibility.