September 10: China National Team Training Squad Revealed, Two Selection Decisions Spark Debate Over Shao Jiayi’s Choices

The China men’s national football team recently announced a new 30-player training squad led by Shao Jiayi. As expected, the announcement triggered extensive discussion and debate among fans. Compared with the surprise inclusion of 17-year-old Tsinghua High School student Zhao Songyuan and the youth wave represented by 18-year-olds Bunyamin and Wang Gengrui, what made this squad seem somewhat puzzling was the striking statistical contrast between certain players and the selection logic revealed by those comparisons.

Particularly noteworthy is Shandong Taishan player Chen Pu. In this season’s Chinese Super League, he has made 20 appearances for Taishan, including 13 starts, playing a total of 1,149 minutes and contributing one goal and three assists. In contrast, Shanghai Port’s Liu Zhurun has made 23 league appearances this season, scoring two goals and providing four assists. Across all competitions, he has made 28 appearances, including 15 starts, recording four goals and four assists. More ironically, on September 1 in the Chinese FA Cup quarterfinal, Liu Zhurun dribbled past Taishan goalkeeper Yu Jinyong by himself in Jinan and scored into an empty net, helping Shanghai Port defeat Chen Pu’s Shandong Taishan 3-0 away from home.

What has caused confusion is that the player selected for the national team was Chen Pu, who had scored only one goal in 20 Chinese Super League matches this season, while Liu Zhurun, who scored a key goal at Taishan’s home ground and helped eliminate the team, was unfortunately left out. It is indeed difficult to immediately understand the logic behind this selection standard.

A closer look at Chen Pu’s performances shows that the 29-year-old enjoyed the peak period of his career in the 2022 Chinese Super League season, scoring eight goals and providing five assists. In 2023, he recorded five goals and three assists. However, in 2024, his goals and assists dropped to two and two respectively. In 2025, he managed only one goal and one assist in 18 matches, while this season he has just one goal and three assists in the league. These figures clearly show a noticeable downward trend.

Some have argued that Chen Pu was repositioned by coach Han Peng this season, transitioning from a free-role midfielder to a left wing-back, and that he showed a positive attitude in the new role, including 23 tackles, 16 interceptions, 24 clearances and 49 successful one-on-one challenges out of 124 attempts, while also contributing through running and defensive support. However, the national team’s attacking options in this training camp were already limited due to players being called up for the Asian Games team. Within the same Shandong Taishan squad, Xie Wenneng made 17 appearances during the same period, starting 16 times, while scoring four goals and providing three assists. Comparing the two players in the same team and period, it is difficult to explain Chen Pu’s selection simply with the word “form.”

Now looking at Liu Zhurun, who also plays on the wing but was not selected. In the 2024 season, he made 10 appearances for Shanghai Port in all competitions without scoring or assisting, and was loaned to Dalian Yingbo to regain form. There, he broke out and became the first active international player in Dalian Yingbo’s history. After returning to Shanghai Port in 2026, he immediately showed excellent form: on April 25 against Wuhan Three Towns, he provided a breakaway-style assist and scored from a tight angle; on May 6 against Shenzhen Peng City, he equalized with a powerful strike; on June 19, he scored in a FA Cup match; and on August 19, he came on as a substitute against former club Dalian Yingbo and provided a crucial assist.

Both are wing players and both are in their prime. One has directly contributed to six goals, while the other has contributed to four. Which player has the stronger case for selection is something fans can judge for themselves.

The second selection decision that raised questions concerns the left-back position. The 31-year-old Liu Yang was selected, while fellow 31-year-old Li Shuai was left out. Liu Yang has not been without highlights this season. On March 14 in the second round of the CSL, Taishan defeated Guoan 2-1, and he recorded eight tackles in the match. On May 24 in the 14th round, he provided two assists in a 3-3 draw with Wuhan Three Towns. On July 10 in the 18th round, he reached the milestone of 200 CSL appearances and provided an assist in a 4-3 win over Yunnan Yukun. He also scored in Taishan’s 2-1 win over Tianjin Jinmen Tiger on August 9 and the 3-1 Shandong derby victory over Qingdao Hainiu on August 14.

However, Liu Yang’s performances in two matches in late August sparked considerable controversy. On August 23 in CSL Round 24, Shandong Taishan surrendered a two-goal lead and lost 5-4 away to Shanghai Shenhua. During the match, Liu Yang was deployed as a left center-back for a period, and an unsuccessful challenge in the 37th minute allowed the opponent to exploit the space behind him, creating a one-on-one chance and equalizing. Just five days later on August 28 in Round 25, Taishan suffered a 3-0 home defeat against Shanghai Port. Liu Yang started as a left wing-back, but his movement toward the center without the ball in the seventh minute directly left the area behind him exposed. Shanghai Port then used a cross from the flank, with a teammate scoring by header. These two key mistakes, one involving losing position after stepping forward and the other involving poor positioning that caused a loss of defensive control, were closely related to goals conceded.

Looking at Li Shuai, on April 17 in CSL Round 6, he started as Shanghai Port’s left-back and played 81 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Shandong Taishan. In that match, he participated in four attacking moves for the team, the most among Shanghai Port players, and the team’s goal came from his left-wing cross that assisted Yang Xi.

What is puzzling is that in this Shao Jiayi-led training squad, Shanghai Port contributed only Yan Junling, Jiang Guangtai and Wei Zhen, with no reinforcement added at left-back. In contrast, Shandong Taishan received four selections: Liu Yang, Gao Zhunyi, Xie Wenneng and Chen Pu. This has led many fans to ask: were these selections based on players’ actual league form, or was familiarity with the players given more weight?

Of course, the background of this national team training camp should also be considered. Players including Zhang Yuning, Zhu Chenjie, Wang Yudong, Hu Hetao and Yang Xi are preparing with the men’s Asian Games team, so this squad retains only 15 players from the June list. Chengdu Rongcheng leads the selections with seven national team players. Six new faces, including Zhao Songyuan, Bunyamin, Wang Gengrui, Yang Mingrui, Zhang Aihui and Du Yuezhen, have made their first appearances with the national team. Players will arrive in Wuhan before 18:00 on September 12, and the training camp will continue until October 7.

From the perspective of developing younger players, fans have generally expressed support. However, questions regarding the selection of Chen Pu and Liu Yang and the omission of Liu Zhurun and Li Shuai have not yet subsided. The China national team will play four consecutive warm-up matches in Chongqing from September 24 to October 6, with opponents being Palestine, New Zealand, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. Whether these two selection decisions can withstand scrutiny will be determined on the pitch. The squad has already been announced, and the controversy objectively exists. Facing this disputed squad, what score would you give Shao Jiayi?