Fox in the Penalty Area

The Xuanwu Sports Center in Hexi Jiu’an can accommodate 60,000 people, but because Hexi Province has no top league teams, and Hexi Daqin is still struggling to survive in the Chinese League One, it is difficult for this stadium to be full at ordinary times—unless it is star concert.

But today, the stadium is packed and full of voices.

Finally, it is worthy of its title of "Sports Center".

What is going on here is a friendly match between the Chinese team and the Slovak national team.

Although they came from afar, Slovakia did not send a second-tier lineup, and all their main players who played in the five major European leagues were present. It can be seen that Slovakia also attaches great importance to this game.

The reason why they attach so much importance is naturally because the Chinese team should not be underestimated.

Relying on their unbeaten results in three games and three draws in the World Cup, especially the 3:3 draw with Brazil in the last game, the Chinese team has become famous all over the world.

It is a kind of respect that the opponent attaches great importance to them.

The football world is like this, you can be respected if you have strength, and no one cares about you if you have no strength.

When Japanese football debuted on the World Cup stage, it was also a nobody who no one cared about.

But now they have made all their opponents dare not take it lightly, no matter how strong that opponent is.

Although Slovakia made the best of its main force, the Chinese team performed even better amidst the cheers and cheers from the elders in their hometown.

In an almost crazy atmosphere, the Chinese team continued to attack Slovakia's goal.

The new coach Dong Jianhai for this game almost followed Shi Wuyin's lineup in the World Cup.

Formation 433. Forward Hu Lai is in the center, while Chen Xingyi and Luo Kai pull to the left and right.

Midfielder Jiang Wanqing delays to intercept and defend. Xia Xiaoyu is next to him to connect the front and back courts and act as a hub for offensive and defensive transitions. Zhang Qinghuan is at the forefront, close to Hu Lai. He can be used as an organizing midfielder or a shadow striker.

The central defender is still the combination of Yao Huasheng and Wang Guangwei, the right back Bai Di, and the left back Qu Lu.

Goalkeeper Lin Zhiyuan.

Whether it is formation, personnel collocation, or tactical design, it is no different from the national team in Shi Wuyin's period.

Since there is no difference,

The international players on that field naturally cooperated with each other without any discomfort.

Fighting at home again, the state is hot.

At the end of the first half, the Chinese team had already led by two goals-these two goals were scored by Hu Lai and Luo Kai respectively.

You must know that the opponent is Slovakia. Although they did not participate in this World Cup, they also reached the knockout rounds in the European Cup two years ago. They are by no means a weak team.

And the Chinese team was able to lead by two goals in the first half!

The fans in Hexi Jiu'an Xuanwu Sports Center almost fainted from happiness.

They were shirtless and beat the big drum vigorously. With the sound of the rumbling drum, there was a uniform and deafening shout over the Xuanwu Sports Center.

"Team China! Come on (dongdong)!!"

The Chinese team played very well in the World Cup, but it is a pity that the three games were played in the distant United States. After all, there are still a small number of Chinese fans who can go to the scene to watch the games.

Now the first national team game after the World Cup is scheduled to be held in Jiu'an, the capital of Hexi Province. This game has touched the hearts of countless people. Not to mention Jiu'an City, fans from several surrounding provinces of Hexi Province were all moved by the news and flocked to Jiu'an City just to witness the demeanor of this national team on the spot.

The tickets for the game were completely sold out half a month in advance. Even so, a week before the start of the game, there were still fans from all over the country hovering outside the Xuanwu Sports Center, expecting a miracle to happen——the home court will release the counting tickets, or someone will come out. For various reasons, I couldn't watch the game, so I came to sell tickets, and they just cut off my beard...

It’s also thanks to the real-name authentication of the current game tickets. To watch the game on the spot, the ID card must match the information on the ticket to enter the stadium. Otherwise, the tickets for this ordinary friendly match may be fired for less than 10,000. go……

The Slovak players are obviously not used to such an away game atmosphere-they came to China with the mentality of playing a friendly match. But how does this look like a friendly match?

If you don't tell them, they even think it's a European Cup game!

And it was the European Cup held in China...

hell!

Chinese football fans are so fanatical. Is the football atmosphere in China so good?

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Although Slovakia pulled back a goal in the second half, Chen Xingyi scored another victory for the Chinese team in the 66th minute, and the final score was fixed at 3:1.

Anyone who watched the game would have this idea: the Chinese team won easily at home, and the advantage is definitely not as simple as the score of 3:1.

This feeling is actually quite absurd. After all, the Chinese team in the past rarely had the performance they have today when facing European teams-the overall suppression from the scene to the score.

After this game, the media and the Internet were full of praise for the Chinese team.

Everyone thinks that it is obvious that the Chinese team that participated in a World Cup is more mature, and the benefits of studying abroad are obvious.

When facing European players, everyone dared to make moves and show themselves.

Increased self-confidence leads to improved performance on the court.

It seems that it is not too difficult to understand the big victory over the opponent.

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Four days later, the Chinese team ushered in the opponent of the second friendly match in Jingyang, Haining, the stronger Mexican team.

Compared with the previous game, Dong Jianhai's starting lineup has changed a lot.

The formation changed from 433 to 442, with Hu Lai and Zhou Zijing starting on the front line, Jiang Wanqing and Zhang Qinghuan in the middle of the midfield, and Chen Xingyi and Luo Kai on the left and right.

Only the back line hasn't changed much.

However, this set of changes did not produce the effect Dong Jianhai expected.

The Chinese team did not play very well in the first half. Not only did they not score, but they also conceded two goals.

After the intermission, Dong Jianhai made adjustments, and the formation returned to 433. Zhou Zijing was replaced and Xia Xiaoyu came on as a substitute.

After returning to the familiar formation, the performance of the Chinese team has improved.

Hu Lai pulled one back for China before being substituted.

It was also the only goal of the Chinese team in this game.

In the end, the national team lost to Mexico 1:2, ending their two friendly matches with one win and one loss.

Although they did not achieve a complete victory record, everyone gave a high evaluation of the overall performance of the national team in these two games after the game.

At the same time, the new coach Dong Jianhai also gave high marks to the performance of the national team's "second entry into the palace".

The media believes that the best thing Dong Jianhai did is that he did not break the "precious legacy" left by Shi Wuyin without authorization. He continued to use his predecessor Shi Wuyin's tactics and staffing, which is very commendable.

Because the performance in the World Cup has proved the effectiveness of Shi Wuyin's tactical thinking and personnel collocation.

Since practice has proved the effect of this style of play, why change it?

After some coaches take over a team, they always want to prove to others that they are different and that they have something new. The so-called "three fires for a new official to take office", can't wait to overthrow everything of his predecessor and promote his own set of things. But in the end, the gains outweigh the losses... It may not be possible to achieve good results.

After all, people are prone to inertia, especially this Chinese team, which succeeded in the World Cup with Shi Wuyin's method.

But most of the coaches boast that they know more than others, and their own way is the best. That's why the drama of the successor overthrowing the predecessor will continue to be staged.

The good thing about Dong Jianhai is that he understands the importance of "continuation".

When the Football Association just announced that Dong Jianhai would take over as the head coach of the Chinese team, the media was full of doubts and distrust about the decision of this candidate. But after watching these two games, most of the domestic media said that Dong Jianhai may not be the best coach in the country at present, but he obviously has self-knowledge and puts himself in a good position.

He did not deny Shi Wuyin for reasons of face, but chose to be Shi Wuyin's follower, which is precisely the best person to lead the Chinese team to complete the transition.

Some media also used the allusion of "governing by doing nothing" to describe Dong Jianhai's continuation of Shi Wuyin's tactics, praising Dong Jianhai for doing nothing, which is actually the best approach.

And this was also proved in the game-in the second game against Mexico, Dong Jianhai really wanted to try something new. He changed the starting formation from 433 to 442, but obviously the effect was not good. And once the original lineup of Shi Wuyin is replaced, the performance of the national team will become normal. In the end, Hu Lai's goal is the best proof.

Apparently Dong Jianhai also noticed that 433 is still suitable for this national team, so don't mess around.

※※※

"I can't agree with those statements in your media, Yu." Jorge Dillon shook his head and said after listening to the media's evaluation of Dong Jianhai translated by Yu Jintao for him. "Dong's attempt to make a change was right, but unfortunately he was too cowardly, and retreated after a little setback, so after two friendly matches, everything remained as it was, without any change at all... It is a good opportunity to try new ideas in a friendly match, but unfortunately..."

He shook his head, rather regretfully.

Of course Yu Jintao knew that Dillon would say that, because he understood Dillon's attitude towards the Chinese team - when the Chinese Football Association came to talk to Dillon about coaching, he participated in the whole process as Dillon's translator.

There are many speculations from the outside world about why Dillon and the Football Association did not reach an agreement. Yu Jintao has read them all. Some speculations are reasonable, and some speculations are pure nonsense. He knows the inside of this place best, but he never speaks to the outside world. This is the professional ethics of a translator.

"Now it seems that both the Football Association and the directors attach great importance to next year's Asian Cup... we must achieve results in the Asian Cup...but let me say, even if we win the Asian Cup in January next year, so what? Is the Asian Cup or the World Cup more important?" Dillon seemed to be very interested in the conversation, and continued to talk. "If you perform well in the Asian Cup, you can also perform well in the top 12? Don't they understand that the top football event in Asia is not the Asian Cup, but the top 12?"

"Jorge, you have to consider our Chinese fans' desire for the honor of the national team, and understand how much the fans attach importance to the performance of the national team..." Yu Jintao still decided to speak for Chinese football.

"I get it, but I think it's a stupid obsession," Dillon said emphatically. "I insist on my original opinion. The Asian Cup, which is so close to each other, should be regarded as an opportunity for the team to exercise, rather than desperately striving for good results. When your Football Association approached me, I made it very clear. If you want me to coach the Chinese team, you can’t have any performance requirements for the Asian Cup, and you must promise me not to recruit overseas players...they didn’t agree.”

Dillon shrugged.

"It's really difficult for them to agree, Jorge. You must know that even Japan and South Korea will recall overseas players during the Asian Cup. The Asian Cup is not the top football event in Asia in terms of competition level, but it is of great significance. No one Will give up the Asian Cup so blatantly, and declare to the outside world that the Asian Cup is a big warm-up match..." Yu Jintao said. "In a sense, it's not just about football..."

"But your situation is different from that of Japan and South Korea. In January next year, maybe Zhang, Xing, Xia, and Wang haven't fully integrated into their respective teams, and they will be transferred back to participate in the Asian Cup... If I were the head coach of their club, since they will definitely miss two months of training and games, why should I give these Chinese players a chance? After finally training them, wait until January to give me back Sting?" Dillon shook his head and snorted.

Yu Jintao was speechless by what he said.

They also discussed this issue in private, and Yu Jintao really couldn't refute Dillon's reason.

The head coaches of European clubs don't have the consciousness of "dedicating everything to Chinese football, regardless of rewards, and putting the overall situation first". They only consider the interests of their own teams. To be honest, let one's capable players suddenly leave the team to participate in the national team competition in December, and then play until February... It is true that few club head coaches would be willing to let him go.

"Actually, it's not just the Asian Cup. In my opinion, the Chinese team shouldn't arrange the match at home just to satisfy the fans' desire for star chasing. They should go directly to Europe for training sessions to avoid Let those overseas players travel around and be too tired, which will affect their progress in integrating into their respective teams... Besides, haven't you seen the performance of these players playing together in the World Cup? Let them from all over the world They come together just to play two warm-up matches. Isn’t this a waste of chance? What is the purpose of the warm-up match? It is to inspect new players before the official game, to add fresh blood to the national team, to test new tactics, and to prepare enough spares The plan...it turned out that none of these things were done in these two games."

Speaking of this, Dillon suddenly laughed: "I know why Cao and Yan are so indifferent to the coach of the Chinese team..."

Yu Jintao didn't speak.

After failing to negotiate with Dillon, the Football Association tried to find Cao Wei, the head coach of Shanhai Sailors, and Yan Li, the head coach of Hedong Thunder. These two are considered to be the best among local coaches in China.

But they all rejected the Football Association because they had contracts with the club.

why?

Obviously being able to lead the Chinese team is the dream of countless local coaches. For example, Wang Xianke was very eager to coach the Chinese team. He regarded coaching the national team as the ultimate goal of his coaching career...

There are also a large number of voices in China calling for opportunities and trust for local coaches.

Everyone thinks, "Isn't it a matter of course that our own country's team uses its own coach?"

But now it seems that it may be this kind of turbulent public opinion that makes those coaches a little daunting.

After all, their predecessor Shi Wuyin was too successful. Not only did he lead the Chinese team to the World Cup finals in history, but he also achieved an unbeaten record in the World Cup when everyone was not optimistic.

With such jewels in front, who will be the successor, can it not be a big headache?

It is entirely conceivable that after they became the head coaches of the Chinese team, they all looked like they were walking on thin ice and trembling.

If they succeeded, it was because their predecessor Shi Wuyin taught them well, but if they failed, it was because their own level was low.

"So I guess, Yu. I guess Dong probably figured out this problem in the first half against Mexico, so he decisively changed it back and copied his predecessor's set of things intact..." Dillon laughed .

Immediately afterwards, his expression became serious again: "But I must say...whether you like to listen to it or not, I must say - football develops very rapidly, and it is very dangerous to remain unchanged in world football. The original successful experience is very likely It will become a stumbling block in the future. It is very dangerous for the Chinese team to continue to use the previous tactics without making changes. Even... it is entirely possible that they will not be able to qualify from Asia in the next World Cup!"

Yu Jintao was a little surprised: "Isn't it, Jorge?"

"Or let's make a bet, Yu?"

Yu Jintao shook his head vigorously: "No, no bet!"

Dillon laughed. "So deep down you think I'm right?"

Yu Jintao was tongue-tied and speechless.

"Shi is a smart man, Yu. So he chose to leave after the World Cup. He said he was incapable of continuing to lead the team... Do you think he is humble? No, he actually saw the crisis of the Chinese team, but he couldn't help it After all, it is very difficult to deny yourself to solve this crisis." Seeing Yu Jintao like this, Dillon shook his head and sighed.