Fox in the Penalty Area

Houlai picked up his second Premier League Player of the Month trophy ahead of Leeds' clash with Liverpool United.

He also became the player with the fewest appearances to receive this honor.

After winning the award, he did not continue his scoring momentum. In the game against Liverpool United, he only played 66 minutes before being replaced. He failed to score before being substituted.

But he doesn't care too much about it, because even if he doesn't score, he is still the top scorer in the Premier League.

This is actually a "tacit understanding" between him and Clark.

Whether it was before or during the game, he did not take the initiative to ask to leave the field early. But Clark knew that there were two very important games for Hu Lai, and the flight distance alone was enough to circle the earth.

It was a very severe test of his physical fitness.

So Clark "made his own way" and didn't let Hu Lai play the whole game, hoping to let Hu Lai take more rest.

Although when Hu Lai was off the field, Leeds City only drew 1:1 with Liverpool United. Clark is still willing to take the risk of not being able to win the game, so that Hu Lai can face the two most critical national team games in a better state.

This move gave Clark a lot of goodwill in China. Chinese fans naturally pay the most attention to the national team's games and Hu Lai's physical condition. They also knew that Clark replaced Hu Lai so early in order to allow him to better prepare for the World Cup qualifier play-offs.

After Hou Lai was replaced, with Kamara's goal in the 81st minute, Leeds City finally defeated Liverpool United 2:1 and took all three points.

In this regard, Chinese fans have said: good people are rewarded.

Then in a focus match of this round, the Stan Park Rangers beat Manchester Athletic 3:1 at home. This victory allowed them to continue to lead the league standings with 34 points.

Athletic Manchester, who lost the game, plummeted from second place in the league to fourth place.

Not only was it overtaken by Leeds City with 25 points, but it was even crushed by London Bridge-Athletic Manchester and London Bridge had the same points, but in terms of goal difference, London Bridge was slightly better. With this goal difference advantage, London Bridge overwhelmed Manchester Athletic and became the third in the league.

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After the match against Liverpool United,

Hu Lai did not fly back to China this time, but took a plane to the west, crossing the entire Atlantic diagonally, and went directly to Paraguay to join the national team.

In the play-offs this time, the Chinese team got the schedule of away first and then host.

In the eyes of many people, this is much better than the host before the guest.

But it is not. Because it means that the Chinese team spends more time on the road than their opponents.

The first round between China and Paraguay is on November 14th. After the game, they will return to China to prepare for the second round on November 19th.

The interval between the two games is only four days. For the Chinese team, which has to fly long-distance across continents, it must be more tiring than Paraguay, because they have to fly from China to Paraguay in the first round, and then fly back from Paraguay. Continuous jet lag The impact on the team is greater than ordinary people imagine.

If the home game is played first, then the team will have no game tasks after flying away to play the second round. Naturally, there is no need to worry about the impact of the long-distance flight and jet lag on the return trip...

In order to prepare for these two important games, China has also specially adjusted the league schedule.

Although it is said that the professional league and the Football Association are now separated and managed by the professional league, the Football Association can no longer issue orders to the league like before, and can change whatever they want. However, before such an important goal as the World Cup, the Football Association and the professional league quickly reached a consensus after simple negotiations.

After the twenty-seventh round of the league, the Chinese Super League will be completely suspended, and the remaining three rounds of the league will wait until the World Cup qualifier play-offs are completed.

Starting from November 3rd, the national team assembled for a week of training, preparing for the match against Paraguay in advance.

In order to avoid the situation where the team lost its game status due to only training but no games, it also specially arranged a warm-up match with the South China Tigers at the national team training place.

After the game, the Chinese team boarded the plane directly from Lingnan and flew to Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, where they will join Hu Lai for the last two days of training before facing the powerful enemy Paraguay.

The difficulty of this game can be seen from this schedule alone.

As the main shooter of the team, Hu Lai can only practice together with the whole team for a short time. This is a very helpless reality, but it is also an opportunity for Paraguay.

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"I don't think this is our chance," Paraguay coach David Arturo told the rest of his coaching staff, looking at the files in his hand.

"Although the joint training time between Hu and the national team is not long, I noticed that his performance in the national team is very good, and he has not shown any lack of understanding with his teammates. I think this may be related to him. It is related to his domestic football experience. Many people in this national team used to be his teammates in domestic clubs and the Olympic team, and some were opponents he played against in the domestic league... All these make him They're not strangers to each other."

Arturo spoke eloquently.

"So if we think that they will not cooperate well enough and have a mentality of underestimating the enemy, then we may... no, we will definitely pay the price for it!" After Arturo finished speaking, he looked around at his coaching team, Make sure there is no nonchalant look on any of their faces.

"After missing the World Cup for four consecutive times, this is the closest we have come to the World Cup. I don't want to lose this opportunity forever because of our own pride and underestimation at such a critical time. It will be something that we will never forgive in our lives. mistake!"

The old coach Arturo spoke very seriously, but no one thought he was wrong.

The two cores of the Paraguayan national team, one in front and one in the back, are both over 30 years old. As professional players, they are still in their golden age. As long as you maintain scientific training and work and rest, it is normal to play until you are thirty-six or seventeen years old in your career.

But a career and the chance to play in the World Cup are two completely different concepts.

If you want to hit the World Cup, you can't rely on a few old men whose careers have gone downhill.

So four years later, Alcey and Sosa will not even be able to make it to the Paraguay national team, let alone hit the World Cup.

The whole body should have this thought now—to use this as their last chance to prepare.

Only in this way can we go all out and leave no regrets.

After all, what these coaches are responsible for is not only their own work, but also the biggest dreams of two legends in the future history of Paraguayan football.

This is not careless.

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The Paraguayan media guarded outside the hotel where the Paraguayan national team stayed and rested, aiming their guns at the revolving door.

The lights in the resplendent and resplendent hall came out through the huge floor-to-ceiling glass, and people could clearly see people walking around there, and it was very lively.

"I saw Arce, he was with Arturo, who did they seem to be waiting for?"

The reporters waiting outside the hotel looked at the scene in front of them and started talking.

"Waiting for someone? Who are you waiting for?"

"Who else can we wait for? Who else in this team is worth waiting for the captain and the head coach? Uh..." The person who said this also realized the problem, and he and the others looked at each other in blank dismay.

"Stop joking, how could Arce wait for Sosa here?"

"Yeah, as far as the relationship between the two of them..."

It is not a secret that Sosa and Alsay have a bad relationship.

Everyone knows it well, but no one says it publicly anymore.

Sosa and Alsay are no longer openly confronting each other, but it does not mean that the two of them can shake hands and make peace. In fact, the king does not see the king, and no one pays attention to the other. It can be said that the two parties involved in the "armband war" actually only signed a temporary armistice agreement, but did not completely end the war.

The reporters naturally knew this, so they felt that it was absolutely impossible for Arce to wait here to welcome Sosa.

But now the scene in front of them makes people can't help but guess in that direction, because logically speaking, this is the only possibility that makes sense.

"Don't think too much about it... Maybe Arce just ran into Arturo in the lobby, and the two of them chatted casually?"

Someone gave an explanation, but this explanation could not convince even himself.

Because Arcey's appearance really doesn't look like meeting Arturo by chance and chatting in the lobby.

The two people looked towards the door, standing side by side - it was obvious that they were waiting for someone.

The answer will be revealed soon.

A car stopped at the gate of the hotel, and Sosa Espinola got out of the car.

Seeing this, Arce and Arturo went forward at the same time.

Then Arturo deliberately fell behind half a step, let Arce go ahead of him, and extended his hand to Sosa.

"Hurry up!"

Realizing what was coming, reporters snapped their cameras or locked their lenses firmly on the two men.

In the continuous sound of shutters, Sosa also stretched out his hand.

After experiencing the "armband war", these two Paraguayan football leaders held hands together for the first time in front of the camera...

That night, on the Paraguayan Internet, countless Paraguayan fans rushed to tell each other with great joy:

Brothers are of one heart, and their profits can break gold! No one can stop the Paraguayan national team this time! We are finally going to the World Cup! !