Midfielder

The two draws have put Scolari under great pressure. Although there is not much criticism about the team's current performance in Portugal, the performance of the last two games has caused some discordant notes in the media, especially about Scolari's refusal to recruit Lin Yi.

Many people are using different ways to build momentum for Lin Yi, even though Scolari still hasn't let go.

The most obvious performance in this regard is from the Porto people. Lin Yi cannot be selected for the national team, which is simply an incomprehensible thing for them. Why? Many Porto people are asking.

"I don't know the rules of the national team's selection of players. If Lin Yi is not qualified, then at least more than half of the people in the national team are not capable of that position." This is the question that Porto people have about Scolari now. They simply can't imagine that Lin Yi will be rejected by the Brazilian.

Who can perform better than that kid? It is estimated that only Scolari, a guy, can make such an idiotic decision to leave such a person who is capable of participating in the World Footballer of the Year.

It was not the first time that he did this. He gave up on Costa. He did not even plan to let Figo return in the previous rounds. It was not the first time that he made such a decision. It seemed that Lin Yi was just showing his toughness, and the Porto people did not want to indulge the old Brazilian man.

For Scolari, the Porto people valued Lin Yi more because he was one of their own.

The most important thing was that Scolari rejected their former mascot, the little guy who always brought victory to the team. On the issue of maintaining Lin Yi, the Porto people would never give in.

Even if Scolari brought supreme glory to Portugal, for the Porto people, it was the honor of the country, but Lin Yi belonged to the entire city of Porto. He was the angel here.

Although Lin Yi had left Porto, the boy's name was forever engraved in the minds of the Porto people. If anyone said anything about Lin Yi in public in Porto, he was definitely looking for death.

Lin Yi did not disappoint the fans of this city. Even if he transferred to Chelsea, he did not forget to donate 10% of his annual salary to the local charity to take care of orphans.

Mendes also set up a fund for this kid in Porto to help those in need.

Although Lin Yi did not stay in Porto for a long time, he left a deep impression on the people here.

He is a little stubborn, never admits defeat, has love, and that kid is still the dream lover of many Porto girls. Scolari has rejected Lin Yi so straightforwardly now. Do you think the Porto people can let him go?

Others will not say anything, but the local newspapers in Porto will never stand on the side of the Brazilian.

From Porto Chairman Da Costa to ordinary fans, almost everyone has criticized Scolari. For the issue of Lin Yi, these Porto people will never choose to give in.

Former teammates who have worked with Lin Yi are all on his side and are building momentum for him.

If Scolari could use the lack of running-in as a shield during the last European Cup, what else would he say now? Can't the World Cup qualifiers be used to polish their own lineup?

This is originally a process of running-in. Lin Yi should have joined the team at the beginning of the World Cup qualifiers, but now, the schedule is halfway through, and he is still lingering outside the door of the national team.

What is this? Is it xenophobia? Or is the old Brazilian still venting his anger for Lin Yi's refusal to participate in the friendly match. If it is the latter reason, then the Porto people will definitely roar.

That was a season of honor for Portuguese football. If it weren't for Porto's outstanding performance in the Champions League, perhaps the Portuguese Super League would only be regarded as third-rate in Europe now, without even a little respect.

At least that year's Porto team let the world know that there are good teams in Portugal, and there are also a lot of talented players here. As long as they dare to fight, any strong team may be defeated.

Although dark horses cannot be born every year, with Porto's rise this time, the value of Portuguese Super League players has been generally improved. Now even the Premier League teams are aiming at this place.

Starting from Porto, Sporting Lisbon and Benfica gradually became important targets for European giants to recruit players. Many players of the Portuguese national team left here.

C Ronaldo, Lin Yi, these guys who set transfer records, began to make the value of Portuguese players soar, and those teams that aim to train young players also have an extra income.

It can be said that without Porto, Portugal might not have been so eye-catching, but it was because of the Champions League that many agents and clubs refocused on Portugal. Even the president of the Portuguese Football Association said that Porto's Champions League trophy brought huge business opportunities to the Portuguese Super League.

And Lin Yi was undoubtedly the most dazzling star in the Porto team at the time. Not only was he dazzling that year, but this year he also showed his crazy side on the Champions League stage. He was more mature than the previous season, and he had reached a new height from the technical to the psychological level.

Look at his performance in the Champions League final, two goals, one assist, that kid almost destroyed AC Milan by his own strength, how many people can be as crazy as him now?

Such a talented boy who is valued by so many people is not as good as Scolari's vision. Does this mean that the old Brazilian has a high vision? Or is the old Brazilian really too stubborn?

The local newspaper in Porto pointed out that Brazilians need people who absolutely obey him, but Lin Yi's stubbornness is obviously not what he wants, so this is an irreconcilable contradiction.

Just like when Scolari rejected Romario's request, he always treats people who he cannot control 100% in this way. This is a war of personality collision.

Even the indirect suggestion of the President of the Portuguese Football Association failed to move Scolari's decision. At this time, don't expect anyone to shake his mind. People like Deco dare not mention these things at all.

Although Deco also said privately when he talked to Lin Yi on the phone, "If you can come, I will be much more relaxed, but this is not something I can decide, I can only keep silent."

Deco was telling the truth. He was promoted to the main position by Scolari, so even if others were dissatisfied, he could only stand behind Scolari unswervingly.

Even if he really wanted to partner with Lin Yi in the national team again, he had to see what Scolari meant.

Lin Yi had nothing to say about his old partner. He also knew what kind of person Deco was. At this time, no one dared to easily provoke Scolari's bad temper.

The runner-up of the European Cup brought Scolari absolute control over the team. He had the final say on who to use and who not to use. Even the senior officials of the Football Association had to act according to the face of this Brazilian old man.

This was also the only requirement for Scolari to agree to continue coaching the team. He must have the right to decide.

Otherwise, even if there is any adjustment in salary, he will not continue to stay. Everything in the team must be decided by him. Even the boss of the Football Association cannot criticize any of his decisions.

Moreover, the World Cup qualifiers have reached the most critical time. If Scolari makes a fuss at this juncture, let alone he may really quit, it will be a loss.

Therefore, although there are so many discussions, everyone in the mainstream media still maintains a calm attitude. No one is challenging Scolari. Everyone is waiting for him to change his way of thinking.

In other words, everyone is waiting for an opportunity, waiting for this old man to suddenly come to his senses.

But it is almost impossible to make a person change his stubborn way of doing things.

A coach like Scolari who has won the World Cup is even less likely to change his usual way of leading the team because of someone, even if the person he wants to give up is Maradona.

However, after being tied by Estonia, Scolari was also looking for a solution for the team. At the beginning of the game, everyone was trying to grab points, so Portugal always found scoring opportunities in the attack.

For example, in the game against Russia at home, no one could have thought that Portugal would beat the opponent with a big score of 7:1 before the game, but they did it, and the process was really crazy.

Less than fifteen minutes after the start, Portugal was already leading 3:0, and before the end of the halftime, the score was 5:1. It was a standard teaching match for them to practice their offensive routines.

The reason why there was such a big score was that the Russians wanted to grab points and wanted to attack first and then retreat in the away game. Portugal took advantage of the gaps they attacked first and fought a counterattack.

Deco, Figo, and Ronaldo all scored, and the center forward Pauleta, who has always been soft, scored three goals alone. Such a performance also made him the top scorer in the European zone of the World Cup qualifiers.

It's not enough to beat Russia. Portugal also beat Estonia 4:0 at home. They also succeeded in a sneak attack after the opening, and then they started a 80-minute defensive counterattack.

Scolari made full use of the team's breakthrough and penetration capabilities. He didn't need to worry about the quality of the team in the counterattack. With so many excellent offensive players, he didn't have to worry about how many goals he scored.

Especially in the counterattack, Deco and Figo were the kind of people who could hit the nail on the head when passing the ball.

No matter who got the ball, they could plan a precise offensive in the counterattack. After Scolari came to Portugal, what he wanted to forge was not the offensive line, but their defense. Portugal has not been able to make a breakthrough in the world championships because these people who advocate technology ignore defense.

Portugal can reach the European Cup final on home soil because Scolari forged a good defensive lineup for them, and in the offense, Scolari followed the Portuguese tradition.

However, there is also a disadvantage to this kind of change, that is, Scolari cannot let Portugal find a breakthrough in the offensive battle. It is unrealistic to expect Pauleta, a guy who often brushes data, to stand up.

Most of the time, Scolari has to rely on his midfield to participate in the attack. Both Pauleta and Gomez can only act as a cover, to put it bluntly, just to fill the numbers in the frontcourt.

Sometimes, Scolari can only let Figo or Simao and others play as forwards.

The forward line can only be the second choice in the attack. This is probably something that only the Portuguese can do. If it is replaced by other national teams, I am afraid that there will be no such a weird tactical arrangement.

This situation often occurs in the European Cup. If it weren't for the Portuguese midfielder's strength, they probably wouldn't have made it all the way to the finals, but their forward only scored one goal.

This one goal was scored when the group stage was already destined to happen. The decisive goal basically came from the midfield, and the role of the forward line was to wander around and mess around in front of the penalty area.

The rare opportunity to break through in the big game also failed to win the championship due to the weakness of the forward. This situation became more serious in the World Cup qualifiers. Pauleta scored a lot of goals, but the water was really big.

He has scored 7 goals so far. In addition to the three against Russia, he also scored two against Estonia and two against Luxembourg. But in the rest of the games, this guy is almost invisible.

No wonder many Portuguese media said that if the center forward of the national team was replaced by Van Nistelrooy or Henry, they would probably have created a new goal record in the European qualifiers.

Such scenes often appear in the game, that is, the midfield passes the ball, and then Pauleta catches it. Either the turn and shot are weak, or the shot is high and floating, which is completely irrelevant.

Anyway, since the days of Eusebio, Portugal's forward line has never been sharp. Many teams have put all their defensive strength in the midfield to fight against Portugal.

After half of the schedule, when every point must be counted, Portugal often has to face the opponent's iron bucket formation helplessly, especially those pursuers behind them, who fight very fiercely.

This makes the organizers of the Portuguese team's midfield often face encirclement and suppression, and Scolari is sometimes very stubborn. He rarely lets Deco and Figo start together. In this way, it is often a front midfielder who has to face the attack of two or three people. Even if there are people on both sides, the midfield is less sharp.

Otherwise, why would Porto people miss Lin Yi so much? When he was in Porto, there was no problem of coexistence between him and Deco. One is steady and the other is the main attacker, which is absolutely complementary.

Originally, Deco has been playing as an organizing midfielder in Barcelona this season. Let him return to the national team to play as a front midfielder again. Such a role change is a bit unbearable even for a genius.

Besides, Deco is not a rare genius. He is just a diligent and stable midfield organizer. It is unrealistic to expect him to have wonderful moments in every game.

Scolari likes to use Deco because his tactics are stable. Deco is his best choice, but being too stable also has disadvantages. In many recent games, Deco's passing and organization in the midfield are indeed difficult to tear open the opponent's iron bucket formation, and can only rely on the strong attack of Ronaldo and Simao.

But this effect can also be seen in the last two games. Once the opponent chooses to defend and counterattack in the half, the Portuguese are often helpless and can only use frequent passes to find space.

But Deco is a little too close to the center circle, and it is difficult for him to directly threaten the opponent's goal. At this time, many people are missing Lin Yi's blade-like pass, which can tear open the opponent's defense.

Although Scolari was still very stubborn in front of the reporters and was unwilling to admit that there were problems with his team's offense, anyone with a discerning eye could see that in the face of an opponent who was stubborn and unwilling to come out, Portugal was missing a key to open the opponent's door, and Lin Yi was the best candidate for this key.

But now this key was locked outside the door of the national team by Scolari. If we use the Chinese saying, this Brazilian is now cutting off his own meridians and gritting his teeth to hold on.

Whether this approach is wise or idiotic, only Scolari himself knows. Perhaps the authority of a coach is very important, but once this authority threatens the outcome of the game.

Then the so-called authority can only be empty talk, especially when the game is approaching. The more you want to maintain something, the more you will lose it. Scolari does not understand this sentence.

Originally, this stubborn old man wanted to try to contact Lin Yi when all the news had eased. After all, the boy's ability is there, and it is indeed a huge help to the team.

But at a time when everyone is building momentum for Lin Yi, Scolari doesn't want to take the initiative to bow his head. After all, he is still the coach of the national team, and he will not change his coaching style because of a player.

If he gives in to the pressure of the media, then Scolari will not have the confidence to deal with those who make trouble in the team in the future, not to mention that Scolari does not think that he can't play without anyone.

It's just two draws, which did not affect Portugal's top position in this group.

In the next game, as long as they can successfully beat Russia or draw with the opponent away from home, Portugal will be much calmer when facing the pursuers behind them, and Scolari will also have time to free up his hands to sort out the contradictions between himself and Lin Yi. At least he will find an opportunity to give that kid a step.

But Scolari's wishful thinking did not work out. Just before he was preparing for the away game against Russia, the Portuguese fell when facing Liechtenstein at home.

And it was a very ugly failure. Almost overnight, Scolari became the target of public criticism. The old Brazilian now knows that it is still very difficult to be the head coach of the national team.

The rumors about him and that little guy are once again rampant. . .

(I can only wish Mr. Blazevic good luck. Unfortunately in his later years, he was tricked by a group of idiots... Alas, the opening three-pointer, and it was his home court, what can I say to you?)