Midfielder

Scolari was the first to bow his head. After Portugal was tied by Liechtenstein, it was only a matter of time. At least Mendes did not think there would be any unexpected changes in this matter.

It could only be a matter of time. Especially when many teams were trying to get Lin Yi, the time that the old Brazilian could endure was very limited, which could not be changed.

Mendes was good at using the power of the media from the beginning. Although he never said anything, those reporters would seize all the materials that could be processed to desperately exaggerate this storm.

Lin Yi himself did not need to stand up and express his position or say anything. There were people cheering for him. Mendes was very accurate in this. Those people and the media who were interested in doing good things would take the initiative to provoke a debate.

Of course, the strength of the two sides in this debate was not balanced. On one side, there were the media and fans criticizing.

On the other side, Scolari was holding on alone. Just like now, many people were finding faults with this tough Brazilian old man. Even a slight mistake would be magnified.

When you succeed, you are a god, but when you fail, no one will sympathize with you.

This is the cruelty of professional sports. The winner can call the shots here, but the loser can only accept the reprimands and complaints of the people around him. This is a rule that no one can change.

Sometimes silence is more effective than speaking. The silence of Mendes and Lin Yi did create pressure for Scolari. He was really afraid of missing the cooperation with Lin Yi because he was a genius.

Although Scolari has never publicly evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of Lin Yi's skills in the media, he probably doesn't need to confirm anything about the boy's strength on the court.

If it is true as those media broke the news, so many national teams tried to take down Lin Yi, Scolari could not have been unmoved, but he wanted to completely control such a stubborn boy.

But his wishful thinking did not work this time. Lin Yi's unexpectedly tough attitude made Scolari have nowhere to start. He couldn't find the weakness of the opponent at all, so he could only keep consuming like this.

But Lin Yi and Mendes were obviously more patient than him. When the outside world was making a fuss, Lin Yi actually chose to refuse all interviews. The reporters couldn't even figure out the boy's whereabouts.

Such silence and smoke bombs made Scolari a little confused, and the poor performance of the team could only make this stubborn old man choose to show weakness in front of the players for the first time.

When Eriksson and others extended an olive branch, Scolari finally made his first compromise after coaching Portugal because of the results and external pressure, and prepared to officially recruit Lin Yi.

Although he did not make the news public, Mendes could hear from the phone that the Brazilian old man was testing. If Lin Yi's stubbornness came up, Scolari was really afraid of being rejected.

Mendes did not say it definite, after all, he needed to wait for the other party to show his sincerity first.

Lin Yi was in special training now. Whether he really wanted to save Scolari, Mendes did not want to make a decision so early, but this time they had the upper hand in the tit-for-tat.

In fact, when England and other teams tried to contact Mendes, this Portuguese football tycoon did not really consider that these countries would be the final choice.

According to Mendes, Lin Yi grew up in Portugal, and his popularity here is the most guaranteed. Even if his performance fluctuates, the fans who are familiar with him here will protect him.

Especially the fans of Porto will definitely stand on Lin Yi's side. This condition is rare abroad.

Although Chelsea fans will also cheer for Lin Yi, in the eyes of many English, they still prefer local players, such as Rooney and Owen, who are their favorite stars.

Moreover, England itself has always been a little resistant to the joining of foreign players, which is not a good choice.

If this is played in England, look at what happened to Rooney and Beckham. Before Beckham shot through the Greek team's goal with a free kick, he was simply the public enemy of the whole country.

Mendes doesn't want Lin Yi to try that taste. English fans have always been harsh on the national team. Even if you only have one mistake, they will magnify it infinitely.

And the media there will definitely criticize you. They will find many reasons for your poor performance, from your girlfriend to your transfer rumors, anyway, all kinds of gossip.

This is absolutely cruel for a player. Mendes doesn't want his biggest client to experience such a bad feeling, so Portugal is the best choice from the beginning.

But Mendes also told Lin Yi that even if Scolari didn't choose him, he would not miss the big stage of the World Cup. For Lin Yi, he doesn't need to consider having no ball to play.

It's just that after weighing all the issues, Mendes has always believed that playing in Portugal is the best choice, both in terms of economy and the help of the entire team to Lin Yi.

There are too many teammates that Lin Yi is familiar with, and even more fans who are familiar with him, so it is not a problem to integrate into the team.

And Mendes also believes that after winning the Champions League for Porto, the kid will once again make all Portuguese fans remember his name firmly in the World Cup qualifiers.

With a good foundation and a qualitative leap, Lin Yi's value may be raised to an unprecedented height. Mendes really wants that kid to completely dominate the next ten years.

Why is Maradona great? Because he dominated an era, and all the players who galloped on the green field with him in that era were trampled under his feet and could only bow down.

Now Mendes needs Lin Yi to do the same. He needs to dominate the entire era without a king. The old generation of players are fading out, and now the football field needs a new ruler.

It would undoubtedly be a good idea to impact the World Cup in a team that is not too unfamiliar.

If it can succeed, then Lin Yi's World Footballer of the Year this season will also have a heavy weight, and his competitors will also be pressed down by his crazy performance.

Mendes not only needs Lin Yi to perform well in the club, but also needs Lin Yi to play impressive football in the World Cup, and it would be best if he could spread his popularity throughout the football world.

So when Mourinho was still a little opposed to Lin Yi joining the national team, Mendes still insisted on letting the kid fight for the ticket to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, preferably as a main player.

Now there seems to be no crazy kid like him in the Portuguese team. Mendes, just like when he led the kid to the Benfica youth training ground on the street, fully trusts Lin Yi's personal ability.

That kid has such a strong personality that he will kick away whoever stands in front of him.

Mendes is not worried about Lin Yi's ability, but now he is also considering whether the kid can play up to his worth by joining the national team. This is what Mendes is most concerned about at this stage.

"He knows Lin Yi's ability, so he won't let go easily. The silence in the early stage was just to kill the boy's spirit. However, the fact finally proved that the boy was very lucky."

When Mendes talked to Mourinho on the phone, he was proud of his words. Anyway, the stubborn Brazilian old man bowed his head this time. After being tough for a long time, he still had to take the initiative to speak.

Mourinho was not surprised that Scolari took the initiative to call to recruit Lin Yi. He knew where the pressure of the coaching industry came from. When many people denied you, you were really helpless.

Including when he was in Benfica, there were many people waiting behind him, not only ADO, but also many people waiting to see him make a fool of himself. Many people believed that he would fail the moment he took over the coaching.

That is a kind of pressure that surrounds you. You will feel its existence all the time. Even a small decision may eventually evolve into a reason for others to attack you.

This time Scolari originally wanted to consolidate his authority, but the result he finally received was not as perfect as he expected. Instead, many people began to doubt his use of people.

You know, a few months ago, this old Brazilian was still the target of worship by all Portuguese people.

Even the officials of the Football Association had to be respectful to him, but now, the past respect has turned into rebuke.

The media's criticism, the fans' boos, and the pressure from the upper level, all made Scolari thoroughly feel what it means to be humane. Here, losers will not get sympathy.

Even in the Portuguese team, there are discordant voices. Scolari's direct players like Deco will not say anything, but guys like Carvalho and Ferreira will only side with Lin Yi.

They can't say anything publicly, but in private, many reports will mention at the beginning that this is the news provided by some players in the national team, or the ironclad evidence brought out by a staff member.

It can be said that Scolari is ready to recruit Lin Yi in order to calm everyone's criticism, and he can also have a chance to try whether it is really letting Lin Yi join the team, and everything can be smoothly handled.

Scolari is also gambling. He doesn't know whether he can get a turnaround after complying with public opinion.

Although the old Brazilian has some knowledge of Lin Yi's ability, Mourinho dares to say that only by seeing the kid's creativity on the court can you know what he can do.

The chronic disease of the Portuguese national team now lies in offense. It is not realistic to expect Lin Yi to be a midfield sniper, but Scolari has found the right person to let him be responsible for the offense of the whole team.

Deco is also a player trained by Mourinho himself, but in terms of offensive organization ability, Lin Yi was the core of Mourinho's hand-picked team in Porto, and Deco could only play a supporting role.

Porto can be far ahead in the league and win the trophy in the Champions League, which is really due to the kid's offensive talent. Now there is really no one better than him as the midfield organizer of the Portuguese team.

Maybe if Figo was a few years younger, he would be better than Lin Yi, but now the number one star of Portugal is gradually getting older, and his former edge is slowly shrinking and becoming dim.

Even Cristiano Ronaldo was able to secure a starting position under Scolari, but Figo is now more of a marginal figure in the national team, but apart from him, no one can take on the responsibility of this team.

Deco is good. When he was in Porto, Mourinho also asked him to partner with Lin Yi because of the Brazilian's skills and his ability to stabilize the team's morale when he was on the field.

But compared with his creativity in the midfield, Deco seems a bit rigid. His passes are always accurate and he rarely makes mistakes. However, facing dense defense, he lacks the agility of Lin Yi.

Not only Deco, in Mourinho's view, the entire midfield of Portugal is now more stable.

Scolari has been committed to building the team's defense, and for his offense, even when he was in the Brazilian team, he relied on simple interactions between several players or personal abilities to solve problems, but he forgot one thing, there was no Rivaldo and Ronaldo in the Portuguese team.

When he won the World Cup in 2002, he relied on Ronaldo's genius and the personal abilities of the 3R combination. In fact, there were not many highlights in the overall offense of the Brazilian team that year.

However, in that World Cup, the Brazilian team's defense line rarely made mistakes, leaving almost no opportunities for the opponent to take advantage of, and with the explosion of the forward line, they finally completed a breakthrough.

Maybe Scolari paid too much attention to that victory, so after he came to Portugal, he has been building the defense line he envisioned, without considering too many offensive adjustments. The old Brazilian may think that this team, like the Brazilian team, can rely on the personal ability of the stars to solve the scoring problem.

But unfortunately, Pauleta is not Ronaldo. He does not have the ability to score with a casual kick. Once he reaches a strong dialogue, he will be exposed and often locked by the opponent's defender.

Mourinho even said that if the Portuguese team continues to play like this, it will suffer sooner or later.

Because he knows too well what the common problems of his country's teams are. Those players like to dribble past people, but their desire to score goals has not reached an extreme, and it is easy to miss opportunities.

Just like when he first arrived at Benfica and Porto, only by injecting more vitality into them can the team recover, and Lin Yi, that kid, is definitely a strong shot of cardiotonic.

But now Mourinho is not as excited as Mendes. At least in his opinion, even if Lin Yi can be selected for the national team this time, it is still a very cruel test waiting for him.

Portugal has many talents, so not everyone is suitable for the national team's games, especially at such a critical moment, there is no room for error, and Lin Yi has to face many problems.

Lack of running-in, this may not be so difficult because of the presence of Deco and Carvalho in the team.

But it is an indisputable fact that he has been in the team for a short time, especially there is not much cooperation between him and the frontcourt players, which may cause Lin Yi a lot of trouble. After all, as an organizer, he must be familiar with a person who cooperates with him, but such familiarity cannot be completed on the training ground.

It requires games, a lot of games. Even if Lin Yi can gain a foothold in Chelsea, it is also relying on the gradual advancement of the game that allows him to find out what everyone is good at and what they can do.

But now he only has two weeks, or even less, whether he can handle those unfamiliar teammates in the team may still be a question, after all, the national team is not a club.

In Chelsea, Lin Yi is the absolute core, and all tactics must be carried out around him. Even if Lampard is on the court, Lin Yi is the brain of the team, and no one can limit his performance.

Including Mourinho will give him absolute freedom, but can Scolari give him such freedom? Mourinho is a little skeptical about this, after all, it is still a very unfamiliar team.

Moreover, in a team full of big names, whether Lin Yi can command everyone may not even be answered by Scolari, so Mourinho has reservations about Lin Yi's entry into the national team.

"Let the facts test all this." Mourinho did not give too much blow to Mendes' optimism, but he still warned this old friend not to underestimate those difficulties.

Although Mourinho is not worried about Lin Yi's ability, football is a sport for eleven people after all. Even if Lin Yi's personal performance is strong, he may not be able to change everything on the court.

Moreover, his first game after joining the team was a head-on fight with the Russians in a bad away environment. Mourinho had his own concerns about this away trip.

The tall and strong Russians must want to avenge their previous shame in their home court. This is beyond doubt, and if they can win this game, they can also take the first place in the group.

It is almost impossible to expect those Russians not to play their lives. In such an unfamiliar environment, Mourinho is a little bit unsure about how much Lin Yi can play.

Maybe the old Brazilian is also gambling. Isn't everyone saying that Lin Yi can handle everything?

Then he will let the kid try. If it doesn't work or the effect is not good, he has every reason to treat Lin Yi coldly. At that time, even the media can't find any faults with this old man.

If Lin Yi can really change the current situation of the team, it will not be a bad thing for Scolari. Anyway, no matter what happens this time, Scolari is not too bad. He just loses some face.

At this critical moment, losing face is much better than losing his position as a coach. Moreover, he still has a chance to save the team. It is unprecedented for him to compromise with a kid.

There is still more than half a month left, and Scolari doesn't know whether he can successfully train the kid.

But before he announced the news, Lin Yi, who had been sweating in the private training ground for almost a month, had already packed his bags and was ready to start his national team journey. It was an unfamiliar battlefield, but the kid had already sharpened the blade in his hand.

Russia? This will be the first obstacle after he sets foot on the new battlefield. Let those old Russians pray again, they have to defend Moscow again. . .