World Cup of Great Powers

The home match against Iran is on September 8th.

It’s all calculated, and there’s still less than a week left.

"Five days is indeed a short time, but we will make full use of these five days and try our best to defeat our opponents!"

This is the promise Zeng Zheng made to the fans before the game.

Because this is the last group match of the first stage of the Chinese team, the team will take a week off after the game.

Moreover, the opponent was the strongest opponent in the group, Iran. Zeng Zheng called back almost all the overseas players this time.

and tell them.

If we can win this game, maybe the remaining top ten games can really be used for training.

With Zeng Zheng's "commitment", those European clubs that were already on track for the new season finally had to choose to let him go.

For this matter, Zeng Zheng also received calls from Juventus, Liverpool, Sevilla and other European clubs, asking whether what he said was true.

These clubs are not buying Chinese players just to let them sit on the bench and watch the show.

...

“I don’t need to say anything about this game, everyone must know its importance.”

"Just by reading these newspapers and news, you can tell that this group of media has caused a huge commotion."

After morning training, the players returned to the locker room one after another.

Zeng Zhenghe and the coaching staff came to the conference room.

After returning to Shen, Zeng Zheng changed his "laziness" from Doha.

I am immersed in work almost every day.

"Boss Zeng, these are the statistics of the Iranian team's first two games."

Zeng Zheng nodded and posted it on the small blackboard behind him.

Iran's opponents in the first two games were Qatar and Thailand.

2-0 Qatar at home and 1-0 Thailand away.

Especially the game against Qatar.

Iran's ball possession rate is not as good as it should be, only around 52.

There were less than 10 shots in the game, and only 4 were on target.

"What does this mean?"

Facing Zeng Zheng's inquiry, the room was completely silent.

Later, Zeng Zheng announced the answer himself.

"This shows that old boy Blazevic is also preserving his strength."

"Look at their level in the first stage of the qualifiers. I won't say more about this."

As he spoke, Zeng Zheng slapped a stack of information on the table.

"They were promoted just like us, almost in a crushing manner."

"But it got weaker in the Big Ten?"

"Obviously not."

"So it is certain that the Iranian team is also accumulating strength and preparing to surprise us in the away game."

"What I'm most worried about right now is actually this guy."

As he spoke, Zeng Zheng flipped the information about the Iranian team to a photo of a person.

It's Aziz.

"This guy was substituted due to injury in the 63rd minute against Thailand."

"Injured?" Several other coaches were a little surprised.

"Who knows!"

Zeng Zheng spread his hands and said, "People say you are injured, but you are injured."

"As for where and what kind of injury it is, the Iranian team is very strict about keeping it secret."

"Even their country's media doesn't know."

"So all this will have to be revealed after they come to Shenyang."

"In my opinion, whenever Aziz appears on the training ground, it's just a smoke bomb."

Some teaching assistants at the scene heard this and quickly recorded it in their notebooks.

They are not only bamboo shoes' monitors, but also Zeng Zheng's microphones.

What Zeng Zheng said here today will reach Zhu Xie in a few hours.

When the Iranian team arrives in Shenyang tomorrow, there will be a large group of reporters assigned "missions" to investigate for Zeng Zheng.

In the latest FIFA rankings, the Iranian team has 610 points, ranking 38th in the world and fourth in Asia.

The Chinese team ranks first in Asia and 15th in the world, with 695 points.

There seems to be no comparison.

But there is a problem. Since Zeng Zheng coached the Chinese team, the Chinese team has never met the Iranian team in a major competition.

Like the Ancient Civilizations Cup at the beginning of this year and the Asian Games the year before last, the nature of these games is more like friendly matches, where you need to know the strength of your opponents.

Just like the last World Cup qualifiers.

The Chinese team did not take the Iranian team seriously before the game, and even kicked off a 2-0 climax in the first half.

But what is the result?

In the second half, Madavecchiana's ecstatic kick almost knocked Ou Chuliang out of his psychological shadow.

"In addition to Aziz, every Iranian player such as Alidai, Bagheri, and Madavikiya needs to be extremely careful."

Zeng Zheng briefly explained the characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of these opponents, and the teaching assistants had two bases in mind.

"In general, after Blazevic's training, this Iranian team has been taking shape for a long time and is also very capable."

"It's okay if it's Saudi Arabia. We can still have traces to follow in the recent competitions."

"But as for Iran, the ancient Cup of Nations match at the beginning of the year has no reference value."

"If you are still immersed in the victory of that game, you may make the same mistake as Golden State in a few days."

"In my opinion, the Iranian team currently has no obvious weaknesses or shortcomings. The wing and center are well combined, and the age combination of old, middle and young is also very reasonable."

"Facing a team like this, in addition to fighting hard, home court advantage is a key."

"Everyone knows my plan, which is to make the last away game against Tehran completely useless and make the Iranians' home game completely useless."

"So we have to make good use of our home court today."

...

Wulihe Stadium.

The autumn breeze is refreshing.

The team members were engaged in a simple group competition on the field.

Han Tao was responsible for blowing the whistle as the referee, while Zeng Zheng mostly watched the game from the sidelines with his shoulders in his arms.

Under the sunglasses, Zeng Zheng's brows never straightened.

Hearing Zeng Zheng sigh, Chi Shangbin came over and asked.

"Xiao Zeng, isn't this a good kick? Why are you so angry?"

"Our passing success rate is very high, but our intention is too obvious."

Zeng Zheng was dissatisfied, "This will give the Iranian team more time to react."

"Let the team members pass the ball faster," Jin Zhiyang said.

"It's not a matter of speed, it's a matter of intention."

Zeng Zheng emphasized again, "In addition to Zhang Xiaorui and Li Jinyu, including Sun Jihai, the players have all developed habits after getting used to playing in this formation."

"If the opponent finds the pattern, it can be predicted in advance."

"So this has nothing to do with fast passing and slow passing."

"Then what should we do?" Jin and Chi were a little anxious upon hearing this.

"It's also very simple. Just put the last player Iran is not familiar with in the ball position."

After saying that, Zeng Zheng rejected his own method first.

"However, this is also very risky."

After Zeng Zheng finished speaking, he pointed to the forwards in front and said: "If our 433 is skilled, we can use the high pressure of the three forwards to force the opponent."

Having said this, Zeng Zheng fell silent.

He held his chin up as if thinking.

Seeing this, Jin and Chi also invited Shen Xiangfu to discuss it together.

"Lao Jin, what are our chances of winning when we play against Iran now?"

Jin Zhiyang tilted his head, "To tell you the truth, with this current team, even if Xiao Zeng is not here, if I were to lead them, according to his tactics, there is a 70% chance of defeating Iran."

After hearing this, Chi Shangbin agreed, "I think so too."

Shen Xiangfu nodded: "Yes, we are so well prepared, and it is at home, there is always 70% to 80% chance."

"That's the problem."

After Chi Shangbin finished speaking, he glanced at Zeng Zheng not far away.

"Then what is Xiao Zeng thinking about?"

Several people fell silent.

Li Huajun, who was not far away, heard the discussion between the three people and walked over with a smile and said: "According to my understanding of Coach Zeng, 70% to 80% is not enough."

"He should be thinking about how to defeat his opponent 100%!"

"One hundred percent?!"

When the three of them heard this, their eyes widened immediately.

Nothing is 100% perfect in a football match?

But looking at Li Huajun's affirmative face and Zeng Zheng's still thoughtful expression, the three of them had no choice but to believe this.

"It seems that Xiao Zeng really wants to win against Iran!"

"No, his plan has been set since the day the top ten teams were divided."

"Now we are about to play against the Iranian team. Of course Xiao Zeng is extremely cautious."

"Oh, I must have wrongly blamed him. He was so lazy in Doha. I didn't expect him to be so serious."

"Now that I think about it, he was like this when he first joined the national team three years ago."

Just as several people were sighing, Zeng Zheng raised his head and looked at the sky.

A drop of rain fell on the tip of Zeng Zheng's nose.

It's raining?

Zeng Zheng's eyes lit up.

Will it also rain on the day of the match against Iran?

...

Soon, according to the news from the front, the Iranian team also arrived at Taoxian Airport.

"I heard that Iran came here on a military plane?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, the specifications are quite high."

“The high standard shows that we take it seriously!”

"Taking it seriously? If you really take it seriously, why don't you bring some fans over?"

"Attracting fans? Stop it! If Wulihe wasn't a small place, do you think we don't have 100,000 fans?"

After Zeng Zheng got the news, he immediately asked Aziz.

"After the Iranian team arrived, they took the VIP channel and no reporters were blocked. However, it is said that some fans saw Aziz in the parking lot. If nothing else, he must have arrived."

Zeng Zheng nodded after hearing this.

Now that you're here, you need to be ready to play.

Speaking of this, Han Tao coyly said: "By the way, Boss Zeng, there is another piece of gossip. Do you want to hear it?"

"What gossip?"

"Well, it is said that Bagheri has a cold."

cold?

What is a cold?

A severe cold or a simple cough?

"Then he is here?"

"I'm here. I heard I caught a cold on the plane."

After hearing this, Zeng Zheng snorted coldly, "Didn't you catch a cold after getting off the plane?"

It has only been less than an hour since the Iranian team got off the plane. Even if Bagheri had a cold, the news would not have spread so quickly.

In other words, this may be a smoke bomb actively released by Iran.

Bagheri is 27 years old this year, in his prime, and is the core of the Iranian team's midfield.

Don't tell him about a cold.

Even if he had a minor cough, the Iranian team doctor would have to stay by his side around the clock to check on him.

If he really gets sick, the Iranian team's midfield strength will definitely be greatly weakened.

When such news came out at this time, Zeng Zheng couldn't believe it.

"Which reporter told you this?" Zeng Zheng chuckled, "It's better to hear less of this kind of 'exclusive news' in the future."

Compared with Bagheri catching a cold, Zeng Zheng would rather believe that Aziz is really injured and cannot play.

But things often develop in unexpected directions.

While training with the Iranian team the next day.

Although it was a closed training, some reporters still photographed Aziz.

In other words, even though he was injured in the match against Thailand, he has now regained his ability to play normally.

And Bagheri.

Although he came to Shenyang, he did not appear on the first day of training.

What surprised Zeng Zheng even more was that a reporter said he saw Bagheri at the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University.

Some media even broke the news, saying that Bagheri even took X-rays.

They also obtained a chest x-ray of Bagheri.

The rumors become more and more outrageous as they travel through time.

In the end, even Zeng Zheng couldn't help praying that Bagheri had really caught a bad cold.

Thank you for the rainy day in Shenyang.

Before kicking, I caught a cold first.

"Xiao Tao, tell your journalist friend that if Bagheri really doesn't play during the game, we will accept an exclusive interview with their media!"

Maintaining good communication and cooperation with the media has always been Zeng Zheng's principle.

There are many things that Zeng Zheng, as the head coach of the national team, cannot do.

Just like going to the first year of medical school to check the real situation of Bagheri, there is nothing that Villa Ota Zengzheng can do, not even bamboo shoes.

The hospital will not disclose it, but the all-pervasive media has methods and channels.

Only by maintaining good communication and cooperation and sharing each other's needs can we maximize our benefits.

This is also why the media likes Zeng Zheng so much.

...

It rained in Shenyang for two full days.

The rain was neither heavy nor long, and it was a steady patter.

The weather is not cold either, and there is a bit of coolness.

This kind of weather makes all the players feel happy, and even the fans are looking forward to such weather on the day of the game.

Judging from the schedule of the two teams, the Chinese team has played three games in a row and has just returned from West Asia;

The Iranian team played two games in a row and also directly transferred from Bangkok to China.

If the Chinese team is waiting for work, then it only has the advantage of being able to go to Wulihe Stadium for on-site training.

This world preliminaries showdown also attracted the attention of Yazhulian and International Zhulian.

Even on FIFA's official website, there is a forward-looking report on this game, focusing on the contest between the Chinese team and the Iranian team.

At this time, the World Cup preliminaries in other continents are also in full swing.

FIFA has time to pay attention to an Asian matchup, which is enough to prove the standard of this game.

International Bamboo Curtain said that as the top 16 teams in the world, the Chinese team has the strength to enter the World Cup.

And with good results of one win and one draw in the past two away games, Zeng Zheng once again demonstrated the technical and tactical level of a world-class coach.

Although the results of the first three games of the Chinese team are very encouraging, the Chinese team should be more wary of Iran's strength.

"Although the Iranian team is currently ranked fourth in Asia, even if the two hosts Japan and South Korea come, they may not be able to defeat Iran."

On the contrary, the International Bead Curtain also reminded the Iranian team.

The Chinese team is no longer what it used to be.

The Asian Cup and Confederations Cup championships made the Chinese team the number one in Asia.

And in the last World Cup preliminaries, the Iranian team ultimately fell at the hands of the late-rising Chinese team.

"Persians must be wary of the Chinese team's progress, because this is a fact!"

"And their coach Zeng is even more terrifying!"

FIFA also said that this game will be a battle of wits between two famous Asian coaches, Zeng Zheng and Blazevic.

Blazevic is a famous Yugoslav coach, while Zeng Zheng is the local coach of the Chinese team.

Although Zeng Zheng has never proven himself outside the Chinese team, the growth and performance of the Chinese team have allowed Zeng Zheng to prove his strength.

Three games have passed in the top ten games.

The head coaches of three teams in Asia (Thailand, Iraq, and Qatar) have already resigned.

It is enough to see that Asian countries also believe that the performance of the team is closely related to the level of the coach.

"The arrival of Blazevich brought huge changes to Iran. He brought Iran out of the downturn."

"So in the next World Cup qualifying match, how will the Chinese team led by Zeng respond to the visiting Persian cavalry?"