Full-level pass, please call me the speaker of the Three Lions

Chapter 499: A bosom friend in every corner of the world, six to zero

For England, qualifying for the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia ahead of schedule was an expected event.

Although in the entire group, Scotland, Slovakia and Switzerland can cause some trouble to England.

However, it cannot threaten their chances of getting tickets to the World Cup.

Of course, for every country, qualifying for the World Cup finals is definitely a good thing worth celebrating.

You know, Beckham's outstanding performance in the last round of the World Cup qualifiers, when he scored a free kick to equalize with Greece and help the team advance to the World Cup, directly made Beckham a national hero.

At the same time, this is also a milestone moment for Ling Feng to lead the team to the World Cup for the first time after becoming the leader of the Three Lions.

Of course, we must report (brag) and praise it well!
Therefore, with the instigation of some people with ulterior motives and the natural tendency to pursue traffic, the media began to write articles to tell the story of the Three Lions' journey to the next round!

As usual, the first thing to do is to praise the coaching level of head coach Hodgson, and then the players.

The Daily Mail directly listed the Three Lions' performance in the World Cup qualifiers and the personal data of key players.

Win eight consecutive games, score thirty-three goals and concede only four goals!
Ling Feng contributed ten goals and eight assists;

Kane contributed twelve goals and three assists;
Vardy contributed five goals and two assists;
Sterling contributed six goals and five assists;
Lingard contributed three goals and four assists;
The Three Lions, which have completed a renewal without realizing it, have set off a wave of youth under the leadership of the experienced coach Hodgson.

The team is a gathering of young talents from all the major Premier League clubs, with talented players in the front, middle and back three lines:

For example, Tottenham's twin stars Kane and Ali, Manchester United's twin stars Rashford and Lingard, Stones and Maguire, Luke Shaw
Especially the Red Devils Manchester United, who contributed as many as six international players to the Three Lions at once!

Ling Feng, Rashford, Lingard, Luke Shaw, Maguire, Smalling!

And in this Three Lions team, Ling Feng is the absolute trump card!
For England fans, they are lucky.

Because of Ling Feng's sudden appearance, they once again have a superstar that makes them feel proud!

Every year, so-called "Great British Stars" emerge in British football.

But after Rooney, the only one who can truly become a world-class superstar is Ling Feng!
Moreover, just like Rooney did back then, they also witnessed Ling Feng's growth from a rookie in the national team to the current leader of the Three Lions.

They have a very deep affection for him.

This is also an important reason why fans and the media will praise him without reservation.

In particular, Ling Feng has a great chance this season to break the monopoly of Messi and Ronaldo on the Ballon d'Or and become the first English player to win the Ballon d'Or since the award was reformed!

You know, 2017 was a weak year for football, with no World Cup, no European Cup, and no America's Cup.

The results of representing the national team in the World Cup qualifiers are equivalent to the results of the national team.

In addition to holding five club championship trophies, Ling Feng's performance as a leader in the World Cup qualifiers will also add some weight to his selection for the Ballon d'Or at the end of the year.

So, if not now, when? !

Of course, Ling Feng is also very aware of the benefits of media opinion in his competition for major awards.

Therefore, he also tries his best to get along with the media off the court and give them the topics and traffic they want.

As a price, the media must use the power of public opinion to help him reach the top of football!

. . .

After the short international match day, the Premier League resumed.

Manchester United came to the banks of the River Trent in central England to challenge Stoke City.

Playing away from home and having just finished a national team match, Mourinho also made large-scale rotations.

And with Ibrahimovic taking a rest, Lukaku got his first chance to play as a center forward!

So far this season, Ibrahimovic has played in the first three Premier League games as the main center forward, contributing two goals and two assists.

The Swedish striker, who is about to turn 36, has not seen much decline in his competitive form compared to last season and is still very outstanding.

However, due to Ling Feng's strong desire to attack the goal and his amazing goal efficiency this season, coupled with the arrival of Lukaku, Ibrahimovic's role has changed.

More often this season, Ibrahimovic has served as a fulcrum in the frontcourt, distracting the opponent's defense while passing the ball to Ling Feng and two inward wingers for shots.

Ibrahimovic is very open-minded about the changes in this new role.

First of all, he knows Mourinho's requirements for the center position, and he is willing to abide by the head coach's tactical arrangements and make certain sacrifices for the team.

Even if that makes his goal stats look less impressive.
Secondly, the player's status and ability also determine the role on the field to a certain extent.

Now, the only one in the team who has unlimited firing rights is Ling Feng, not him.

Finally, Ibrahimovic is also very clear that given his age and physical condition, he will definitely not be able to persist in forty or fifty high-intensity games throughout the season.

Therefore, he must accept the reality that he will sometimes be rested or come on as a substitute!

Of course, he can also learn from Rooney and, while there is still gas in the tank, go to a team where the game intensity and rhythm are not so high and where he can have a core position and unlimited firing rights to retire.

But Ibrahimovic is not willing to accept this!

As a result, he still hopes to prove to the world that even at the age of 36, he is still capable of playing on top stages such as the Premier League and the Champions League and making contributions to the team.

Moreover, since Mourinho values ​​him so much, Ibrahimovic also hopes to help his mentor to create a new Red Devils dynasty!
Therefore, whether it is a change in role on the field or a rotation arrangement, he accepts it with pleasure!
Of course, even Manchester United, which has undergone major rotations in its lineup, is still stronger than Stoke City's main players.

What's more, Ling Feng, the captain of the Red Devils, still started the game and used his passes to firmly control the tempo of the game, allowing the Red Devils to take advantage of the situation effortlessly throughout the game and turn the tables, pinning the home team to the ground!
The substitutes who got the chance to start in this game were like novices seeing a beautiful woman for the first time, screaming and attacking Stoke City's formation.

Especially Lukaku, who was finally able to return to the center position, wanted to prove to the head coach and fans that he joined Manchester United not to be Ibrahimovic's successor, but a competitor!

Compared to Ibrahimovic, Lukaku, who is young and has explosive physical fitness, has a simpler and more brutal impact on the front line!
Especially when he was wandering on the wing, then suddenly started to move diagonally to the flank, and then Ling Feng made a straight pass from the flank to behind the defense line, giving him a chance to score alone.

In one game, Ling Feng passed the ball to him six times!

However, Lukaku's shooting skills still need to be improved.

He only seized two of the six one-on-one opportunities.

The other four times, either his ball-stopping technique was a little rough, his footwork was adjusted too much, and the defender chased back to disrupt it;

Either the finishing touch is a bit monotonous, like a sky rocket or a slip out.

You know, Ling Feng's passing is recognized to be comfortable, and he can often appear in the most appropriate area at the most appropriate time.

However, when it comes to wasting great opportunities, Lukaku is better than other forwards in one aspect. I don’t know if it’s because he’s new to Manchester United and still a little shy, or because there are bigwigs like Ibrahimovic and Ling Feng in the locker room.

Whenever he lost a one-on-one opportunity or stopped the ball, he would not curse or kick the goalpost to vent his anger. Instead, he would hold his head with both hands, then turn around, raise his thumbs up, and give a thumbs up to his teammate who passed the ball.

Compared to some players who spread their hands to their teammates, this is at least a positive signal sent to teammates!

Moreover, whenever Lukaku missed a one-on-one opportunity and felt helpless, when he saw the likes he received, Ling Feng would think of the funny dubbing made for him by a friend from Dalian, and his anger would immediately subside, and he would even smile.

Fortunately, there was a big gap in strength between the two sides, and Lukaku's missed opportunity did not affect the outcome of the game.

In the end, with Ling Feng's pass and shot, Lukaku's two goals and icing on the cake from Martial, Manchester United defeated Stoke City 4-0 at the Britannia Stadium and achieved four consecutive league victories!
And Manchester United became the only team in the Premier League to remain undefeated!

A few days later, Manchester United, the defending champion, ushered in the first game of the new Champions League season at Old Trafford!

The opponent is the Swedish Super League giants Basel.

Founded in 1893, the team is one of the most successful teams in the Swedish Super League.

It is also one of the stepping stones for many stars to enter the top five leagues.

Famous players who have played for this club include but are not limited to Rakitic, Shaqiri, Xhaka and so on.

Salah, the Roma winger who was just introduced by Liverpool in the summer window with a record transfer record in the team's history, also made a name for himself in the Basel club that year, which led to Chelsea recruiting him.

Of course, there are no new stars worth paying attention to in this Basel team.

Facing the Red Devils Manchester United, who were playing at home with their full main force, Basel could not last more than half an hour before they were defeated.

Ibrahimovic is on fire and performs a hat trick!
Ling Feng continued his hot scoring feeling and scored with a pass and a shot!

The hospitable Red Devils Manchester United gave a gift to their "Swiss friends" Basel who came from across the ocean with a game of "A bosom friend in need, a score of 6-0"!

Even though the opponent's strength is indeed somewhat behind the new Champions League champion Manchester United.

However, the consecutive big scores and perfect shutouts still let everyone see the strength of Mourinho's second year.

However, it is not surprising that Manchester United started strongly.

After all, last year's Red Devils had a dream start with eight consecutive wins.

Moreover, compared with last year's schedule, Manchester United's opponents in the first eight rounds of the league this year are only one of the BIG6 giants, Liverpool.

Therefore, in the eyes of many, Manchester United's winning streak in the league may have to wait until the end of October when they play against two London giants, Tottenham and Chelsea, before it can be tested.
. . .

The battle in the Premier League is intensifying.

The two Manchester City clubs, with many stars and strong lineups, have become the two most watched teams.

Manchester City just defeated Liverpool 5-0 at home, while Manchester United won Stoke City 4-0 away.

The two teams have been competing against each other since the beginning of the season.

Manchester United, with four consecutive wins, is firmly at the top of the list with 12 points; Manchester City, with three wins and one draw, has 10 points and is closely behind.

After Guardiola and Mourinho coached the two Manchester giants respectively last season, many people believed that the championship last season would be decided between the two.

However, after the Manchester derby, coupled with a wave of injuries and defender difficulties, Guardiola fell behind in the middle of the season.

On the contrary, Mourinho has been making great progress. Not only did he win his fourth Premier League title as a coach, but he also led his team to the top of Europe again after seven years!
In the first match between these fateful rivals in England, Mourinho won a complete victory!

After the start of the new season, their team finally showed their dominance.

Some media and football experts have predicted that this season's Premier League champion is likely to be decided between the two!

However, what makes fans feel uncomfortable is that the first match between the two sides in the league is scheduled for mid-December.

If they want to see the "Mars-Earth collision" Manchester derby, they will have to wait about three months.

Of course, before that, they have to make sure they don't fall too far behind their opponents in points.
It was not until mid-September that Manchester United faced a slightly challenging opponent - "Toffees" Everton!

This game is not an ordinary league game, but the first game of former Manchester United captain Rooney returning to Old Trafford after leaving the team.

It is also Lukaku's battle against his old club!
It is worth mentioning that in this season's summer transfer window, Rooney and Lukaku swapped clubs and even positions!

At Manchester United, Rooney played as a right winger, but after returning to Everton, he was able to return to center forward.

Lukaku, who played as a center forward at Everton, was "forced" to become a right winger when he came to Manchester United.

However, the career curves of the two people are the opposite.

One is upward and the other is downward.
Various factors and stories make this game very interesting.

The English Football Association also scheduled this game in prime time on Sunday.

On the day of the match, Old Trafford was packed.

When Rooney, wearing Everton's away jersey, led the team into Old Trafford, the scene suddenly broke out into deafening applause.

Rooney also turned around and waved to the fans in the stands.

Only then did he realize that many Manchester United fans in the stands were holding his related peripherals and holding up banners welcoming him home.

I also saw the red-nosed Scottish old man sitting in the familiar seat, applauding me.

At this moment, Rooney's eyes were a little dazed, and his heart was filled with emotion.

In fact, he also doesn't want to leave Manchester United, where he has played for many years.

However, the reality is cruel.

Players always get older one day.

He had secretly vowed long ago that if he was unable to gain a foothold in Manchester United, he would rather leave!

Of course, returning to Old Trafford for this game, he hopes to use his performance as a center forward to prove to everyone that he is still a bigger man than a horse.

However, before the game he had expected the match to be difficult.

But he didn't expect it to be so difficult!

(End of this chapter)