Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Mourinho's worst fears have come true.

While Barcelona were thrashing Atletico Madrid by a large margin at home, Real Madrid suffered an unexpected defeat against their own teammate.

After 90 minutes, the score between Real Madrid and Espanyol was 2-2.

Real Madrid, fresh from European competition, are in terrible form and have had a lot of bad luck.

Star striker Ruud van Nistelrooy suffered a severe meniscus injury in his right knee during the match, ending his season.

The team's goalkeeper, Iker Casillas, injured his finger during a challenge in the second half and will miss the next month of matches.

It was Casillas' injury that led to Real Madrid being tied by the opponent in the final moments.

This match was a double loss for Real Madrid, as they not only failed to secure three points but also lost two key players to injury.

To make matters worse, they are now two points behind Barcelona in the standings.

With only six rounds played in the league, Real Madrid is already five points behind Barcelona, ​​which is definitely not good news for Real Madrid, who are aiming to defend their title.

So after the match, Mourinho immediately approached Real Madrid's management and proposed to increase transfer spending during the winter break to comprehensively strengthen the team.

"We need to bring in a high-level striker to fill the void left by Van Nistelrooy, and both Raul and Van Nistelrooy are getting old; it's time to prepare a successor for them!"

Mourinho's reasons were very valid, and President Calderon could find no excuse to refuse.

"So, who have you taken a fancy to?"

“Drogba from Chelsea, Torres from Inter Milan, and Benzema from Lyon—all three are good options.”

That being said, Calderon believes that Mourinho putting Drogba at the top of his list is probably because he most wants to sign him, given that the two have worked together for many years and Mourinho is comfortable using Drogba.

"Besides the forward line, the midfield needs to be strengthened in all aspects. We need a defensive midfielder who can do both attack and defense, and an attacking midfielder who is good at attacking and passing."

Calderon asked, puzzled, "Don't we already have Lin? Why do we need to buy an attacking midfielder?"

"Buying an attacking midfielder is not to replace Lin, but to prepare a substitute for him so that the team can better rotate personnel. This season we are fighting on multiple fronts, which is a huge test for the players' physical fitness and physique. Lin did not participate in the team's offseason physical conditioning training, and he may have physical problems in the second half of the season. We must prepare for this early."

Mourinho had prepared an explanation for Calderon's doubts, and his explanation dispelled Calderon's last remaining suspicions.

But Calderón wasn't so quick to spend money: "We might be working on a big transfer next summer, so I can't give you a high budget this winter, at most 50 million euros. We'll prioritize strengthening the center forward position. As for the midfield, we'll buy good players at reasonable prices if we can, and if not, we'll wait. A top Spanish midfielder will be returning next summer, and he's our main target!"

As soon as Calderón spoke, Mourinho immediately knew who he was referring to.

The other party had a falling out with the team's head coach last year and was expected to leave this summer, but it turns out it will be delayed until next year.

However, given the other player's strength, waiting another year is not a problem. Mourinho has seen his performance in the Premier League and knows his strength very well. If they can really sign this player, it will definitely be a strong boost to Real Madrid's midfield.

……

It's not just Mourinho who's lobbying Real Madrid's management to strengthen the team; Guardiola, who's been on a winning streak, is also dissatisfied with the team's current squad.

While Eto'o's speed is certainly satisfactory, he cannot serve as a focal point in the attacking third.

The team lacks a tall striker who can act as a target man, a position that Guardiola had been focusing on addressing during the summer transfer window.

Unfortunately, due to various reasons, he was unable to sign his desired target.

Guardiola had to settle for second best and choose several relatively easy alternatives to his original goals.

These players may not necessarily be able to replace Eto'o's position, but they can further enrich Barcelona's attacking system, preventing them from being helpless when facing the opponent's dense defense.

Coincidentally, Chelsea's Drogba was among Guardiola's backup options.

Besides Drogba, Stuttgart's Gomez was also among those named.

This player scored 19 goals in 25 Bundesliga appearances last season, making him one of the best young German center forwards. Many teams are eyeing him, with Barcelona's biggest rival being Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

With both Real Madrid and Barcelona making big moves, a new round of arms race in La Liga seems to have already begun.

……

Following the conclusion of this round of league matches, the FIFA International Match Days will begin.

Because the Chinese team was going to participate in the final round of the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup, which was a major event concerning whether the Chinese team could qualify for the World Cup finals, he immediately took a plane back to China to participate in the match after finishing the game against Spain.

A month and a half later, when the plane landed at Beijing Capital International Airport again, looking out at the golden autumn scenery, Lin Feng couldn't help but sigh that things had changed.

It's been so long since the Olympics ended, time really flies!
Because he had informed his fiancée of his itinerary in advance, Lin Feng saw Liu Yifei waving at him as he left the airport.

"This way!"

Lin Feng was a little surprised to see that Liu Yifei was driving a minivan.
"Why are you driving this? Aren't you driving your SUV anymore?"

"SUVs are too flashy. In the capital, a city of great importance, we should keep a low profile!"

Liu Yifei stuck out her tongue and said playfully.

"I believe you ghost!"

Lin Feng reached out and gently pinched her cute little nose, then opened the passenger door and was about to get in.

"Don't sit in the front, go sit in the back!"

Why can't I sit in the front?

"Why are you asking so many questions? Hurry up and go!"

After saying that, he opened the back door and shoved Lin Feng inside.

Lin Feng was initially very puzzled, feeling that all of the other party's actions today exuded a strange feeling.

But after getting on the bus, he immediately felt relieved.

"So, that's why you drove this car to pick me up?"

Lin Feng pointed to the back row of seats that had been laid flat and covered with sheets and blankets, and asked the fairy sister with a smile.

"Hehe, this is my new van. I plan to use it when I'm filming and running around doing promotional work. I'll use you as a guinea pig to test its effectiveness this time. Remember to give me feedback later!"

Is it really?

Looking at her arrogant demeanor, Lin Feng couldn't bear to expose her. She said it was prepared for him, but Lin Feng felt it was prepared specifically for him!
Thinking of this, a warm feeling flowed through his heart.

With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for!
…………

After resting at home overnight, Lin Feng drove to the Xianghe base early the next morning, full of energy.

The teammates had mostly arrived by this time, but compared to the energetic Lin Feng, everyone else seemed rather listless.

The timing varies by league; some people returned yesterday, while others returned today.

Those who are in poor spirits are mainly players who arrived today.

Zhu Guanghu blew his whistle to gather the players together. After glancing at their morale, he made a simple training plan. For those players who were not in good spirits, he sent them back to the hotel to rest.

Athletes should avoid strenuous exercise when fatigued, as this can easily lead to injury.

National team match days are typically peak periods for player injuries. If we fail to take precautions to protect players and increase their chances of injury, then the clubs of those players might not be as cooperative when calling them up for the national team next time.

During this FIFA international break, both of China's matches were played at home, and the opponents were not particularly strong.

Therefore, the Chinese team is expected to get off to a good start or even two consecutive wins, gaining an advantage in the final round of qualifiers.

Before the World Cup expanded, the AFC only had 4.5 qualifying spots.

Therefore, only the top two teams in each group can advance directly, while the third-placed team needs to play a playoff against the third-placed team from another group to compete for the last 0.5 spot.

Because they only have half a spot, even if they win the playoffs, they still have to play another playoff against a team from another continent to compete for the final World Cup spot.

Since Asian football is a barren land on the world football map, it is too difficult to qualify with only 0.5 spots.

The safest approach is obviously to aim for a top-two finish in the group and secure a direct ticket to the World Cup.

“There are many strong teams in our group. The biggest threats to us are Japan and Australia, both of which are top teams in Asia.”

But besides them, Bahrain and Uzbekistan should not be underestimated.

In fact, there are almost no weak teams among the teams that make it to the final round of 10.

Therefore, do not harbor any illusions, and do not underestimate any opponent.

Especially at this final stage, we must remain focused and vigilant; otherwise, the hard work and effort of the past two years may be wasted!

With qualification for the World Cup at stake, the players all looked extremely serious.

Every professional player undoubtedly has high expectations and dreams for the World Cup, the stage leading to the highest honor.

Moreover, apart from a few veterans, none of the other players on this national football team have ever participated in the World Cup, and their desire for the World Cup far exceeds that of others.

Although the players looked serious, they didn't seem nervous at all. Instead, they were full of anticipation for the upcoming match and even eager to test their opponents' strength.

In recent years, the Chinese national football team has achieved remarkable results in international competitions. The continuous victories and various honors have gradually built up the confidence of the players, especially the young players.

Three years ago, the Chinese team might have had a fear of top Asian teams, such as the fear of South Korea and the fear of Japan.

But as the national football team repeatedly defeated them on the international stage, this sentiment was gradually forgotten, and replaced by a strong sense of confidence.

Japan team?
Australia?
It's not like we haven't won before; we won the Asian Cup by beating the Japanese team.

The ticket to the final round of 10 was secured by a crushing defeat of the Australian team!

They're just two defeated opponents, what's so great about them!
They are the ones who should be afraid!

Zhu Guanghu was very satisfied with the players' reaction. In fact, not only the players, but also the coaching staff had accumulated strong confidence through continuous victories over the past few years.

Although the national football team has not had many matches in the past two months, the players seem to lack some cohesion.

However, the national Olympic team, mainly composed of young players, fought its way through the recently concluded Olympics and won the final championship.

These players happen to be an important part of the national team, so integration is not a problem for this national team.

What really troubled Zhu Guanghu was how to arrange the starting lineup.

Previously, due to a lack of talent, there were not many candidates for each position in the national team, and the coaches faced the dilemma of having no one available.

However, with the emergence of many young players and the fact that veteran players have not completely faded out of the national team, the competition for each position in the national team is very fierce, giving Zhu Guanghu a happy dilemma of not knowing who to use because there are too many available players.

Although Lao Zhu prefers to promote and give more use to young players, he cannot ignore experienced veteran players.

For example, Shao Jiayi is only 28 years old, Zhao Junzhe is 29 years old, and Li Tie is 31 years old.

Regardless of the latter, the former two are young and in good form, but due to the rise of a large number of young players led by Lin Feng, they are almost squeezed out of the national team.

Zhao Junzhe still harbors resentment over the World Cup post from that year, and his biggest wish now is to qualify for the World Cup again with his team and make up for the regret of that year.

Therefore, he repeatedly asked people to speak privately to Zhu Guanghu, hoping to be able to return to the national team roster, even if it meant being relegated to the bench.

Old Zhu wasn't a heartless person, and Zhao Junzhe's ability did indeed meet the standards for being selected for the national team. In addition, since the other party had pleaded for him, he really couldn't bear to exclude him from the roster.

Therefore, Zhao Junzhe's long-absent name reappeared in the 23-man roster for the national football team.

"The opponent in the first game isn't very strong, and the players who are playing abroad haven't fully recovered their physical condition, so let's use them as substitutes and arrange the starting lineup mainly with domestic players!"

After much deliberation, Zhu Guanghu finally finalized the starting lineup for the first match.

Chen Tao, Zhou Haibin, Hao Junmin and others were placed on the bench, while Zhao Junzhe, who had returned to the national team, appeared in the starting eleven.

The release of this list has sparked heated discussions among fans:

[Was Old Zhu a bit too complacent? Are there too few players playing overseas in this starting lineup?]

Because the national Olympic team won the gold medal at the Olympics, many fans believe that Lin Feng and his group of young players are significantly stronger than the older generation of players.

Therefore, Zhu Guanghu's heavy reliance on veterans and his refusal to use newcomers was seen by them as arrogance!

[It's alright. These domestic players are also very strong. They competed with younger players for positions in the national team before. Although their potential isn't as high as the younger players, their immediate impact is just as good, if not better!]

Although there were some disagreements among the fans, the discussions were generally amicable.

After all, the presence of Lin Feng brought immense peace of mind to the vast majority of Chinese football fans. (End of Chapter)