Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

"No team is always strong. It's normal for a club's performance to fluctuate. For example, in previous seasons we could compete with Bayern for the league title and even play in the Champions League, but this season we're almost relegated."

The loss of key players, the aging of the squad, and the change of tactics will all have a huge impact on the team's performance. Real Madrid is still in a better position. Although the results this season are not ideal, at least they have a big reputation, money, and still attract star players.

"It's terrible for ordinary teams like ours. We have neither fame nor money. Even if a star player emerges, we can't keep him. Once our performance declines, it's extremely difficult to get him back!"

Seeing that Lin Feng was not in a good mood, Chen Tao offered some words of encouragement based on his own experience.

Since Klose left, Werder Bremen has been like Wang Xiaoer celebrating the New Year, getting worse year by year.

Without their star striker, Chen Tao alone couldn't carry the Parrot Army.

Werder Bremen's performance has declined drastically this season. After 10 rounds of Bundesliga matches, they have only won 3 games and have only 13 points, just 5 points away from the relegation zone. It's no exaggeration to say that they are fighting to avoid relegation.

Counting the time, this is already Chen Tao's fourth year with Werder Bremen.

He joined Werder Bremen during the club's peak period.

Under the guidance of coach Schaaf, Werder Bremen, with relatively little investment, made it into the Champions League group stage for four consecutive years, creating a miracle for an ordinary Bundesliga team.

However, with the departure of key players and the aging of the squad, Werder Bremen's peak has come to an end.

Chen Tao, who was involved in and witnessed the team's slow decline throughout the process, had very mixed feelings, which is why he offered Lin Feng advice at this time.

"Thank you, Brother Chen, I feel much better!"

"You don't actually feel better because you think there are people worse off than you, do you?"

"Haha, how could that be? I just think what you said makes a lot of sense. The championship isn't something we can monopolize, it can't be ours forever. Let them be smug for a year, and we'll win it back next year!"

"It's good that you've come to terms with it. Your mindset will be much better, at least the club's defeat won't affect the national team's matches. Now is a crucial period for us to qualify for the World Cup, so you can't let us down!"

As Chen Tao said, the two matches for the Chinese team during this FIFA international match day are crucial.

Winning might secure a World Cup spot several rounds early, but losing would introduce many uncertainties for China's chances of advancing from the group stage.

The situation in Group A is quite complicated. Due to the victories in the first two rounds, the Chinese national team is temporarily leading with 6 points and a goal difference of +7, while the Australian team is in second place with 6 points and a goal difference of +5.

Japan is ranked third in the group with a record of 1 win and 1 draw, trailing China and Australia by 2 points.

As for Uzbekistan and Bahrain, Uzbekistan has 1 draw and 2 losses, accumulating 1 point and ranking fourth in the group, while Bahrain has lost both of its matches and has 0 points. The chances of either team advancing from the group stage are only theoretical.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the two direct qualification spots in Group A will be decided among three strong teams: China, Japan, and Australia.

The only suspense is who will get those two precious direct qualification spots, and who will finish third in the group and play two playoff matches?
……

"This Australian team has a very strong attack. They scored 5 goals in the first two games and conceded none. Although they are ranked lower than Japan in the world, they pose a greater threat to us than Japan!"

The Australian team is quite different from the Japanese team; their footwork is not as refined as the Japanese team's.

But they have better physical attributes and greater impact.

The Chinese national football team is physically stronger than the Japanese team. Although their technique is slightly inferior, they have players like Lin Feng who have strong single-point explosive ability and can overwhelm opponents with their individual skills, making it relatively easier to beat the Japanese team.

However, when facing teams like Australia that rely on physicality, the Chinese national team's physical disadvantage will become apparent, making it difficult to gain the same physical advantage as when playing against Japan.

Moreover, Australia's technique isn't that rough. Although it's a bit rough compared to strong European and American teams, it's definitely good enough for Asian teams.

Therefore, when Zhu Guanghu was formulating tactics, he decided to adopt a defensive strategy, first focusing on defense, building a strong defense, waiting for the opponent to make a mistake, and then seizing the opponent's mistake to launch a counterattack.

Therefore, he specifically called up two speed-type wingers, Qu Bo and Yu Hai, to increase the national team's counter-attacking threat.

Although Zhu's tactics were somewhat conservative, the players didn't voice any opinions because this crucial match was vital for the national team's qualification.

Although the fans were shouting that they would crush the Australians with their offense, teach them a lesson, and show them the strength of Asia's number one team, the situation was different.

But when it came to the actual match, the fans were all looking for a safe bet, wishing the national team would set up a solid defensive formation away from home, not aiming for three points, just to get one point and leave unscathed.

As the fans put it, they'll teach the Australians a lesson when they get back to their home ground; for now, they'll play it safe.

If we play too hard against Australia and it benefits Japan, wouldn't that be like picking up a sesame seed and losing a watermelon?
If you absolutely had to choose one of these two matches to win, 99% of fans would choose to win the match against Japan!

For no other reason than to humiliate the Japanese team again and vent my anger.

The Chinese team is very wary of the Australian team, and the Australian team is no different.

In recent years, the Chinese team has rarely suffered defeats. Not only do they dominate against Asian teams, but they can also put up a good fight against the world's top teams in national competitions.

While the Australian team certainly has a physical advantage in Asian competitions, this tactic, which might work well against other teams, may not be effective against the Chinese team.

Because all the world's top teams that the Chinese team has faced before have had physical advantages.

Compared to them, what are Australia's physical advantages?
Therefore, when formulating tactics before the match, the Australian team did not dare to play as aggressively as they had in the previous two matches.

"This Chinese team has the best midfield in all of Asia, and the attacking players on the front line are also quite capable. In the last match, it was our carelessness that led to such a crushing defeat. In this match, we cannot afford to make any mistakes. Even giving the opponent a chance could very well change the outcome of the game."

The two teams just faced off four months ago in the World Cup qualifiers, where Australia was humiliated by China with a 3-0 defeat on their home turf.

Lin Feng's performance in that match left a very deep impression on them, forcing the Australians to develop various targeted tactics to limit his effectiveness.

For Asian teams, limiting Lin Feng's performance is the most important issue they face.

The Australian team is no exception!

Given the terrifying attacking power displayed by the Chinese team in the previous two matches, the Australians' goal from the beginning was not to fight for three points, but to secure a draw or even a win.

Defeating the Chinese team would be too difficult and too taxing, making it not worthwhile at all.

They should save that energy for a fierce battle against Japan. There are two qualifying spots in the group stage anyway; if they can keep Japan in check, they'll be guaranteed to advance.

So when the game started, both head coaches sitting on the bench were a little dumbfounded.

After kickoff, the Australian team passed the ball slowly and leisurely, not in a hurry to advance. Even when they launched an attack, they never committed too many players to it.

The Chinese team was in the trenches defending when they saw the opponent's posture and were instantly at a loss.

Zhu Guanghu glanced at the Australian coaching bench. The Australian team's head coach was Welbeck, a Dutchman who was an old acquaintance of the Chinese national team.

This man was Guus Hiddink's assistant coach and took over the reins of the South Korean national team after Hiddink left.

However, due to his poor performance in the Asian Cup and his inability to control the players, he resigned during the Asian Cup, which was the Korean version of the locker room scandal.

As soon as he resigned, he came to Australia to find new employment.

Under his leadership, the Australian team performed quite well. Although they suffered a humiliating home defeat to China in the World Cup qualifiers, his Socceroos team consistently secured points against other teams.

Zhu Guanghu: "What's that old guy doing? Is he too scared to attack after being beaten in the last game?"

Welbeck, on the other hand, was somewhat relieved, because looking at the lineup of the Chinese team, it seemed they were aiming to counter-attack against us.

Fortunately, the team didn't push forward too aggressively; otherwise, if they had lost at home, Australia would have been in a very passive position in the group.

Throughout the first half, the two teams only managed a total of 5 shots, and failed to score a single goal.

The audience members who came to the scene were almost falling asleep; the match was just too soporific.

During halftime, the Chinese team made the first tactical adjustments.

Seeing that the opponent lacked ambition, Lao Zhu decided to increase the attacking intensity in the second half and see if he could score a goal.

While continuing to play like this would guarantee a point, taking a gamble could potentially yield three points.

Since that's the case, we might as well give it a try. What if we succeed?

However, Australia's defense was indeed strong. China tried to launch an attack from the middle, but was thwarted by the large number of troops the opponent had amassed in the midfield and their relentless pressure.

The midfield is the key to victory. The Australian team learned from their previous defeat and chose to defend the middle rather than risk conceding on the flanks.

Under the opponent's relentless pressing and strangulation, the Chinese team's plan to create opportunities through midfield cooperation failed.

But since the opponent has opened up the flanks, let's try to make some moves from there.

Starting from the 60th minute, the Chinese team's full-backs took turns moving forward to participate in the attack.

However, Australia's physical advantage came into play at this point. Even with China bringing in a dominant aerial player like Han Peng, China's tactics, which were designed to target Southeast Asian teams, were completely ineffective against Australia's tall defenders.

Several crosses were either not delivered to the correct positions or were cleared by the opposing defenders before they could reach the ball.

Zhu Guanghu didn't dare to really let go and push forward on both flanks, because he was also afraid that Welbeck would launch a counter-attack against the Chinese team.

The situation on the field became deadlocked again, with neither side seeming to have a good way to deal with the other.

Has the Australian team started to cower like turtles? Why did they all retreat to their own half as the game progressed?

[No way, is this the strength of a top Asian team? I thought it was something else, but it turns out it refers to their ability to park the bus!]

The Australians are already parking the bus at home; I can already predict their lineup and tactics for their next away game!

[Sigh, Han Peng, despite his aerial prowess, isn't very effective against such a group of tall defenders. If he were as tall as Trezeguet or even Ibrahimovic, he might have a chance!]

[You can't really blame him. After all, when the opponent is prepared, the success rate of creating opportunities by crossing from the wing is inherently low!]

Chinese fans were very dissatisfied with the match because the national team's lineup and tactics were designed to counter the opponent.

However, the opponent didn't attack at all, causing the Chinese national team's tactics to completely fall apart.

They originally had a chance to win three points, but now it looks like they can only get one point.

Australian fans were equally dissatisfied with the match, having been eagerly anticipating a revenge game.

I want to see the Australian team take advantage of their home field to launch a major attack on the Chinese team, defeat their opponents with offense, and avenge their defeat in the World Cup qualifiers.

But Welbeck's tactical design never had this idea from the beginning. If this were an away game, it would be fine, but this is a home game. Playing so cowardly, doesn't he deserve to be criticized?
The Chinese team is very strong, but they shouldn't be this afraid, right?

If we're afraid of even these Asian teams, how can we expect to achieve better results in the World Cup?

Australians have big ambitions. In the last World Cup, the Australian team broke their team record and entered the knockout stage for the first time, although they were eventually eliminated in the round of 16.

But it gave Australians hope, allowing them to see the possibility of catching up with the top European teams.

Therefore, Australians had high expectations for the 2010 South Africa World Cup, and their minimum requirement for the team was to reach the knockout stage, or even go further and reach the quarterfinals!
But to achieve this, they must establish their dominance in Asian competitions.

However, the Australian team's performance in Asian competitions in recent years has fallen far short of their expectations.

It was one thing to be humiliated by Southeast Asian teams in the Asian Cup, but back then, they could still find excuses like not being able to adapt to the climate and water conditions in Southeast Asia.

However, in the World Cup qualifiers, they suffered a crushing defeat to the Chinese team on their home turf, and there really was no excuse for that.

If they can defeat the Chinese team in this top ten qualifier, it will help them regain some confidence.

But seeing the team not even daring to show their strength, the disappointment in the hearts of Australian fans is indescribable. (End of this chapter)