Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 125: Tactical Upgrade of the World Youth Championship
In response to the outside disturbances, the national youth coaching staff used shielding. Fan Bin asked everyone to stop using their mobile phones and focus on the match against Argentina at 6:15 pm.

I did some recovery training in the afternoon and adjusted my eating time for this purpose.

We had lunch at 10 o'clock and dinner at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

After dinner, at 3:30, the National Youth Team boarded the bus to the competition stadium.

After arriving, the whole team started digestion exercises, which were basically light exercises. After 4:30, the amount of exercise began to increase to normal levels.

Chen Fang led the whole team to conduct a warm-up of moderate intensity.

After warming up, Fan Bin announced today's starting lineup. Chen Fang was unexpectedly not selected, but he himself was not surprised.

As early as noon, Fan Bin had communicated with him that his playing time would be arranged according to the game situation. Chen Fang smiled and said that he would rather not play.

At 5:30, the staff reminded us that we could enter the venue for field adaptation training. After entering, we found that there were more spectators today, perhaps because we won against Spain and received more attention.

Soon it was time for the game to start, and when Argentina's head coach Pablo Prigioni saw that No. 21 did not play, he immediately reacted.

The Argentine national youth team is currently in the stage of transition from the old to the new. The previous generation has already become talented, but the next generation is still unclear.

This period of time in 2015 was very awkward, and all the traditional strong teams were in this awkward stage.

China was actually in a period of decline after the explosion of potential new stars, which was the six or seven years from 2013 to 19, and has not recovered.

So you can see that in 15, U19 Croatia made it to the finals, but in 19, they were defeated by the Chinese National Youth Team in a warm-up match.

Including this time's opponent Argentina, they lost all three group stage games, but in 19, they won the runner-up in the World Cup and the America's Cup champion in 22.

From this we can see that the traditional strong teams around the world will not have a gap in talent training due to the performance of a certain national youth team, because they have many sources of material, and the national youth team is just one aspect.

Moreover, their training strategies and methods are not short-sighted, and they do not want to go all in for a certain stage.

Although the Argentine U19 team did not perform well this time, 22 years later, they formed the main team that won the America's Cup and defeated the US team.

Moreover, there is not a single NBA player on this championship team, as all of them play for European league teams.

This team includes Delfino, who is 21 years old, and Chapero, who is 12 years old. The age span of the 8 players on the team is rising, with 4 under and over .

They have rich competition experience, super stability, clear division of labor and great unity.

This is very worthy of reference and learning. Unfortunately, people in the domestic circle and direct leaders do not study this. When they talk about it too much, they use China's national conditions to block it, which is ridiculous.

Back to the topic, Prigioni was unhappy, but he did not pass on this negative emotion to his teammates.

The arrangements for the first quarter were made step by step. With the referee coming on stage, the second game of the National Youth Team began.

Chen Fang sat on the bench, with Fan Bin next to him.

Fan Bin consciously communicated his insights into the game with Chen Fang, trying to help him better understand what he needed to do and to have a deeper tactical fit with him.

After half a quarter, Fan Bin's brows relaxed. Argentina's attack was not so sharp, and the defense could not form effective control. The game was evenly matched.

Suddenly Fan Bin asked: "Chen Fang, what do you think of Argentina?"

"Very strong!"

Fan Bin was not surprised, but rather quite delighted and asked: "What's the reason?"

"The play was reasonable and the ball flowed smoothly, but the individual performance was not outstanding and the conversion was not possible."

"What about us?"

Chen Fang thought for a moment before answering: "Our quality is not high, we don't cooperate well, and we are rigid."

He thought the coach would refute, but unexpectedly Fan Bin nodded: "You are right."

"Our national youth team players come from all over the world. The level of youth training in each place is different. We have talents, but the training process is not done well."

"In terms of basic tactical training, the quality of the players is uneven. Even though we try to select players of similar level for training, we still can't do well in the details."

Fan Bin intended to talk about these things with Chen Fang in order to bring up deeper topics.

"More importantly, our players are not motivated enough. Once they think they can play professionally and make a living from basketball, their spirits drop."

"Chen Fang, you don't have what I have. You have a strong desire to improve yourself. From your daily hard training, I can see that you have greater goals."

“Coach, you praised me, but I just feel like I’m not good enough.”

"If you are referring to the domestic situation, you are more than capable. But if your heart is in the world, then you are indeed not capable enough," Fan Bin said meaningfully.

Chen Fang did not deny it, and both of them turned their attention back to the court.

At the end of the first half, the National Youth Team led by five points with 32 to 27.

Fan Bin did not make too many adjustments. At the beginning of the second half, he once again used the two Zhaos and one Sun to attack from the outside, making two breakthroughs and one shot to fight against Argentina.

On the court, Zhao Yanhao made a three-pointer, and then stole the ball again on his way back to defense. This was his third steal, and there was cheers from the bench.

Fan Bin applauded and asked Chen Fang: "What do you think of Yan Hao?"

"Very good!" Chen Fang said without hesitation.

"Please be more specific." Fan Bin was not satisfied.

"He looks a bit like me, but he's too thin." Chen Fang didn't dare to take it seriously and pointed it out briefly.

Fan Bin sighed, "He seems to be a thin person, so it's hard for him to eat. Besides, I don't think he eats much."

Chen Fang didn't respond. The best players in this national youth team are three.

Zhao Rui, Sun Minghui, Hu Jinqiu.

But all three have their own shortcomings, which make it difficult for them to make a difference in the international market.

The problem with Zhao Rui is that he is a shooting guard, but he does not pass the technical level of shooting guard and has many shortcomings.

For example, his technical details such as dribbling, pull-up shots, and short layups are not excellent.

His strongest point is physical confrontation, fast break and three-pointers from the top of the arc, but he has great limitations.

Sun Minghui's problem is his height. His overall technical level is higher than Zhao Rui. He has everything a defender should have, and he can also connect the team and has the ability to solve tough problems.

But because of his height, it is difficult for him to make a difference in international competitions.

In addition, his defensive level is not high, he is emotionally swayed, and too many fouls will affect his performance.

Hu Jinqiu also has a physical condition. He is completely unsuitable for games with high intensity. As a 211-cm power forward, he lacks back-to-the-basket skills, and his hook shot and footwork are not good.

And on defense, there are also problems. The help defense and pace are not fast enough, and the ability to protect the rim is extremely low.

In fact, the best static player in this class is Zeng Fanri, but his basic skills are too poor. If he is trained as a guard from a young age, he can become a killer in China's inside line.

But there are not so many ifs. Zeng's lower limit means that his upper limit is not high. Even in the CBA arena, he cannot carry the sky.

He can only be considered a flawed version of Tao Hanlin.

Of course, Chen Fang would not tell these words to anyone else, not even the head coach.

The game continued, and in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter, the National Youth Team was still leading by 10 points, and the outcome was decided.

Those on the sidelines who wanted to see No. 21 play also gave up hope and left the field one after another.

In this game, Zhao Yanhao performed extremely well, scoring 23 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 1 block.

Chen Fang did his best to provide service, handing out towels and serving water.

Having won both games, there is no problem in qualifying. In the quarter-finals, the probability of encountering strong opponents is also decreasing.

On the bus back, Fan Bin was calculating points with his assistant.

"If we lose the third game, depending on the situation in Group A, we will either play against Egypt or Iran."

"This is already a very good result. This time, we will definitely advance to the quarterfinals!" Team leader Wu smiled happily.

Fan Bin didn't laugh along, he was thinking about a problem.

Should we fight to the death with Türkiye?

What is the meaning of spelling it out?
"Continue the simulation. If we beat Egypt, who will we play against?" The assistant calculated for a moment, then said with an unpleasant expression, "Maybe we will play against the host country Greece."

Hearing this, Fan Bin suddenly came to his senses.

They have to compete with Türkiye. Greece is the host country and has always been the favorite to win the championship due to its own strength.

"What if we beat Türkiye?" asked team leader Wu.

"That's beating Australia."

Australia, Fan Bin frowned.

In fact, once we reach the quarterfinals, it will be extremely difficult to face any team.

With two days left, they didn't have much choice.

After returning to the hotel, the unified takeout had already been delivered. After replenishing the food, it was time for post-match recovery. Chen Fang did not play, so he acted as an assistant and helped out on the side.

I was busy until twelve o'clock before I finally finished.

I wanted to go back to my room, but was stopped by the assistant.

"The coach is looking for you."

When he arrived at the room, Fan Bin was waiting for him. After asking about the team members' situation, he said, "Chen Fang, do you have confidence in Türkiye?"

Chen Fang shook his head. He knew nothing about Türkiye. He only knew that it was a traditional strong European team.

"Then what do you think can be adjusted in the current national youth team?" Fan Bin was very kind. It was a bit unreasonable to discuss this with the players, but Fan Bin did not regard Chen Fang as a player. He knew this young man very well. He was very smart and had his own way of thinking about playing.

It's more like exchanging experiences and sharing views.

Chen Fang thought about it and understood the coach's intention, so he said, "In fact, our team has many scoring points, but how to combine them in an orderly manner is still being adjusted."

Fan Bin became interested. He took out his notebook and said, "Go on."

Chen Fang had no choice but to continue: "Let's talk about the outside line first. Zhao Rui and Sun Minghui can actually coexist, but their responsibilities must be clearly divided, otherwise, it will be chaotic."

"Zhao Yanhao can be a fixed scoring point on the outside, but the prerequisite is that someone must provide him with special screens. With his current cutting and running into open positions, it is difficult to get rid of him."

"If I'm on the court, I prefer to play with Sun. He can organize the game, and I can make cuts and run, and let Zhao Yanhao rotate me."

"But when Zhao Rui and Zhao Yanhao are on the court, it's hard to create a good situation."

Chen Fang nodded in agreement: "Yes, Zhao Yanhao needs Sun Minghui and Hu Jinqiu."

These three people will be able to make a name for themselves in Zhejiang Guangsha in the future. They have a chemistry with each other, and Hu Jinqiu was able to play well because the evil Xu helped him to be liberated.

"So Sun is the key." Fan Bin pondered.

Sun Minghui's position in this national youth team is actually relatively backward. The first reason is that Zhao Rui is more outstanding and Fan Bin always has to make a choice. The second reason is that Zhao Yanhao has demonstrated very high combat effectiveness, and his own height problem has resulted in few opportunities to perform.

But now it’s different. The appearance of Chen Fang has enhanced his role in disguise.

He has better overall abilities than Zhao Rui and Zhao Yanhao, and he can help Chen Fang share the responsibilities on the outside.

When Chen Fang is being marked or double-teamed, he can take over the task of organizing the game. He can shoot and also break through.

The more difficult points a team has in a game, the more difficult it will be for the opponent to defend.

That's how the NBA works. The first, second, and third scoring positions must be ranked, otherwise the team has no chance of winning.

The standard for a playoff team is that the average points of its three scoring points must account for more than two-thirds of the team's total points, which is around 3 points.

On the other hand, if a team needs five or six players to score points, it will be very unstable. The rotation substitutes can explode, but it is impossible to do so in every game because the playing time does not allow you to do so.

As a substitute, if you don't perform well in a game, you will immediately return to your original playing time because each player's playing time is fixed.

Anyone who has played 2K knows this.

Currently in this national youth team, Captain Chen is the first scoring point, Hu Jinqiu is the second, and the next ones to compete are Zhao Yanhao and Zhao Rui.

Hu Jinqiu is stable because he is the only one who can score in the interior.

In response to Fan Bin's questions, Chen Fang shared some of his thoughts that had long been in his mind.

"The rotation order for the outside line should be me and Sun Minghui, and then Zhao Rui or Zhao Yanhao will take my place. Let Sun Minghui always be a support point on the court, so that our offense will not be interrupted."

"Anything else?" Fan Bin continued to ask. This had always been one of the solutions he was thinking about.

"In terms of the combination of inside and outside lines, I need Hu Jinqiu to be more proactive. If he keeps relying on me to score, it will be obvious."

"His range of movement should be..." He walked to the tactical board and started drawing.

"Four points." Chen drew a circle at the elbow, top of the arc, short corner, and free throw line.

"When I hold the ball at the top of the key, I would rather Hu Jinqiu screen me so that he can get an open position at the free throw line."

"When I was on the wing, he would go to the short corners on both sides and set a screen for me or slide to the baseline to open up the defense and let me play one-on-one."

"When I'm in the corner, he's going to set a screen for me at the elbow and help me get to the wing, and I can either shoot or break through and pass to him."

Fan Bin nodded continuously. As Chen Fang spoke, he had some rough tactical plans in his mind.

"I will definitely choose him as my first choice internally, and I will give it to the two Zhaos externally."

"If there is no chance, Sun Minghui will be needed to take over, or he will force the solution."

"In addition, Zeng plays a very important role. His body width is the best screen for me."

"The six of us will become the core of this team. Together with Fu Hao, the seven-man rotation will be enough to face the entire game."

"So who is your starting lineup?" Fan Bin asked the last question.

"Me, Sun Minghui, Hu Jinqiu, Zeng Fanri, Zhao Rui and Zhao Yanhao are all OK."

Chen Fang then drew it on the tactical board.

"I hold the ball at the top of the arc, Sun Minghui is on the wing, Zhao Yanhao goes to the bottom corner on the same side, Hu Jinqiu hangs in the elbow area, and Zeng is in the short corner area on the other side. This forms four people on the strong side and one person on the weak side."

"When I call Hu Jinqiu to come up for cooperation, Sun can take his man away and take him to the weak side corner."

"Zhao Yanhao stays still and serves as my outside point guard, while Hu Jinqiu can serve as my inside point guard."

"Or I can call Zeng and go to the weak side alone. In this way, all the defense on the strong side will be brought over, and Sun Minghui and Zhao Yanhao will have their chances."

"Why is it the top of the arc?" Fan Bin asked after pondering for a moment.

"The top of the arc is actually the most difficult because there are the most people here, but I am not afraid. I am confident that I can control the ball because there are the most points for passing the ball along the line from the top of the arc to the basket."

"The wing, the bottom corner, the top of the arc, as long as there is an open space anywhere, I can pass the ball." Chen Fang was very confident.

This is how he played baseball in his previous life. With his height and wingspan, he could play as a center-blower.

Fan Bin stared at the tactical map drawn by Chen Fang without saying a word.

"So you're going to keep fighting like this?"

"Yes, no matter the opponent is 23, 32, or 131, I can break through at the top of the arc."

"We'll practice tomorrow." Fan Bin made up his mind.

Chen Fang's idea coincides with his. If they want to achieve better ranking results, they must upgrade the lineup and tactics.

There are still two days left, maybe the Chinese National Youth Team will give Turkey a big surprise.

　There will only be one chapter tomorrow because I have to go out to pick up my parents, and it will take an entire afternoon to drive there.

　　In addition, I have revised the competition system. It was changed after 13. The information I searched before was from 11. The quarterfinals is already an elimination system.

　　One more thing, the biggest problem with writing this is that the information is incomplete. The information I paid to use AI to search was all wrong.

　　I can’t find the complete rosters of many of the 15 World Youth Championship teams, except for the core players, almost nothing is missing.

　　There is no one in Türkiye, what a headache!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)