In fact, even if Mai Zhaocheng doesn't say it directly, there are still many things that can prove that the Chinese Football Association and the Olympic team are really ambitious this time.
In addition to recruiting overseas players such as Hu Lai and Zhang Qinghuan to come back to compete, it is rare for over-age players to start training with the team from the first day of the Olympic team's preparation training.
During the 2012 Capital Olympics, the Chinese Olympic team participated in the football competition as the host, and there were also overage players in the Olympic team.
Qin Lin's only Olympic participation record was at that time.
As an over-age player at the time, Qin Lin only joined the team ten days before the start of the Olympics and did not participate in the Olympic team's training nearly two months in advance.
The same goes for two other overage players.
Part of the reason why these two overage players did this was that the Chinese Super League was still in progress at the time, and the club was unwilling to release them so early to prepare for the Olympics, which would affect the performance of the club team.
But Qin Lin was already playing in Frankfurt at that time, and his situation was the same as that of Hu Lai and Zhang Qinghuan.
He still trained with the Olympic team ten days in advance.
It can only be said that this was the normal operation of over-age players at that time.
This time, Hu Lai, Zhang Qinghuan and Lin Zhiyuan came to train with the team so early as over-age players. Obviously, it is because the Olympic team hopes to allow the three over-age players to have a good run-in with the team and integrate perfectly.
Instead of being like 16 years ago, over-age players are over-age players and the Olympic team is the Olympic team. The two are like water and oil on the court, completely incompatible.
This divided performance also led to the failure of the Olympic team.
In addition to meeting with the Olympic team for training in advance, this mentality can also be seen from the arrangement of dormitory rooms.
The Olympic team has two people sharing a room.
When allocating rooms, there was no random drawing or voluntary combination, but was designated by the tour leader.
In the final list, the over-age players were not assigned to a room, but were all separated and lived with the original players of the Olympic team.
And even if they are roomed with the Olympic team players, they are not roommates with the Olympic team players they are already familiar with.
For example, even if Hu Lai does not live in the same room with Zhang Qinghuan, he does not live with Xia Xiaoyu.
But with Ou Yangjin.
The same is true for Zhang Qinghuan and Lin Zhiyuan.
Lin Zhiyuan simply didn’t live with his South China Tiger teammates.
This kind of arrangement, which completely breaks up the original interpersonal relationships, fully illustrates the determination of the Olympic team coaching staff to make everyone become a united whole.
Whether it is the Overseas Chinese Faction, the "Flashing Star Gang", or any other small group... they are not allowed to appear in this Olympic team.
Even a successful star like Hu Lai does not receive any special treatment in the Olympic team.
All of them have only one identity, that is, "Chinese Olympic team players", and over-age players are also players of the National Olympic team.
By using this method to break down the barriers and distances between each other and allowing them to get along harmoniously on and off the court, such a team will be able to explode into extraordinary combat effectiveness in the game and write history.
What makes the Olympic team coaching team very gratified is that "seniors" like Hu Lai and others have set a good example in this regard.
On the first day they came to the team, they got along well with the other players from the Olympic team. They did not show off or shun others, which made those former players from the Olympic team who thought they were not easy to get in touch with relax.
Take a breath.
At the same time, with Hu Lai's fame and achievements, he is also very serious in training and has set a good example for other Olympic team players.
Let everyone learn from the same example, and no one dares to be lazy in training.
After all, anyone who dares to do this will be looked down upon - Brother Hu has been training so hard, how dare you dare to be lazy? Did you score 36 goals in La Liga? Or did you get it in the Champions League?
Golden boot? Or scoring twice in four consecutive Champions League games?
Who on the Olympic team can withstand such a soul-searching question?
I want to ask if anyone on the Olympic team is unhappy with Hu Lai's hard-working training?
Of course there is.
Zhou Zijing was very unhappy - I am the age-appropriate player of this team, which is roughly equivalent to the owner of this team! How can I let you, Hu Lai, show off in front of me? No, I have to work harder than you!
If anyone thinks it’s normal for Hu Lai to work so hard in training because they heard the story about Hu Lai still training after returning home, then they should take a look at Zhou Zijing.
Zhou Zijing, as a player of the appropriate age for the Olympic team, has been on this team. Everyone has seen how he trained before. Although it is not called "lazy", it is definitely not working hard. The result is now like a chicken.
Like blood...
What's going on?
Ou Yangjin, Guan Shipeng, and Tian Yuan saw it with their own eyes, and combined with what Brother Xiaoyu called "Brother Hu's Success Learning", they had a deeper understanding of "purity".
They also work very hard in training and strive to become pure.
So there was a stir within the Olympic team...
This made team leader Ran Jiachang admire Mai Zhaocheng’s original decision:
"Sure enough, unifying their minds first and telling them that the goal is to get cards can fully stimulate their subjective initiative! How come no one of us thought of it so many years ago?"
Mai Zhaocheng laughed: "Times have changed, Lao Ran. In the past, Chinese players had poor results and lacked confidence. This would only greatly increase their pressure and eventually collapse. Now these players are more confident and believe that they can really do it."
That’s why you work so hard to compete for medals.”
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During the training camp, the Chinese Olympic team played three domestic warm-up matches.
The Chinese Football Association, local governments, and enterprises jointly organized an international invitational tournament at the U23 level with money and effort.
According to the grouping results of the Olympic team in this Olympics, the three opponents found tried to fit the characteristics or style of the opponents in the Olympic group stage.
Why is this Olympic team ambitious?
First of all, judging from the group results, they are much better than the previous session.
In the last Olympic Games, the Chinese team was placed in a group with Belgium, Argentina, and Nigeria.
This group can be called the "Group of Death".
Facts have proved this - Argentina, led by Melli, failed to qualify from this group!
This shows how "dead" this group is...
In this Olympics, the Chinese team is placed in a group with three teams: Germany, Honduras, and Fiji.
Except for Germany, which is slightly stronger in this group, Honduras and Fiji cannot compare with Belgium and Nigeria from the previous tournament.
As long as the Chinese Olympic team performs normally, it should be able to join the German team in the knockout rounds.
In view of the opponents in this group, the Olympic team invited the Netherlands U23 from Europe, Mexico U23 from Central America, and New Zealand U23 from Oceania for the domestic warm-up match.
The strength of these three teams is not weak. If they form a group of four teams, it can be said that they are stronger than the group in the Olympic Games. This is the "Group of Death".
By finding a team that is stronger than its opponents in the group stage to warm up, it is obvious what the Olympic team is up to.
Even if he loses the warm-up match, Mai Zhaocheng doesn't care.
He is not afraid of damaging the team's confidence.
The important thing is to see clearly before the Olympic Games how far behind you are compared to your peers in developed football countries.
Then have a correct understanding of your own position.
On this basis, we will adjust our strategies and tactics and continue training.
By the time the Olympic Games comes, the whole team will be in the best condition both physically and mentally.
After three warm-up matches, the result was a bit beyond Mai Zhaocheng's expectations.
In the first game against Netherlands U23, the Olympic team actually won!
With Hu Lai's brace and Zhou Zijing's goal, the Olympic team defeated the powerful Netherlands U23 3:2.
In the second game against Mexico U23, the Chinese team tied with the opponent 1:1. The only goal scored for the Olympic team was neither Zhou Zijing nor Hu Lai, but... Zhang Qinghuan.
This is also the first goal Zhang Qinghuan scored in the Olympic team.
The third game faced New Zealand U23. In fact, New Zealand was the weakest among the three opponents, but the Chinese team had the most difficulty in playing.
Because New Zealand U23 is very aware of its own advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage is poor technology, but the advantage is good strength and excellent confrontation ability. Therefore, New Zealand adopts the simplest and crudest style of play to face the Chinese Olympic team.
Faced with opponents who set up a bus in front of the goal, use long passes to attack at the same time, and rely on their strength to attack the Olympic team's defense, the Olympic team had a difficult time talking.
In the end, the two teams shook hands and drew 0:0.
After three warm-up matches, the Chinese Olympic team remained undefeated, which surprised many people.
The performance of the Olympic team has made many people look forward to the next Olympic Games.
After playing three warm-up matches in China, the Olympic team recuperated for three days directly in Shanhai City, the venue of the competition, and then gave the players four days off.
These four days off are for the players to go home and reunite with their families.
After all, starting from June 15th until July 20th when the warm-up match was over, this group of players had been training in a closed camp for more than a month.
This does not mean that the longer the training session, the better. Long training sessions place a huge physical and psychological burden on the players.
In order to allow the players to travel lightly, the Olympic team gave all the players a holiday before leaving for the United States, so that they could release all the stress and fatigue accumulated during the training camp.
Going home and being with your family is the best way to relax.
After the four-day holiday, the Olympic team regrouped in Shanhai City before flying to the United States.
They will also have two warm-up matches there.
After these two warm-up matches are played, the Olympic Games will officially begin.
Hu Lai's second Olympic trip in his career is about to begin.
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Attached:
2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games men’s football competition groups:
Group A: United States, Japan, Sweden, Egypt;
Group B: Argentina, South Korea, South Africa, Russia;
