After finishing the training camp in the capital city of Hongmaple Ridge, Shi Wuyuan finally made his choice and selected 23 people from the 30-person training roster to enter the competition roster.
These twenty-three people will be registered for the U23 Asian Cup.
This list is not very surprising.
Players who perform well in training are basically selected.
Those who were not selected will definitely have some regrets, but they will also accept the result calmly. After all, their performance is indeed not as good as the 23 people who were selected.
Director Shi’s criteria for choosing who can sign up for the competition are very simple, based on training performance and strength.
Everyone has worked with him for many years and knows this very well.
This is also one of the differences between him and the previous coaches of the National Youth and Olympic Games.
Since the reform of the Football Association, the higher-ups have reached out to the national teams at all levels, and the behavior of asking for money to apply for quotas no longer exists.
But it is inevitable that some situations involving entrustment will occur.
But in Shi Wuyuan's case, this method doesn't work.
He has been leading this national youth team, and he has the absolute authority here. If he doesn’t nod, no one will be able to join the team.
Judging from the players he selected, they must all be the players he thinks are the best and most suitable among the age groups he has inspected.
The seven teammates who were not selected said goodbye to everyone at the Hongmangling training base and left peacefully. But they also had to ensure smooth communication.
Because if something unexpected happens among the remaining twenty-three players, such as injury, and temporary substitutions are needed, the coaching staff will give priority to selecting from these seven players. If they cannot be contacted by then, they will miss the opportunity. After all, the coach
The team will not call you more than a dozen times just to wait for you.
After seeing off the seven eliminated teammates, the remaining 23 players packed their luggage, gathered together and took the bus to the airport, flying directly from the Capital Airport to Haining Dashun.
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"Oh, I really miss it..." Hu Lai said with emotion, overlooking the coastline below the plane through the porthole window. "We just came here less than two months ago."
He said this to Chen Xingyi and Wang Guangwei, who were sitting together.
"Yeah, I really didn't expect that the U23 Asian Cup Olympic team's base camp would be Dashun..." Wang Guangwei also said with emotion.
Chen Xingyi said: "After all, it is a football city."
When Hu Lai heard him speak, he couldn't help but glance at him.
"What?" Chen Xingyi felt Hu Lai's gaze.
"Speaking of this, I suddenly remembered."
"Remember what?"
"Remembering that we still don't know whether Chen Xingyi..."
Before Hu Lai finished speaking, Chen Xingyi, who was sitting next to him, covered his mouth: "Shut up!"
Wang Guangwei laughed beside him.
The plane is circling and descending, and is about to land at the airport.
Wang Guangwei had completely different moods when he came to Dashun twice.
Although the expectations and pressure he faced during this second visit may be greater than the first time, he didn't know why, but he could still laugh so happily and relaxedly.
The mood is completely different.
Many people may not have realized it at the time.
But looking back now, we know what changes it brought to them in the second leg of the FA Cup final.
He doesn't know what others are like, but he has really felt his growth after that game and until this Olympic training camp.
"What are you thinking about?" Hu Lai, who had been let go by Chen Xingyi, found Wang Guangwei in a daze and asked him.
"I was thinking... Hu Lai, do you think you have improved after last season?"
"Progress? Of course there is." Hu Laixin said that I have used so many training scrolls seamlessly. If there is no progress, isn't this plug-in fake? "You see, I can use the 'Schrödinger's Pendulum' in training.
I passed Brother Yan."
"Don't mention this anymore...Brother Yan will go crazy if he hears it." Chen Xingyi rolled his eyes wildly.
"Fuck, let me tell you, this is really my unique skill, not some random luck!"
"Yes, yes, your special skill is shit luck..." Chen Xingyi said perfunctorily.
Wang Guangwei interrupted the bickering between the two people and said seriously: "I feel that I have improved, both in terms of game experience and mentality. In the past, it was always said that young players still need to participate in high-level competitions to make greater progress.
.But that is just a very vague statement, lacking intuitive feeling. But this time after playing the Football Association Cup, we won the Golden Arrow in the final, and I really felt that I had improved. So I thought, after playing U23
Can we also make some progress in the Asian Cup?"
When Hu Lai heard what Wang Guangwei said, he curled his lips: "It's just the U23 Asian Cup. If you want to compete at a high level, of course you have to go to the Olympic Games! Lao Wang, when you come back from the Olympic Games, you can come and have a good understanding.
Let’s see what new progress you can make!”
"Wait, let me take a look..." Chen Xingyi leaned over to the porthole, pretending to glance down, "Yes, there is Dashun below..."
Hu Lai pushed Chen Xingyi away who was pressing on him: "What are you doing?"
"What you said just now, Hu Lai, I thought the destination of our plane was Madrid..."
"Hey, don't worry, we will definitely go to Madrid this summer!" Hu Lai snorted.
Chen Xingyi reflexively wanted to ask him why he was so sure, but when he thought of what he had experienced with Hu Lai for a season, especially when Hu Lai vowed to him before the FA Cup final that he would definitely win the championship... he wisely closed his eyes.
Mouthed.
Wang Guangwei was looking forward to it: "I really want to go to the Olympics and play against those people we usually only see in the sports news. No matter whether we win or lose, it will be... very exciting."
When he said this, Chen Xingyi also fell into some kind of imagination.
No matter how they are called geniuses, there are still certain conditions.
That is "Chinese domestic geniuses". Compared with the real geniuses in world football, I am afraid they are not enough at all.
They all think they are leaders and big fish in a small pond, but when they really swim in the vast rivers, lakes and seas, they are just little shrimps who have never seen the world.
Take Melli Banega, recognized as the number one young talent in football today. He has won the Champions League at the age of 20. He is a super talent in the world.
At the same age of 20, Hu Lai had just won the Domestic Football Association Cup and had not even participated in the AFC Champions League. It was clear at a glance how huge the gap between the two sides was.
With the dreams and aspirations of these young people, the plane landed on the runway of Dashun Airport.
When the Olympic team players wearing uniforms stepped out of the cabin, they also took the first step towards the goal that fans across the country are looking forward to.
※※※
Xia Xiaoyu saw the latest news from the news that Hu Lai was preparing for the U23 Asian Cup in Dashun with the Olympic team.
In the warm-up match with the United Arab Emirates Olympic team, the Olympic team eliminated its poor defense during the warm-up in October last year and did not concede a goal for 90 minutes.
Of course, this may also be related to the fact that the Olympic team changed its goalkeeper and made Lin Zhiyuan the main goalkeeper...
In the end, Hulay scored twice and Chen Xingyi scored, defeating the UAE Olympic team 3:0 and winning the last warm-up match before the U23 Asian Cup.
This game gave many Chinese fans hope and confidence, and there was constant discussion on the Internet.
Xia Xiaoyu is very envious of this. He also wants to wear the jersey of the Chinese Olympic team and fight side by side with Hu Lai.
But he knows that with his current ability and qualifications, he is not enough to be selected for the Olympic team.
The only thing he can do is to constantly improve himself and try to keep up with Hu Lai's footsteps.
What gave him some comfort was that after training in the youth team for a year, he was indeed promoted to the first team before the training camp of the new season.
Director Zhao did not lie to him, he really thought highly of him and worked hard to train him.
Of course he cannot live up to the expectations of Director Zhao.
While he was thanking Director Zhao in his heart, Director Zhao called him from the training ground to the sidelines.
When he ran to Director Zhao, the boss Qin Lin was standing next to him.
Xia Xiaoyu greeted the two of them respectfully.
Zhao Kangming nodded and then asked him: "Xiaoyu, you have played as a central midfielder in the youth team for a year instead of an attacking midfielder. Do you have any experience with this?"
Xia Xiaoyu thought carefully and then answered the question raised by the head coach: "The position is not as close to the penalty area as the attacking midfielder, but it has a broader field of view and space for movement. I can also intervene when necessary."
Go up. At first, my passing was not very accurate when far away from the penalty area, so Director Shi specifically asked me to practice mid- and long-distance passing. Later, it got much better..."
"Now let me give you a choice, would you rather return to the attacking midfielder position, or continue to play as a deeper central midfielder?" Zhao Kangming asked.
"I feel that the central midfielder is indeed more suitable for me now, Coach Zhao." Xia Xiaoyu answered seriously.
Hearing this answer, Zhao Kangming and Qin Lin looked at each other, and then he asked Xia Xiaoyu with a smile: "What if you are asked to retreat a little further and play as a defensive midfielder?"
Xia Xiaoyu was stunned and didn't understand why the head coach asked this for a while.
Midfielder?
The first image that popped into his mind was that of his midfield partner in the school team, Chen Rui. That muscular man, a small tank, who relied on his immortal physical fitness and body muscles to run rampant on the court and hit every ball.
Grab it, and then miss the pass that is more than ten meters away...
A qualified engineer, but an organizer like him is completely unqualified.
But his mind immediately turned around and connected with the question of Coach Zhao just now, as well as his experience in the youth team this year, and most importantly... Qin Lin standing next to him.
So he asked: "Coach Zhao, is he a defensive midfielder like Lin Ge?"
Zhao Kangming seemed very satisfied that Xia Xiaoyu could think like this and come up with this answer, but he still smiled and shook his head: "No, he is a pure organizing midfielder. His position is further back than the central midfielder, but he is not responsible for defense.
Instead, he is responsible for organizing the offense and controlling the team's offensive rhythm and direction. In other words... he is the brains of the team."
Xia Xiaoyu was stunned for a while and was struck by the description of "the brains of the team".
"Of course, it is wrong to say that there is no need to defend at all. Even the center Hu Lai has to defend. If you are in the defensive midfielder position, you must have some defensive tasks. But your main task is to organize the offense and control
Rhythm, connecting the two ends of offense and defense, there are not many opportunities for direct assists, and compared with when you played in the school team, there are fewer opportunities to shine." Zhao Kangming continued to introduce to him, or described what a midfielder like that is.
how is it like.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Xiaoyu nodded vigorously: "I am willing, Coach Zhao. I am willing to retreat and play as a defensive midfielder like this. I want to be the brains of the team!"
Zhao Kangming pointed at Qin Lin to Xia Xiaoyu: "Then from today on, you can follow Qin Lin and learn how to be the brains of a team."
Qin Lin continued: "We only have one year, so I will strictly demand you. Don't complain that you can't stand it."
"Don't worry, Brother Lin, I won't do it!" Xia Xiaoyu held out his chest, like a soldier who had received an important mission.
Zhao Kangming and Qin Lin both laughed when they saw him like this: "Not bad, he is very energetic."
"Because I want to work hard to catch up with Hu Lai." Xia Xiaoyu explained his reasons.
"Then you have to run faster. He..." Zhao Kangming thought of Hu Lai, who was preparing for the U23 Asian Cup and Olympic Qualifiers in the Chinese Olympic team, and said with emotion, "It's already flying so fast that you can't see it..."