The Xuanwu Sports Center in Jiu'an, Hexi Province can accommodate 60,000 people. However, because there are no top league teams in Hexi Province and Hexi Daqin is still struggling to survive in the Chinese League One, it is difficult for this stadium to be full unless it is a star.
concert.
But today, the stadium was packed with people and the crowd was buzzing.
Finally worthy of its title of "Sports Center".
What is going on here is a friendly match between the Chinese team and the Slovak national team.
Although they came from afar, Slovakia did not send a second-line lineup. All their main players who play in the five major European leagues were present. It can be seen that Slovakia also attaches great importance to this game.
The reason why they attach so much importance is naturally because the Chinese team cannot be underestimated.
With their unbeaten results in three draws in the World Cup, especially the 3:3 draw with Brazil in the last game, the Chinese team has made a name for itself around the world.
The importance their opponents attach to them is a form of respect.
The football world is like this. If you have strength, you will be respected. If you don’t have strength, no one will care about you.
When Japanese football first appeared on the World Cup stage, it was an unknown player that no one cared about.
But now they have made all opponents who fight against them dare not take it lightly, no matter how strong that opponent is.
Although Slovakia played all its main players, the Chinese team performed better amid the cheers from their hometown folks.
In an almost crazy atmosphere, the Chinese team continued to attack the Slovak goal.
New head coach Dong Jianhai almost followed Shi Wuyin’s World Cup lineup for this game.
Formation 433. Forward Hu Lai is in the center, Chen Xingyi and Luo Kai are on the left and right.
Midfielder Jiang Wanqing is behind to intercept and defend. Xia Xiaoyu is responsible for connecting the front and backcourts next to him, serving as the hub for transition between offense and defense. Zhang Qinghuan is at the front, close to Hu Lai, who can serve as an organizing midfielder or a shadow forward.
The center back is still the combination of Yao Huasheng and Wang Guangwei, with the right back Bai Di and the left back Qu Lu.
Goalkeeper Lin Zhiyuan.
Whether it’s the formation, personnel mix, or tactical design, it’s all the same as the national team during Shi Wuyin’s time.
Since there is no difference, the international players on the field naturally cooperate with each other without any discomfort.
At home again, we are in a hot state.
At the end of the first half, the Chinese team had already led by two goals. The two goals were scored by Hu Lai and Luo Kai respectively.
You must know that the opponent is Slovakia. Although they did not participate in this World Cup, they also reached the knockout round of the European Cup two years ago. They are by no means a weak team.
And the Chinese team was able to lead by two goals in the first half!
The fans at the Hexi Jiuan Xuanwu Sports Center were so happy that they almost fainted.
They were shirtless and beat the drums hard. Along with the rumble of the drums, uniform and deafening shouts sounded in the sky above the Xuanwu Sports Center.
“Team China! Come on (dong dong)!!”
The Chinese team played very well in the World Cup, but unfortunately, the three games were all in the distant United States, and there were still only a few Chinese fans who could go to watch the games.
Now the first national team game after the World Cup is scheduled in Jiu'an City, the capital of Hexi Province. This game has touched the hearts of countless people. Not to mention Jiu'an City, fans from several provinces around Hexi Province have heard the news and flocked to it.
Then, I flocked to Jiu'an City just to witness the elegance of this national team live.
Tickets for the game were completely sold out half a month in advance. Even so, a week before the game started, there were still fans from all over the country wandering outside the Xuanwu Sports Center, hoping for a miracle before the home court would release the tickets, or for various reasons.
I couldn't watch the game, so I came to sell tickets, and they stopped me...
It’s also a credit to the fact that all football tickets now have real-name authentication. To watch the game live, you need your ID card to match the information on the ticket to enter the venue. Otherwise, the ticket for this ordinary friendly match may be sold for less than 10,000 yuan.
go……
The Slovak players are obviously not used to such an away atmosphere. They came to China with the mentality of playing a friendly match. But how does this look like a friendly match?
Without telling them, they would even think it was a European Cup match!
And it’s the European Cup held in China...
What the hell!
Chinese fans are so fanatical. Is the football atmosphere in China so good?
※※ ※
Although Slovakia got a goal back in the second half, in the 66th minute, Chen Xingyi scored another victory for the Chinese team, and the final score was fixed at 3:1.
Anyone who watched the game will have this idea: the Chinese team won easily at their home court, and the advantage was definitely not just as simple as a 3:1 score.
This feeling is actually quite ridiculous. After all, the Chinese team in the past rarely had the performance like today when facing European teams, completely suppressing the situation from the scene to the score.
After this game, the media and the Internet were full of praise for the Chinese team.
Everyone thinks that it is obvious that the Chinese team that has participated in a World Cup is more mature, and the benefits of studying abroad are obvious.
When facing European players, everyone dared to make moves and show themselves.
Increased self-confidence leads to improved on-field performance.
Winning a big victory over your opponent doesn’t seem to be something too difficult to understand.
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Four days later, the Chinese team faced its second friendly match opponent, the stronger Mexican team, in Jingyang, Haining.
The lineup Dong Jianhai arranged this time has changed a lot compared to the previous game.
The formation changed from 433 to 442, with Hu Lai and Zhou Zijing on the front line, Jiang Wanqing and Zhang Qinghuan in the midfield, and Chen Xingyi and Luo Kai on the left and right.
Only the back line has not changed much.
However, this set of changes did not produce the effect Dong Jianhai expected.
The Chinese team did not play well in the first half. Not only did they not score a goal, they also conceded two goals.
After the halftime break, Dong Jianhai made adjustments and returned to 433. Zhou Zijing was replaced and Xia Xiaoyu came on as a substitute.
After changing back to a familiar formation, the Chinese team's performance improved.
Hulai pulled a goal back for China before being substituted.
It is also the only goal scored by the Chinese team in this game.
In the end, the national team lost to Mexico 1:2, ending their two friendly matches with one win and one loss.
Although they did not achieve a complete victory, everyone still spoke highly of the national team's overall performance in these two games after the game.
At the same time, he also gave high marks to the performance of the new coach Dong Jianhai in his second entry into the national team.
The media believes that the best thing Dong Jianhai did was not to break the "precious legacy" left by Shi Wuyin without authorization. He followed the tactics and staffing of his predecessor Shi Wuyin, which is very commendable.
Because the performance in the World Cup has proven the effectiveness of Shi Wuyin's tactical thinking and personnel combination.
Since practice has proven the effectiveness of this style of play, why should we change it?
After some coaches take over a team, they always want to prove to others that they are different and have something new. The so-called "three things a new official does when taking office" is that he can't wait to overthrow everything his predecessor did and promote his own thing. But in the end
, on the contrary, the gains outweigh the losses... and good results may not be achieved.
After all, people are prone to inertia, especially this Chinese team. They used Shi Wuyuan's method to achieve success in the World Cup.
But most coaches pride themselves on the fact that others know better and their own method is the best. That’s why they continue to stage the drama of their successors overthrowing their predecessors.
The good thing about Dong Jianhai, an old coach, is that he understands the importance of "continuation".
When the Football Association just announced that Dong Jianhai would take over as the head coach of the Chinese team, the media was full of doubts and distrust about this decision. However, after watching these two games, most domestic media said that Dong Jianhai may not be as good at coaching as he currently is.
The best coach in the country, but he obviously has self-awareness and has set his position correctly.
I did not reject Shi Wuyin for reasons of face, but chose to be a follower of Shi Wuyin, who is exactly the best person to lead the Chinese team to complete the transition.
Some media use the allusion of "governing by doing nothing" to describe Dong Jianhai's adoption of Shi Wuyin's tactics, praising Dong Jianhai for doing nothing, which is actually the best approach.
And this was proved in the game. In the second game against Mexico, Dong Jianhai really wanted to try something new. He changed the formation from 433 to 442, but obviously the effect was not good. And once it was changed back to the original Shi Wuyin's
The lineup and the national team's performance tended to be normal, and Hu Lai's goal in the end was the best proof.
Obviously Dong Jianhai also realized that 433 is still suitable for this national team, so don’t mess around.
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"I cannot agree with those statements in your media, Yu." After hearing the media's evaluation of Dong Jianhai, which Yu Jintao translated for him, Jorge Dillon shook his head and said. "Dong's attempt to make changes is a violation of
Yes, but unfortunately he was too timid and retreated after encountering a slight setback. So after two friendly matches, everything remained the same, with no changes at all... It is a good opportunity to use friendly matches to try new ideas.
pity……"
He shook his head, looking rather regretful.
Yu Jintao certainly knew that Dillon would say this, because he understood Dillon's attitude towards the Chinese team. When the Chinese Football Association came to Dillon to talk about coaching, he participated in the whole process as Dillon's translator.
There are many speculations from the outside world about why Dillon and the Football Association failed to reach an agreement. Yu Jintao has read them all. Some of the speculations are quite reliable, and some of them are just nonsense. He knows the inside story best, but he never
Speaking externally, this is the professional ethics of a translator.
"Now it seems that both the Football Association and Dong are attaching great importance to next year's Asian Cup...we must achieve results in the Asian Cup...but let me tell you, what if we win the Asian Cup in January next year?
Is the Asian Cup or the World Cup more important?" Dillon seemed to be talking very enthusiastically and continued. "If you perform well in the Asian Cup, can you also perform well in the top 12? Don't they still understand that Asia's best
Isn’t the top football tournament the Asian Cup, but the top 12 tournament?”
“Jorge, you have to take into account the desire of our Chinese fans for the honor of the national team, and understand the importance that fans now attach to the performance of the national team...” Yu Jintao decided to say a word for Chinese football.
"I understand, but I think this obsession is stupid." Dillon said seriously. "I stick to my original view. The Asian Cup, which is so close to each other, should be regarded as an opportunity for the team to train.
Rather than risking everything to get good results. When your Football Association came to me, I made it very clear. If you want me to coach the Chinese team, you can't have any performance requirements for the Asian Cup, and you must agree to not call me up.
The overseas players… turned out they didn’t agree.”
Dillon shrugged and spread his hands.
"It is indeed difficult for them to agree, Jorge. You must know that even Japan and South Korea will recall overseas players during the Asian Cup. The Asian Cup is not the top football event in Asia from a competitive level, but it is of great significance. No one
Will they abandon the Asian Cup so blatantly and declare to the outside world that they regard the Asian Cup as a warm-up match for a big game..." Yu Jintao said. "In a sense, this is not just a football issue..."
"But your situation is different from that of Japan and South Korea. In January next year, maybe Zhang, Xing, Xia, and Wang have not fully integrated into their respective teams, and they will be transferred back to participate in the Asian Cup...
If I were the head coach of their club, since they would definitely miss two months of training and games, then why should I give these Chinese players a chance? After finally cultivating them, wait until January to teach them to me.
Sting?" Dillon shook his head and hummed.
Yu Jintao was speechless by what he said.
They also discussed this issue privately, and Yu Jintao really could not refute Dillon's reason.
The head coaches of European clubs do not have the consciousness of "devoting everything to Chinese football, regardless of reward, and focusing on the overall situation." They only consider the interests of their own teams. To be honest, it is not easy for their best players to suddenly leave the team to participate in the national team in December.
Team games, and then play until February... Indeed, few club managers will be willing to let him go.
"Actually, it's not just the Asian Cup. In my opinion, this time the national team competition, the Chinese team should not arrange the competition at home in order to satisfy the fans' desire to chase stars. They should go directly to Europe for training to avoid
Let those overseas players travel and be too tired, which will affect the progress of their integration into their respective teams... Besides, haven't you seen the performance of these players playing together in the World Cup? Let them be separated from each other.
Just to play two warm-up matches, isn't this a waste of game opportunities? What is the purpose of the warm-up matches? It is to inspect new players before the official game, add fresh blood to the national team, test new tactics, and prepare enough backup
The plan... ended up doing none of these things in these two games."
Speaking of this, Dillon suddenly laughed: "I know why Cao and Yan are so indifferent to the coaching position of the Chinese team..."
Yu Jintao said nothing.
After the Football Association failed to reach an agreement with Dillon, it tried to find Cao Wei, the head coach of the Shanhai Mariners, and Yan Li, the head coach of the Hedong Thunder. Both of them are considered the best local coaches in the country.
But they all rejected the Football Association because they had contracts with the clubs.
Why is this happening?
It is obviously the dream of countless local coaches to be able to lead the Chinese team. For example, Wang Xianke was very eager to coach the Chinese team. He regarded coaching the national team as the ultimate goal of his coaching career...
There are also a lot of voices in China calling for giving local coaches opportunities and trust.
Everyone thinks, “Isn’t it a matter of course that our own country’s team uses its own coach?”
But now it seems that perhaps it is this turbulent public opinion that has deterred those coaches.
After all, their predecessor Shi Wuyin was too successful. He not only led the Chinese team to the historic World Cup finals, but also achieved an unbeaten record in the World Cup when everyone was not optimistic about it.
With such a gem in front of you, who can be the successor? Can it not be a big headache?
It is completely conceivable that after they became the head coach of the Chinese team, they were all walking on thin ice and trembling with fear.
Succeeded because of the good teachings of their predecessor Shi Wuyin, but failed because of their own low level and the good cards left by Shi Wuyin were beaten to pieces...
"So I guess, Yu...I guess Dong may have figured out this problem in the first half of the game against Mexico, so he decisively changed it back and copied his predecessor's stuff exactly..." Dillon chuckled.
.
Then his expression became serious again: "But I must say...Whether you like it or not, I must say that football is developing very rapidly, and it is very dangerous to remain unchanged in world football. The original successful experience is likely to be used in the future.
It has become a stumbling block. It is very dangerous for the Chinese team to continue to use the same tactics without making changes. It is even... it is entirely possible that they will not be able to qualify from Asia in the next World Cup!"
Yu Jintao was a little surprised: "Isn't that true, Jorge?"
“How about we make a bet?”
Yu Jintao shook his head vigorously: "No, no bet!"
Dillon laughed: "So deep down in your heart you also think what I said is right?"
Yu Jintao was speechless and speechless.
"Shi is a smart man, so he chose to leave after playing in the World Cup. He said he was incapable of continuing to lead the team... Do you think he is being modest? No, he actually saw the crisis in the Chinese team, but there was nothing he could do about it.
To solve this crisis, it is difficult to deny yourself after all." Seeing Yu Jintao's appearance, Dilong shook his head and sighed.
