At 7 o'clock in the evening, the Chinese team settled in the restaurant on the hotel floor, and the atmosphere became more lively.
Wang Ai also joked a little with Zhao Xuri, but the worries in his heart did not dissipate much.
At the summary meeting in the afternoon, Lao Gao first apologized, claiming that the two consecutive defeats were caused by the coaching staff's underestimation of the enemy, and he would take full responsibility. He asked everyone not to be burdened with how to train. This time is just training, next year will be the key.
.
But Wang Ai knows that it is possible to underestimate the enemy, but when it comes to responsibility, there is no such thing. The preparations for this time were too hasty. The importance of the World Cup qualifiers is much higher than that of the Confederations Cup. Both superiors and fans regard it this way. Then
The national team has to operate according to everyone's will, and there is no time to study the opponents of the Confederations Cup.
The U.S. team is a fairly unfamiliar opponent. The last time they played against each other was in the 1980s, so what’s the point? With the development of Major League Soccer in the past few decades, U.S. soccer has undergone great changes. From the weak, rude team in the early years
The team has become very impressive.
Like China, two-thirds of the players in the US team play in the five major leagues. Although there are no stars of Wang Ai's level, they are all a group of strong players.
Originally, winning or losing was just between the two. Everyone had just won three consecutive victories and their morale was high. So it was not that the boss underestimated the enemy, but that everyone underestimated the enemy. Even Wang Ai did not look down on Dempsey. Of course, he could look down on almost everyone.
There were not many left, and then, we still lost.
The entire team spent too much energy and energy in the group stage, just to compete for first place in this group and then play second place in Group B. Unexpectedly, they actually won, because they were relieved, but they were overturned.
Then they lost to Spain in the third place game. Frankly speaking, many people breathed a sigh of relief after the game. It would be heresy if Spain lost, and it would be right if the Chinese team lost.
Therefore, simply taking responsibility cannot solve the problem.
The reason for the loss was also brought up in this summary meeting. It was that the pre-match work was not enough and everyone did not pay enough attention. But how to avoid it next time? Should we still compete for the first place in the group? After the competition, we will encounter the United States with their physical strength and playing style.
How to play against a team that is rough, has different thinking, and has strong impact?
Also, if we encounter Spain again, how will we fight against it?
Why do we win first and then lose when we fight Spain? Where do we win? Where do we lose?
These require very systematic and repeated review and analysis.
And some reasons can be summarized and can be solved, while some reasons cannot be solved even if they are discovered. There are many such reasons. For example, with just a few people, Gao Jiajun has been like this from the moment it was established 11 years ago.
For another example, the foot skills are not as good as those of Spain. How to solve this? Not to mention that everyone is adults and has limited room for improvement. There is only one year until next year's World Cup. How much can it improve in one year? In one year, the Chinese team can
Everyone is like a dragon, turning into Xavi or Alonso. Who believes it? It's impossible.
There are also some problems that are deep-seated problems hidden under the surface. Just solving the superficial problems is to treat the symptoms but not the root cause. It will cause the problem again. So the real key is to solve the problems that can be solved, solve the deep-seated problems, and treat the root causes.
Adjust your goals for next year.
It only took a few days to sort it out clearly. Lao Gao couldn't do it, Lao Liu couldn't do it, and neither did Wang Ai.
As he was eating, a man sat down next to him and patted Wang Ai on the shoulder. Wang Ai saw that it was Liu Chunming.
"Don't think about it, the day after tomorrow is the match against Japan. Aren't you going to accept an exclusive interview with TV Asahi after the game? Pay more attention to this aspect, the game is irrelevant. You can take your time to summarize the Confederations Cup when you return to China."
"I understand." Wang Ai nodded.
Giving up is also a kind of progress; looking at the present first is also a kind of wisdom.
But even if he didn't want to, Wang Ai didn't sleep very well that night. Age anxiety and career anxiety were entangled together, making him wake up the next day without energy. He accidentally choked on some water while swimming in the hotel.
"Xiao Wang, the embassy is asking if you are free." After breakfast, everyone was preparing to go to the training ground when Ma Dong came over with a phone call.
"Uh, it's about my exclusive interview? Is the phone on?" Wang Ai pointed to the Nokia in Ma Dong's hand.
Then he took the phone and said a few words, handed the phone back to Ma Dong and found Lao Gao. Lao Gao waved his hand: "Fuck you."
Wang Ai was not in the mood to joke with Lao Gao, so he talked to Lao Liu again. Lao Liu found the hotel manager and rented a van from the hotel. In the afternoon, Lao Liu, Wang Ai, Zhao Dan, and Kang Si went to China together.
Embassy in Japan.
Probably because he had a good meal at noon, specifically six servings of tonkotsu ramen, which was very satisfying. At this time, Wang Ai's mood had gotten out of last night's gloomy mood. He was looking at the scenery outside the window, and he was still thinking.
The Chinese Embassy in Japan is very big. Anyway, it is bigger than the ones in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. As soon as I entered the compound, I noticed people coming and going.
Through phone communication, Wang Ai met Ambassador Cui.
"Hello, Captain Wang, I have long admired your name!" Ambassador Cui stretched out his hands.
The panicked Wang Ai quickly stepped forward, bent slightly and stretched out his hands: "Leader, please don't tease me."
"Why am I teasing you?" Ambassador Cui smiled with a hint of seriousness: "South Africa played so well in the game, it caused a sensation all over the world, even in Japan, all the major newspapers reported it, and my secretary was
Just talk to me about you whenever you have time at work."
Wang Ai smiled and shook his head. Ambassador Cui stretched out his hand: "Come on, sit in my room. It's rare for you to come and have a good chat with you. Are you okay tonight? If you're okay, I'll treat you to dinner. It's a combination of Chinese and Japanese. We have everything.
."
"This..." Wang Ai instinctively wanted to shirk.
Ambassador Cui asked in confusion: "What? The game the day after tomorrow is very troublesome? Hasn't it already qualified? China and Japan have already qualified. Is it an exhibition match?"
Wang Ai nodded awkwardly.
"That's enough." Ambassador Cui turned to look at Liu Chunming, who was laughing: "Leader Liu, you won't let me?"
"No, no, the leader invited me, how could I stop him?"
"Okay, everything is up to you."
"Hey, that's right. Let me tell you, I've been working in Heilongjiang for eight years, and I'm half Northeastern. You can't hide it from me if you pretend to be like me."
After sitting down in Ambassador Cui's office, Ambassador Cui got straight to the point: "As for me, I have something to do in the afternoon. Let me chat with you for a few words. Then I will arrange for you to have a brief tour of the embassy. It is so big, right? What about after the tour?
, I’ve pretty much taken care of my affairs, and we’ll chat while eating in the evening.”
What can Wang Ai say? Before he came to be the ambassador, he was the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, a proper deputy ministerial level cadre. Wang Ai was only a deputy department level cadre, three levels apart.
