Before the game, coach Liu Chunming specifically discussed with Wang Ai privately how to play this game.
To be honest, before coming to Helsinki, Director Liu did not have the confidence to make too many connections in games against strong European teams. He just treated every game as a final.
However, the strong attacking power shown by the Chinese national junior in the group stage and the rapidly growing shooting ability trained by Wang Ai, as well as more importantly the performance of the Portuguese team in the group stage, made Director Liu's ambitions grow like spring grass.
.
"Do we need to reserve a little bit and be better prepared for the next game?"
Wang Ai checked the schedule and found that the next opponent was either Argentina or Mexico.
Wang Ai thought for a long time before speaking, but unexpectedly he talked about an irrelevant topic.
"Director Liu, do you think it is possible for the Chinese team to win the next World Cup in my sports life?"
Liu Chunming just drank the tea in his mouth, spit it out in one gulp, and looked up at Wang Ai with shock on his face.
"What? Say it again?"
"World Cup champion!" Wang Ai pointed to himself: "Is it possible when I can still kick the ball?"
"How old are you?" Liu Chunming smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Why do you think so much?"
"Don't think about it. You see, I am 16 years old this year. At best, I can play until I am 36, 19, 23, 27, 31, 35, just these five times." Wang Ai shook his five fingers.
Said: "There are too few opportunities to play in the World Cup. I only have these five opportunities, not counting last year. I have no say in that team at all."
Liu Chunming looked Wang Ai up and down with a weird expression: "You mean, in the next five World Cups, you have the right to decide everything from player selection to coach appointment to tactics? Do you really think you are the chairman of the Football Association?"
"Let's not talk about this. If I get injured and quit football, then don't mention anything." Wang Ai waved his hand nonchalantly: "Just tell me, is it possible for me to win the World Cup?"
Liu Chunming thought for a long time, raised his head and smiled bitterly: "Xiao Wang, if it were just you, oh, if you were born in a European country, I really dare to think about the scene of you holding the Hercules Cup, but here, this
…”
Wang Ai also sighed: "Director Liu, we are all in the industry, let me tell you something familiar. Vice Chairman Zhang's credit for qualifying for the World Cup last year is true, but fundamentally, it is still those players! They are the whole country and the people.
They were trained through mobilization and selection. But what about now? The sports school has collapsed, and the national selection system is gone. The reputation of domestic football is not good, and there are fewer and fewer children playing football. Candidates
The roster is getting smaller year by year, and the football foundation is getting weaker year by year. What will be the future of our Chinese football? If I say this, others may not feel it deeply, but you specialize in youth training."
"No!" Liu Chunming nodded: "In the past, our sports school teachers went around to various schools, named people and left. No one could say anything. Some parents objected, so we just did some ideological work.
It doesn't matter even if there are some who have not supported it. The selection is open to all primary school students, and there is almost no one who slips through the net. But now, when we meet a good prospect, there is really nothing we can do. We go to someone's house to talk about it, and we just practice.
Two years to try. There is no iron rice bowl anymore, and the club cannot make any effective commitments. So, I turned over the palm of my hand and looked at it, and there are only a few pieces of information."
"That's right!" Wang Aidao said: "No one can change this environment, Director Liu, you and me. At least football, the 'pain of reform', will definitely become a long-term chronic disease. So what should I do?"
Wang Ai pointed at himself with a wry smile: "Although I am still young, my career only lasts for ten or twenty years. I am not willing to fail to win the World Cup even once in my life. You said I won it at the age of 14.
I won the World Cup Silver Boot, but never won a championship in my life. Can I be willing to accept it? But what should I do?"
Liu Chunming remained silent, if only he knew what to do.
"My personal ability is very strong. You may have heard over the years that I train the hardest. You can probably see it from the development of my personal skills and physical fitness. But no matter how strong I am alone,
, can I win the World Cup with a group of amateur players? If nothing else, my opponent shamelessly destroyed me, and the ending is still the same?" Speaking of this, Wang Ai shook his head: "So my method
I just try my best to raise the upper limit of the existing talents, mainly my teammates, to restrain them and help them, to give them the opportunity to expand to high-level leagues, and to let them keep up with my pace.
Even if the total list is small, I will try my best to improve the quality of this list."
"Playing against Portugal and playing against South Korea in the Asian Junior Finals is the same." Wang Ai said returning to the game: "I want to try my best to win a big victory, not just my personal performance, but trying to perform well as a team. If they are in their teenage years,
Being able to achieve such an achievement will determine their lifelong vision and ambition. Even if they encounter difficulties for a while, they will still think of how I could beat Portugal, South Korea, and Spain. This will allow them to win as soon as possible.
Cheer up and don’t settle for the status quo easily.”
"Of course, what is different from playing against South Korea is that South Korea is our opponent in the Asian Civil War, and it is a roadblock and stumbling block for us to break out of Asia. And the next international match with Portugal is unknown in what year and month. So playing against South Korea will destroy the other side's confidence.
, playing Portugal is to enhance our own confidence." Speaking of this, Wang Ai said sincerely: "Director Liu, being my coach will bear a lot of pressure. I know you have worked hard too. But please understand that as a young man
Players' worries. Like you said, if I were born in a European country, I wouldn't have to think so much. But there is no way. In today's transformation period of Chinese football, I was born in such an era. What if I don't do this?
Woolen cloth?"
Liu Chunming nodded slowly: "Actually, I discovered from the growth of your last national junior team members that you did grow faster than the average players. You won't say it anymore. Zeng Cheng's performance is the most representative. Originally, at this age
Among goalkeepers, he is not the best, but the speed of his improvement in the past two years is amazing. Wang Yongpo and Gao Lin have also improved very quickly, which shows that your idea is still correct. So, do you plan to play against Portugal?
Do you want to keep it?"
"We will try to seal the victory in the first half!" Wang Ai nodded: "In the second half, you can make substitutions when necessary, and we should also save some strength."
"Let our teenagers fly to their heart's content, in the sky of Europe, the center of world football!"
