Thanks to "Thieves", "Qingqing Xiaolang" and "ivjun" for the rewards!
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The dust of the Anglo-Afghan war has settled.()
A game that was not passionate from beginning to end, but it has undoubtedly become the most sensational classic battle since the start of the World Cup.
Compared to the defending champion France, who suffered a series of upsets and failed to win a game, the strength of England and Argentina, the attention they received, and the shock of the game process and ending have made the World Cup reach a small peak since its opening.
Anyone who cares, especially the World Cup coaches, can see that the England team used absolute rationality to destroy the fanatical romance of the Argentina team.
Simply put, it's a counterattack.
However, this counterattack effect is not simple to achieve. Compared with traditional counterattacks, only a few fixed offensive players are needed to attack the city.
The England team's counterattack was magical, and there was a fascinating change of direction. Ashley Cole became the MVP of the game with his pass and shot, and his excellent offensive and defensive performance.
This kind of counterattack power directly prevented Argentina from attacking in the second half and did not dare to give England any space to counterattack. Aldrich defeated Bielsa, and his victory was impeccable and no one was dissatisfied.
At the same time, teams that may meet England are also thinking about how to limit England's counterattack.
The direct impact is on Group A.
In the round of 16, the 12 players from Group A will play against the 12 players from Group E.
And Group A is still in chaos.
Denmark has 4 points, Senegal has 4 points, and the goal difference is +1.
France 1 point. Uruguay 1 point. Goal difference -1.
It’s hard to say who will be the top two in the group. Because teams with 1 point will play against teams with 4 points in the final round. If France and Uruguay both win, this group will be chaotic to the point of maddening: 4 teams
All 4 points.
When it comes to football matches, there are always a large number of people who will make predictions, and this kind of prediction will also make the public chase and go crazy.
Before the World Cup, Fleet Street previewed the England team's path to promotion. The best case scenario is that both England and France qualify in first place. Then each will play against the other team's second place in the group. After all, the French team is outstanding in Group A on paper.
, so Fleet Street’s requirement for the England team is that they must strive to get first in the group, otherwise, it will be dangerous!
No one wants to meet the winner of the past two competitions.
But after the two rounds of Group A and Group E, the French team had diarrhea, but the French team made a sound that the soul Zidane would come back from injury in the last game!
Although the French team still has hope of advancing, if they advance, there is a high probability that they will be second in the group!
Fleet Street reporters who were writing World Cup reports and previewing the knockout rounds were going crazy.
World champion, European champion. How did you come up with such a script that no one would have thought of?
If the French team wants to advance to the round of 16 as the first in the group, it will be too difficult. Not only must they win against Denmark, they must also expect Senegal to lose and have a better goal difference than Uruguay!
After the Anglo-Afghan war, Aldridge attended the post-match interview, and the reporter first congratulated him.
"England won two games in the death group, scored 6 goals and conceded 1 goal. With a 5-goal difference, it became the first team to advance to the top 16 of this World Cup, although it is theoretically possible to finish second in the group.
, but the probability is extremely slim. Are you surprised by the performance of the England team?"
"It's okay. We prepared carefully and attached great importance to this competition. The players are in good condition and have high fighting spirit. We deserved the victory in two games. This is a reflection of our strength and the reward for our hard work."
"The England team has advanced to the top 16. There is no team in Group A that is sure to advance. If you were asked to choose, which team would you choose as your opponent in the top 16?"
"In the World Cup, we will not pick our opponents. Whoever we meet will be who we meet. I will not think about this. No matter who the opponent is, I will not be surprised or worried. In the end, the team with the best performance will be
, rather than relying on luck, I think my players will also have the same idea. Now, we have to rest, recover, and prepare for the next game. When the knockout round of the top 16 comes, we will be ready to fight and strive to enter.
Top 8, thank you.”
...
After Aldridge finished the interview, he walked back to the locker room. The locker room was already very happy. Jerseys, food, and drinks were scattered on the floor. Some players were taking a shower, some were dancing, some were taking pictures, and some were chatting.
.
When Aldridge came in, the players all stood up at once, and those who were taking baths also put on towels and stood in front of him. Everyone had joy on their faces and a sense of pride of themselves.
Aldrich smiled and said: "First of all, in the last game against Nigeria, all the players who started two consecutive games have rested. 11 of the other 12 players have played. Paul, I will give you 30 minutes to feel the atmosphere."
Paul Robinson was overjoyed. As the third goalkeeper, he is the spare tire among spare tires. Not many teams will change goalkeepers on the spot, let alone the third goalkeeper who can appear when the team has already qualified early. In any case, in
The World Cup is an honor, and his appearance is a milestone. Needless to say, James will be the main goalkeeper.
"Secondly, we will resume training for three hours as usual tomorrow morning, and then the 11 main players who will appear today will be given a day and a half of vacation to reunite with their families. You don't have to come back tomorrow night, but you must report back to the hotel before 10 p.m. the day after tomorrow.
The other players will have a half-day holiday after tomorrow morning, and you will start officially preparing for the last group match from the morning of the day after tomorrow."
The players cheered in the locker room, and Aldrich turned around and said before leaving: "We are just qualifying from the group, and the real test has not yet begun. I hope you can stay sensible."
"Don't worry, coach!"
...
The match between Sweden and Nigeria almost made things a little easier for Argentina.
Nigeria scored first, but Sweden completed the reversal with Larsson's brace.
In the end, the Swedish team defeated Nigeria 2:1. The Swedish team had the same points as Argentina. However, the ranking jumped directly from the bottom of the group to the second place in the group. They had a goal difference advantage over Argentina!
Argentina fell from second place in the group to third place in the group. In the final game, the situation was very unfavorable and they would be eliminated if they failed to win.
On the same day, in the Korean Division, after defeating Slovenia 3:1 in the first round, Spain defeated Paraguay with the same score. Slovenia in the same group also went home early after losing to South Africa. Spain became the second team to advance first.
Top 16 teams.
Aldridge returned to the hotel and once again reunited with his family after game day.
The next day, the headlines reported by major media outlets were the Anglo-Afghan war.
"England emerge as favorites to win the title!"
"The Three Lions crush the Pampas Eagle!"
"Belsa has brought Argentina to a dead end!"
England, which was enjoying moderate popularity before the game, miraculously became the first team to advance to the top 16 of this World Cup, and in the group of death, they ravaged the two strongest opponents in the group. All of a sudden, England became
They became the favorite to win the championship because they flattened the Nordic cavalry and conquered the South American Eagle.
Even if Spain wins both games equally magnificently, the strength of their opponents means the value of the victory remains to be seen.
Aldridge ignored the hype from the outside world and supervised the team's training in the morning. The holiday started at noon, and the coaching staff also took a vacation. The main players who had a half-day holiday reunited with their families, left the hotel, or went shopping or in a foreign country.
Have fun and relax.
Aldrich originally planned to accompany his family to go shopping and visit tourist attractions in Japan, but his two sons seemed less interested. They had been shopping around recently. Japan itself is not a big place, especially Earl.
He wanted to go to the game and watch his idol Ronaldinho perform.
It just so happens that that evening, the Brazilian team will have a World Cup group match.
Aldrich agreed to Earl, and Arthur and Amelia stayed in Japan. The two old men over fifty needed a good rest. They did not have the energy of young people.
Aldrich took his two sons, and through some connections with the Football Association, the father and son flew to South Korea at noon to watch the match between Brazil and China.
When he got off the plane, Aldrich's phone rang. When he picked it up, he was very surprised.
"Damn it, Rafael, you don't want to buy players from me again at this time, do you?"
"Ahem, no, you want to watch the Brazilian game?"
"Eh? How do you know?"
"Many people know that fans in Korea have already come outside the stadium to welcome you."
"Wtf, who leaked the news?"
"I don't know. I happen to be here and I'm going to watch the Brazilian team's game. Let's go together?"
"Are you interested in Brazil?"
"Well, that's right. Their tactical system is worth studying. Watching videos or live broadcasts is naturally not as effective as the full-field view."
"This is, okay, we met outside the stadium half an hour before the game. I was watching the game from the VIP seats."
"Haha, okay, I'll take advantage of you."
"Well, see you then."
After Aldridge hung up the phone, he called back and contacted the FA to get another VIP ticket.
Benítez was very proud after returning to Spain. He won the La Liga championship in the first season after taking over the bat team. When Aldrich saw his call, he thought that the other party wanted to poach some eliminated products from Millwall. It seemed that
no.
After all, Benitez and he still have a working relationship. At this time, Aldridge is leading the team to compete in the World Cup. If he calls and harasses Aldridge about club transfers and other matters, it will be disrespectful.
Aldridge took his two sons to Jeju Island, South Korea. The father and son were dressed casually and wore toad glasses. The two children looked quite happy, but the father and son together looked particularly warm.
After walking around Jeju Island and sightseeing for a while, when the appointed time was approaching, the father and son headed to the Jeju World Cup Stadium.
When he met Benitez outside the stadium, Aldrich had already seen a large number of Brazilian fans and Chinese fans, as well as a large number of fans from all over the world and local fans.
To his surprise, many fans recognized him and created a lot of chaos, especially Chinese fans, who were particularly fond of him.
Why?
The Chinese team has players from Millwall.
Although Qu Bo, who was a commercial signing at the time, was loaned to Belgium, Qu Bo truly held the aura of a Millwall player and grew steadily in Belgium in the past two seasons. Tolop coached St. Turden.
He has led the team to promotion to Belgium. Although Qu Bo has not established himself as the main force in the team, his performance in limited substitute appearances is pretty good, especially
His speed characteristics have been cultivated by Tolop. He is often used as a surprise weapon or a counterattack knife. The effect is not bad. Aldrich will follow up and observe his performance regularly. However, judging from Qu Bo's age and growth, at this age
He is still unable to gain a foothold in the second-tier European leagues. He is not optimistic about returning to Millwall and becoming a member of the first team. Even the substitutes are not qualified.
However, Chinese fans don't care about this. Millwall already has a large number of fans, and with Qu Bo's relationship, the Lion's love affair with China has made Aldridge's popularity soar again in Asia.
Benitez was a little neglected. Seeing Aldridge being surrounded by the crowd, stadium security had to be dispatched to maintain order, while Aldridge protected his two sons who reacted calmly as they struggled to enter the stadium.
