"Playing in the quarter-finals with the Chinese team is really the best result!"
As soon as Tatsuya Sugiyama entered the restaurant, he heard his teammates talking loudly.
The topic is naturally the next quarter-final opponent.
After all the matches of the Chinese team's group ended last night, the Japanese team's opponents in the quarter-finals were also announced.
Japan, ranked first in Group D, will face China, ranked second in Group C.
"For us, no opponent is the same, right?"
"That's what I say, but I would still rather meet the Chinese team."
"Yes, I would rather play for the Chinese team."
Sugiyama Tatsuya did not participate, but turned around to get his meal.
He is not surprised that people are so keen on talking about the Chinese team.
Because this is indeed a hot topic within the Japanese team.
In last summer's World Cup, the Japanese team had the best performance among all Asian participating teams because they were the only Asian team to reach the knockout rounds.
Although it only stopped at the top 16.
But this is enough to make Japan the face of Asian football.
However, in the field of public opinion, the Chinese team is more popular than the Japanese team.
Everyone is talking about the Chinese team that remained undefeated in its first World Cup match, discussing their 3:3 match against Brazil, and discussing Hulay's achievement of winning the World Cup Golden Boot...
This kind of overwhelming publicity is not only spread within China, but also in Japan, South Korea, Asia, and around the world. Everyone is discussing the Chinese team's stunning debut in the World Cup.
During the World Cup, the AFC even published four key reports on the Chinese team. However, there were only three reports on the Japanese team.
If you are a person who has never watched the World Cup and only learns about the World Cup through news reports, it is easy to think that the Chinese team is the "face" of Asian football in this World Cup.
Therefore, this matter caused some controversy on the Japanese Internet, and many Japanese fans expressed dissatisfaction with this.
They are dissatisfied with the AFC's "favoritism" and the Japanese media's slack in publicity, and of course they are even more dissatisfied with the Chinese team.
It is believed that the Chinese team is "morally unqualified" and that a team that has not even qualified for the group is not qualified to represent Asian football.
Don't talk about "the only one who is undefeated". The only one who is undefeated is that he failed to reach the knockout round, so what's the use of being undefeated?
Japanese netizens are discussing it so enthusiastically, how could the Japanese international players not know about this matter? How could they not have any opinions on this matter?
The views of most players are basically the same as those of Japanese fans.
They all believe that Chinese football has “a false reputation.”
Therefore, being able to meet the Chinese team in the Asian Cup this time is of course "the best arrangement of fate" for those Japanese players who are holding back their anger.
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The players of the Chinese team did not go to the training ground for ball training in the morning. Instead, they went to the hotel gym for physical recovery training under the leadership of the physical coach.
The game against the Philippines has just ended, so physical recovery training is very important.
If this link is not done well, the fatigue accumulated by the players in the previous game will not be properly maintained and accumulated in the body, and it may burst out during the next training or game, causing injuries.
Therefore, recovery training the day after the game is something that every team attaches great importance to.
Even Xia Xiaoyu, who was substituted due to injury during the game, was doing simple recovery training in the gym.
It also proves to some extent that his injury is indeed not serious and will not affect the next game.
This is crucial for the Chinese team.
The game against the Japanese team is very difficult, especially because the Japanese team's midfield is very strong, which is their traditional strength. And if Xia Xiaoyu cannot play on the Chinese team, then when the Chinese team competes with the Japanese team for the midfield,
It's hard to compete with it.
It was normal for Xia Xiaoyu to appear in the gym, but the appearance of another person here surprised everyone.
"Captain Yao, why are you here?" Wang Guangwei asked with his eyes widened when he saw Yao Huasheng.
"I'm here to train." Yao Huasheng said matter-of-factly. He walked past Wang Guangwei, got on a treadmill, and started jogging.
Wang Guangwei, who was standing next to him, was very surprised: "Shouldn't you take a rest..."
Unlike Xia Xiaoyu's minor injury, captain Yao Huasheng's injury was very serious at first glance - literally "very serious at first sight", after all, a piece of his shoulder was already broken.
Everyone secretly speculated that the Yao team might not be able to catch up with the Japanese team.
Unexpectedly, he would now appear in the gym with a normal expression, doing recovery training with everyone.
No wonder everyone is so strange.
Vice-captain Hao De came up and frowned and asked: "Dayao, your injury..."
"It's not a big problem." Yao Huasheng glanced at the bulge on his shoulder, with an indifferent expression on his face. "The bandages have been removed."
Hao De saw the criss-crossing tapes on the opponent's shoulders and arms, and he didn't believe Yao Huasheng's words.
Noticing the look in Hao De's eyes, Yao Huasheng explained: "There is still a little swelling now. Once the swelling subsides, it will be fine. It will not affect normal activities."
As he spoke, he moved his shoulders slightly while keeping his expression as normal to prove to everyone that this injury really did not affect him.
After he finished, he said to everyone: "Okay, okay, why are you hanging around? Why don't you go to train?"
After sending everyone away, Yao Huasheng continued jogging. He pursed his lips tightly and breathed only through his nose, so as not to expose his clenched teeth.
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At the press conference held by the Chinese team that afternoon, head coach Dong Jianhai revealed to Chinese and foreign reporters the injury of Yao Huasheng that they were most concerned about:
"After inspection, there was no major problem. The shoulder was indeed dislocated... but it did not affect his participation in the next quarter-finals."
This statement caused the reporters present to first look at each other, and then start talking about it.
Everyone has seen the bulge on the shoulder...it's all like that, but it's not a big problem?
Can you still participate in the game against the Japanese team?
Dong Jianhai ignored the reporters' reactions and continued: "...the game against the Japanese team will be very difficult. But the Chinese team will definitely go all out in this game. We will show what the Chinese team should do
level."
A reporter sneered.
Dong Jianhai said this before every game. In the end, the level that the Chinese team should have is to lose to Iraq 0:2, or to be scored by Palestine and the Philippines?
Although Dong Jianhai said that Yao Huasheng would not be absent, he was injured after all, and it is impossible that a lift on his shoulder would have no impact on his activities.
This is definitely not the Chinese team in the best condition.
What level can it show?
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"Yao Huasheng is fine and can still participate in the game with us?"
"Ah ah ah, what a pity! I didn't expect him to get in..."
"Yes, yes, given the level of the Chinese team's defense, if Yao Huasheng can't improve, he will basically be useless."
Just after training, the players of the Japanese team were changing clothes in the locker room while continuing to discuss the top hot topic among them.
Sugiyama Tatsuya still just listened silently and did not join in the conversation.
Because he actually doesn't agree with everyone's views on the Chinese team, but almost all the people talking are the big brothers of the national team, his seniors, so how can he dare to refute it?
So he could only listen quietly.
At this time, he couldn't help but think of Junpei Morikawa, who was not in the team.
If that idiot were here, he would definitely stand up and express his opposition, right?
Sometimes Tatsuya Sugiyama even doubts whether Junpei Morikawa is still Japanese after all - he can speak fluent Chinese and is obviously closer to those Chinese players than to compatriots like himself.
Sugiyama Tatsuya also thought that if Junpei Morikawa had not already played for the Japanese national team, he would not be surprised at all if he heard that he would change his nationality to play for the Chinese team...
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
Everyone who was talking about it turned to look at the team captain Kengo Yamayama who was sitting in his seat. He was glaring at them.
"Why should we care about whether Yao Hua is promoted or not? Can't we win if he is here? When did Japanese football become so cowardly? If you want to win, you have to count on the opponent's main players being injured and absent.
?”
After everyone looked over, he asked a series of rhetorical questions.
No one in the locker room dared to answer the question.
Yamayama Kengo just glared at his teammates one by one. Under his gaze, the teammates lowered their heads, not daring to look at the captain.
"Everyone, don't forget what our goal is. On the road to defending our title, do we have to expect our opponents to make mistakes in order for us to succeed?"
Yamayama Kengo simply stood up, put his hands on his hips, and stared at the teammates in the room with bulging eyes.
"The reason why Japanese football is strong is that we are very strong. As long as we can perform our abilities normally, we don't need to worry about what the Chinese team is doing!"
"So! From now on, I don't want to hear those stupid voices in the locker room anymore! Go all out to play the game well and focus on the game itself!"
After saying this, Kenwu sat down again. The locker room was quiet for a while, and then the voices of everyone talking began again.
It's just that this time no one is discussing whether Yao Huasheng will miss the game.