Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Upon returning from his trip to London, Lin Feng encountered an unexpected fellow at Real Madrid's training base.

"Look, isn't that Zidane?"

"Hey, it really is him. Didn't he retire several years ago? How come he suddenly appears here?"

There is a great deal of curiosity about this former Real Madrid legend, especially among the younger players who joined Real Madrid after 2006 and never worked with Zidane.

Zidane is a well-known figure in the football world. He was not only the most expensive player in football before Lin Feng, but also left behind a classic moment in the World Cup. The photo of him colliding with Materazzi is a household name.

Zidane was talking to Real Madrid club manager Jorge Valdano when he saw the players returning from their away trip. The two stopped talking and walked towards the team together.

"Hey guys, I watched your last game, you played really well!"

Faced with such praise from a football legend, the team's young players were somewhat apprehensive.

Veterans who had worked with Zidane before, such as Raul and Casillas, went up to him, punched him in the chest, and gave him a warm hug.

"Haha, I thought you'd forgotten about us old teammates. You've been retired for so long, and you haven't even come back to visit us old buddies. Where have you been having fun lately? Tell me about it. In a few years, when I retire, I'll come find you and hang out with you!"

As a former member of Real Madrid, Raul has deep feelings for his old buddies like Zidane.

Although the current Galactic One II is also doing very well, its strength and honors are no less than those of the original Galactic One.

But Ginji belongs to the young, not to them, the old guys, so relatively speaking, he has a deeper affection for the original Galactic Battleship.

"Hehe, I'm not as carefree as you make me out to be. I'm planning to take the coaching certification exam and switch careers to become a coach. What, are you interested too? Let's go together!"

Although he has retired, Zidane has not left football behind.

He not only kept track of his former club's progress, but also collaborated with FIFA, serving as its spokesperson and brand ambassador, touring the world to meet with local football associations and youth football groups, actively promoting and popularizing the sport.

"Okay, let's talk about it after I retire. By the way, you haven't met these young guys on the team yet, have you? Come on, let me introduce you!"

After Raul finished speaking, he pulled Zidane aside and introduced him to the new players that the team had brought in over the past few years.

Marcelo, Sneijder, Thiago Silva, Van der Vaart, Huntelaar, Benzema, Higuain, Robben, Garay, Gago, Pepe, Mascherano...

Looking at these new faces, Zidane was filled with mixed emotions.

It's true that every generation produces talented people, each leading the way for hundreds of years!
From 06 to the present, in just a few short years, this Real Madrid team has become so unfamiliar to him that he no longer recognizes it.

Apart from Raul and Casillas, there are almost no other veterans from the first Galacticos generation.

Zidane shook hands with each of the young players. Although he couldn't work with them as a player, perhaps one day in the future he could fight alongside them in another capacity.

Raul introduced the other people, but notably omitted Lin Feng.

Only at the very end, after Zidane had shaken hands with everyone, did he introduce them separately:
"I don't need to introduce him, you must have heard of him, the current helmsman of Real Madrid, the leading figure of the new generation of Real Madrid players—Lin!"

Zidane extended his hand and said with a smile, "Hehe, I've admired Lin Ke for a long time. You could say we became friends after this little misunderstanding!"

Lin Feng smiled and said, "It's just a friendly match, it doesn't count. If it were a real fight, we definitely wouldn't stand a chance!"

Zidane was referring to a warm-up match before the 2006 World Cup in Germany, in which the Chinese team, led by Lin Feng, held France, a strong favorite to win the championship, to a 1-1 draw.

Moreover, the unexpected incident of Zheng Zhi breaking his leg and Cissé during that match left a deep impression on many people.

"Hehe, that might have been the case before, but if the current French team were to face the Chinese team on the field, it's really hard to say what the outcome would be."

This isn't just Zidane being modest; the current French team is facing the growing pains of transitioning from one generation to the next.

The decline of veteran players, the lack of new talent, and the stubbornness of head coach Domenech in selecting and using players, as well as his clinging to his outdated tactical ideas, have led many to be pessimistic about the French team's performance in next year's World Cup.

Some French fans are even pessimistic, believing that if the group draw is unfavorable, the French team may not even make it to the round of 16 and will have to go home after the group stage.

This is perhaps the weakest French team in the last 20 years. Facing the rising Chinese team, they might actually lose.

A day later, Real Madrid announced Zidane's 'return' on their official website.

However, this time, he returned to Real Madrid as an assistant coach.

Starting from the new season, he will join Real Madrid's coaching staff, where he will study for his coaching license while learning professional coaching knowledge from Mourinho.

Once he has learned something, he can try to start as a coach in Real Madrid's youth academy, just like Guardiola next door.

Clearly, Barcelona's discovery of a top-tier coach like Guardiola from among their own retired players has deeply affected Real Madrid, making them want to try their luck.

Although Real Madrid's youth training system is not as famous as Barcelona's, Zidane was far superior to Guardiola during his playing days.

Both being midfielders, Guardiola was able to demonstrate such coaching talent and ability after taking the helm, so there's no reason why Zidane couldn't!
Moreover, Real Madrid is not alone in taking similar actions; many teams have begun to look for coaches who were midfielders before retiring, as if this has become a trend in the football world.

In fact, coaches from different positions do have very different coaching styles.

Coaches who started as defenders typically train teams that excel at defense, while coaches who started as forwards tend to favor offense.

As for midfielders, they are the players on the field who need to use their brains the most, observe, think, and capture space. Their understanding of tactics far surpasses that of ordinary people.

Therefore, after taking over as coach, they are often able to make some breakthroughs in tactical design.

Examples include Ancelotti's Christmas tree formation and the deep-lying attacking midfielder, and Guardiola's passing and control.

But this kind of thing really depends on talent; some people are very good at coaching, while others are just average.

For example, both Maradona and Maradona played midfield, but Maradona's ability was absolutely at the level of a football king, while his coaching ability was simply appalling.

However, Lin Feng is very optimistic about Zidane's future at Real Madrid.

After all, this man is known as Qi Xuanzong, who led Real Madrid to three consecutive Champions League titles. Such an achievement is truly unprecedented and will never be repeated!

……

Zidane also owns a mansion in Madrid, and unlike Figo, he did not sell it after retiring. Moreover, it is located near where Lin Feng and Raul live.

Because they lived relatively close, they often bumped into each other on the street, and Zidane always greeted him warmly. As a man destined to become Real Madrid's manager, Zidane knew he had to maintain a good relationship with the team's key players.

Because they are both top midfielders, he and Lin Feng have a lot in common, and they often discuss and share things about football together.

The two talked most about Guardiola's possession-based tactics at Barcelona.

"To break the passing and possession tactic, we still need to press high up the pitch. Relying solely on long passes or counter-attacks to attack behind the opponent's defense may have a certain success rate, but our own defense may collapse prematurely under the opponent's heavy pressure."

"But Barcelona also has speedy strikers who are very good at counter-attacking. If we push forward and expose space in our defense, giving the opponent opportunities, wouldn't we lose even more miserably?"

Zidane's idea wasn't wrong; high-pressing tactics are indeed very suitable for dealing with possession-based tactics.

However, it depends on the situation. If it's Barcelona after 2013, this tactic would work.

However, using this tactic against Barcelona before 2012 would likely backfire.

Especially with Eto'o still around, their counter-attacks were incredibly accurate!

"Yes, that is a problem. Henry is old and no longer a threat, but Eto'o is currently in his prime. If he stays at Barcelona, ​​it will be a real problem!"

After listening to Lin Feng's words, Zidane couldn't help but frown and ponder.

This season's Barcelona is so dominant that it's almost impossible to see any hope of defeating them.

"Let's hope we're lucky and don't run into Barcelona in the Champions League!"

Lin Feng was taken aback when he heard this. He glanced at Zidane and was a little worried that this guy might be a jinx like Pelé!
……

On April 16, the remaining two matches of the Champions League quarter-finals were completed.

Manchester United defeated Porto 1-0 away from home thanks to a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo, advancing to the semi-finals with a 3-2 aggregate score.

Arsenal, back at home, relied on Robin van Persie's outstanding performance to sweep Villarreal 3-0, advancing to the semi-finals with a 4-1 aggregate score.

With this, the four teams that have advanced to the Champions League semi-finals this season have been revealed.

They are Real Madrid and Barcelona from La Liga; and Arsenal and Manchester United from the Premier League.

Upon seeing the names of these four teams, fans went wild:

Good heavens, the Champions League semi-finals are almost turning into a battle between the Premier League and La Liga!

[It's no surprise that Ligue 1 suffered a complete defeat, but it's unexpected that the Bundesliga and Serie A were also swept clean!]

[Serie A has long been finished; the Calciopoli scandal sealed its fate. As for the Bundesliga, it's entirely reliant on Bayern Munich. Whenever Bayern's performance declines, the Bundesliga immediately drops to zero!]

[Sigh, Serie A has really declined. It seems we really have to choose between La Liga and the Premier League as the world's best league now.]

For longtime football fans, Serie A represents many people's youth.

During the heyday of Serie A, countless top stars from all over the world gathered on the Apennine Peninsula. Their fierce competition on the field, representing their respective teams, brought countless visual feasts to fans around the world, earning Serie A the reputation of being a mini-World Cup.

Unfortunately, that's all in the past. Serie A is now far weaker than it used to be, both in terms of strength and influence.

On the contrary, the English Premier League has a similar charm to the Italian Serie A of yesteryear.

La Liga is a special case, somewhat similar to the Bundesliga, but completely different from Serie A.

However, the difference is that the Bundesliga only has one Bayern Munich, while La Liga has two.

[Premier League fans boast that the Premier League is the best league in the world; now's the perfect opportunity for the Spanish giants to test its mettle!]

[I'm rooting for La Liga this time. The Premier League is strong because many top teams have the ability to contend for the title, but in terms of sheer top-tier strength, it's probably slightly inferior to the two giants of La Liga.]

Manchester United still has a chance; there's a slight gap in strength between them and Real Madrid and Barcelona, ​​but not a huge one. Arsenal, on the other hand, is in trouble; it seems like they can't beat any of these three teams!

I'm an Arsenal fan, and our team has already succeeded by making it to the semi-finals; I don't dare to hope for anything more!

Honestly, considering Arsenal's squad and transfer spending in recent years, it's already incredibly impressive that Wenger has been able to stabilize the team and even reach the semi-finals again!

Although some Arsenal fans are very dissatisfied with the team's long-standing trophy drought.

But few people criticize Arsenal's manager, Wenger; the vast majority of attacks are directed at Arsenal's owner.

They're such stingy people, not spending a single penny, and they have to rely on the team to sell its assets to save itself.

Selling a captain every year and managing to secure a Champions League spot is already quite an achievement. What more could you ask for?

Why do you all assume the semi-final will be a La Liga vs. Premier League showdown? Do you think it's possible that UEFA might arrange two all-Chinese matches for us to see?

It really was a self-fulfilling prophecy!
Just as fans were looking forward to a thrilling Premier League vs. La Liga match, the draw for the Champions League semi-finals was announced on April 18.

Manchester United were lucky to draw Arsenal, the weakest of the four semi-finalists, while the two La Liga teams were unfortunately drawn together!
The announcement of this match result immediately caused an earthquake in European football, especially in British and Spanish football.

Premier League fans are overjoyed and wish they could award the draw guests a ton-weight medal.

La Liga fans, especially those of Real Madrid and Barcelona, ​​felt like the sky had fallen.

Given the strength of both teams, if they hadn't met earlier, they could have both made it to the final, turning the Champions League final into an all-La Liga affair.

But now, the two teams have not only faced each other in the Champions League, but also in the El Clásico in the league.

欧冠两场半决赛的时间分别是4月30日和5月6日，而在这两场比赛中间的5月3日，皇马VS巴萨的第二次西甲国家德比也将上演。

That means Barcelona and Real Madrid will face off three times in one week!

What a tragic couple!

Given that the La Liga title race remains highly uncertain, these three matches will not only influence the Champions League winner but also potentially affect the La Liga title race outcome. (End of Chapter)