Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

The World Cup schedule is relatively tight, and the Middle East is indeed quite far from Spain.

So after playing against South Korea, Real Madrid did not return to Europe, but stayed in the UAE to train and prepare for the Club World Cup final that would kick off in three days.

Their opponent has been confirmed: Estudiantes de La Plata from the Argentine Primera División.

South America has a strong football culture and produces many star players, and has always been a major competitor of European football.

Real Madrid takes this opponent very seriously.

The day after the match, Mourinho resumed training early to prepare for the final.

Upon learning that Real Madrid would remain in the local area for training, a large number of fans flocked to the training ground to watch, turning Real Madrid's temporary training base into a scene for fans to take photos and express their admiration.

But Real Madrid players are already used to this kind of thing.

I receive this kind of treatment every time I go abroad for overseas training or receive a commercial order.

Not all regions have such a high level of football as Europe, with so many top clubs that fans have become desensitized to it.

"The Club World Cup sounds prestigious, but it only consists of two matches against such weak opponents. It doesn't seem to have much value!"

On the training field, Marcelo couldn't help but complain.

In his view, the level of the Club World Cup teams is not low, not even close to the Spanish Second Division. It's a waste of time to travel all the way to play against teams of this level.

"There is indeed a significant gap in football levels across different regions, and the current format of the Club World Cup is quite boring. However, it may be adjusted in the future to invite more strong teams from Europe and other continents to participate. With more strong teams, the matches will be more exciting!"

In fact, Lin Feng also felt that the level of the Club World Cup was a bit low for European teams, especially for the Champions League winners.

In earlier years, South American teams could still cause them some trouble on the field, but in recent years, as the gap between European teams and South American football has widened, the situation where European powerhouses were upset by Latin American teams has begun to decrease or even disappear.

The Club World Cup is increasingly seen as an honor bestowed upon European powerhouses – as long as they play seriously, the championship is practically guaranteed.

But for teams from other continents, the Club World Cup is the highest level of club competition they can participate in.

If it is cancelled, they will lose the platform to communicate with top international teams, which is detrimental to the development of football in underdeveloped regions.

But if it continues like this, with European teams just showing up and winning the championship, it will indeed be too boring.

We should bring in more strong teams, invite champions from the top five leagues, and also invite more teams from Asia, Africa, and North and South America to create a major league.

This not only ensures the suspense of the competition and enhances its entertainment value, but also increases the opportunities for teams from other continents to compete against European powerhouses, achieving two goals at once.

……

Before the match against Estudiantes de La Plata, Lin Feng spotted a familiar face in the opposing team's lineup – former Inter Milan player Veron!

Is this guy still kicking?
Born in 1975, Veron will turn 35 in two months, yet he has not retired and remains a key midfielder for the opposing team.

Among South American players who are generally undisciplined and decline rapidly, there are very few who can maintain a good competitive state until the age of 35!
Even Lin Feng couldn't help but admire him, as he himself couldn't guarantee that he would be in such good shape as Veron when he was 35.

Although the two had some disagreements when they were at Inter Milan due to their positions.

But that's all in the past. Now, when they meet again on the field, the two greet each other warmly like old friends.

"You'd better hold back a bit later, my old bones can't take the torment of a strong young man like you!"

"Dude, don't be so ambiguous. If other people hear us, they'll think we're gay!"

"Haha, don't worry, bro, I'm straight, I'm only interested in women!"

After he finished speaking, he waved to a few young players who had been looking over since they started talking, and asked them to come over and greet Lin Feng.

"Lin, let me introduce you. This is our attacking midfielder, José Sosa, and this is our center-back, Rojo. They are both fans of yours and would like to take a picture with you."

Lin Feng smiled and nodded: "Taking photos? No problem, we can do it now!"

He vaguely remembered these two players. Sosa seemed to be a Bayern Munich player, and Rojo was a future Argentine international who had transferred to Manchester United for a high price of 2000 million euros.

It's a bit strange, though. It's one thing for Sosa to play as an attacking midfielder, but why would Rojo, a defender, idolize a midfielder?

But Lin Feng was too lazy to think about such things. In his previous life, when Messi dominated the football world, his fans were all over the football world, including midfielders, forwards, and defenders, all positions!
Sometimes, when a player's influence expands, he will have a huge number of fans from all walks of life and all kinds of people!

Having received Lin Feng's permission, the two were so excited that they felt dizzy and didn't even know when the photos were taken.

……

"Damn it, I've been tricked!"

Lin Feng actually believed the old man Veron's nonsense, thinking that he was too old to play football anymore.

Unexpectedly, this old guy became a completely different person as soon as he stepped onto the field, his sudden change was unbelievable!

In the 5th minute, Veron cleverly evaded the defenders in the attacking third and delivered a beautiful through pass. Estudiantes de La Plata's number 8, Perez, made a forward run as expected and received Veron's pass in the penalty area, creating a one-on-one opportunity.

Fortunately, Casillas was very focused and noticed the crisis immediately, taking timely action to resolve it.

"Focus your attention!"

"Get the hell together, all of you!"

Cassie was furious. His teammates' performance was simply inhuman. How could they make such a basic mistake of leaving someone out? He was baffled and confused.

Perhaps Real Madrid's easy victory in the last match made them lower their guard.

Perhaps it was because they underestimated their opponent before the match that they were caught off guard by the opponent's aggressive attack at the start.

In the opening minutes, Estudiantes de La Plata impressed everyone, managing to put pressure on Real Madrid, the world's top team!
[The Estudiantes de La Plata team is quite strong; they seem to be on par with upper-middle-tier teams in the top five European leagues!]

[After all, they are a powerhouse in the Argentine Primera División, having achieved three consecutive Copa Libertadores titles; their strength should not be underestimated!]

[To be honest, this is what makes a match interesting! If everyone is as defenseless as the Koreans were yesterday, what's the point of the Club World Cup?] [Indeed, matches with no suspense and a predictable outcome lack this tension and excitement. Matches where the result is unknown are much more thrilling!]

Estudiantes de La Plata's victory over Real Madrid gave South American fans, long dominated by European football, a huge boost of confidence, leading to various forms of arrogance:

I don't think European football is anything special. They just have more money and can poach players from all over the world. If you remove those international mercenaries, their strength might not even match ours!

[Ha! Without international mercenaries, the top five European leagues are no match for us!]

Over the years, they've poached countless players from us. Young players who show even a glimmer of potential are bought up by them for a hefty sum. Yet, despite all their buying sprees, they still can't beat us in the Club World Cup!

South American football fans have always been dissatisfied with European football and have never felt that their football level is inferior to that of European football.

But the other side had too much money and almost emptied out their league.

The Brazilian and Argentine leagues were once renowned for their elite clubs, whose reputations were comparable to those of European giants on the international stage.

However, in recent years, as Europeans have intensified their poaching of players, Argentine and Brazilian powerhouses, including River Plate, Boca Juniors, Flamengo, and Fluminense, have declined one after another, and their influence has diminished significantly.

Worse still, in the past, the top five leagues only poached established stars, but now they are even poaching 15- or 16-year-old players who are still developing. This has led South American fans to worry that the foundation of South American football will be completely undermined. They are also concerned that as these young players who have started playing in Europe are recruited into the national teams, South American football style will be distorted by Europeans.

They weren't just being overly pessimistic; this situation is already showing a very clear trend.

South American players, transformed by European industrial football, are increasingly resembling European players rather than South American players!
……

Returning our attention to the pitch, after overcoming the initial period of adjustment, Real Madrid quickly recovered.

Especially after Lin Feng increased his pressure on Veron, the attacking threat of Estudiantes de La Plata suddenly decreased, and it became difficult for them to launch the same kind of attacks as at the beginning of the game.

Although they are a long-established powerhouse in the Argentine Primera División, they are still quite far behind Real Madrid, the world's top club.

At the beginning, they caught Real Madrid off guard with a surprise attack.

But when Real Madrid regained their composure and the two sides began to truly test their strength, they gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.

Veron was very strong in his youth, full of creativity and with very sharp passing, making him a top midfielder of his time.

But he is getting old after all; at 35, he simply can't compete head-to-head with the young players in their early 20s at Real Madrid.

Once the opponent increased the pace and the intensity of physical confrontation, Veron's weaknesses as a classic attacking midfielder began to become apparent.

His pace of play is too slow, and he relies too much on possession. In addition, his physical strength has declined due to his age, so once Lin Feng or Mascherano closes on him, it is difficult for him to get away.

Estudiantes de La Plata's midfield organization relies entirely on Veron's performance. Once Veron is neutralized, their entire attacking system is like a malfunctioning machine, completely shut down!

"Fans have often wondered what a classic attacking midfielder is and what a modern attacking midfielder is. Through this match, everyone should be able to clearly see the difference between these two types of attacking midfielders from the midfield cores of both teams!"

The roles and functions of a classic attacking midfielder and a modern attacking midfielder on the field are completely different.

"Compared to modern attacking midfielders, classical attacking midfielders play at a slower pace and place greater emphasis on ball control and organization. They are the brains of the team, and how to attack and how to attack are almost entirely determined by their decisions."

Watching them play football is like appreciating an art form; it has a special kind of beauty.

"The modern attacking midfielder is a fast-paced, all-around, and all-around 'six-sided warrior' who is proficient in passing, organizing, dribbling, shooting, and defending."

They can use their excellent footwork and passing ability to break through the opponent's defense and dominate the team's attack, just like a classic attacking midfielder.

It can also be used as part of the attacking system, pushing forward into the penalty area to get into position, take long shots, and score!

They can also use their set pieces to help their team break through the opponent's defense when the team is struggling to score!
After conceding a goal, they remain the team's first line of defense, immediately pressing to disrupt or delay the opponent's attack and buy time for their teammates to regroup.

As if to match the commentator's commentary, in the 12th minute, Di Maria made a through pass down the right wing, and Ronaldo cleverly backheeled the ball back.

After receiving the ball, Lin Feng broke into the opponent's penalty area from the right wing, creating a one-on-one situation. He calmly slotted the ball past the goalkeeper.

The score became 1-0, with Real Madrid breaking the deadlock!

It's rare to see a classic attacking midfielder dribble into the opponent's penalty area and score a goal himself.

But for modern attacking midfielders of this era, this is just commonplace.

A good attacking midfielder is one who can't make forward runs and shoot!
However, Lin Feng's performance was not over.

In the 23rd minute, Lin Feng, who was dribbling the ball in the middle, saw that the opponent's marking was not tight enough, so he suddenly changed his approach, forcefully broke into the penalty area and completed a shot.

Although the goalkeeper saved the shot, it startled the opposing players.

Even though it looked like the opponent was still far from the goal, in the blink of an eye, he rushed into the penalty area and took a shot.

Seeing this, the head coach of the University of La Plata had no choice but to send in more players to further restrict Lin Feng.

But if Lin Feng were so easy to contain, he wouldn't be the world's best midfielder right now!
In the 25th minute, Lin Feng anticipated the opponent's move when he received the ball, cleverly evaded the defender, and prepared to repeat the same trick.

Seeing this, Belon, who was closest to him, had no choice but to reach out and pull him down.

Veron received a yellow card for his tactical foul, but his foul likely prevented a goal.

Seeing that the opponent was focusing their defensive efforts on him, Lin Feng decisively adjusted his playing style.

Reduce the number of breakthroughs and instead supply ammunition to teammates.

In the 26th minute, his through pass broke through the opponent's defense, but Ronaldo was too eager to score and started his run a little too early, resulting in him being ruled offside by the referee.

But just one minute later, Lin Feng's corner kick was delivered precisely to Ronaldo's head.

The president didn't waste the opportunity this time, leaping high and overpowering the opposing defender to head the ball in beautifully.

The score became 2-0, and before the first half was even over, the suspense of the game was almost gone.

The Estudiantes de La Plata are indeed stronger than the South Korean team they faced a few days ago, but this level of performance is clearly not enough to stop Real Madrid from lifting the Club World Cup trophy! (End of Chapter)