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Chapter 237 We're Stronger

"It has been more than two months since the last national team match, and I am very happy to see everyone today."

National team head coach He Zhenyong said this as soon as he opened the meeting.

He was happy, but the players didn't dare to smile much.

The reason Coach He said this with a smile is because several healthy national team players were absent from the national team's match roster this time.

Some outsiders are speculating why these national team players were suddenly not called up.

It doesn't make sense that these players don't need to be called up because China's qualification for the World Cup is already a foregone conclusion.

In this situation, the players who should not be called up are the key players.

But basically all the key players have been called up this time.

This shows that He Zhenyong definitely didn't do this because he wanted to test new players and train his troops.

The outside world can't guess the real reason, but the national team players sitting in this conference room all understand why.

Excluding injuries, the former national team players who were not selected for this match were all due to their recent poor performances at their clubs.

Poor performance can certainly be due to a lack of form, but not all poor performances are caused by a bad form.

Or to put it another way, why is your performance poor? Is it because you've lowered your standards in training and haven't maintained the quality of your training, resulting in a "poor performance" in the competition?
Clearly, this is a "warning" from Coach He to all the national team players.

Tell them that what he said during the last training camp was true.

According to gossip among the players, apart from those who missed the match due to injuries, Coach He personally spoke with each of the national team players.

The content of the conversations was basically the same.

This is to tell these people that Coach He is not satisfied with their recent slack performance, so they will not be recruited this time.

But this does not mean that the door to the national team is closed to them forever.

From now until the start of the World Cup training camp next year, these players can earn their "ticket" back to the national team based on their actual performance.

If someone is playing football abroad instead of in China, and it's inconvenient to meet in person, Coach He will still call to explain the situation.

He spoke very politely, but his attitude was very firm.

He wanted everyone to know that what he said before wasn't a joke.

He dared to take down Wang Lie's core forces back then, so what difficulty would it be for him to deal with other small Karami?
This seemingly kindest head coach actually has the most ruthless methods.

When a tough head coach and a star player at the height of their career stand in the same trench, the other national team players will witness what "terrifying" truly means.

The goal of winning the World Cup is right there; if you don't want to do it, there are plenty of others who do.

Chinese football today is not like it was decades ago, when there were only a little over 10,000 registered players.

There are now too many Chinese players... The domestic league simply can't accommodate them all. I wonder how many of them are playing in leagues of various levels in different countries abroad.

Even Liu Jinxuan, who plays in the China League One and is only nineteen years old, has been selected for the national team...

This shows that our Coach He truly "recruits talent without being bound by convention"!

"The coaching staff and team leader have all seen everyone's hard work since returning. Many of you have indeed improved compared to before. I am happy and proud of each and every one of you. This shows that you are truly taking our initial goal seriously..."

At this point, He Zhenyong turned his gaze to several players in the meeting room who hadn't come to the national team last time, and found that their expressions were very calm.

It was easy to guess that these people must have heard about the matter to some extent, or that someone had told them.

However, He Zhenyong does not intend to find the "mole" and hold him accountable.

From the very beginning, he knew that this matter couldn't be kept secret and that the outside world would find out sooner or later.

After all, nothing stays secret forever, especially when it comes to such an "exaggerated" goal as the Chinese team winning the World Cup. With enough buzz and hype, the savvy "sharks" will inevitably find out.

The reason for announcing the confidentiality rules to the players at the time was simply to try to stay out of trouble for as long as possible while the future remained uncertain, and to minimize the interference of external noise on the national team.

The later this is revealed, the more united the team will be, the more thorough their preparations will be, and the less external impact they will face.

By then, the national team players will realize that the doors are welded shut, and even if they regret it and want to jump off, it will be too late.

The one who welded the car door shut wasn't He Zhenyong, the head coach, but Wang Lie.

Judging from Wang Lie's performance in the first four rounds of the new season, he is accelerating the process of sealing off the car door.

This gave He Zhenyong even more confidence in the future.

If anyone dares to say anything more then, I'll show them Wang Lie's performance and slap them across the face...

He Zhenyong himself probably didn't realize that when he thought this way, he didn't consider Wang Lie's age at all, as if he assumed that Wang Lie could still perform like this even at the age of thirty-nine.

Perhaps Wang Lie's current performance has already proven that age is not related to his performance, so considering whether he is thirty-eight or thirty-nine years old is meaningless.

At least for Wang Lie, age is just a number.

After scanning the national team players who missed the last training camp, He Zhenyong stated one of the main objectives of calling this meeting:

"What I'm about to say is actually for those players who didn't participate in the last training camp. After all, you weren't there when we set our goal for next year's World Cup. So I have to tell you this first, so you can train and play better in the future, because you now have a clear goal..."

Hearing Coach He say this from below, Song You sighed inwardly:

It's coming, just as I expected.

He sat up straight and looked up.

Although I already knew what the goal was, I still had to go through the formalities and show Director He enough respect...

He wasn't the only one who thought this way. The other national team players in the meeting room, who hadn't been there last time but had already heard about the target from various sources, also straightened their postures and listened attentively.

"Our team's goal for next year's World Cup is very clear: to win the World Cup and bring the golden trophy home!"

Although Song You already knew the goal and was no longer shocked, when he was actually there and heard the head coach say those words, he still felt a current rise from his feet to the top of his head.

It made his scalp tingle, and he felt as if the top of his head was about to fly away.

Knew it……

As a professional player, how many people can remain unmoved when faced with the goal of "winning the World Cup"?

He glanced at Fu Xiaofeng, who was sitting a few rows in front of him. Fu Xiaofeng sat upright in his chair, looking up at Coach He.

Because of the angle, he couldn't see Fu Xiaofeng's expression and didn't know if his friend had been touched.

He also realized that if Fu Xiaofeng continued to fight against this overwhelming trend, he would likely be utterly destroyed and disgraced...

Stop it, Lao Fu, the area outside is full of Captain Wang!
He Zhenyong continued speaking:

"Of course, winning the World Cup is not easy. So now that we've set this goal, I hope everyone on the team will work towards it. Let me repeat what I said last time:"
"The Chinese team's requirements have always been simple: 'the capable should be in charge.' Now, the standard for 'capable' has been raised. Those who are willing to fight tooth and nail for the World Cup are the 'capable' the national team needs. Everyone must keep this in mind and not take it lightly!"

He Zhenyong's statement was merely a routine matter. After this adjustment to the national team's match roster, everyone should have a clear understanding of his stance and there should be no misjudgment.

In addition, Wang Lie, the national team's star player and oldest player, is also setting an example. Unless the other players are determined not to stay in the national team, how could they not work hard and fight their hardest?

Anyone who thinks they deserve special privileges should first consider Wang Lie's performance after the first four rounds of the league.

See if you can produce the same performance.

If you can't, then you have no right to complain or feel resentful—even Wang Lie is working hard, so why aren't you? Who do you think you are?

So when Coach He made this "threat," the national team players were actually unmoved.

Whether they liked it or not, they were all bound to Wang Lie's chariot. The vehicle started, its wheels rolled forward, and it wouldn't stop because of anyone's preference.

※※※

This international break includes two matches, which are also the last two group stage matches of the final round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Chinese team is currently ranked first in this group.

After defeating North Korea away in the previous match, the Chinese team had a very high probability of qualifying for the knockout stage two rounds in advance, which turned the last two group matches into mere warm-up games.

In the very next match, Iran suffered a shocking 1-2 defeat at home to Australia, shattering Chinese fans' hopes of securing early qualification. Currently, China leads the group with 21 points.

According to the rules, the top two teams in each group advance directly, while the third-placed team plays a playoff against the third-placed team from another group.

Iran finished second in the group, four points behind China, with seventeen points.

Australia finished third in the group with 15 points.

If Iran had been able to defeat Australia at home, or even just draw, it would have helped the Chinese team secure a World Cup ticket two rounds early.

Because that would give the Chinese team a lead of at least eight points over third-placed Australia.

As a result of Iran's home loss, Australia is now only six points behind China.

If they can win their remaining two matches while the Chinese team loses their two matches, they might actually qualify.

Conversely, if the Chinese team loses two consecutive matches, it is also possible that they will lose their direct qualification.

After all, their remaining two matches are against Iran and Australia, their direct competitors for qualification.

Each game is worth six points.

Of course, these are all theoretical possibilities, and it's not certain that this situation will actually occur.

Even if Australia wins two consecutive games and China loses two consecutive games, and the two teams have the same points, Australia would have to win by a large margin and have a better goal difference than China in order to surpass China in the standings.

Moreover, as long as the Chinese team draws with Iran, they can qualify early, making the final match against Australia completely meaningless.

Therefore, the upcoming home game against Iran in the final round of World Cup qualifiers will be the "final showdown".

Although a draw would be enough to qualify, Chinese fans still hope that the Chinese team can defeat Iran at home and secure qualification in the most perfect way.

This can also be seen as punishment for Iran's home loss to Australia in the previous round—if they hadn't lost, wouldn't this match have become a friendly?

The two teams were in high spirits and it would be great if they could advance together.

Iran, of course, would not sit idly by and wait for defeat; their strength is not weak—in the first leg of their encounter, Iran defeated China 3-2 at home.

Although Wang Lie was not in good form and did not perform well in that game... he still won.

Therefore, before the match against Iran, fans and sports media across the country were speculating about what tactics the Chinese team would employ.

Will they practice new tactics and formations like they did against North Korea in the last match?
North Korea is ranked last in this group and is weak, so it doesn't matter if they do this.

But Iran is different, and this is a crucial match that determines whether they will advance. They can't just use it as a training exercise, can they?
What if things go wrong? Are we going to have to go to Australia for a do-or-die match?

This is the general consensus, and most people hope that He Zhenyong won't play with fire in this match.

Last time, Wang Lie was not in good form, and we only narrowly lost 2-3 away from home.

Wang Lie is in such good form right now; if he plays the same old style, he should be able to crush Iran at home.

If we want to train our troops, we should wait until we beat Iran and secure our place in the World Cup before going to Australia to train them...

Therefore, online fans and some media outlets are urging He Zhenyong not to cause trouble in this match.

But in fact, He Zhenyong had already given the answer to this question in the meeting on the evening of the national team's registration day:
"...Against Iran, we will use the same tactics and formation as in our last match against North Korea. Time is tight and the task is heavy, with only four days left before the game. We need to rediscover the feeling we had when we played against North Korea. However, I believe in everyone, because we have already made a good start and defeated North Korea with our new tactics. And we are clearly stronger now than we were two months ago. Defeat Iran and advance to the next round on home soil!"

※※※

"352."

Looking at the starting lineups for both sides that the staff had just handed him, Luo Jin said to Zhao Chuanfeng, his commentator partner.

"The players on the field are mostly the main force, but the formation is still 3-5-2."

Zhao Chuanfeng nodded, unsurprised: "That's normal. He Zhenyong's national team had already defeated North Korea with this formation and tactics before. Given his personality, how could he possibly back down?"

Luo Jin asked, "Do you think this time it will be like the war against North Korea, where we'll need some time to adjust after the initial stages? Will Iran give us that opportunity to adjust?"

The match hasn't started yet, and the two commentators aren't using microphones, so they can talk about topics that can't be discussed during commentary.

Luo Jin would never have asked this question if the microphone were on.

Zhao Chuanfeng thought for a moment, then shook his head: "It may take some time to adapt, but I think it should be shorter than the last game against North Korea."

They still need to adapt because it has been almost three months since their last match. During this time, the national team players have been in their respective clubs, and each team has different tactics. Some players even have different positions in the national team and their clubs.

The national team's new tactics were only started from the last match, and they had to return to their respective clubs before they could master them, which is equivalent to abandoning the project halfway.

Now that he's back with the national team, he'll definitely have to readjust to the new tactics.

But do you think the adaptation time will be shorter than the previous game?

This is Zhao Chuanfeng's best wish...

He hopes the adjustment period will be shorter.

He hopes the Chinese team won't put fans on a rollercoaster ride at home.

In the previous match, the Chinese team suffered greatly from North Korea's pressing on the road, and it wasn't until the 37th minute that Wang Lie broke the deadlock.

Imagine if those agonizing 37 minutes had happened on the Chinese team's home field, what would the Chinese fans, who were eagerly anticipating a Chinese team crushing an easy opponent, have thought?
They might even start booing.

Therefore, Zhao Chuanfeng hopes that the Chinese team will not wear down the fans' patience this time...

※※※

Chi Zhen saw Song You, the central midfielder, receive the ball in the center circle and immediately accelerated forward.

But after he ran out, he looked back and found that Song You hadn't passed the ball to him.

That put him offside.

So he stopped and turned around to run back from the offside position.

At this moment, Song You passed the ball.

It wasn't passed to him, but to attacking midfielder Fu Xiaofeng.

Before receiving the ball, Fu Xiaofeng made a swaying motion of his upper body, turning to the left.

He tricked the Iranian defenders behind him into moving towards the center of the field.

Fu Xiaofeng, however, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He immediately turned around and used the outside of his right foot to deflect the ball that Song You had passed behind him.

And so, he completed his turn amidst the cheers of Chinese fans.

Seeing Fu Xiaofeng turn around, Chi Zhen sped back to avoid being offside.

Fu Xiaofeng dribbled forward, then suddenly turned and surged forward again!

As he turned and made a forward run, Fu Xiaofeng delivered a pass, targeting the space in front of Chi Zhen's run, which was behind the Iranian defense!
"Fu Xiaofeng makes a through pass! Chi Zhen!"

"Offside! Good shot!"

At the shouts of the two commentators, Chi Zhen, who was making a high-speed forward run, caught up with the ball behind the Iranian defense.

The cheers from the Chinese fans in the stands immediately grew louder; they saw a chance to score!
Chi Zhen caught up with the ball and pushed it forward. The Iranian defenders rushed towards him, and the goalkeeper also moved quickly in his direction, preparing to block the shot.

Given Chi Zhen's performance in the last two matches, they dare not let their guard down.

After catching up with the ball again, Chi Zhen did not continue dribbling. Instead, he drew the attention of Iran's defense and swept the ball towards the center with his left foot!

There, Wang Lie galloped up, raised his right foot while running, and flicked the low-flying football with the instep!
The football veered towards the goal!

The Iranian goalkeeper only managed to turn around and dive back at that moment, but it was too late!

He made a save attempt, but didn't touch the ball at all!
The ball hit the net headfirst!
"Wow!! Beautiful!!" Commentator Luo Jin shouted from the commentary booth, "Beautiful!! Wang Lie! It's Wang Lie again! He opened the scoring for China! 1-0! China takes the lead!!"

Without any adaptation, without the "suppression" of first suppressing and then rising, the Chinese team hit the opponent's vital point with a straight punch just six minutes into the game—and rose directly!
As head coach He Zhenyong said, the current Chinese team is indeed stronger than the one from two months ago!

(End of this chapter)