The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 381 World Cup Qualifiers Conclude, Best Player!
After parting ways with Deschamps.

Gaio was still thinking about changing his position.

Having played as a right winger for so long, my feet have developed a natural tactile sensitivity.

When he gets the ball, he wants to dribble into open spaces. When cutting inside, he subconsciously thinks about how to make a shot and how to finish the move.

There's rarely the idea of ​​a through pass in the middle.

This style of play has nothing to do with talent; it's simply a habit developed over a long period.

It's like being trapped in an invisible grid, and suddenly the grid has to be dismantled, leaving you wondering where to put your feet.

but,

Gaio was quite pleased with this change in position.

If you want to be the strongest, how can you only play one position?

On the contrary, it will help him grow further.

This also shows that Deschamps really intends to make him the core of the French team!
Gaio looked at the sunlight in Clairefontaine.

I couldn't help but sigh, "The weather in France is so nice."

England is terrible.

Walking through the cafeteria, Gaio suddenly realized that if he were to move to the back of that position, Griezmann would never be able to become that Griezmann again.

Let Deschamps worry about this; he'll find a suitable position for Griezmann.

The next few days.

Under Deschamps' guidance, Gaião adapted to the new position and playing style.

however,
The day before the friendly match, Deschamps told Gaião, "You won't be playing in the new position in the upcoming friendly. I brought you back so you could train with your teammates in the new position, but I don't want the outside world to know about the position change too soon. So, you will still be playing as a right winger."

Gaio seemed to understand, but not quite.

Deschamps patted him on the shoulder again and said, "Next year's World Cup is the most important thing!"

Now Gaio understood.

Hiding it?

Gaio didn't care about this. On the one hand, he felt that his current talent and ability were no worse than Griezmann's in the future. On the other hand, now that he had truly broken out of the winger mindset, he felt like he had mastered everything.

This feeling comes from his usual match experience and his daily conversations with people like Deschamps and Zidane.

What is the essence of football tactics?
In Gaio's view, the essence of football tactics always revolves around breaking the balance.

In an 11-on-11 game, the defending team will always compress space by positioning themselves, using lateral connections and vertical coverage between players to weave a net that limits the offense.

The core objective of the tactics is to create gaps in the net through player movement and passing.

Ultimately, this creates a spatial advantage of many against few in a local area.

This situation of having more than one opponent is not an absolute numerical advantage, but rather the attacking side dynamically adjusting to create a temporary local advantage in a certain area at a certain moment.

For example, when attacking down the flanks, the winger moves wide to draw the opponent's full-back, and the attacking midfielder or central midfielder suddenly moves forward to the space behind the full-back. At the same time, the full-back overlaps and assists, creating a local three-on-two situation on the flanks, with the winger, full-back, and advancing midfielder facing the opponent's full-back and covering center-back.

Alternatively, when advancing through the middle, one midfielder drops back to receive the ball, drawing the opposing defensive midfielder to press, while another midfielder moves laterally to the space left by the defensive midfielder. At the same time, the striker drops back to set up a wall, creating a local three-on-one situation in the middle where the dropping midfielder, the moving midfielder, and the striker are all facing the opposing center-back.

Running and passing are key to achieving this advantage.

Off-the-ball movement is the trigger; players' runs, wing moves, and retreats are not aimless movements, but rather actions designed to influence the defensive team's positioning.

Therefore,
When Gaião plays as a free-roaming forward, if he drops back, and the opposing center-back marking him chooses to mark him, Giroud will have space in the penalty area to exploit. If the center-back doesn't mark him, Gaião will have more space to control the ball and organize play in midfield.

In Gaio's view, tactics are never just formations and routes on paper, but rather a dynamic process in which players constantly seek and create local spaces with more players than others by running, passing, and cutting on the field.

Every off-the-ball movement, every short pass, is building up opportunities for a future numerical advantage.

When such a local advantage emerges, the opportunity to score a goal will naturally arise.

The purpose of a breakthrough is never to surpass others.

This is the most fundamental logic of football tactics, and the underlying basis for every breakthrough and every pass he makes on the field.

The day before the game.

The French national team held a media open day, and as the national team captain, Gaio certainly couldn't avoid it.

Furthermore, interviews with the national team are relatively more normal.

There won't be the kind of selective reporting that the English media does.

However, Gaio did not answer many questions.

When reporters initially asked questions about Liverpool, Gaio gave only brief and noncommittal answers.

He didn't want to answer too many club-related questions.

The topic quickly shifted to the national team.

Now that you're back with the French national team, training alongside top teammates like Giroud and Ribery, how does this collaborative atmosphere in the national team feel compared to Liverpool? Are there any aspects you need to adapt to?

“Actually, it’s quite easy to adapt,” Gaio said with a smile when he mentioned the national team. “Frank is a very experienced senior. During training breaks, he would take the initiative to talk to me about the details of the game, such as how to find openings in the penalty area and how to judge the positioning of the defenders.”

Compared to Liverpool, the national team players come from different clubs, and each of them has a different playing style, but everyone is clear about the collective goal of the French team, so they cooperate very well.

For example, during yesterday's training, I had a passing combination with Giroud. Although we hadn't worked together at the club level before, I could quickly sense his positioning habits. This unspoken understanding is probably the charm of the national team.

Furthermore, I've always preferred playing with brotherhood in football. I feel that my teammates and I are good buddies, which makes us more relaxed when playing and allows everyone's abilities to shine.

Soon after, a reporter brought up next year's World Cup: "As the youngest captain of the French team, next year's World Cup is undoubtedly of paramount importance. What preparations do you think the current French team needs to make most for the World Cup? What are your expectations for the team's future?"

Gaio's expression became slightly more serious. "The World Cup is every player's dream. For the French team, the first thing to do is to improve teamwork."

We have many talented players on our team, but the World Cup is very intense and the opponents are very strong. Only by integrating individual abilities into team tactics can we go far.

Another important aspect is mentality. It's inevitable to encounter difficulties in the World Cup, such as falling behind or getting injured. At these times, someone needs to step up and stabilize morale. As the captain, I will try my best to do this and get through it together with my teammates.

As for the future, I don't want to make too many bold claims about winning the championship. The most important thing now is to play well in every warm-up match, get the team in sync, and prepare step by step.

Of course, our goal is definitely to go as far as possible and bring surprises to French fans.

The last question concerned individual honors. The reporter smiled and asked, "Right now, you're widely considered one of the top contenders for this year's Ballon d'Or, with some media outlets even saying you and Ribery are the most likely French players to be nominated. What do you think of this expectation? Does it put extra pressure on you? Who do you think will ultimately win the Ballon d'Or?"

Gaio gently shook his head. "I'm grateful for everyone's recognition, but the Ballon d'Or is an individual honor, while football is a team sport. Without the cooperation of my club teammates and the support of my national team coach and teammates, I wouldn't be where I am today. So I don't care too much about these external discussions, and I don't feel any pressure. For me, the most important thing right now is to play well in every game and help the club and the national team achieve better results."

As for the Ballon d'Or, I'll just let it happen naturally. If I do get nominated, it will be an affirmation of the whole team, not just my achievement alone.

As for the last question...

Gaio smiled and said, "If the criteria for the Ballon d'Or are individual honors and individual statistical ability, I think this year's Ballon d'Or will definitely go to Frank."

As the captain of the national team, he naturally had to speak up for Ribery.

Whether or not today's media reporters can grasp the point of his statement is irrelevant to Gaio.

because,

Before long, people will understand the meaning of his words.

in the afternoon.

Deschamps organized the final training session before the friendly match.

Outside the Clairefontaine training ground at dusk.

The setting sun bathed the fence in a warm gold, and about a hundred fans wearing blue French national team jerseys had been waiting at the exit for the French national team players to finish training.

Holding autograph books and scarves, they occasionally chatted about scenes they had glimpsed from afar during training, their voices filled with undisguised anticipation.

The other players came out much earlier.

However, the captain that fans most wanted to see has yet to appear.

Soon.

When Gaio walked over wearing a dark blue training jacket and carrying a black sports bag, the first person to recognize him was a little girl with a ponytail. She was holding a cardboard cutout of the World Cup trophy and jumped up and shouted, "Yang!"

Gaio's appearance instantly ignited everyone's enthusiasm!
The fans followed her gaze and immediately surged over, some even raising their phones to record.

"Yang! Lead us to win the World Cup again!"

Someone shouted first, and then more voices followed.

"Champions! French champions!"

"Yang! We're counting on you for next year's World Cup!"

Gaio stopped walking and instead of rushing forward, he turned slightly to the side so that the staff behind him wouldn't have to deliberately block the fans.

He waved to the fans, "Thank you everyone for waiting so late."

As soon as he finished speaking, a little boy wearing a small jersey squeezed to the front, craned his neck and handed over the autograph book, saying in a childish voice, "Yang, I want an autograph, and I want to see you win the World Cup!"

Gaio crouched down, carefully adjusting his posture as he took the pen to avoid the tip touching the child's hand. While signing, he smiled and asked, "How old are you this year? Do you usually play soccer?"

The little boy said, "I'm 7 years old and I play forward."

Gaio added, "A striker is good; he might even be better than me in the future."

This amused the surrounding fans.

An older fan nearby seized the opportunity to hand him a scarf: "Yang, we've been waiting for the next World Cup since 2006, you have to help us make this dream come true!"

Gaio accepted the scarf, signed his name, and said, "My teammates and I are working hard. The World Cup is not just one person's goal, but the goal of the entire French team. We will prepare step by step and live up to everyone's expectations."

"We can't do without you!" another fan shouted. "You're so great at the club level, you'll definitely be even better on the national team!"

Gaio smiled and shook his head: "We can't do without anyone."

As he spoke, he patiently signed autographs for every fan who handed him one. Occasionally, when he encountered a fan holding a model of the World Cup trophy, he would reach out and touch the base of the model, saying, "I'll try to get closer to it."

A young woman handed him a keychain with his picture on it and said softly, "Take care of yourself, don't overwork yourself." When he took it, he said, "Thank you for your concern, and you should go home early too."

By the time the last name was signed, it was getting dark. Although the fans were still reluctant to see him go, they slowly backed away, making way for him.

As Gaio reached the intersection, he turned back, waved, and shouted to the crowd, "Let's cheer for the French team together at next year's World Cup!"

The shouts from behind rang out again, this time with more responses: "Go for it!"

"We'll wait!"

Gaio smiled and nodded, then turned and got into the staff's car.

Outside the car window, fans were still waving flags, their blue jerseys gleaming in the twilight.

October 11th.

France will host Australia.

The attendance at this friendly match wasn't large, but it was about 70-80% full.

And the final result did not disappoint these fans.

France thrashed Australia 6-0 at home!
This was with the French team playing conservatively.

They scored four goals in the first half, but after taking off six starting players in the second half, they only managed two more.

Australia was completely unable to put up a fight.

Gaio is on the right wing, just like crossing the street.

Four days later.

In the final round of the World Cup qualifiers, France also won 3-0 against Finland at home, with Gaio scoring twice.

He continues his goal-scoring record in the World Cup qualifiers!
This is the end.

All World Cup qualifiers have concluded!
Gaião scored 16 goals and provided 3 assists in eight World Cup qualifiers.

He is undoubtedly the best player in the European World Cup qualifiers.

The media also reported on it immediately.

L'Équipe: "France defeated Finland 3-0, securing their World Cup ticket with an eight-game unbeaten streak. Gaio scored twice, bringing his World Cup qualifying goal tally to 16, breaking the record for most goals in a single European qualifying tournament. UEFA later announced that he was unanimously voted the best player, praising his dominance on the French flanks."

Kicker: "The European World Cup qualifiers have concluded, with France displaying overwhelming strength, defeating Australia 6-0 and Finland 3-0 in four days, keeping clean sheets throughout. Key player Gaio averaged two goals per game, his wing play and inside cuts to shoot rendered the opponent's defenses virtually non-existent. We can certainly look forward to seeing how this French captain performs next year!"

(End of this chapter)