Football: Starting from the Ronaldinho template

Chapter 80: Facing Saudi Arabia, a team they haven't beaten in 18 years! (3)

On January 1, Qin Ming and his teammates boarded a flight to Australia, and it took them nine hours to land in Sydney.

During the crossing, everyone underwent a very thorough inspection, as Australia is an island nation surrounded by the sea, which makes their entry checks very strict.

It took more than an hour to clear customs. As soon as Qin Ming and his group stepped out of the airport hall, they saw dozens of Chinese fans wearing red jerseys.

Go China!

"Go Qin Ming!"

"Let's strive to break our best Asian Cup record!"

"."

Looking at the enthusiastic fans, Qin Ming couldn't help but smile.

He felt that the biggest advantage of being a Chinese player was that he could meet compatriots no matter where he was.

Several of the fans, who are over sixty years old, are likely Chinese who have lived in Sydney for many years. Although Chinese clubs have frequently come to Australia to participate in the AFC Champions League in recent years, these older fans still have a stronger affection for the national team.

An elderly fan shook Qin Ming's hand and gave him a bouquet of sunflowers, saying in a hopeful yet melancholic tone, "I hope you can make it to the finals. I'll be waiting for you in Sydney!"

"do not worry."

The only guarantee Qin Ming could make was to do his best.

"It's alright, at least you've given us hope. Maybe before I die, I can still watch your World Cup matches."

The old fan's cloudy eyes were filled with reminiscence; he had attended the World Cup in Japan and South Korea 12 years ago.

The Chinese national football team failed to win a single match in the group stage.

But the spirit he displayed against Brazil, and the shot that narrowly missed, are deeply etched in his mind.

"It won't be long."

Qin Ming recalled his past self, when he was also a fan, watching the game with anticipation.

Nearby, Zheng Zhi looked at Qin Ming, who was surrounded by fans, and whispered to Wu Lei, "Qin is very popular now. Have you ever thought about playing abroad?"

"How could I not want to? While I'm still young and don't have any financial pressure, it would be great to go out and gain some experience."

Wu Lei makes no secret of his desire to play abroad.

"Let Xiao Qin help you contact Bundesliga teams when the time comes. I think with your ability, it might be difficult to be a starter, but a stable rotation spot is definitely not a problem."

Zheng Zhi offered his advice.

“Rotation is fine too. I chatted with Qin Ming before, and their training methods, intensity, and so on are much better than those in China. To be honest, even if you play as a substitute there, you should improve faster than in China.”

Wu Lei plans to wait until after the Asian Cup and then try out during the summer and winter transfer windows this year.

"But you can earn less abroad than in China. Many young players are unwilling to go abroad now, because they want to earn more while they are young."

Zheng Zhi gave a wry smile.

He is actually a beneficiary of money-driven football, but the thoughts of young domestic players are...
There's no right or wrong in this matter; some people want to pursue their dreams while others want to make money. It's just a matter of different perspectives.

Wu Lei thinks this way: "As long as I can become a starter in the Bundesliga, my salary will definitely be higher than in China. Besides, Chinese football is developing rapidly now. If I study for a few years and come back, I will earn even more."

Zheng Zhi nodded and stopped talking. He just murmured to himself: Don't let the dreams under your pillow get moldy.

After saying goodbye to the fans who came to pick them up at the airport, the group took a car to the training camp.

Two hours later.

Campbell, a town 50 kilometers southwest of Sydney.

"How does this training ground feel?"

Qin Ming smacked his lips.

"So many teams came during the Asian Cup that we had to book this training camp as early as November last year."

Team leader Liu Dianqiu said helplessly.

Furthermore, this Asian Cup marks the first time in the history of the Chinese national football team that they have truly tried a training camp.

Previously, they would train domestically and then travel to the competition venue closer to the competition period.

It's perfectly normal to have shortcomings.

"This field was originally a rugby field. The season just ended and the grass quality is so-so. You guys go and rest for a bit, and I'll take some people to fix the grass."

Liu Dianqiu knew that when he was abroad, he had to do these things himself.

Moreover, according to the relevant regulations of the Asian Football Confederation, the Australian organizing committee will only provide each participating team with expenses during the competition period and for no more than 3 days before the competition.

Therefore, the national football team's expenses during the training camp were entirely self-funded.

"Do you need help?"

Qin Ming asked politely.

"Hey! You're here to bring glory to the country, how can we let you do this kind of thing? I'll help them tidy up, you should go back to the hotel and rest first, you can't sleep well in economy class on the plane."

Liu Dianqiu waved his hand.

"it is good."

Qin Ming said nothing more.

"Lei Zi, look at Qin Ming. Even though he's famous and a regular starter in the Bundesliga, he's still humble. He's not like that."

Zheng Zhi had seen talented players at the club before, and they were all arrogant and conceited, as if they wanted to show off their pride.

"Humility makes one progress."

Wu Lei chuckled awkwardly.

He suddenly remembered that he used to be quite arrogant when he was young.

Xinhua News Agency: The Chinese national football team has arrived in Sydney and begun closed training. From the video, we can see that they seem to be in good condition. The team's first match will be against Saudi Arabia, and the game will be held on January 10 at the Amman International Stadium.

According to Dongqiudi, Chinese national football team head coach Alain Perrin said in an interview that the main focus of this training phase is to improve the players' ball handling rhythm in order to adapt to the intensity of the game. For example, how players in the three positions of defensive midfielder, center back and full back can break through the opponent's high press and how to quickly form an attack.

Kyoto Sports: Before Qin Ming joined the national team, we were always plagued by a lack of attacking power. Our main striker, Gao Lin, was always lukewarm and hardly scored any goals. But all the problems were solved with Qin Ming. His excellent dribbling and breakthrough ability made the flanks of the national team a weapon that could effectively tear apart the opponent's defense.
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Saudi Arabia was the runner-up in the Gulf Cup, wasn't they?
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[That looks pretty strong!]
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[It's alright, our squad isn't weak either, and Perrin coached Qatar before, so he should know Jordan well.]
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We still have Qin Ming. He can play like that in the Bundesliga, so he should be able to do well in the national team, right?
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I think that if Perrin places Zheng Zhi behind Qin Ming, along with a versatile full-back, Qin Ming can better showcase his attacking talent.
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[Hopefully the Chinese national football team can get off to a winning start!]
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Looking at the current national team roster, the average age is only 24. It seems Perrin is aiming for a youth team?
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It would be best to get rid of the seasoned veterans to prevent them from corrupting the younger players.
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[Even if we make it out of the group stage, I feel like our opponents will either be South Korea or Australia, and we might end up in the quarterfinals.]
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【.】

I spent more than a week at the training base and got used to the hot weather here.

As for time difference, there's basically no need to adjust.

Because the five cities in the three states hosting this Asian Cup—Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Newcastle, and Melbourne—are all located on Australia's east coast.

The time difference with China is 2-3 hours, so there is no need to make any special adjustments.

2015 1 Month 9 Day.

Qin Ming and his teammates sat in the conference room, watching the opening match of this Asian Cup.

Australia vs. Kuwait.

Australia, with the advantage of being the host country, launched a fierce offensive from the start.

High-altitude bombing.

The Socceroos' tactics were simple and effective; they opened the scoring against Kuwait in the 14th minute with a corner kick.

They then unleashed their full offensive power, ultimately securing a resounding 4-1 victory and a winning start. "You can see that Australia's scoring weapons are set pieces and various crosses, especially Everton's long-time mainstay, Cahill, who is under 1.8 meters tall, has a very keen attacking instinct."

Perrin briefly explained Australia's tactical characteristics before switching to another match video.

"This is a video of last year's Saudi Arabia Gulf Cup. Actually, their tactics weren't anything special. After gaining possession, they deliberately slowed down the pace of the game to lure the opponent forward and launch long passes over the top, or switch the ball to the two flanks for crosses."

“If you look closely at their style of play, you can say that they have no overall attack, and their local coordination is also very average. They basically just play whatever comes their way.”

"But don't let them drag the game into positional warfare. Our physical strength and ability to fight are not strong enough. We need to play mobile warfare!"

Perrin tapped the projection screen and said, "Whether it's offense or defense, we need to get moving. Saudi Arabia's numbers 9, 18, and 20 are their main attacking threats."

"The defense is simple. Mei Fang, you mark number 18 one-on-one. Ji Xiang and Zhang Chengdong on the right flank, once you get the ball, quickly attack and suppress them. Zheng Zhi and Wu Xi help defend number 20, Abid."

Perrin's calm voice echoed in the conference room. When he was Wenger's assistant coach, Wenger had once told him something that roughly meant: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

Therefore, he thoroughly studied the Saudi attacking trident and made arrangements based on the abilities of his own players.

"As for Qin Ming on the offensive end, I know that when you played for the club, the coaching staff rarely assigned you any specific tasks, and it's the same with me."

Perrin looked at Qin Ming with anticipation in his eyes, "I'll give you unlimited possession of the ball and the right to shoot. What you need to do is break through the left flank defense and draw as many defenders as possible."

He always believed that talented and gifted players should not be confined by rigid rules and regulations.

Moreover, his teacher Arsène Wenger was a staunch advocate and pioneer of "beautiful football," and he naturally inherited some of Wenger's football philosophy.

The Chinese national football team's current strength certainly does not meet the requirements.

But Qin Ming definitely can.

It's not about removing Qin Ming from the team.

Instead, he believed that Qin Ming possessed the ability to single-handedly destroy the opponent's defensive system.

It can be said that Perrin is taking a huge gamble, betting that Qin Ming can anchor the national team's attacking system.

You should know that his contract with the Chinese Football Association stipulated that if the team couldn't reach the semi-finals of the Asian Cup, he would be dismissed.

Feeling Perrin's burning gaze, Qin Ming revealed a confident smile.

He enjoys challenges.

When he returned to his room that night, he suddenly remembered something: had De Bruyne's good friend and his loyal little brother Maranda recently died in a car accident?
He was too busy before and forgot about it.

Thinking of this, he quickly called the other party and invited Maranda to come to Australia to watch the game.

The latter said he would go to South Africa to join the national team.

"Then you can go out the day after tomorrow. I forgot whether I turned off the gas or not. Could you tidy up the house for me while you're at it?"

Qin Ming could only resort to shamelessness and make excuses.

Maranda, the loyal younger brother, did not refuse, because he had a very easygoing personality.

Of course, the most important thing is that Qin Ming has thick thighs.

If he holds De Bruyne on his left and Qin Ming on his right, wouldn't he be able to take off?
2015 1 Month 10 Day.

Brisbane Stadium.

Ten thousand Chinese fans were present, while the remaining five thousand were Saudi fans.

The highly anticipated match is about to begin.

At the press conference.

"In international competitions, we have maintained an 18-year unbeaten streak against the Chinese team. In the 1984 Asian Cup final, we defeated China to win the championship; in 1996, when China was leading by two goals, we scored four consecutive goals to reverse the situation."

"So I can't think of any reason why we should lose. We've turned 18 years into 18 years, 19 years, 20 years."

"Regardless of the strength of other teams, at least the Chinese team cannot stop us, and we will win this game."

Saudi Arabia's head coach, Olăroiu, is full of confidence.

He was appointed as a fire-fighting coach in an emergency, not as a temporary worker.

He wants to be promoted to a permanent position!

This Asian Cup is a testament to their loyalty.

"What about Qin Ming? He's the core winger for the Chinese team and a rising star in the Bundesliga. Do you have any special arrangements for him?"

A reporter from the audience asked.

"Of course! We will defend against players who are good at breaking through defenses in a tough way."

Although Olăroiu was flustered, he didn't hold back in his words: "National team matches and club matches are different. I want to see if he can maintain his level without the support of his teammates?"

All professional coaches know the prestige of the top five European leagues.

It's worth noting that the Saudi team didn't have a single one.

Moreover, Qin Ming not only delivered a phenomenal performance for Wolfsburg, but his transfer value also soared to 2550 million euros.

He felt unprecedented pressure when he watched Qin Ming's highlights recently. Is there a better way to limit a player like him besides the "woods-cutting" tactic?

Another media room.

"This is a must-win game. We need to get three points to take control of our chances of advancing."

Perrin had just finished answering a reporter's question when he heard someone relay Olăroiu's words. He just chuckled and said, "Schaaf, Martinez, Guiraghi, Di Matteo, and others all thought they could limit Qin Ming's performance, but what was the result?"

"I think after this match, Mr. Olăroiu will retract his statement and express his admiration for Qin Ming's talent."

He will naturally do everything in his power to defend his players when others question them.

As for himself, he had no doubts about Qin Ming. After all, a player who could be praised and even coveted by his teacher would certainly not disappoint.

After finishing warm-up and returning to the locker room, Zheng Zhi gathered everyone together.

"Brothers! I don't need to say more about how important this game is!"

"It is an honor for me to fight for my country, and I think it is the same for you!"

Finally, don't let the fans down, don't let your teammates down, and most importantly, don't let yourself down!

Zheng Zhi stretched out his right hand, "Come on, three, two, one, Team China!"

Qin Ming and his teammates stretched out their right hands and placed them on top of each other, as if to shout out the passion in their chests.

"come on, come on, come on!"

The roars surged through the locker room, and everyone's eyes shone with a desire for victory.

When Qin Ming walked out of the player tunnel and looked at the familiar red wave in the stands, his heart started racing uncontrollably again.

"The Asian Cup feels completely different from a friendly match."

Although there were more spectators at the previous friendly matches, the nature of the competition didn't provide much excitement.

The Asian Cup
For Asian players, it is second only to the World Cup, and higher than the Asian Games and the Olympics.

Who wouldn't want to add their name to the history of national football?

(End of this chapter)