Football: Starting from the Ronaldinho template

Chapter 88 Fear of Korea? (11)

"Hey Zheng, aren't you taking advantage of me? I'm a full nine years older than him!"

Qin Ming coughed twice upon hearing this.

"Zheng Ziyi, you should call him uncle. Hurry up and flatter him now, maybe he'll be the captain of the Chinese team when you join the national team!"

Zheng Zhi smiled.

"Brother Zheng, can you let me have some fun now?"

Looking at the captain's armband on Zheng Zhi's upper arm, Qin Ming rubbed his hands together, looking like he was drooling.

As a child, he often dreamed of being the captain of the Chinese national team and leading the team to the World Cup.

"Don't be fooled by how light it is, it's actually quite heavy."

Zheng Zhi took off his armband, rubbed it a couple of times, and then handed it to Qin Ming.

team leader.

It sounds impressive and appears in many industries, but in the football industry, it carries even more meaning.

Former Inter Milan captain Bergomi once said: Being a captain doesn't just mean being the first to step onto the pitch and exchange the pennant with the opponents. Rather, it means setting an example every day, both on and off the field, and paying attention to the small things that might affect the team. When things aren't going well, you must be the first to step up.

In short: it is not a symbol of rights, but rather a manifestation of responsibility.

After receiving the captain's armband, Qin Ming's gaze swept over the fans in the stands and his teammates on the field.

The armband in his hand had subtly become much heavier.

"What? Feeling pressured? Want me to give it back?"

Zheng Zhi said with a half-smile.

More than a technically skilled player, he wanted to see Qin Ming's sense of responsibility and the courage to take on challenges.

"how is this possible?"

Qin Ming tightened the armband on his left upper arm. "I'm afraid of everything, except pressure. The greater the pressure, the greater the motivation!"

Zheng Zhi smiled and nodded, his eyes full of anticipation.

He wondered if he would have the chance to witness the day Qin Ming became the captain before he retired.

It's not just about wearing the captain's armband; it's about becoming the team's flag bearer and always being able to shoulder responsibility, injecting a stronger spirit into the team.

With the completion of all group stage matches in the Asian Cup, the quarter-final matchups have been released.

China vs. South Korea, Australia vs. Uzbekistan, Iran vs. Iraq, Japan vs. UAE.

The favorites to win the championship are Japan, South Korea, and Australia.

As the reigning Asian Cup champions, Japan won all three group stage matches without conceding a goal, advancing to the knockout stage with a strong performance.

Australia, on the other hand, fought hard against South Korea and won.

As for the match between South Korea and China, according to statistics from South Korean media, 98% of people believe that South Korea will win.

why?
Because the Chinese team suffers from a severe phobia of South Korea, the first time the two sides met in an international A-level competition dates back to the 70s.

At the time, the Chinese national football team defeated South Korea 1-0 at the Asian Games in Bangkok, and then went 32 years without winning again.

It wasn't until five years ago at the East Asian Cup that the Chinese team finally won 3-0, ending a 32-year winless streak in international competitions. This victory was achieved thanks to goals from Yu Hai, Gao Lin, and Deng Zhuoxiang.

But those in the know understand that the Chinese team fielded its strongest lineup for that match, while the South Korean team did not recall its European players.

To date, in 33 encounters between China and South Korea, the Chinese national football team has a record of 2 wins, 13 draws, and 18 losses.

Fans from both sides are arguing heatedly online.
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We haven't won the Asian Cup in 55 years, and I feel this year is our best chance!
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[Revenge on Australia!]
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Let's defeat the Chinese team first; they're different now, their strength has improved significantly!
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They've really lost all shame by trying to avoid even the Chinese team!
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If we can't even beat the Chinese team, then our players should just eat maltose and hurry up and die!
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Apart from Qin Ming, there's no one else on the Chinese team worth noting. As long as we can contain him, we can win easily!
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Son Heung-min lost to Qin Ming in the Bundesliga because his teammates weren't good enough. In the national team, we could absolutely crush them!
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My impression of Chinese football is that it's like Shaolin soccer and "bed soccer"—they're rough in defense and love to dribble and waste time!
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【.】

Don't assume that South Korean fans love football that much. They can be just as fierce when they're blindly criticizing, much more so than domestic fans.

Moreover, the biggest characteristic of Koreans is that they cannot recognize themselves.

Even if they have done even more disgusting things, they can still criticize others without batting an eye.

Faced with the taunts from South Korean fans, Chinese fans naturally couldn't remain silent and swallow their anger. They also began to express their opinions and write articles, criticizing just how terrible South Korean football was.

While the fans of both teams were engaged in heated discussions, the players of both teams were preparing intensively for the match.

"Cai Huikang, your interception in the defensive midfield position is very important because the South Korean team likes to combine play on the wings and in the middle, using speed and physicality to their advantage in the flank area."

"Zheng Zhi needs to move around to assist in the defense. Remember that the intensity of the pressing must be high at this time. If you can get physical, do so immediately."

"."

"Qin Ming, the South Korean team has a good defensive line. I think you should be familiar with their local defense and coordinated pressing."

Perrin explained the tactics in detail to everyone, "So I hope that when you break through, you should try your best not to lose the ball, and even if you do lose the ball, you should immediately counter-press and disrupt the South Korean team's counter-attack."

In the match between South Korea and Australia, the team demonstrated its ability to fight hard in the midfield and defense, as well as its ability to suddenly accelerate on the counter-attack.

If Australia hadn't played dirty and the referee hadn't been more biased towards them, the outcome of the match would have been very different.

"I see."

Qin Ming nodded.

He had been watching videos recently and discovered that the South Korean team's defense did not rely on physicality, but rather on endless running.

The advantage of doing this is that it covers a wide area and can create a population advantage in a small area.

What are the downsides?
Physical energy is consumed quickly.

Therefore, you should play cautiously in the early stages of the game, wear down the defenders first, and then look for opportunities.

Qin Ming suddenly felt that his team's lineup needed to be changed. At the very least, he should start Sun Ke, who had excellent physical condition, and let him challenge the South Korean team's defense.

as predicted.

Qin Ming and Perrin had the same idea. The Frenchman held up the list and said, "We need to adjust our starting lineup. Cai Huikang will play as the right defensive midfielder, and Sun Ke will play as the right winger. The rest of the positions will remain the same."

Perrin wants to solidify the midfield and defense, so that Zheng Zhi is not confined to a single area, but moves around and moves towards the flanks.

Only in this way can Qin Ming be freed.

This would allow him to focus his energy on offense without having to retreat frequently.

"By the way, Qin Ming, if you're being closely watched, you can try to switch places with Sun Ke."

Perrin then looked at Qin Ming and said, "Because compared to the left side, South Korea's right side defense is weaker, and this can also disrupt their defensive deployment."

Now, Qin Ming is the highest priority among all the tactics he devises.

why?
Because Perrin is very pragmatic, he knows how to win and how to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses.

Inside the training base in South Korea, German coach Uli Stielike pointed to a data table and said:

"I know you all look down on the Chinese team, thinking that even if they finish first in their group, they're still no match for you." "But the data doesn't lie."

“47次抢断，33次成功；271次五五开机会，144次抢到球权；1601次传球，1387次成功.”

"The effective playing time reaches 62 minutes. I think players who play in European leagues should understand what that means, right?"

Stielike clicked the mouse, and a photo appeared on the screen, showing a boy with a bright smile.

"Qin Ming! The most outstanding young player in the Bundesliga, he had a phenomenal performance in the first half of the season. Guess what his dribbling success rate is?"

Before his players could even ask, Stielike gave the answer: "72%! And on the left wing, the success rate of his breakthroughs is as high as 83%, accompanied by an average of 11.2 deep penetrations into the penalty area per game."

Looking at the stunned South Korean players below, Stielike was very satisfied with their performance.

"Kim Chang-soo, in the car, are you confident you can defend against him?"

"."

silence.

After seeing this data, neither of them dared to make a guarantee.

"So put away your arrogance! The Chinese team is different now. If we want to avenge our loss to Australia, we must go all out and defeat the Chinese team first!"

Stielike spoke very rudely, but the South Korean players dared not refute him.

Because this old guy has a lot of honors, including one Champions League title, two UEFA titles, three La Liga titles, three Bundesliga titles, and so on.

Oh, and we should also include Real Madrid legends.

Looking at Qin Ming's impressive stats, Son Heung-min silently compared himself to him and naturally concluded that he was inferior.

But he still thinks the South Korean team has a high probability of winning.

Because football is a team sport, no matter how strong a player is, if his teammates don't perform well, the game will only end in defeat.

Such examples abound in the world of football.

2015 1 Month 22 Day.

Qin Ming and his teammates arrived in Melbourne. If we were to discuss where the Chinese population is the largest in Australia, Sydney and Melbourne would definitely be in the top three.

Melbourne's Chinatown has been rated as the best Chinatown in the world, and it hosts grand celebrations during festivals.

The fourth day of the first lunar month is auspicious for engagements, vows, bathing, and ancestral worship.

Although it wasn't a particularly important day, the Chinese community in Melbourne still gathered together, wearing red jerseys, and headed to AAMI Park Stadium.

The Asian Cup quarter-final match between China and South Korea is about to take place here.

At the pre-match press conference.

"So far, everything is going well for us in Australia, and we are gradually getting used to the weather here."

"It must be very cold back home right now, so we prefer to stay here, which means we have to win the game."

"Of course, beating the South Korean team will not be easy, but we will do our best to maintain our momentum and progress."

Perrin expressed his desire to advance to the semifinals.

"Mr. Perrin, Qin Ming has topped the scoring charts with five goals. South Korean coach Uli Stielike has stated that he has developed specific tactics to limit Qin Ming at all costs. What are your thoughts on this?"

A question from a Xinhua News Agency reporter.

"I feel like this question is familiar, like someone said something similar before, but I have a bad memory and forgot the outcome. But no matter what, I have absolute confidence in Qin Ming. Before the last game, my teacher Arsène Wenger called me and suggested that I focus on Qin Ming's individual ability in the tactics."

Perrin tapped the microphone and laughed, "By the way, he also told me it's hard to believe Qin Ming is only 17 years old because his playing style is so beautiful. Yes, teacher, he used the word 'beautiful.' I remember the last person he said that to was Dennis Bergkamp."

It has to be said that Wenger has a great reputation. Even a simple compliment caused the reporters in the audience to make a fuss.

"According to reports from English media, Arsenal, Chelsea and other teams have made offers to Wolfsburg in the winter transfer window to sign Qin Ming and De Bruyne. Are you aware of this?"

One of the reporters was eager to get inside information.

"Feel sorry!"

Perrin spread his hands: "The transfer has little to do with the national team, and we haven't had much communication. But from a head coach's perspective, no one can refuse such an excellent player as Qin Ming."

He wasn't lying; he genuinely didn't know.

After all, he and Qin Ming wouldn't discuss transfer issues.

The meeting room next door.

“You don’t live in Seoul, so you don’t know how many people’s expectations this team carries. Everyone thinks we are the favorites to win the championship, and I also believe that we have the strength and belief to win the championship.”

Stielike said in a deep voice.

The reporters, however, handed the microphone to Ki Sung-yueng, the current captain of the South Korean national team.

"Do you think you can contain Qin Ming? His performance in the group stage was perfect, and he even received praise from Wenger."

"Of course! I've worked with Chelsea for several years, and he's the strongest player I've ever seen. When he was young, he was faster than a football. I believe he can use his rich experience to help us stabilize the flanks, while also giving himself a perfect farewell performance."

After Ki Sung-yueng finished speaking, he stood up, picked up the microphone, and said firmly, "This year is the best opportunity for our group to win the Asian Cup. We have made preparations in every aspect, and the Chinese team cannot stop us from going to the championship."

"Qin Ming, are you nervous? This isn't Saudi Arabia or Uzbekistan, it's the South Korean team."

Zheng Zhi looked at Qin Ming, who was leaning against the locker in the locker room, and asked.

"Brother Zheng, the Japanese and Korean players I've dribbled past in the Bundesliga could form a starting lineup. Do you think I'm nervous?"

Qin Ming opened his clear, bright eyes, a hint of pride in his expression: "You should ask them that question."

"Haha! I knew you had a big heart. Everyone says we have a fear of Korea, but we're going to break that fear today!"

Zheng Zhi raised his fist and shouted.

"Exactly! In this Asian Cup, we didn't do much else, but we broke many old curses, such as not being able to beat Saudi Arabia for 18 years, not being able to beat Uzbekistan for 14 years, and today we also cured our fear of South Korea!"

Qin Ming stepped onto a bench and gave a passionate speech, "Brothers, give it your all! If we lose to the Korean team in the end, Son Heung-min will definitely give me a hard time!"

"Alright! For Xiao Qin's sake, we have to fight to the death!"

Zhang Linpeng made a joke.

Soon, everyone arrived at the players' tunnel.

Qin Ming saw Son Heung-min. Although he had just mentioned him, he still smiled and waved, "We meet again."

"I won't lose this time," Son Heung-min said, pursing his lips.

Qin Ming: “.”

Why does Son Heung-min give him such a strong sense of familiarity with Japanese players?
(End of this chapter)