Max-level burst damage at the start, the British Empire arrives!

England's victory over last year's runner-up, the Netherlands, to advance to the semi-finals has become a hot topic in Britain.

Although England fans believed that the only destiny for the England team was to win the championship, they gradually began to have a better understanding of the situation after the World Cup started.

In terms of squad star power, England cannot compare to Germany, Argentina, Brazil, or the Netherlands, and it can't even match Spain.

In terms of ability in each position, apart from Sun Ke, only Rooney, Hart, Walcott and Wilshere can be considered first-class players in the England team.

Sterling is too small, Sturridge is too soft, Lampard's running ability has been greatly reduced, and Gerrard has lost the physical ability that made him famous.

Terry and Ashley Cole are past their prime, and Cahill's absolute ability is far from that of a top-class center-back; his strength lies in playing a supporting role alongside strong center-backs.

Phil Jones and Milner can only be considered role players. These two players have a good chance of starting on most teams, but no one expects them to carry the team.

After the World Cup started, England fans initially thought that the England team's lineup was sufficient, and even thought the team played terribly after the first match.

However, influenced by the prevailing environment over the years, most England fans quickly realized that England had no advantage in the World Cup.

Not to mention England, even the defending champions Spain were crushed. What else can we say about the other teams?

Before the World Cup began, many experts predicted that the Spanish team would qualify for the semi-finals.

Judging from the lineup, this Spanish team is excellent from forwards to goalkeepers, with top-class players in almost every position.

In the forward position, Diego Costa is one of the few powerful center forwards for the Spanish team in recent years, making up for the only weakness of the Spanish team before.

He also has the reliable veteran Villa behind him, and the third striker Torres can also be used on the field.

Needless to say, the midfield is another story. Spain has a true playmaker, even though Xavi and Alonso are getting on in years. They are still a true playmaker, and these two players have made every team except Germany drool with envy.

Among the other players, Iniesta is still in his prime, Silva is the core of Manchester City, and Busquets, Dustin Hoffenheim, Cazorla and Mata are all top-class midfielders. The Spanish team has practically included the best playmakers in the team.

Don't forget, Tarkovic longed to be selected for the Spanish national team while at Arsenal, but he never received a single call-up. A player like that would be an absolute starter for the England national team.

The Spanish team not only has an organizing core, but also defensive midfielders like Koke and Javi Martinez, so their physicality is definitely not a problem.

If Vicente del Bosque wants to improve the toughness of Spain's midfield, Atletico Madrid's Gabi is a perfect fit, and a player like him wouldn't even make the 23-man squad for the Spanish national team.

Spain's team is not only strong in midfield, but also boasts a star-studded backline. The central defensive pairing of Pique and Ramos is second only to Hummels and Boateng. The left-backs include Alba and Juanfran, while the right-backs feature Azpilicueta and Carvajal. These players would all be starters for England.

As for the goalkeeper position, any of the three players – Casillas, De Gea, and Reina – would be a valid choice.

But Vicente del Bosque used an unreasonable lineup in midfield, trying to shut down the Netherlands in the first group stage match.

It's worth noting that even the Spanish team that reached its peak four years ago couldn't completely shut down the Dutch team, and they almost lost two one-on-one chances to Robben.

Spain's elimination from the group stage was a huge shock to the world. This team has a large number of players and a complete squad. Even at its worst, it shouldn't have been able to be repeatedly defeated by the Netherlands and Chile.

But this World Cup taught everyone a lesson: the fall of a dynasty can happen in an instant.

Besides Spain, Brazil's arduous journey to the final also shattered the world's perception of Samba football.

Why is it so hard to beat Croatia?

Why can't they beat the Mexican team?

How did it come down to a penalty shootout with Chile?

The host country's overwhelming power was not actually real!

Wow! Neymar is gone!

At this stage of the tournament, fans around the world no longer have high hopes for the Brazilian team; only the Brazilian team remains truly devoted.

Germany, another team with a star-studded lineup, also had a rough time, drawing with the United States in the group stage and nearly being dragged into a penalty shootout by Algeria in the round of 16.

The team that defeated France played decisively and controlled the game, leaving the French players with no chance to break through.

Argentina, boasting the world's most formidable attacking line, won all five of their matches, but only managed a goal difference of five.

What does winning by one goal in each game signify?

This shows that Argentina is a team with extremely strong defensive capabilities; otherwise, how could they possibly maintain a one-goal lead in every game?

The reality is quite awkward: even if this Argentine team didn't have that many good strikers, they would still likely have advanced to the semi-finals.

Their prized forwards have become mere decorations, which is indeed somewhat embarrassing.

In comparison, England's squad is simply not good enough.

Apart from Sun Ke, a superstar player, the England team doesn't have much of an advantage even compared to the Italian team.

In the first five matches, England scored a total of 16 goals, averaging more than 3 goals per game, making them one of the top attacking teams in this World Cup.

Of course, this is just data on paper; the actual situation is far less optimistic.

In the matches that have already concluded, England has conceded goals in every game against strong opponents.

England conceded two goals in both matches against Uruguay and the Netherlands, demonstrating consistent performance.

As for Italy only conceding one goal, it was entirely due to the opponent's conservative playing style.

One of the England team's defining characteristics in this World Cup is their ability to go toe-to-toe with anyone and score three goals against almost anyone.

Of the five matches, only the score against Greece was impressive.

However, the process of the game cannot be reflected in the data. For a period of time, the Greek team relentlessly tore apart England's left flank, making England very passive on the field.

However, a lot can also be seen from the data.

Of England's 16 goals, only 2 were unrelated to Sun Ke.

Sun Ke contributed 8 goals and 6 assists in just four games.

The two goals that had nothing to do with him both occurred in the third group stage match.

In other words, in every match Sun Ke played, all of England's goals were related to him.

It is clear that the England team is Sun Ke's team, and Sun Ke led the team to the semi-finals entirely by himself.

Before the World Cup started, everyone thought that Sun Ke's performance would largely determine how far England could go.

But as the game progressed, everyone realized that their predictions were too conservative.

Sun Ke represents the ceiling for the England team, while all other players, even if they give it their all, can only maintain the team's floor.

English media jokingly said that Sun Ke's teammates not only failed to raise his ceiling, but also lowered it.

In the four games Sun Ke participated in, he averaged five excellent shooting opportunities for his teammates, while his teammates only managed to capitalize on two opportunities in one game.

His teammates not only failed to capitalize on opportunities, but also frequently made misjudged headers or misplaced passes.

It's difficult for the entire English media to comment on a team like this.

However, as the competition progressed, Hodgson's reputation among the players grew.

People are only now realizing that Hodgson's decision to stockpile veterans and muscle-bound players on the roster was a very wise one.

Compared to Sun Ke, the other England players seem quite ordinary.

Instead of creating several core players, it's better to establish Sun Ke as the absolute core player and develop all tactics around him.

This approach also played an important role in the World Cup, with the England team rotating players in all positions except for three or four, including Sun Ke.

In this way, regardless of how the English players perform on the field, at least their physical condition will be excellent.

More importantly, it is clear from the team's performance on the field that this England team is an unprecedentedly united team.

From this perspective, Hodgson deserves great credit.

Even judging solely from his achievements, Hodgson's record of leading the team to the quarterfinals of the European Championship and the semifinals of the World Cup is already the best among active managers.

Before the World Cup started, the English media referred to Hodgson as an unremarkable Mr. Hodgson.

After the knockout stage, Hodgson became the respected Mr. Hodgson.

After England advanced to the semi-finals, Hodgson became known as the beloved Mr. Hodgson among fans.

The three titles alone demonstrate that Hodgson's prestige is steadily rising.

The day after the match, the England team held a press conference.

At the meeting, Hodgson brought along five players: Sun Ke, Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, and Terry.

From the moment everyone arrived at the scene, the newsroom was ablaze with flashes.

When asked if he was confident of making it to the World Cup, Hodgson said the team was very united, but there was no point in thinking about it now; the team's next goal was to reach the final.

The English media asked many questions about the team's formation and tactics, but the veteran manager only gave general answers on some aspects.

Now, whatever he says, the media is very satisfied; it's a completely different story compared to two weeks ago.

As the team captain, Sun Ke became the focus of the media's questions.

Sun Ke had long been adept at the art of interviewing during important matches; when it came to boasting, he had to exaggerate to the heavens, because everyone loved to hear something nice at that moment.

Rooney said he would give his all in every game, and Terry said the whole team was very confident.

Lampard and Gerrard both stated that they are always ready to contribute to the team, and that they would rather see the team continue to win than see themselves play more.

On this point, Sun Ke has to admire Hodgson.

Old Man Huo had laid out his plans a year ago. First, he secured Gerrard's services, and then, with the promise that Gerrard and De Bruyne would be included in the World Cup squad, he secured Sun Ke's position as captain ahead of time.

When the team started training, they further built the team around Sun Ke, and quickly established a competitive team.

The England players are highly motivated for their next opponent, and they don't need any extra motivation to play against Argentina.

The two countries have a long history of animosity. After the 1998 World Cup, Simeone deliberately provoked Beckham, resulting in a red card for the young and impetuous Beckham, which led to Beckham's elimination in a penalty shootout.

Four years later, England avenged their defeat at the World Cup, while Argentina, a team packed with stars, was eliminated in the group stage.

Although the two teams have not had any new rivalries in the years that followed, the English players were always full of energy when playing against Argentina.

Time flew by, and while the England team was conducting targeted training against the Argentina team, they were also keeping an eye on the news about their other two potential opponents.

7 month 9 day.

Mineirão Stadium.

Brazil and Germany will meet in the semifinals.

Facing the season's top title favorite, the host nation Brazil is under immense pressure.

Two key players for the Brazilian team were absent before the semi-final.

Neymar was kneed by Zugani in the quarter-final and will be sidelined for a long time.

With captain Thiago Silva suspended due to accumulated yellow cards, the Brazilian team was practically at a loss.

Media outlets around the world almost unanimously believed that the German team would have an absolute advantage, with only Brazilian media strongly supporting their own team.

Moreover, a significant number of media outlets believe that the Brazilian team should advance to the final with a victory.

Brazilian fans not only want their team to win, but also hope that the Brazilian team can play with the charm of Samba football.

This is simply asking the impossible.

Fueled by a massive wave of public opinion in their home country, Brazil launched an offensive against Germany right from the start.

Left-back Marcelo made an early run into the attacking third and attempted a long-range shot.

Sun Ke felt that Brazil's tactics had a bit of a suicide squad feel to them.

After that attack, no matter how hard the Brazilian team tried, they found it difficult to create any further threats.

It had already reached its limit so early, and its final outcome was actually predetermined.

In the tenth minute, the German team intercepted the ball in their own half and launched a quick counter-attack.

Reus kept changing direction in the middle, moving towards gaps in the defense, and his cross won a corner for Germany.

Kroos took a corner kick, and Gundogan, unmarked, easily scored.

In the 23rd minute, the German team executed a series of passes in the penalty area, and Klose scored his 16th World Cup goal, surpassing Ronaldo to become the all-time top scorer in World Cup history.

The rest of the match was no different from the one in his previous life. Kroos quickly scored his third goal and then his fourth two minutes later.

After conceding three goals in five minutes, the expressions of Brazilian fans went from shock and sadness to despair, indicating that Brazil's fate was sealed.

In his previous life, Sun Ke watched the news and saw Löw warning the German players at halftime not to engage in any insulting behavior, or they would be substituted immediately.

We must respect our opponents and not engage in passive play.

Not long into the second half, the German team began making substitutions.

Schürrle, who came on as a substitute, scored another goal, and in his excitement, he inexplicably scored yet another.

Schürrle was very happy, while Müller, who came on as a substitute, seemed less than cheerful.

Not only could he not smile, but the German fans in the stands were also on tenterhooks.

If we dare to cause trouble at this time, the consequences are unimaginable.

Brazil didn't pull one back until the last minute of the game. Boateng was clearly letting up in defense, and Neuer looked very unhappy after conceding the goal.

The course of the match was like a pre-programmed sequence, with no significant changes.

Although the German team has a more elite lineup than in the previous life, the score cannot be determined by the team's strength in the way the game was played.

Because Brazil lost too many times.

If Schürrle hadn't been so eager to perform, the score would most likely have been 5-1.

This match brought immense sorrow to the Brazilians; for the football kingdom, what happened today was like a disaster.

The champion coach Scolari has lost his reputation in his later years, and the entire Brazilian team has been shamed.

Germany's performance also greatly shocked the England players, who did not expect Germany to be so formidable.

But now is not the time to think about these things. Only by getting past Argentina will we have the right to compete for the championship.

A day later, England and Argentina stood on the pitch at the São Paulo Stadium.

In this match, Hodgson made significant adjustments to the lineup.