Grass roots glory

Chapter 460 The Lion No Longer Roars
When attending the pre-match press conference, Zhou Tiancheng was always confident.

"That's right, I respect the Iraqi team. Football is played with one breath and one spirit. Of course, a team like Iraq deserves respect... Therefore, there is nothing to say about this game, only winning. Defeating the opponent is the greatest respect, I Always thought so."

There was a burst of laughter at the scene, and after hearing the first half of the sentence, they thought Zhou Tiancheng was serious.But after listening to it, they really want to know: Is this showing respect for the opponent, or is it a demonstration?

However, none of them disliked Zhou Tiancheng's attitude. They lacked an important main force and were destined to face a difficult battle. That's a very positive sign.

In the starting lineup for this game, Gao Hongbo made two significant adjustments to the central axis: one was to remove Li Weifeng. In fact, Gao Hongbo directly excluded him from this training list, because the first two The "big head" always makes undue mistakes on the spot. With the pressure Gao Hongbo is currently facing, he cannot afford to gamble.So he made adjustments in time and used the 26-year-old young central defender Feng Xiaoting on top.Furthermore, due to Jiang Hao's withdrawal, Gao Hongbo used the 1.8-meter-eight Yang Xu on the front line.Gao Hongbo pursues the ultimate use of people on the front line. If there is no fast one, he will bomb with high points, which is simple and rude.

In fact, in the face of the Iraqi 4-5-1 dense defensive system, Yang Xu's role as the fulcrum of the high center forward is very obvious.

In just 8 minutes of the opening, Yang Xu created a threat on the front line.

"Chen Pengfei's cross...was well placed! Yang Xu—a header!! Oops! It was blocked... Zhou Tiancheng followed up and made up! This time it is—ah! The bullet hole was blocked by the defender , too bad luck."

Liu Jianhong made such a sound at the scene, and with his ups and downs of exclamation, the atmosphere of Shenzhen Baoan Stadium was also ups and downs.

Even Gao Hongbo stood beside the coach's bench and clapped his hands in regret, but Zhou Tiancheng didn't feel the slightest emotion, because he saw that the opponent's counterattack came faster, and the left back Adnan directly sent a long pass to the front of Younis.The second defense and first defense of the Chinese team seemed a bit difficult in the backcourt, and the central defender Wang Qiang was directly crushed by the opponent's body.

"Be careful, be careful! Block his angle, don't get out. Follow, follow, he's about to shoot, Mingtao strikes decisively—good job Mingtao, blocking a counterattack, Younis's state It’s really not the same as four years ago, not to mention he is facing the best goalkeeper in the new generation of China.”

Maybe when it comes to the ability to save all kinds of tricky shots, Ming Tao is not as good as Wang Dalei, who is also placed on the bench by the domestic media. He has received trial training in the Inter Milan youth team, but his long-term experience in the Bundesliga has formed him. One quality: stability.

Most of the time, it is more valuable for the goalkeeper not to make mistakes than to turn the tide, which is why Gao Hongbo has always admired Mingtao more.

For example, now, Mingtao took the first step to attack and hold the ball firmly before Younis, which not only resolved a dangerous situation, but also dealt an invisible blow to the opponent's morale.After all, it was not easy for the Iraqi team to catch the negligence of the Chinese team's retreat.

From the first minute of the game, the Chinese team took advantage of a stronger midfielder.The atmosphere in the stands has always been very lively.

It has become the norm for the Chinese team to face Asian games by pressing their opponents against each other in the opposite half.With the smooth flow of the frontcourt and unlimited running without the ball, the Iraqi team's Asian second-rate midfield configuration is completely powerless against the fast-paced offense and defense of the Chinese team's frontcourt.

However, the lack of Jiang Hao still has a great impact on the Chinese team's offense, that is, they can't score when they gain power.As a domestic air fighter, Yang Xu's header skill is far better than that of his feet, so even if Zhou Tiancheng kept sending firepower to the front, most of it was wasted. The Iraqi defender obviously found the trick to defend the Chinese team.Finally, it is reflected in the scene that the number of shots of the Chinese team is increasing sharply, but most of the firepower output is not enough to threaten the opponent's goalkeeper.

This not only made Liu Jianhong and all the fans helpless, even Zhou Tiancheng had nothing to do.Yang Xu gave him a thumbs up apologetically. He didn't complain about his teammates. People are different. Otherwise, how could Jiang Hao be the main player in Schalke?
However, Gao Hongbo couldn't accept such a series of wasted opportunities. During the intermission, he adjusted his tactics. In fact, he emphasized Zhou Tiancheng's right to fire.Gao Hongbo is very dissatisfied with Yang Xu's infinite waste of opportunities, and wants to improve the team's offensive efficiency.

……

"In the first half, the Chinese team had a total of nine shots, but only two shots were actually on target. This is not going to work, and the opponent will gain confidence in defense. The longer the time is delayed, the more unfavorable it is for the Chinese team. Gao Hongbo should firmly let the whole team create space for Zhou Tiancheng, his scoring efficiency is not worse than that of a striker, but he can’t do without space! The World Preliminary is not a training ground.”

Liu Jianhong said this when commenting at halftime. The problem is obvious. After the adjustment in the second half, the opponent's defense exposed loopholes.

Zhou Tiancheng's signature move from the back to the front is known to all opponents, but as for the timing and routing, he can only be noticed when he appears in a dangerous position, but at this time, it is often too late.

No.60 In the second minute, Zhou Tiancheng relied on his strong body to play a series of collisions with Hao Junmin at the front of the penalty area. Then he knocked on the defense and broke into the penalty area. Slowly fell into the goal behind him.

"Good goal, lob shot! The goal went in, it went in, it went in, it went in! It's a good goal—this goal is crucial, and it broke the deadlock at the critical point of physical decline! Leave the burden to the Iraqis, and the Chinese team You can stabilize the rhythm of the game and take a little breath."

Sidri, the German head coach of the Iraqi team, shook his head. Although in the final stage he replaced high center forwards in succession, hoping to bring about a miracle in the most direct way, but the team captain Younis was tired and cramp, and the game After 85 minutes, he knew the situation was over.

The enthusiastic cheers from the scene, and the absolute disadvantage of the score behind the scene, are enough to destroy the will of any away team to resist.

He understands that this team is gradually fading the color of the miracle team. The current Asian football belongs to the energetic Chinese team opposite them, which has subverted the pattern of Asian football.

Facing such an opponent, the Mesopotamian lion has no chance to utter its roar.

(End of this chapter)