Reborn Liverpool

Chapter 322 Huazu prepares for the World Cup

On the afternoon of June 6, Zhang Mai and Zhang Yulin rushed to the Vivorno training center in Turin, Italy, and joined the Hua Guo team.

Silver Fox Lippi took advantage of the offseason and directly lent the training ground of the Juventus first team to serve as a temporary base for the Huazu team to train in Europe.

The two first said hello to Lippi and Chinese coaches Li Tong and Gao Hongbo who had reunited after a long absence, and then joined the training team on the playground under the leadership of captain Zheng Zhi.

The Huazu team has a coaching staff and team staff. A total of 23 players (including two) have been brought abroad this time. The specific list is:

Goalkeepers: 23-Yan Junling/1-Zeng Cheng, 24-Yang Zhi;

后卫：2-毕津浩、6-蔡会康、5-张林帆、17-于海∕21-李学鹏、3-冯消停；
Back midfielder: 10-Zheng Zhi; 4-Liu Jianye/14-Zheng Cage, 18-Yin Hongbo;
前卫：13-张迈∕8-蒿俊闵、19-姜宁∕12-黄波文、15-吴西∕16-孙克；

Forwards: 11-Zhang Yulin/7-Wu Lei/9-Gao Lin/20-Yu Dabao.

The other 21 Huaguo players are all old acquaintances who fought side by side during the Asian World Cup. No. 1 goalkeeper Zeng Cheng also returned to the team after recovering from injury.

On the night of returning to the team, Zhang Mai communicated with the coaching staff and persuaded the stable old Lippi to agree to practice the "4-3-3" formation.

If Zhang Yulin did not grow up smoothly, Lippi would definitely not agree with the Chinese football team to play offensive football in Russia. What a joke, the Chinese football team in the top 32 of the World Cup is only one of the fourth-tier teams.

如果中前场都靠张迈一个人撑着，那“4-3-3”和“4-4-2”又有什么区别呢？

Now with Zhang Yulin standing in the middle of the penalty area, Wu Lei on the right, and a speedy frontcourt player on the left, the forward line will be neat.

Zhang Mai guards the midfield, the Huazu team can speed up both offense and defense, and the defense line protected by Zheng Zhi can also be a little reassuring.

When the whole team practiced together the next day, Lippi and the coaching staff were quickly shocked. Zhang Yulin became sharper in the center position, and Zhang Mai's performance on the field was even more visible to the naked eye.

"Zhang Mai, how do you feel about your current level?"

Lippi immediately terminated the training, and the coaching staff surrounded him, and the impatient Li Tong opened his mouth to ask.

"The offensive power is not inferior to Ronaldo, and the organization has its own strengths compared with Messi, but the defense is stronger than them."

Only by telling the whole story about one's own strength can the coaching staff know what they are doing, so Zhang Mai made no secret of his latest strength.

"I believe this! You performed better than Ronaldo in the Champions League final. Liverpool won the championship thanks to your goals and driving Ramos to end."

Li Tong, Gao Hongbo, and Zheng Zhi were still tongue-tied, but Lippi vowed to express his attitude.

Next, the Huaguo team quickly adjusted their preparation plan, increased the training weight of the offensive formation, and investigated the candidates who could be qualified as left forwards in the team one by one.

On June 6, the last warm-up match before the World Cup of the Chinese Football Team, the opponent was the Swiss team, a European powerhouse ranked among the top 8 in the world all year round.

Although Switzerland is only a small country with a population of only 800 million, their status in international football and the performance of the national team are all top-notch in the world.

Switzerland has a good football tradition. They have reached the finals of the World Cup 7 times. In July 2017, in the latest world ranking released by FIFA, Switzerland rose four places from No.7 to fifth.

In the 2016 European Championship, Switzerland successfully qualified in the group stage. In the quarter-finals, Switzerland drew 1-1 with Poland, but was eliminated in a penalty shootout.

Switzerland will also participate in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. They are divided into Group E. It is precisely because there are no Asian opponents in the same group that Switzerland is willing to warm up with the Hua Guo team.

The Swiss team advanced through the European play-offs, but they defeated the Portuguese team with Ronaldo 2-0 in the group stage.

Regardless of the fact that Swiss football is not well-known in world football today, they have repeatedly broken through the group stage and advanced to the knockout round in the World Series this year, and their strength must not be underestimated.

The Swiss official did not confirm the list of 6 players for the World Cup in Russia until June 4:
Shaqiri, Xhaka led, Lichtsteiner, R Rodriguez Behrami and other famous players were all selected.

The Swiss players, like the Swiss national team, are unpretentious and have hidden sharp edges. It is only because of the lack of superstars that they have not been able to make a big splash.

Lippi arranged a "4-3-3" offensive formation in the warm-up match with Switzerland, which was used to test the effect of the new formation and determine the final candidate for the left winger.

The warm-up match was held at Juventus' home stadium, and most of the on-site spectators were Chinese fans from afar.

After the start of the game, the midfielder led by Zhang Mai did not lose the wind in the fight against the Swiss team, and the two teams fought inextricably for a while.

The biggest feature of the Swiss team is the average strength of the three lines and the stability of the whole game. It can also be regarded as a qualified test stone for testing the strength of the team and experimenting with new formations.

Switzerland's forward line is mediocre, and their offense relies more on the back row and long-range shots of Shaqiri, Xhaka and other avant-garde players. Huaguo's defense line can still block it.

The situation on the field was stable, and Lippi began to experiment with the best candidate at the left winger position. In the first half, he changed two. Gao Lin and Yu Dabao played successively.

But the effect is not ideal. Gao Lin can protect the ball and has a certain crossing ability, but the movement and advancement are slow, which often turns the fast break into a positional battle;
Yu Dabao dared to fight and was not slow, but the horrible cross was unpredictable, and after getting familiar with it, the Swiss full-backs knew how to block people and not block the ball.

At the end of the first half, Xhaka broke through the gate guarded by Yan Junling with a world wave. In the end, Switzerland entered the intermission with a 1-0 lead.

Both teams made a lot of substitutions in the second half, with Zeng Cheng, Li Xuepeng, Feng Xiaoting, Zheng Long, Yin Hongbo, Hao Junmin and Huang Bowen of the Huaguo team all playing in rotation.

The positions of Zhang Mai, Zhang Yulin and Wu Lei in the front triangle of the Huaguo team remained unchanged, and Lippi replaced Wu Xi and Sun Ke on the left wing.

In the middle of the second half, Zhang Mai made a long pass in the middle, and Zhang Yulin scored a header in the penalty area, 1-1, and the Huaguo team equalized the score.

Sun Ke, who was finally replaced at the left forward position, worked well, and Zhang Mai also intentionally gave more balls to the left. The left wing of the Huazu team began to slowly take shape.

In the last 20 minutes or so, the Hua Guo team had a slight advantage in control and made many threatening shots, but they still failed to exceed the score.

At this time, the stability of the Swiss team is fully revealed. The two world-class forwards are not explosive, and the defense of Switzerland is comparable to that of Italy.

With 10 minutes left before the end of the game, the Huaguo team got a free kick from the front of the penalty area. Zhang Mai kicked the elevator ball directly and hit it, 2-1, Huazuo took the lead for the first time.

Lippi's inspection goal was achieved, and then Zhang Mai, Zhang Yulin and Wu Lei were all replaced, and the Huazu team immediately switched to the defensive.

At the end of the game, Shaqiri's long-range goal from outside the penalty area helped Switzerland equalize the score, 2-2, and it was also the final score.

In the end, the two teams that shook hands and made peace were happy. The Swiss team practiced and the Huaguo team found the most suitable candidate for the left winger position.

"Sun Ke, practice sideline skills more in training in the future."

Lippi went to greet the Swiss coach without saying anything after the game, but Li Tong came over to talk to Sun Ke...

On June 6th, the Huazu team set off for Russia and went straight to Kazan, the pre-booked base camp during the World Cup. The journey of the 9 World Cup began...

(End of this chapter)