Ultimate Demon Sword

Chapter 252 Asian Barcelona
Three days before the opening game of the Cup of China, the coaches and players of the three teams from Japan, Denmark and France arrived one after another.None of these three opponents this year sent a second team to go through the motions.Pogba, Giroud, Christensen, Bendtner, Shinji Kagawa and other big-name players all came to participate.

Last year's first China Cup was held in January, which happened to collide with the winter break of the five major leagues, and it did not belong to the international match day designated by FIFA. At that time, Iceland, Croatia and Chile, including the Chinese team themselves, chose to send young players.Obviously contrary to the original intention of the China Cup, the time was adjusted to the international competition day in March this year, and the big names gathered all at once, and the China Cup has a lot of star flavor.

Of course there is another fundamental reason.After rushing into the World Cup again, these strong teams also regard the Chinese team as a qualified opponent, and no longer feel that it is a shame to warm up with the Chinese team and just muddle along.

The football world is so simple that the strong are respected. In the final analysis, this is the attention and respect of the national team itself.

In addition to paying attention to our own national team, Chinese reporters are also very concerned about Japan's all-main national team with [-] players in Europe.From the first moment of arriving in Nanning, the Japanese team was exposed to the camera at any time.

Although Chinese fans hate their teeth when Japan is mentioned, the sad reminder is that the national team has not even had a chance to meet Japan's main players for a long time.Neither the Asian Cup nor the Top [-] matches were grouped into one group, and only the East Asian Cup had a chance to play against each other.But Japan has always regarded the East Asian Cup as a competition for young players, and players in Europe will not come back to participate.

Most reporters think that the Japanese team recalled all overseas international players this time because they also took a fancy to the value of the China Cup for World Cup preparations, especially the French team, one of the favorites to win the World Cup, which is also star-studded.However, the Japanese coach Harry Hodzic has a very high emotional intelligence. Before the match with the Chinese team, he said some compliments.

Harry Hodzic said: "It must be admitted that participating in the China Cup is really helpful for preparing for the World Cup in a few months. But this is not the reason why we gathered all the main players to participate. The three opponents are very strong. We can't win any of them only by relying on the local international team."

Hearing these words in the ears of the Chinese reporters, I felt very refreshed. Harry Hodzic, sitting on the main force, also directly admitted that the Chinese team is very strong.

Talking about the next game against the Chinese team, Harry Hodzic said: "The game will be very difficult. This Chinese team is not at the same level as the Chinese team we defeated in the East Asian Cup three months ago. They have two very good overseas players, especially Wen Zhihao. They will test our midfield attack and defense. But we will prove that football is a team event with eleven people. One or two outstanding players are not enough to change the final outcome."

Harry Hodzic is confident in winning the game while complimenting the strength of the Chinese team.The Japanese team's short pass and control are at the quasi-first-class level in the world.Not to mention in Asia, there is no team that can match it yet.A few years ago, when Barcelona's Tiki-Taka style of play became popular all over the world, the Japanese team even got the nickname "Asian Barcelona", which shows its overall passing and control background.

Although everyone thinks that this is an opportunity for the Chinese team to break the curse of "sun fear", there is nothing missing in their hearts.If the opponent's passing rhythm cannot be disrupted and the ball is always controlled by the opponent, the Chinese team will definitely be in a passive state.

At the same time, in order to destroy the overall pass control of the Japanese team, it takes a lot of physical energy to actively counterattack on the defensive end, and physical fitness has not been the strong point of the Chinese team.Wen Zhihao's counterattack ability is indeed strong, but the important reason is that the defensive midfielders maintain the intensity of running and pressing at all times.The national team is not Atletico Madrid, and it is impossible for the midfielder to have the high intensity from the beginning to the end to ensure that Wen Zhihao can launch a counterattack at any time.

Seems like a very awkward dilemma.No wonder Harry Hodzic is confident, as if this is indeed a difficult game.

It is also necessary to test Lippi's tactical design.

……

One hour before the game, the Japanese team first announced the starting list.

The Japanese team started with a 4-4-2 formation.Harry Hodzic sent six returnees.Goalkeeper Kawashima Eiji played for the Ligue [-] team Metz, center back Yoshida Asaya played for Southampton, right back Nagatomo Yuto was in Inter Milan, Kagawa Shinji was in Bundesliga Dortmund, striker Honda Keisuke moved from AC Milan to Mexico Pachuca this season, Haraguchi played for Bundesliga Berlin Hertha.

The ratio of overseas returnees in the starting lineups of the two sides reached two to six, and the opposing team also sat on the court with Shibazaki Yue, Yamaguchi Hotaru, Asano Takuma and other new generation returnees.

In terms of the luxury of the lineup, the Chinese team is obviously worse.

However, football games never look at the origin and value of the players, and this actually makes everyone look forward to it by two points. If the opponent's main force is fully played, if the national team can still win, wouldn't it be more convincing?

Lippi said that there is no need to be afraid of anyone in the Asian Chinese team. Breaking the Korean fear is only the first step, and the Japanese team is also an unavoidable opponent.

Although the Japanese team has a 4-4-2 formation, their style of play is on the table for everyone.The real suspense is on the side of the Chinese team. How Lippi will deploy to counter the opponent's ground penetration is the biggest mystery, which is related to the success or failure of the entire game.

Twenty to 10 minutes after the Japanese team announced the starting lineup, the Chinese team's starting list was announced to the public.

里皮将中国队十二强赛常用的4-3-3阵型变成了4-2-3-1阵型，和媒体球迷想得一样，这是针对日本队中场的专门布置。梁新和老队长郑智搭档防守型后腰，构筑起中后卫身前的屏障。温志豪的位置则是居中的攻击型前卫。在他的两侧分别是两个能拼善跑的球员尹鸿博和武球王。突前箭头是于大宝。

Including the players in the midfield and frontcourt are all types who can fight and run well. The first feeling for everyone is that today the two sides are absolutely fighting for every inch of land.

However, in the opening stage, the Japanese team, which still held the ball, quickly took the initiative. Everyone thought that the Chinese team would take the initiative to press up, and perhaps launch a counter-grab from the opponent's defense.Put pressure on the Japanese team.

And Lippi once again subverted everyone's cognition. The double defensive midfielders Zheng Zhi and Liang Xin firmly defended their own half, leaving only Wen Zhihao in the center circle, and did not intend to actively increase the intensity at all.

What's interesting is that for the "meeting gift" offered by the Chinese team, the Japanese team also seems to be reciprocating, and is not in a hurry to launch an offensive formation.The ball was frequently returned and crossed in the Japanese half.

The only statistic with the fastest growth in the first 5 minutes of the game was the Japanese team's ball possession rate, which was as high as 74%. He Wei couldn't help but tease that Barcelona in Asia really deserved its reputation...

(End of this chapter)