Chapter 468: Warm up
The entire press conference revolved almost entirely around Wang Feng. The head coach had very few opportunities to speak, so much so that he apologized to the Dutchman afterwards.
"It's okay. Wherever you go, you should always be the center of attention. No one can steal the spotlight from you," Alirhan patted Wang Feng's shoulder and continued, "Keep it up. This should be the best era, and no one knows what will happen next."
Having dealt with the national team for so many years, Alirhan keenly felt that their patience with him had reached its limit. But he was a pure football man, unwilling and unable to compromise, so leaving was the best choice.
During the training camp, in addition to the daily tactical drills, the national team also played friendly matches against the top three teams in the Chinese Super League: Taishan, Tianhu, and Green City.
All three matches ended in victory. In the first match against Taishan, Wang Feng appeared on the field and scored five goals within 10 minutes, leaving two defenders unable to stop him, much to the surprise of the Taishan coach on the sidelines.
Alirhan could only smile bitterly and shake his head. There was no point in such a warm-up. So, he decisively substituted the Chinese superstar, and Wang Feng didn't play in the remaining two matches.
However, the national team's easy victories over the Chinese Super League powerhouses delighted the domestic media and fans, indicating that their level was now the strongest in the country. Many were looking forward to what miracles would unfold at the World Cup in South Africa.
To acclimate to the summer environment in South Africa, the national team decided to depart for the tournament venue on June 1st, and the final 23-man squad was announced.
Seven players - Zhaopeng, Heyang, Ronghao, Huangbaiwen, Yanghao, Zhaoxuri, and Qubo - failed to make the cut. It was rumored that the team leader smashed a teacup directly. These players and their clubs had put in a lot of effort, so what could the overseas players bring?
"Indeed, we can't let Alirhan stay any longer!"
As the longest-serving foreign coach of the national team so far, Alirhan led the team to win the Asian Cup in 2004, reach the semifinals of the World Cup in 2006, and win the Asian Cup again in 2007, boasting impressive achievements. But not understanding human relations would be troublesome.
Like the Chinese team, the other 31 participating teams arrived in South Africa half a month early to adapt to the venues. This World Cup would be held in 10 stadiums across 9 cities.
The match venues for Group D, where the Chinese team was located, were Durban's Durban Stadium, Rustenburg's Royal Bafokeng Stadium, and Nelspruit's Mbombela Stadium.
Durban was a city in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, known as the "Best Managed City in Africa," with the busiest port in all of Africa, serving as the gateway to the African continent and other countries in the Indian Ocean.
Rustenburg, founded in 1850, means "resting town" in Dutch and is a city in the North West Province of South Africa, near the Magaliesberg mountains.
Nelspruit is the capital of the Mpumalanga Province, located in the easternmost part of South Africa. It is a gateway to one of Africa's top attractions, Kruger National Park, with beautiful scenery and one of the safest cities.
Before the World Cup officially began, teams often arranged friendly matches to train players, maintain their competitive state, and of course, to adjust tactics and study opponents. The Chinese team scheduled friendlies against Ivory Coast, Denmark, and France.
In the first match against Ivory Coast, Alirhan deliberately tested the team's defensive resilience and kept Wang Feng and Dongfang Zhuo, two heavyweight attackers, on the bench.
Under the African powerhouse's relentless attacks and physical pressure, veteran Li Weifeng led the team to withstand until the last minute, ending the match in a 0-0 draw.
Many players suffered cramps near the end of the match, making it perhaps the most intense warm-up match.
In the second match against Denmark, the head coach wanted to see the team's attacking prowess, and both the Real Madrid and Bayern Munich cores did not disappoint, frequently tearing apart the opponent's defense with long balls and through passes from midfield.
An intense offensive display made the match very entertaining, ending in a 4-4 draw, with Wang Feng scoring twice, Dongfang Zhuo scoring once, and Gao Lin scoring the equalizer in the final moments.
In the final match against France, Alirhan once again made extensive lineup changes, without any obvious bias this time, likely considering the final starting lineup.
Wang Feng assisted Chen Tao in scoring a goal after playing for 30 minutes before being substituted. The match remained deadlocked throughout, leaving Jiang Ning on the bench very excited, "We can actually go back and forth with the powerful French team. Everyone is so amazing!"
The Chinese superstar rolled his eyes, "You're overthinking it. It's just that the Gallic Rooster is too shaky. I doubt they can even advance past the group stage."
Jiang Ning was surprised, "How could that be? Aren't they in the top ten in terms of squad strength?" But even with his understanding of football, he couldn't see it.
In the second half, France equalized with a goal from Anelka, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
The Chinese team ended all three warm-up matches in draws, whether against the relatively unknown Ivory Coast or the seemingly powerful France, leaving domestic fans somewhat uncertain about the team's future results.
However, many firmly believed that under Alirhan and Wang Feng's leadership, the team would definitely achieve better results than in the previous World Cup.
The three teams that the Chinese team will face in the group stage each have their own characteristics. Germany is undoubtedly the strongest, with an 8-2 record in the European qualifiers and 26 goals scored, showcasing their formidable combat power.
However, upon closer inspection of the detailed match records, excluding the 10 goals scored against Liechtenstein and 6 against minnows Azerbaijan, Germany only scored 10 goals in the remaining matches.
Top scorer Klose has yet to find his scoring touch, and the form of attacking midfielder Ballack cannot compare to his performances in the previous two World Cups. Overall attacking power deficiency is Germany's biggest problem at the moment, hence their fifth-ranked odds to win the title.
The other two teams, Serbia and Ghana, are the main opponents China will vie for victory against. Serbia performed very well in the European qualifiers, topping the group ahead of France.
Their core player, Vidic, plays for Manchester United and is considered one of the best center-backs in the world. Inter Milan midfielder Stankovic has long been famous and is Wang Feng's old teammate, currently serving as the captain of the Serbian team, while Pantelic and Jovanovic are also excellent attackers.
African powerhouse Ghana is a youth powerhouse, having won the FIFA U17 World Cup twice and being the first African team to win a medal in men's football at the Olympics.
In October 2009, after defeating Brazil on penalties, Ghana became the first African team to win the FIFA U20 World Cup.
Today, this team boasts heavyweight players like Essien from Chelsea, Montari from Inter Milan, Muntari from Serie A, and Pantsil from the English Premier League.
Four years ago at the Germany World Cup, the Ghanaian team was the youngest team on average. After a long period of accumulation, the players' experience and skills have developed well. They are eager to show their skills at the South Africa World Cup.
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