Chapter 623: This is Our World Cup
Dong Fangzhuo's failure to reach the pinnacle of European football was indeed a disappointment for domestic fans, but Wang Feng's continued high level of performance brought them joy, and they were looking forward to the upcoming Confederations Cup.
This tournament, which was originally somewhat insignificant, now held great importance. It was a touchstone for the new team, the only consolation for the defending champions who couldn't participate in next year's World Cup main event.
After the club's championship celebration, the Chinese superstar flew directly to Brazil. He was the last player to arrive, and head coach Lippi had been waiting for him for a long time.
The Italian gave him a big hug. The two had dealt with each other many years ago, and Lippi was one of the coaches who knew Wang Feng best. "With you, I have confidence!"
Before this, the Chinese team had played several warm-up matches against European and South American mid-tier teams, with mixed results. The newly joined young players were all very competitive, and without any hindrance, Lippi's tactical arrangements were fully implemented.
However, he always felt that there was a lack of a decisive figure, and only with Wang Feng joining the team could the upper limit of this team continue to improve.
After a short joint training session, the Chinese superstar quickly integrated into the tactical system. The coach's preferred lineup gradually took shape, with the 4-3-3 formation he was best at. The starting goalkeeper was Wang Xianghe, from the Genk Youth Training Program, currently playing for Trabzonspor in the Turkish Super League.
The four defenders were Sun Xiang, playing for Eredivisie's Heerenveen; He Mingzai, from the Genk Youth Training Program, playing for AEK Athens in Greece; Zheng Zhi, playing for Celtic in the Scottish Premiership; and Zhang Fanlin, playing for Sheffield United in League One.
All three midfielders came from the Genk Youth Training Program: Feng Miao playing for Ajax in the Eredivisie, Yang Ronghua playing for Hertha Berlin, who had just been promoted to the Bundesliga this year, and Fang Yun playing for Gy?r, the champions of the Hungarian NB I.
The three forwards, Wang Feng, Dong Fangzhuo, and Huang Hu, also came from the Genk Youth Training Program and currently played for Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga.
Overall, with all players having a background in European football, the attack was slightly saturated, with Wu Lei from Toulouse in Ligue 1 also effective on the bench. However, the defense was somewhat thin, so Lippi preferred Wang Feng to participate in defense appropriately during the match. After all, his ability was obvious to all, and Wang Feng naturally had no objection.
It was a great pity that excellent players like Gao Lin, Chen Tao, Feng Xiaoting, and Zhao Xuri, who had fought alongside Wang Feng in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, chose to return to China and join Henan Jianye due to stable conditions and high salaries.
This was understandable in itself; everyone could pursue their own goals, but the decline in the strength of several players was visible to the naked eye. Coupled with the principle that non-European regulars were not national team players, it was probably impossible for them to continue playing for the national team in their lifetime.
Of course, there were also people who stood up to speak for them. It must be said that Henan Jianye was quite powerful and wanted to further increase the club's influence through national team players. However, the painful lesson was still fresh in everyone's mind. Wang Feng expressed that this principle could not be broken, otherwise he would permanently retire, and in the end, the bottom line was maintained.
The first opponent of the Chinese team was the Copa America champion Uruguay team, and the match was scheduled to take place at the Mineir?o Stadium, one of the main venues for next year's World Cup, located in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
With the continuous improvement of living standards in China, more and more fans could cross continents to watch the game live. Coupled with many domestic media coming to report, the faces of Chinese people could be seen everywhere on the streets of Belo Horizonte, the fourth largest city in Brazil.
The degree of excitement for the event was somewhat beyond the expectations of the organizers, but this was also the situation they were happy to see. Therefore, they opened the doors wide for the enthusiastic fans.
The day before the match, the routine press conference was held. Head coach Lippi and captain Wang Feng attended together. Unlike the deserted atmosphere at the Uruguay press conference, the Chinese team's conference was packed with journalists from all over.
The media were most concerned about the integration of the Chinese superstar into the team, as he had relatively little time to train with his teammates. "The coach has helped us overcome this problem very well. Now there is basically no barrier to cooperation, but of course, it still needs to be tested in actual combat," Wang Feng said.
Different from the frequent warm-up matches before the World Cup, the Confederations Cup itself was more of a friendly nature, so when Wang Feng returned to the team, there were no warm-up opponents to be found, and they could only start directly from the main event.
Lippi stated that he was not worried about this issue at all. The Chinese superstar could be used immediately, "Honestly, I came for him. Being able to coach such a great superstar is one of my pursuits in my coaching career."
"Before taking over the Chinese team, I hesitated and hesitated for a long time. After all, this is a team that has fallen from the peak to the valley, and rebuilding is not easy. It was Wang who found me and convinced me."
"What's more important is that after I understood the actual situation within the team, I felt lucky. Vigor, vitality, and fighting spirit fill the hearts of every player, and their skills and physical qualities are improving day by day. I believe it won't be long before they return to the top!"
Wang Feng admitted that not being able to participate in next year's World Cup was regrettable for him, but Chinese football could start anew. "In this Confederations Cup, we will do our best. For us, this is our World Cup!"
Although many journalists were very concerned about their views on the recent loss of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification and the turmoil in football, neither of them made many comments or thoughts.
Uruguay was the most outstanding team in the entire group, while the Oceania Cup champion Tahiti and the Africa Cup of Nations champion Nigeria were slightly inferior. To advance to the top two in the group, they had to compete for points against these two teams.
However, the outcome of the first match also concerned the overall morale. This was the first time that the national team had set out for a major tournament with a completely new lineup, and if they suffered a heavy defeat, it would probably be a heavy blow.
At the press conference for the Uruguayan team, there were also various questions about the Chinese team and Wang Feng. Legendary coach óscar Tabárez said, "Yes, Wang Feng is very magical, omnipotent wherever he goes, but this Chinese team is just a bunch of rookies. I don't think they have a chance to compete with us."
Uruguayans indeed had this confidence because they had many strong players. Muslera guarded the goal, while Godín, Lugano, and Cáceres formed a solid defense, and their front line was even more talented, with Forlán, Cavani, and Suárez. These were not players from small league teams like Hungary, Greece, or Scotland.
With this lineup, they reached the semi-finals of the 2007 Copa America, the semi-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and even won the 2011 Copa America, defeating Brazil led by Neymar and Argentina led by Messi.
Some reporters interviewed Luis Suárez, who had performed brilliantly in the FIFA World Cup in South Africa and in the English Premier League for Liverpool. He said he admired Wang Feng very much. "There is no doubt that Wang is the goal and direction of all strikers in the world."
Regarding the transfer rumors surrounding himself, the Uruguayan star did not respond much. This season, Liverpool's performance was poor, and they couldn't even participate in European competitions, which made Suárez, who was at his peak, quite frustrated.
Currently, Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Barcelona have extended olive branches to him, but he has not decided where to go in the end.
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