Chapter 149 The Confederations Cup Kicks Off, the Five-Star Samba’s Provocation

Lin Quan has no time to take care of things in the transfer market.

Because the 2013 Confederations Cup is about to start.

Lin Quan asked Perret to help him pay attention to the trends in the transfer market, while he himself focused on the upcoming Confederations Cup competition.

This Confederations Cup is held in Brazil, South America, and is a warm-up for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

As the champion of the last World Cup, Spain is one of the most watched teams in this Confederations Cup.

In addition to them, the defending Confederations Cup champion and host Brazil has also received a lot of attention from the outside world.

For Spain, this Confederations Cup is a very important test.

As the 2010 World Cup winning lineup continues to age, Spain is also facing the replacement problem like many teams.

In order to achieve a smooth transition for the team's lineup, we strive to achieve good results in next year's World Cup.

Del Bosque is ready to improve the team's tactical system and completely establish the team's core and main framework for the next World Cup.

After making major adjustments, the team needs to test its combat effectiveness after the reform in actual combat.

Therefore, he regarded this Confederations Cup as an excellent training opportunity.

He plans to use championship teams from various continents to test the quality of the team, especially the strength of the young players.

Otherwise, once the problem is delayed until next year's World Cup, it will be too late to regret it.

However, with Lin Quan in charge, Bosque was not very worried.

"Lin, you are finally here!"

The training camp in Spain has started for a while, and Lin Quan has just finished playing in the German Cup final, so Bosque gave him some more time to rest.

In the past few days when Lin Quan was away, Bosque felt a little unsure. It was not until he saw him appear that he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The old coach gave Lin Quan a warm hug. After the hug, he looked Lin Quan up and down and nodded approvingly:

"Not bad, I've become a lot stronger again!"

"The key is not getting hurt!"

Coach Tony on the side added.

"Yes, it's important not to get hurt!"

Del Bosque has always been worried about whether Lin Quanhui will be injured in the league. He is an indispensable person for the team.

If he is injured, Spain's offensive system in the midfield and frontcourt will have to be overthrown and restarted!

"Let's go say hello to our teammates!"

Coach Tony patted Lin Quan on the shoulder and took him to the training ground.

On the training ground, the Spanish international players, who had already arrived to gather, were already training in an orderly manner.

Among them, Lin Quan saw many new faces, such as Real Madrid star Isco, who had just completed his transfer, and Chelsea young player Cesar Azpilicueta.

Lin Quan said hello to his old teammates, then walked up to several young people who had recently joined the team and extended his hand to them.

"I am Lin Quan. I am very happy that you can join the team and fight side by side with everyone. When we get here, we have only one identity, and that is the members of the national team. Put all other things aside, and do not bring the grievances of the club to the national team. Come!"

Isco and Azpilicueta looked at each other. The other person was younger than them, so why did he sound like a big brother?

However, neither of them are fools. From Lin Quan's chatting and laughing with the team bosses, they can feel the other's status in the team.

"Hello Lin Quan, I'm Isco, please take care of me!"

"Hi, I'm Azpilicueta!"

The Morata fox on the side said in a fake tone:

"I can tell you, you must not underestimate Lin Quan just because of his age. He is the first person of the new generation born after 1985. He is the tactical core of the team, the future captain, the leader of Spain, and the defender of the dynasty. By……"

"So, do you know who to hang out with?"

Isco, who just won the Golden Boy Award not long ago, was not very convinced of Lin Quan.

But after hearing all the titles reported by Morata, Isco was dumbfounded.

He, is he so powerful?

He is actually the team's future tactical core?

I thought that I was recruited by the national team only after winning the Golden Boy Award, while the opponent was already playing for the Spanish national team before he was an adult.

Isco suddenly lost his temper.

"We know, let's follow Boss Lin from now on!"

The two of them immediately became submissive and immediately expressed their loyalty to Lin Quan.

Hearing Morata's words, the corners of Lin Quan's mouth twitched slightly.

You have to be the one to brag, I can’t say these words myself.

Spain's 23-man roster this time is missing several old faces.

Like Xabi Alonso, who was seriously injured in a club game and was reimbursed for the season, and was unable to play with the team in the Confederations Cup.

Alonso and Martinez are the two gates of Spain's backcourt. His absence has a great impact on the hardness of Spain's midfield.

But generally speaking, the overall framework of the team is still there and has not changed much.

Spain’s 23-man squad for the 2013 Confederations Cup is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Casillas (Real Madrid), Valdes (Barcelona), De Gea (Manchester United);

Defenders: Monreal (Arsenal), Alba (Barcelona), Pique (Barcelona), Ramos (Real Madrid), Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Arbeloa (Real Madrid);

Midfielder: Iniesta (Barcelona), Cazorla (Arsenal), Busquets (Barcelona), Xavi (Barcelona), Mata (Chelsea), David Silva (Manchester City), Fabre Gass (Barcelona), Isco (Real Madrid), Martinez (Bayern Munich);

Forwards: Pedro (Barcelona), Villa (Barcelona), Torres (Chelsea), Morata (Real Madrid), Lin Quan (Barcelona).

Among them, 5 are Real Madrid players and 10 are Barcelona players.

Between the Barcelona and Real Madrid teams in the Spanish national team, it seems that the Barcelona team still has the advantage.

However, Lin Quan's contract with Barcelona is about to end, so it doesn't matter if he is regarded as a free agent.

Moreover, after Neymar joined the team, Villa completely lost his main position, and Huluwa was already looking for a transfer to leave.

Calculated in this way, the number of members of the Barcelona gang has dropped to 8, and the advantage over Real Madrid is not that great.

…

Two days later, the draw ceremony for the Confederations Cup took place.

The Spanish national team had good luck and they were drawn into Group B.

The opponents in the same group include the defeated Uruguay in the warm-up match, the African champion Nigeria, and the Oceania champion Tahiti.

Except for Uruguay, which poses a threat to them, the remaining two teams are almost free of points, especially the Tahiti Islands in Oceania.

Many of the opponent's main players are not professional players at all, but semi-professional or even amateur players.

Against such an opponent, Spain does not need to send its main force at all, as all the substitutes can easily defeat the opponent.

Compared to Group B, Group A's luck is not that good.

The host Brazil team drew the European runner-up Italy. In the same group, there are also the Central and North American champion Mexico and the Asian champion Japan.

Needless to say, Italy's strength is a problem for everyone, but chain defense is a headache for everyone.

Mexico, the champion of North and Central America, is not easy to mess with. They are ranked 17th in the world.

Even the weakest Japanese team is not a scorer.

The Japanese team is a frequent visitor to the World Cup and often reaches the knockout rounds. It is very strong.

If you don't go all out against them, you may get upset.

After the group draw ended, fans started talking about the result.

"The situation in Group A is not good!"

"Isn't the host's luck too bad?"

"Indeed, none of the three opponents are soft persimmons. No matter who you fight, you have to go all out!"

"Haha, maybe this is a good thing!"

"Indeed, if they can enter the state early in the group stage, then in the knockout rounds, if they encounter Spain, which is slow to start, they might be upset and eliminated!"

"Upset? How much do you look down on the Brazilian team!"

"That's right, the Brazilian team has never been weak. Isn't it a matter of course that they eliminated Spain?"

"I am optimistic that Brazil will win this Confederations Cup!"

Five-star Brazil is the team that has won the most championships in the history of the World Cup. Coupled with the fact that Brazil is rich in stars, the Brazilian team is very popular around the world.

However, Spain, which has won two European Cups and one World Cup, is also very popular in the world.

As a result, some fans immediately raised objections:

"Come on? How can Brazil compete with Spain? Brazil is very weak and has a large group of players who have never played in the five major leagues. How strong can they be?"

In this Confederations Cup, 12 of Brazil’s 23-man roster do not belong to the five major leagues. Among the six players on the front line, except for Neymar, who has just transferred to Barcelona, ​​the rest do not belong to the five major leagues. .

Although the level of the Brazilian League in South America is good, there is still a big gap compared with the five major leagues.

Otherwise, why would so many top Brazilian players choose to study abroad in Europe?

Going to Europe not only offers higher-level leagues, but also higher-level and more competitive competitions like the Champions League.

Therefore, facing a large group of players in the Brazilian lineup who have never played in the five major leagues, ordinary fans do not even know them. How can they believe that they have the strength to compete head-on with Spain, which dominates European and world football?

"That's right, Spain's lineup is more luxurious than Brazil's, and the team's worth is more than double that of Brazil!"

"Haha, it sounds like whoever is worth more will win. If that's the case, then there is no need to play the Champions League every year. Wouldn't it be enough to just give the awards to Barcelona and Real Madrid?"

Fans on both sides could not convince anyone, and the quarrel online quickly spread offline.

As the top star of the Brazilian team, Neymar expressed confidence when being interviewed by reporters:

"Yes, the goal of the Brazilian team this time is to win the Confederations Cup. We hope to win the cup at home. No one can stop us from winning!"

Although he did not mention Spain by name, the flavor of his words towards Spain was very obvious.

"Haha, you have such a loud tone, and I'm not afraid of the wind flashing my tongue!"

"Who is Neymar? I only know Lin Quan!"

"do not know!"

"I don't know +1!"

"I don't know +2!"

…

Spanish fans were very disdainful after hearing Neymar's statement.

You are a newcomer who has just transferred to the five major leagues and has not proven your strength in the five major leagues. What confidence do you have to say such arrogant words?

You know, Lin Quan, who just broke the Bundesliga scoring record, is not so arrogant. Who do you think you are?

Journalists understand heat.

Seeing that the focus of public opinion is focused on two young players, Neymar and Lin Quan.

After interviewing Neymar, they rushed to the training base in Spain to interview Lin Quan.

For reporters and media, if they don’t create conflicts and stir up disputes, how can they get big news?

Without big news, how can they get promotions and salary increases?

Therefore, fanning the flames and causing trouble is their first priority!

However, when faced with the reporter's interview, Lin Quan did not cooperate with the other party. Instead, he sang praises for the Brazilian team:

"Brazil is a team full of history. They have five World Cup championships. They are very strong. My teammates and I will never underestimate them!"

"Neymar? Neymar is a talented and talented player. I am looking forward to playing with him on such a stage."

The reporters who interviewed him and the fans around him were dumbfounded:

Why doesn't this guy act according to common sense?

At this time, shouldn't you show your determination to win and belittle your opponent again?

Why did he sing praises to his opponent instead?

Of course Lin Quan is not so kind, and he will not do anything to enhance other people's ambitions and destroy his own prestige.

After praising his opponent, he changed the topic and said:

“But Brazil are not in the same group as us, so we have to wait until the knockout stages to meet them.

But judging from what they mean, they seem to be sure that they can advance. Do they look down on other opponents in the group so much? "

After Lin Quan's interview was broadcast, the other teams in Group A were indeed angered.

Spain, the World Cup champion, is not arrogant enough to say that it will definitely advance to the group stage. Why should you, Brazil?

Do you look down on us so much?

Therefore, in the opening game, the stimulated Japanese team was in full condition and almost overturned the host country.

The Japanese team follows a technical school. Their players may not be top-notch physically, but their skills at their feet are very good.

When facing the Brazilian team, the Japanese team often played smooth cooperation, and several attacks created a huge threat to the host country's goal.

Although in the end Brazil defeated the Japanese team with a score of 2:1 thanks to goals from Neymar and Paulinho.

But they didn't win this game easily.

The Japanese team, which was playing hard, was still struggling to launch attacks until the last moment of the game, trying to change the score.

This tenacious fighting spirit cost Brazil a lot of money. Not only did the team consume a lot of physical energy, but coach Scolari's rotation plan was also completely disrupted.

But for Brazil, this is not the worst. The worst thing is that their schedule is to play Japan first, then Mexico, and finally Italy.

If the Samba Army's original plan was to follow, after training in Japan and Mexico, they would then go against the strongest Italy when they were in the best condition.

After making it out of the group stage, the team is in good shape and will not be afraid of anyone in the knockout stages.

Then we used this momentum to reach the finals and win the championship.

But now, when other teams in Group A are high-spirited and even full of anger.

The host's arrangement was like shooting himself in the foot.