Fox in the Penalty Area

After finishing the training in the capital Hongfengling, Shi Wuyin finally made a choice, choosing 23 people from the training list of 30 people to enter the competition squad.

These twenty-three people will be registered for the U23 Asian Cup.

The list isn't all that surprising.

Players who performed well in training were basically selected.

Those who were not selected must have some regrets, but they also accepted the result calmly. After all, their performance was indeed inferior to the twenty-three people who were selected.

Director Shi's criteria for choosing who can sign up for the competition is very simple, that is, to look at training performance and strength.

Everyone has worked with him for many years and knows this very well.

This is also one of the differences between him and the former National Youth and Olympic head coaches.

Since the reform of the Football Association, the top has reached out to the national teams at all levels, and the behavior of asking for money for card quotas no longer exists.

However, it is inevitable that there will be some situations where the trust is related to the Cypriots.

But in Shi Wuyin's place, this method doesn't work.

He has always led this national youth team, and he has the authority here. If he doesn't nod, no one can join the team.

It can be seen that the people he selected must be the best and most suitable players in the age group he has inspected.

The seven teammates who were not selected left peacefully after bidding farewell to everyone at the Hongfengling training base. But they also need to keep the communication going.

Because if something unexpected happens among the remaining 23 people, such as an injury, and a temporary substitution is required, the coaching staff will give priority to selecting these seven players. If you can't get in touch by then, you will miss the opportunity. After all, the coaching staff will not call you more than a dozen times just to wait for you alone.

The seven eliminated teammates were sent away, and the remaining 23 players packed their luggage, gathered together and took a bus to the airport, and flew directly from the Capital Airport to Haining Dashun.

※※※

"Oh, I really miss it..." Hu Lai sighed while overlooking the coastline below the plane through the porthole. "We were here less than two months ago."

He said this to Chen Xingyi and Wang Guangwei who were sitting together.

"Yeah, I really didn't expect that the U23 Asian Cup Olympic team's base camp is Dashun..." Wang Guangwei also said with emotion.

Chen Xingyi said: "After all, it is a football city.

"

Hu Lai couldn't help but glance at him when he heard him speak.

"Why?" Chen Xingyi felt Hu Lai's gaze.

"Speaking of this, I suddenly remembered."

"What do you remember?"

"Remembering that we still don't know whether Chen Xingyi is..."

Before Hu Lai finished speaking, Chen Xingyi, who was sitting next to him, covered his mouth: "Shut up!"

Wang Guangwei laughed beside him.

The plane is circling and descending altitude and is about to land at the airport.

He came to Dashun twice, but Wang Guangwei had a completely different mood.

Although the expectations and pressures he may face this second time are even greater than the first time, but for some reason, he can still laugh so happily and relaxedly.

The mood is completely different.

Many people probably didn't realize it at the time.

But looking back now, I know what changes the second round of the FA Cup final brought to them.

He doesn't know how other people are. Anyway, after that game, until this Olympic training camp, he really felt the growth.

"What are you thinking?" Hu Lai, who had already been released by Chen Xingyi, found that Wang Guangwei was in a daze, and asked him.

"I'm thinking... Hu Lai, do you think you have improved after last season?"

"Improvement? Of course there is." Hu Laixin said that I have used so many training scrolls seamlessly. If there is no improvement, isn't this cheat? "Look, I can use the 'Schrödinger's Pendulum' in training to get past Brother Yan."

"Don't mention this soon... Brother Yan will go crazy when he hears it." Chen Xingyi rolled his eyes wildly.

"Fuck, let me tell you, this is really my unique skill, not some shit luck!"

"Yes, yes, yes, your unique skill is luck..." Chen Xingyi said perfunctorily.

Wang Guangwei interrupted the quarrel between the two, and said seriously: "I feel that I have improved, whether it is in game experience or mentality. I used to say that young players still have to participate in high-level competitions to make greater progress. But that's just a very vague statement, lacking intuition. But after playing the FA Cup this time, we won the Golden Arrow in the final, and I really felt my improvement. So I thought, after playing u23 Can the Asian Cup also improve?"

As soon as Hu Lai heard what Wang Guangwei said, he curled his lips: "What is the U23 Asian Cup? If you want to talk about high-level competitions, of course you have to go to the Olympics! Lao Wang, when you come back from the Olympics, you can come back and feel it. See what new progress you have made!"

"Wait, let me take a look..." Chen Xingyi leaned over, moved to the porthole, and pretended to look down, "That's right, Dashun is below..."

Hu Lai pushed Chen Xingyi away who was pressing on him: "What are you doing?"

"Hu Lai, what you said just now, I thought the destination of our plane was Madrid..."

"Tch, don't worry, we will definitely go to Madrid this summer!" Hu Lai snorted.

Chen Xingyi reflexively wanted to ask him why he was so sure, but when he thought of what he had experienced with Hu Lai for a season, especially before the FA Cup final, Hu Lai swore to him that he would definitely win the championship...he closed it wisely. mouthed.

Wang Guangwei looked forward to it beside him: "I really want to go to the Olympics and play against those people that we usually only see in sports news. No matter whether we win or lose, it will definitely be... very cool."

When he said this, Chen Xingyi also fell into a certain kind of imagination.

No matter how they are called geniuses, there is a limit.

That is "China's domestic genius". Compared with the real genius in world football, I am afraid it is not enough.

They all think that they are the best fish in the small pond, but when they really swim in the vast rivers, lakes and seas, they are just small shrimps who have never seen the world.

Take Meli Banega, who is recognized as the number one young talent in today's football, as an example. He has won the Champions League at the age of 20. He is a super talent in the world.

At the same age of 20, Hu Lai just won the domestic FA Cup and never even participated in the AFC Champions League. It is clear at a glance how huge the gap between the two sides is.

With the dreams and longings of these young people, the plane landed on the runway of Dashun Airport.

When the Olympic team players in uniform stepped out of the cabin, they also took the first step toward the goal that fans across the country were looking forward to.

※※※

Xia Xiaoyu saw the latest news from the news that Hu Lai followed the Olympic team to prepare for the U23 Asian Cup in Dashun.

In the warm-up match with the UAE Olympic team, the Olympic team swept away the problem of poor defense during the warm-up in October last year, and did not concede a goal in 90 minutes.

Of course, this may also have something to do with the Olympic team changing the goalkeeper and making Lin Zhiyuan the main goalkeeper...

In the end, Hu Lai scored twice and Chen Xingyi scored a goal, defeating the UAE Olympic team 3:0. Won the last warm-up match before the U23 Asian Cup.

This game gave many Chinese fans hope and confidence, and there were constant heated discussions on the Internet.

Xia Xiaoyu is very envious of this, and he also wants to wear the jersey of the Chinese Olympic team and fight side by side with Hu Lai.

But he knows that with his current ability and qualifications, he is not enough to be selected for the Olympic team.

The only thing he can do is to constantly improve himself and try to keep up with Hu Lai's footsteps.

To his relief, after a year of training in the youth team, he was indeed promoted to the first team before the new season's flash training.

Director Zhao didn't lie to him, he really liked him and worked hard to train him.

Of course he couldn't live up to Director Zhao's expectations.

When he was thanking Director Zhao in his heart, Director Zhao called him from the training ground to the sidelines.

When he ran in front of Director Zhao, the boss Qin Lin stood beside him.

Xia Xiaoyu greeted the two of them respectfully.

Zhao Kangming nodded, and then asked him: "Xiaoyu, you played as a central midfielder in the youth team for a year instead of a midfielder. Do you have any experience with this?"

Xia Xiaoyu thought about it seriously, and then answered the question raised by the head coach: "The position is not as close to the penalty area as the midfielder, but it has a wider view of the court, and I can also step in when necessary. Go up. At the beginning, when I was far away from the penalty area, I was not very accurate in passing the ball. Director Shi specially asked me to practice mid- and long-distance passing, and it became much better after that..."

"Then let you choose now, would you rather return to the front midfielder position, or continue to play this deeper central midfielder?" Zhao Kangming asked.

"I feel that a central midfielder is indeed more suitable for me now, Director Zhao." Xia Xiaoyu answered seriously.

Hearing this answer, Zhao Kangming and Qin Lin looked at each other, and then he asked Xia Xiaoyu with a smile: "Then what if I ask you to step back a little bit and hit the back?"

Xia Xiaoyu was stunned, for a moment he didn't understand why the head coach asked such a question.

lower back?

The first image that popped up in his mind was Chen Rui, his midfield partner in the school team, that muscular man, a small tank, relying on his invincible stamina and muscular body, rampaging on the court, throwing every ball Grab it, and then pass the ball over ten meters away...

A qualified engineer, but he can't be called an organizer like him at all.

But his mind immediately turned around, and it was related to the question directed by Zhao just now, as well as his experience in the youth team this year, and most importantly... Qin Lin standing next to him.

So he asked back: "Director Zhao, is Brother Lin such a defensive midfielder?"

Zhao Kangming seemed very satisfied that Xia Xiaoyu was able to think like this and come up with this answer, but he still shook his head with a smile: "No, it's a pure playmaker. The position is a bit deeper than the central midfielder, but it's not in charge of defense. It is responsible for organizing the offense, controlling the team's offensive rhythm and direction, in other words ... the brain of the team."

Xia Xiaoyu was stunned for a while, and was struck by the description of "the team's brain".

"Of course, it's wrong to say that you don't need to defend at all. Even Hu Lai, the center forward, has to return to defense. If you are in the midfielder position, you must have defensive tasks. But your main task is to organize offense and control Rhythm, connecting the offensive and defensive ends, there are not many opportunities for direct assists, and compared with when you played in the school team, there are fewer opportunities to show off." Zhao Kangming continued to introduce him, or describe such a defensive midfielder. how is it like.

As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Xiaoyu nodded vigorously: "I am willing, Director Zhao. I am willing to retreat and play such a midfielder. I want to be the brain of the team!"

Zhao Kangming pointed at Qin Lin to Xia Xiaoyu: "Then from today onwards, follow Qin Lin to learn how to be a team brain."

Qin Lin took up the conversation: "We only have one year, so I will strictly demand you, and then don't yell that you can't stand it."

"Don't worry, Brother Lin, I won't!" Xia Xiaoyu puffed out her chest, like a soldier who received an important mission.

Zhao Kangming and Qin Lin laughed when they saw him like this: "Not bad, he's very energetic."

"Because I want to try my best to catch up with Hu Lai." Xia Xiaoyu explained his reasons.

"Then you have to run faster. He..." Zhao Kangming thought of Hu Lai who was preparing for the U23 Asian Cup and Olympic qualifiers in the Olympic team, and said with emotion, "It's almost invisible..."