Capítulo 149: Chapter 149: Confederations Cup Opening, Provocation from the Five-Star Samba
Chapter 149: Confederations Cup Opening, Provocation from the Five-Star Samba
Lin Quan didn't have time to pay attention to the transfer market affairs anymore.
Because the 2013 Confederations Cup was about to kick off.
Lin Quan asked Pere to help him keep an eye on the transfer market trends, while he focused on the upcoming Confederations Cup matches.
This edition of the Confederations Cup was held in Brazil, South America, serving as a prelude to the 2014 Brazil World Cup.
As the reigning champions of the last World Cup, Spain was one of the most anticipated teams in this Confederations Cup.
Besides them, the defending champions and hosts, Brazil, also attracted a lot of attention from the outside world.
For Spain, this Confederations Cup was a crucial test.
With the aging of the 2010 World Cup-winning squad, Spain faced the same problem of rejuvenation as many other teams.
To ensure a smooth transition of the team lineup and aim for good results in next year's World Cup.
Del Bosque planned to improve the team's tactical system and firmly establish the core and mainframe of the team for the next World Cup.
After making significant adjustments, the team needed to undergo real-life combat to test its combat effectiveness after the reform.
Therefore, he regarded this Confederations Cup as an excellent opportunity for training.
He planned to use the champions from various continents to test the team's strength, especially the abilities of the young players.
Otherwise, if they waited until next year's World Cup to address the issues, it might be too late for regrets.
However, with Lin Quan in the lineup, Del Bosque wasn't too worried.
"Lin, you're finally here!"
Spain's training camp had been going on for some time, and since Lin Quan had just finished the German Cup final, Del Bosque gave him some time to rest.
In the days when Lin Quan wasn't around, Del Bosque felt uncertain until he saw him appear, finally relieved.
The old coach gave Lin Quan a warm hug, and after the hug, he looked Lin Quan up and down, nodded approvingly:
"Not bad, you've bulked up quite a bit!"
"The key is that you didn't get injured!"
Tony, the coach beside them, added.
"Yes, not getting injured is important!"
Del Bosque had been worried all along that Lin Quan might get injured during the league matches. He was an indispensable member of the team.
If he got injured, the team's attacking system in the midfield would have to start over!
"Let's go, go say hello to your teammates!"
Tony patted Lin Quan on the shoulder and led him to the training ground.
On the training ground, the Spanish national team players who had already gathered were conducting training in an orderly manner.
Among them, Lin Quan saw many new faces, like Real Madrid's rising star Isco, who had just completed his transfer, and Chelsea's youngster Azpilicueta.
Lin Quan greeted his old teammates and then walked up to the new members of the team, extending his hand to them.
"I'm Lin Quan, glad to have you join the team and fight side by side with everyone here. When we're here, we only have one identity, that is, members of the national team. Leave everything else aside, and don't bring club grudges to the national team!"
Isco and Azpilicueta looked at each other. Lin Quan was younger than them, but why did he sound like a big brother?
But both of them were not fools. They could feel each other's status in the team from the relaxed atmosphere between Lin Quan and the team leaders.
"Hello, Lin Quan, I'm Isco, please take care of me!"
"Hello, I'm Azpilicueta!"
Morata, who was on the side, arrogantly said:
"Let me tell you, don't underestimate Lin Quan because of his age. He's the first of the 85's new generation, the tactical core of the team, the future captain, Spain's leader, the defender of the dynasty..."
"So, do you know who to hang out with now?"
Isco, who had just won the Golden Boy Award not long ago, was not very convinced of Lin Quan.
But after hearing Morata's long list of titles, Isco was dumbfounded.
He, he's that amazing?
Actually the tactical core of the team in the future?
Thinking that he was recruited by the national team only after winning the Golden Boy Award, while the other party had already represented the Spanish national team in competitions before he even came of age, Isco suddenly felt inferior.
"We got it, we'll follow Lin Boss in the future!"
The two immediately became very obedient and expressed their loyalty to Lin Quan.
Upon hearing Morata's words, Lin Quan's mouth twitched slightly.
It's you who's boasting, I couldn't say these words myself.
In the 23-man squad list for the Spanish national team, there were several old faces missing.
Like Xavi Alonso, who suffered a serious injury in the club's matches and was out for the season, couldn't join the Confederations Cup with the team.
Alonso and Martinez were the two mainstays of Spain's defense, and his absence had a significant impact on the hardness of Spain's midfield.
But overall, the team's overall framework remained intact, with little change.
The 23-man squad list for the Spanish national team in 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);
Midfielders: Iniesta (Barcelona), Cazorla (Arsenal), Busquets (Barcelona), Xavi (Barcelona), Mata (Chelsea), David Silva (Manchester City), Fabregas (Barcelona), Isco (Real Madrid), Martinez (Bayern Munich);
Forwards: Pedro (Barcelona), Villa (Barcelona), Torres (Chelsea), Morata (Real Madrid), Lin Quan (Barcelona).
Among them, there were 5 players from Real Madrid and 10 players from Barcelona.
The Barcelona faction and the Real Madrid faction within the Spanish national team still seemed to be dominated by the Barcelona faction.
But Lin Quan's contract with Barcelona was about to expire, so it didn't matter if he was considered a free agent.
Moreover, after Neymar joined the team, Villa completely lost his starting position, and the Smurfs were already seeking a transfer to leave.
In this case, the number of members of the Barcelona faction decreased to 8, and the advantage over Real Madrid was not that significant.
...
Two days later, the draw ceremony for the Confederations Cup was held.
The Spanish national team had a good draw, landing in Group B.
Their group opponents included the underdogs Uruguay, Nigeria, who struggled in warm-up matches, and Tahiti, champions of Oceania.
Except for Uruguay posing a threat, the other two teams were considered easy pickings, especially Tahiti.
Many of their key players were not even professional players, but rather semi-professionals or even amateurs.
Facing such opponents, Spain didn't even need to field their main lineup; their substitutes could easily defeat them.
Compared to Group B, Group A didn't have such good luck.
Hosts Brazil drew European runners-up Italy, along with North and Central American champions Mexico and Asian champions Japan.
Italy's strength was unquestionable, with their chain defense causing headaches for opponents.
Mexico, champions of North and Central America, were no pushovers, ranking 17th in the world.
Even the weakest team, Japan, was not to be taken lightly.
As regulars in the World Cup, they often made it to the knockout stages with decent strength.
If not taken seriously, they could cause an upset.
After the draw, fans discussed the results.
"The situation in Group A doesn't look good!"
"The hosts really got unlucky with the draw, huh?"
"Indeed, none of the three opponents are easy; they'll have to give their all against each one!"
"Well, maybe this could be a good thing!"
"If they can find their form early in the group stage, they might catch Spain off guard in the knockout rounds if they're slow to start!"
"Upset? How little faith do you have in Brazil!"
"Exactly, Brazil's strength has never been weak; knocking out Spain is entirely possible!"
"I'm betting on Brazil to win this Confederations Cup!"
Five-time champions Brazil held the record for the most World Cup wins, and with their production of football stars, they were popular worldwide.
However, Spain, having won two consecutive European Championships and a World Cup, was also highly popular globally.
Some fans immediately opposed this viewpoint:
"Come on, what does Brazil have to compete with Spain? Their squad lacks depth, with a bunch of players who haven't even played in the top five leagues. How much strength do they have?"
In this Confederations Cup, 12 out of Brazil's 23-man squad didn't play in the top five leagues, and among the six forwards, excluding Neymar who just transferred to Barcelona, none were from the top five leagues.
While the Brazilian league was strong in South America, it still lagged behind the top five leagues significantly.
Otherwise, why would so many top Brazilian players choose to play in Europe? Playing in Europe not only offered higher-level leagues but also the chance to compete in elite competitions like the Champions League, where competition was fiercer.
Thus, facing a bunch of players in the Brazilian lineup who hadn't played in the top five leagues, ordinary fans didn't even recognize them. How could they believe they had the strength to challenge Spain, who dominated European and world football?
"Exactly, Spain's squad is way stronger than Brazil's; their combined market value is more than double Brazil's!"
"Heh, it's not like having a higher market value guarantees victory. If that were the case, we might as well skip the Champions League every year and just give the trophy to Barcelona and Real Madrid, right?"
Both sets of fans couldn't convince each other, and the online arguments quickly spilled offline.
As Brazil's top star, Neymar, confidently declared in an interview:
"Yes, Brazil's goal for this Confederations Cup is to win the championship. We hope to lift the trophy on our home turf, and no one can stop us from winning!"
Though he didn't directly mention Spain, his words were clearly aimed at them.
"Heh, such arrogance! Isn't he afraid of choking on his words?"
"Neymar who? I only know Lin Quan!"
"Don't know him!"
"Don't know +1!"
"Don't know +2!"
...
Spain's fans, upon hearing Neymar's statement, were very disdainful.
You, a newcomer who just transferred to the top five leagues, haven't even proven yourself in those leagues yet. What confidence do you have to make such arrogant statements? Just breaking the Bundesliga goal record, Lin Quan didn't even display such arrogance and conceit. Who do you think you are?
Journalists understand what's hot.
Seeing the focus of public attention shift to Neymar and Lin Quan, they immediately rushed to Spain's training base after interviewing Neymar.
For journalists and media, if they don't stir up conflicts and create controversies, where would they get big news?
Without big news, how would they get promoted and get a raise?
So, their first priority was to stoke the flames!
However, facing the journalists' interviews, Lin Quan didn't cooperate. Instead, he sang praises for the Brazilian team:
"Brazil is a team with a rich history; they've won the World Cup five times. They're very strong, and my teammates and I will definitely not underestimate them!"
"Neymar? Neymar is a talented player full of potential, and I look forward to competing with him on such a stage."
The journalists interviewing him, as well as the surrounding fans, were dumbfounded:
Why isn't this guy playing by the rules?
Shouldn't you be showing your determination to win and belittling your opponents at this time?
Why are you singing praises for the opponent?
Lin Quan certainly wasn't that kind-hearted, nor would he do something to boost others' morale at the expense of his own prestige.
After praising the opponents, he shifted his focus and said:
"But Brazil and us are not in the same group. To meet them, we'll have to wait until the knockout stage.
But judging by their attitude, are they so confident in advancing that they're looking down on the other opponents in the group?"
After Lin Quan's interview aired, the other teams in Group A were indeed angered.
Even the reigning World Cup champions Spain never boasted about definitely advancing from the group stage. Why does Brazil think they can?
Are they looking down on us?
So, in the opening match, the inspired Japan team almost upset the hosts.
Japan played a technical style; their players may not have had top-tier physical qualities, but their technical skills were excellent.
Facing Brazil, Japan often displayed fluid teamwork, threatening the hosts' goal several times.
Although Brazil eventually won 2-1 with goals from Neymar and Paulinho, the victory wasn't easy.
The energized Japan team continued to attack fiercely until the final moments of the match, trying to change the score.
This tenacious spirit cost Brazil dearly, as they expended a considerable amount of energy, and head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari's rotation plan was completely disrupted.
But for Brazil, this wasn't the worst part. The worst part was their schedule: facing Japan first, then Mexico, and finally Italy.
According to the original plan for the Seleção, after using Japan and Mexico matches to warm up, they would face Italy, the strongest team, with their form at its peak.
After advancing from the group stage, the team would be in top form and wouldn't fear anyone in the knockout stage.
Then, riding this momentum, they would advance to the final and win the championship.
But now, with the other teams in Group A showing high morale and even anger:
The host's arrangement seemed to backfire, like lifting a stone only to drop it on their own foot.
(End of this chapter)
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