area51novel Chapter 17 What? You Chinese guy think you can take over Belgium?
Chapter 17 What? You Chinese guy think you can take over Belgium?
"Damn it! Xiaoyu, with your skill level, what kind of goalkeeper are you?!"
"Exactly! Barcelona is fucking amazing, even their third-choice goalkeeper is this terrifying!"
"Damn it, now I'm really a substitute!"
The training match is over.
Led by Su Yu, Team A thrashed Team B 7-0.
Moreover, all seven of Team A's goals were basically assisted directly or indirectly by Su Yu.
So when Su Maozhen blew the whistle to end the training match, Zheng Zhi, Hao Junmin, and their group immediately surrounded him.
These guys started chattering and complaining about how Su Yu actually had this trick up his sleeve, while Yin Tiesheng and the coaching staff on the sidelines were overjoyed and went straight to the office for a meeting.
To be honest, Yin Tiesheng was just trying it out. He really didn't expect Su Yu to be such a good fit for this national Olympic team!
Although Zhou Haibin was already one of the best young midfielders in China, his ability, especially his control of the midfield area, was still not comparable to that of young players from other countries.
But what about Su Yu?
This guy is clearly a goalkeeper, but the ability he shows on the training field is arguably at the level of the top five leagues.
Moreover, it wasn't just his individual ability; Su Yu's playing style also directly elevated this third-rate national Olympic team, in terms of tactical awareness and teamwork, to a first-rate level.
"It's decided. For the match against Belgium, Su Yu will play in midfield! Qiu Shengjiong will be in goal."
"Also, the midfield setup is settled: Su Yu as the attacking midfielder, Zheng Zhi and Zhao Xuri as the deep-lying midfielders. Oh, and immediately put the detailed information on those Belgian midfielders in the meeting room. Go! Call the whole team over!"
"Let's hold a meeting first to finalize the defensive and offensive tactical arrangements!"
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2008 8 Month 8 Day.
The whole country rejoiced!
A grand spectacle of a thousand people striking drums and singing, a flying torch lighting ceremony unfolding like a scroll painting...
As one amazing scene after another appeared at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics!
The young men and coaching staff at the national Olympic training base were still in the meeting room reviewing the team's new tactics.
"Xiao Dong! Don't worry about defense, just focus on making runs forward!"
"left....."
"Hao Junmin on the right wing, you can also..."
"Zhao Xuri, keep a close eye on Hao Junmin's defense!"
"As for Su Yu! You only have one task: pass the ball forward!"
"When playing against Belgium, we'll stick to our old style of play—just play with our feet!"
.........................
Three days passed quickly.
2008 8 Month 10 Day.
As the Chinese delegation has already climbed to the top of the medal table, the second match of the national Olympic team, which has been the focus of countless Chinese fans, has officially begun.
5 o'clock in the afternoon.
With two hours to go before the match, the red bus carrying the entire national Olympic team finally appeared in the Workers' Stadium's internal passageway amidst the anticipation of countless fans.
"Go China!"
"Go China!"
"..................."
"Su Yu!"
"Su Yu!!!"
After a resounding victory, unsurprisingly, the number of fans who rushed to the stadium to cheer for the national Olympic team increased several times over.
The dense crowd of red-clad people shouted "Go China!" the moment the bus appeared. As they shouted, the name of Su Yu, whose individual highlight reel had gone viral across the country in recent days, was also mentioned by the fans.
"Holy crap! Xiaoyu, your popularity right now is incredible! It feels like you'll be a starter on the national team right after the Olympics!"
I heard that deafening shout.
Zhou Haibin, who was sitting next to Su Yu and had his starting position taken away by Su Yu, said sourly.
"If we can take down Belgium, not only the national team, but I reckon Su Yu can also get into Barcelona... Wait, that's not right, Xiao Yu, you switched to midfield today, what are you going to do at Barcelona?"
Zhou Haibin was complaining about Su Yu's somewhat exaggerated popularity, but Zhao Xuri, who was always gossipy, suddenly said something like that.
"Shut up, what's the point of saying all this nonsense? Our only task now is to win today's match!"
Before Su Yu could even reply to Zhao Xuri's remark, Captain Zheng Zhi immediately glared at Zhao Xuri.
This is a problem...
This problem is obviously going to affect Su Yu's mindset.
The match hasn't even started yet, and Su Yu playing in midfield is still the national Olympic team's secret weapon.
At a time like this, Zheng Zhi really doesn't want anything to go wrong!
"Oh...I was wrong!"
After being told a thing by Zheng Zhi, Zhao Xuri obediently sat down.
.............................
"We lost to Brazil, and I know the Chinese team is a strong team, and it will be a tough match! But beating China is our only option now! We will fight with all our might and we will definitely win this game!"
Su Yu and the national Olympic team members went to the locker room and then to the pitch to get used to the grass, while Yin Tiesheng went straight to the pre-match press conference after getting out of the car.
Just as Yin Tiesheng had imagined, after a flurry of camera flashes from the reporters, Belgium's head coach, De Sartre, was the first to speak, delivering his unwavering declaration of victory!
Having already lost one match, if Belgium doesn't win this second one, their Olympic journey will be over prematurely.
Therefore, de Sartre, who was a hardliner to begin with, did not give the host country any face at all.
Furthermore, after several days of research, De Sartre has gained a good understanding of Yin Tiesheng and his Chinese team, who are his opponents.
A midfield devoid of any attacking threat, and a backline defense that would occasionally falter...
The only ones we need to pay attention to are the goalkeeper and Dong, the Chinese player who won the Golden Boot in the Belgian Second Division. As for the others...
His Belgium team was absolutely dominant!
With unwavering confidence, de Sartre naturally stopped holding back!
"We've already defeated New Zealand, and in our final match, we'll face Brazil. So, like Mr. De Sarthe, we absolutely must win this game! Victory is China's only goal!"
If it weren't for Su Yu as a secret weapon, given Yin Tiesheng's personality, he would have been extremely cautious, saying that anything is possible in a football match...
But now?
Just thinking about Su Yu's mesmerizing passes and top-notch assists on the training field these past few days...
Old Yin instantly felt that his back was as straight as it was when he was young!
With Su Yu as a secret weapon, Dong Fangzhuo's attacking prowess, and Belgium missing two key players due to red cards in the previous match, the team has a strong advantage.
Forget about beating Belgium and getting 3 points to advance, Lao Yin even wants to hold the microphone again and raise four fingers towards the reporter's camera!
We need at least four!
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