Chapter 641 The last World Cup final
With the announcement of the lists of the two teams that have advanced to the finals, the discussion about the World Cup finals has also become heated.
One of the two teams in the final is the defending champion, winner of two consecutive World Cups, and has a deep heritage.
The other team is a strong old team that has risen from the trough and risen again.
Both teams have strong hard power and strong foundations. It seems that both teams are likely to win the championship.
Therefore, the debate over who can win the World Cup title has been unstoppable from the beginning, and as the number of people participating in the discussion increases, the differences on this issue have become more and more divisive.
"Who can win the championship? It must be Spain. Who can stop Spain's attack?"
"Although the French team is very strong, the players are too young and lack experience in major competitions, especially finals. Spain has reached the World Cup finals for the third consecutive time and has rich experience, so Spain will definitely win in the end!"
"Don't forget that there is Lin Huang in the Spanish team. He is the man who is best at creating miracles. With him here, the Spanish team has a 10% chance of winning out of thin air!"
"Is it only 10%? You are looking down upon Emperor Lin!"
"That is to say, I think with Emperor Lin here, Spain can increase its chances of winning by 20%!"
……
Most of the fans who support Spain's victory are fans who have been attracted by Spain's various honors in national competitions in the past ten years.
Since 2008, Spain's performance in international competitions has been blinding.
In just ten years, the Spanish team won three European Cup titles and two World Cup titles...
Whenever they participate in international competitions, the final championship is theirs. It can be said that they win the prize easily.
The vast majority of fans are Mu Qiang faction and will support whoever is strong.
Of course, there are also some teams that can attract countless fans with their unique playing styles. Even if they are not that strong, they can still attract the attention of fans.
Spain's tactical play is smooth and gorgeous, coupled with excellent results. Such a team with such a brilliant record, good games, and superstars in the team has naturally attracted the support of a large number of fans.
After all, even some short-lived teams can attract countless fans with their temporary strength. A super team like the Spanish team that has dominated football for nearly 10 years will naturally have more fans.
Naturally, this includes some Lin Quan fans.
Although the number of fans of the French team is not large, it is still far behind Spain.
So just in terms of volume, it seems that the voices supporting the Spanish team's defense of the title are louder.
"Haha, the truth is often in the hands of a few people. Don't think that your loud voice is a big deal."
"I admit that Lin Huang is very strong, but the weaknesses of the Spanish team are too obvious. With so many old players playing together, the hope of defeating the French team is very slim!"
"The French team's lineup is younger and their overall strength is stronger than Spain's previous opponents. When they start to exert their strength in the second half, the Spanish team, whose physical fitness has declined, may not be able to withstand it."
……
The fans of both teams each have their own persistence and reasons, and no one can convince the other.
But some of the views they hold are quite interesting.
Before the game, major media interviewed some famous football players and coaches, hoping that they would comment on the strength of the two teams and predict the outcome of the game.
Mourinho, who was specially invited by Russian TV to serve as a commentator, was the first famous football coach to be interviewed.
Mourinho: "Both teams have the ability to win the championship. Whether they can win the championship in the end depends on their on-the-spot performance. Whoever is in better condition and who can fully utilize their technical and tactical advantages will be able to win the championship." Win the championship.”
Mourinho said some correct nonsense. Although there was nothing wrong with what he said, the reporters were obviously not happy:
"Who do you support more, France or Spain?"
Mourinho is a Portuguese and currently coaches a Premier League team. He has no stake in the two teams in the final, so reporters hope that he can express his views from an objective and fair perspective.
The madman of this period, although his coaching performance in recent years has not been outstanding, is still the world's top coach, and his influence in football is still great.
Mourinho thought for a moment, being short-handed and soft-spoken. Since he accepted the host's high notice fee, he should be a little more serious. Being too perfunctory would appear to be unprofessional.
"Spain will enter a weak period in the second half, especially after 70 minutes, for well-known reasons, so their offensive in the first half will be very fierce. If they can gain a greater advantage during this period and withstand the opponent's attack in the second half, , then they will win the cup!”
"So, you are more optimistic about the Spanish team winning the championship?"
The reporter's eyes lit up and he started writing furiously, preparing to make a big news.
"Ahem, I haven't finished speaking yet. The French team is a relatively slow team, which is exactly the opposite of the Spanish team.
Their form is often not very good in the first half and will give Spain a chance.
But in the second half, their condition improved, and the Spanish team faced the negative impact of declining physical fitness. At that time, the French team will launch a comprehensive counterattack.
Therefore, there are two highlights of this game: how many goals Spain can score in the first half and how many goals the French team can recover in the second half! "
Mourinho's view is almost the mainstream view in football. The two teams participating in the World Cup finals are too weird.
One focuses on the first half, and the other focuses on the second half.
Whoever wins and who loses depends on who can perform better during his strong period!
……
After playing in the semi-finals, the Spanish team could not rest.
There is less than three days of rest between the semi-finals and the final, which is not enough time for the Spanish team, which has a large number of veterans.
Therefore, they must seize the time to rest well and regain their physical fitness as soon as possible so that they can arm-wrestle with the French team in the final.
In terms of schedule, the Spanish team, whose physical fitness is not as good as its opponents, is actually at a disadvantage.
Because the French team's semifinals ended one day earlier than them, it was equivalent to having an extra day of rest out of thin air.
However, the Spanish team is the one with worse physical fitness and is older overall, which will invisibly further magnify the gap in physical reserves between the two sides.
Bosque was obviously aware of this unfavorable factor, so after returning to the temporary base, he summoned the players, arranged the next training tasks, and emphasized that the players should reduce physical consumption:
"Carry out restorative training during this period. The intensity of training should be controlled and injuries should be avoided as much as possible. You don't want to miss the World Cup finals, right?"
Everyone shook their heads. The World Cup, which is held every four years, can only be played in 7 games at most.
It took a lot of effort to stand out from the crowd of competitors, and after overcoming many difficulties and dangers, reaching this final level, no one wanted to be absent at this time.
Because the preparation time was very short, Del Bosque did not give the players a day off and did not allow them to go out and have sex with their wives/girlfriends.
The amount of training is controlled and I don't dare to give too much, so how can we let the players consume their energy elsewhere?
After the finals are over and the national team is disbanded, these animals can do whatever they want. By then, the old man will probably have retired and there will be no need to worry about it. …
Although he didn't let the players go out to hang out, the old man didn't stop the players' families from visiting the base.
So at the end of every day's training, outside the Spanish training base, there is always a group of family members and players who perform a scene of tears behind bars through the iron fence...
Guardiola also brought Serra and Lin Quan's three younger siblings to visit him.
Ten-year-old Valentina's big shining eyes saw Lin Quan coming out, she jumped up and rushed into his arms.
Lin Quan gave her a warm hug, then patted her head gently:
"Have you missed my brother?"
"Yeah, brother, I miss you! I spent all my pocket money to buy brother, you guys win!"
"really?"
Lin Quan was very surprised after hearing this. Although spinach is legal in Europe, for a ten-year-old girl, this is too early!
"Really, Sister Maria said that I bought this to support you guys. The more you buy, the easier it will be for you to win, so I spent all my pocket money!"
Lin Quan was a little dumbfounded. Valentina probably didn't understand the situation.
The betting odds are linked to the outcome of the game. This is just a prediction of the game by the betting company. It is related to the outcome of the game to a certain extent, but it does not determine the outcome of the game.
After all, odds are just odds. It is the players who play on the field who decide the outcome of the game.
"Don't worry, she didn't buy much!"
Guardiola saw that Lin Quan seemed worried and quickly explained.
Valentina is still young, so her pocket money is limited.
Even if she loses everything in the end, it doesn't matter. As his personal little cotton-padded jacket, how could Guardiola not compensate her?
It's just that if Valentina loses in gambling, she won't be the only one who needs to be comforted.
At that time, the saddest person will probably be Lin Quan!
Since it was Maria who instigated it, she must have bought it.
Lin Quan asked, and sure enough, Maria, Marius, and even Guardiola and Serra all bought it.
Now, the whole family was tied to a chariot. If Lin Quan rolled over, everyone would suffer.
"So, brother, you have to work hard, you are the hope of our whole village!"
Eighteen-year-old Maria showed the admiration of a fanatic on her face. Four years ago, she was just a Yun fan, but since then she has become a real fan, and she only pays attention to her big brother's die-hard fans.
If Lin Quan loses, Maria will probably be sad and cry!
"You really didn't say that because of the stakes you placed, right? If that's the case, then I think it would be good to lose a game and teach you a lesson."
Lin Quan doesn't have a good impression of gambling, and he doesn't want his family to get involved in it.
Although spinach is legal, it is addictive and you cannot quit it.
There is a saying: Gamble on the dog, gamble on the dog, and in the end you will have nothing.
……
Although he deliberately controlled the training volume of the players, during these three days, Bosque did a lot of other preparations.
Without consuming the players' physical energy, he played the opponent's game videos and explained the opponent's tactical characteristics to the players, as well as the technical characteristics of certain players, to enhance the players' understanding of the opponent.
In this case, they can know themselves and their enemies when they get to the field.
Because it was expected that the opponent's defensive intensity would be very high, and Spain urgently needed to score in the first half.
So Bosque specially practiced some offensive tactics, including set-piece tactics.
Although the possibility of being dragged into a penalty shootout was low, the Spanish team still took the time to practice penalty kicks.
However, most people think that it doesn't matter whether they practice this thing or not, because Spain's physical fitness will not be able to hold up in the second half. If they really want to be dragged into overtime, they will have been defeated by the opponent long ago and will not be able to wait for the point. Ball battle.
"Lin, when it comes to the final, if the opportunity is right, use direct free kicks to try and score!"
Del Bosque still felt a little worried about the team's offense. He intended to let Lin Quan play more selfishly and not be so team-oriented.
But Spain's midfielder really cannot do without Lin Quan. If he is allowed to be a forward, there will be problems in the midfielder.
So we can only make a compromise and let him try using the opportunity of set kicks.
Lin Quan's free kicks are still very threatening, and his free kick skills are very rich. There is not only one skill, which makes it difficult for the opponent's goalkeeper to predict how his free kick will be kicked. Further Increases the difficulty of defense.
"Well, I'll seize the opportunity!"
Lin Quan nodded. In fact, even if Bosque didn't say so, he would still do it.
The opponents in this final are different from the past. To defeat the French team, we must score goals as quickly as possible and score more goals.
Only by breaking the opponent's fighting spirit and holding them back to prevent them from exerting their strength can the Spanish team's dilemma in the second half be avoided.
Therefore, on the field, Lin Quan will not have any reservations. He will definitely use all his firepower to defeat his opponent as soon as possible.
Unlike the World Cup in Brazil four years ago, Spain's overall strength was still there in 14. Although Lin Quan was the core of the team, the team was not pushed forward by him, but by the big guys.
Even if he doesn't step up, other teammates can step up and solve the problem.
But the national team four years later can really be said to be held back by him.
If he doesn't stand up, others may not be able to stand up, and the game may be lost.
At this time, the Spanish team is obviously in decline, and the reconstruction period in the future may take a long time.
Just like the French team that won the championship in 98, it took a full 20 years to rise again.
And some teams even hit rock bottom and never got up again.
Lin Quan cannot predict the future and does not know whether the Spanish team can reach the World Cup finals again in the future.
But he must regard this opportunity as the only opportunity in his life and as the last World Cup final he will participate in. (End of chapter)