Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 523: Del Bosque's Plan

Despite the harsh criticism from the outside world, Spain's coach, Vicente Del Bosque, was in a surprisingly good mood.

Who cares if the game was ugly? The point is, did we win or not?

In the post-match press conference, Del Bosque expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance and urged the public to give their younger players more time and patience.

"Morata and Nolito didn't perform well, but it's not because they lack ability. I think it's due to their inexperience in major tournaments. I hope people won't be too harsh on them and instead offer more understanding and support to these young players."

However, the journalists weren't buying it. They weren't interested in hearing about Morata or the others—they wanted to know about Lin Quan!

Del Bosque knew full well what the reporters were after, but he enjoyed playing with them. The more they wanted to know, the less he was inclined to reveal. Instead, he rambled on about his team-building philosophy, reminisced about the team's glorious history, and dreamed about a bright future.

Eventually, the reporters couldn't take it anymore and interrupted his lengthy monologue, getting straight to the point:

"Mr. Del Bosque, you included Lin Quan in Spain's 23-man squad, but he didn't appear on the pitch today. He wasn't even on the bench. Is it true, as rumors suggest, that he's injured and unable to play?"

Del Bosque glanced at the reporter—he was Spanish, asking the question most Spanish fans were eager to have answered. To ease the worries of the fans back home, Del Bosque finally responded directly:

"Lin is fine. He's ready to play whenever we need him."

Sometimes, telling the truth isn't enough, and this was one of those times. The journalists didn't believe a word Del Bosque said. One French reporter followed up, asking:

"If that's the case, why didn't you field him today? Without Lin Quan, Spain completely lost its dominance and nearly couldn't beat the Czech Republic!"

Del Bosque frowned slightly, clearly annoyed by the question. The reporter's comments seemed designed to sow discord between Lin Quan and the rest of the Spanish squad.

"I don't think the Czech Republic is a weak team. In fact, they played very well and are a team deserving of respect."

Del Bosque took the opportunity to flatter his Czech opponents, praising their strength and, at the same time, subtly making the French reporter look bad for downplaying the Czech team. As expected, the Czech coach smiled at Del Bosque's comments.

Spain, after all, was ranked first in the FIFA world rankings for six consecutive years, a dominant force in world football. Del Bosque, having led his team to two World Cups, one European Championship, and one Confederations Cup, was considered one of the best coaches in the world. Gaining such recognition from such a powerful opponent was a point of pride for the Czech team.

Meanwhile, the French reporter received a cold look from the Czech coach for his arrogance.

"Also, I decided to rest Lin Quan because he's played more games than most of the other players at his club, so I'm giving him extra time to recover. It's not, as the rumors suggest, due to injury."

Del Bosque, a wily old fox, cleverly used the French reporter's question to reinforce the public's perception that Lin Quan was injured. He knew that the more he denied it, the more people would believe the injury rumors.

And sure enough, once the content of the press conference was reported, no one believed Del Bosque's words. Everyone assumed he was lying.

If Lin Quan were truly fit to play, why wouldn't Del Bosque use him? Even if not as a starter, having him on the bench would have been a massive morale boost for the team, reassuring the players and giving them more confidence.

But Del Bosque hadn't done that, which led to only one conclusion: Lin Quan's injury must be serious, preventing him from playing.

With this conclusion in mind, the perception of Spain completely shifted. No longer viewed with fear and reverence, Spain became the subject of ridicule—people eagerly waiting to see if the once-mighty "bull" would fall.

For those still on the fence, all eyes turned to Spain's second match. If Lin Quan didn't play in that game, they'd believe the rumors fully and stop considering Spain as a serious contender for the European Championship.

Del Bosque, pleased with the public's reaction, had no intention of playing Lin Quan in the second match either. After all, as long as they kept winning, there was no need to change anything!

Based on Turkey's performance in their first game, Del Bosque even thought they might be easier to face than the Czech Republic. Although the Czech team wasn't strong, they knew their limits and adopted a highly defensive counter-attacking strategy. While Spain ultimately won, the Czechs defended well, holding out until the 87th minute before conceding.

Turkey, on the other hand, didn't seem to know their place. In their first game, they underestimated Croatia, tried to go toe-to-toe with them, and were soundly defeated. Having already lost one match, Turkey couldn't afford another defeat. Del Bosque expected them to come out attacking.

Spain's main issue was their lack of firepower up front. The team's attacking system was built around Lin Quan, and without him, the players were lost, unable to execute effectively. That said, Spain's defense was still solid. Turkey would struggle to break through.

If Turkey pressed forward, they'd leave space at the back for Spain to counter-attack. In short, Spain's current lineup and style weren't afraid of opponents who attacked but struggled against teams that sat back and defended. Even weaker teams like the Czech Republic or Turkey could cause problems if they parked the bus.

So, with Lin Quan not playing, he had more free time. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he headed to Lyon to watch Belgium face Italy—a clash between the "Red Devils" and the "Azzurri."

As Europe's rising football power, Belgium had improved significantly in recent years, rising to third in the world rankings, just behind Spain and Germany. Italy, on the other hand, had slipped to 12th place after disappointing performances in two consecutive World Cups.

Based on FIFA rankings and squad strength, Belgium appeared to be the favorites. After all, they boasted stars like De Bruyne, Hazard, Witsel, and Fellaini, forming one of the most impressive midfields in the tournament—second only to Spain.

However, having a flashy lineup doesn't always translate into success. Belgium's attack lacked clarity. De Bruyne and Hazard both had the ability to lead the offense, but the team hadn't clearly defined which of the two should take on that role. Without clear roles, they ended up neutralizing each other's effectiveness.

In contrast, Italy's experienced coach Antonio Conte recognized his team's weak midfield and chose to focus on the wings, especially the left flank. When transitioning from defense to attack, Italy's midfielders would simply pass the ball to the wingers and let them do the work.

Italy played a 3-5-2 formation, emphasizing wing play. In attack, the wingbacks were supported by midfielders like Giaccherini and Parolo, who made overlapping runs to stretch Belgium's defense.

In the 32nd minute of the first half, Italy capitalized on a defensive lapse by Belgium on the wing. Midfielder Giaccherini found space and unleashed a long-range shot that sailed past Courtois, making it 1-0 to Italy.

Courtois made a desperate dive, but it was too late.

Once Italy took the lead, everyone knew what they would do next: sit back and defend. As true believers in the 1-0 philosophy and already known for their defensive discipline, the Italians tightened up at the back.

After Giaccherini's goal, Conte immediately ordered the team to pull back, compacting the lines and ensuring numerical superiority in key areas to stifle Belgium's attack. Additionally, Conte instructed his forwards to harass Belgium's defenders, making it difficult for them to build attacks—especially targeting De Bruyne to limit his dangerous passes.

Belgium dominated possession with nearly 70% and had 18 shots, but their attack was incredibly inefficient.

To make matters worse, in the 59th minute, Romelu Lukaku inadvertently blocked one of De Bruyne's shots, adding insult to injury for Belgium.

In stoppage time, Italy scored again, sealing a 2-0 victory.

The highly anticipated "Red vs. Blue" clash ended with Italy's triumph. As one of the favorites to win the tournament, Belgium's performance in their first match was disappointing. On paper, their squad was exceptional, but on the pitch, they were far from cohesive. Figuring out how to get the best out of both Hazard and De Bruyne was Belgium coach Marc Wilmots' biggest headache.

After the game, Lin Quan sent De Bruyne a message, offering his support. De Bruyne had endured a frustrating match, not only having a shot blocked by his own teammate but also feeling ineffective in general.

The media often compared Hazard to Messi and Lin Quan, but De Bruyne couldn't understand why he and Hazard had no chemistry on the field.

With Belgium and Italy's match concluded, all four of the top favorites to win the tournament had played their first games.

Wait, where's the Netherlands, you ask?

Well, the Netherlands had a disastrous qualifying campaign. They were beaten twice by Iceland, a country with a population of just 300,000. Then they were also beaten twice by the Czech Republic and thrashed by Turkey. Out of 10 games, they only managed four wins—against Kazakhstan and Latvia, the weakest teams in the group.

Given such poor performances, it wasn't surprising they didn't make it to the European Championship.

It's not uncommon for smaller teams to pull off upsets against traditional footballing powers, but it's rare for a team like the Netherlands to be consistently beaten by weaker sides.

With the end of the E-group matches, F-group was next, where Portugal was set to play. Despite having Cristiano Ronaldo, the world wasn't too optimistic about Portugal's chances of winning the tournament.

Portugal's start wasn't promising either. They drew 1-1 with Iceland in their first match. Although Iceland had beaten the Netherlands twice in qualifying, most people still viewed them as a weak team.

After all, how could a country with only 300,000 people produce a top football team?

The difference in market value between the two teams was also staggering. Iceland's most valuable player, midfielder Gylfi Sigurðsson, was worth €10 million, and he played for Swansea. Most of his teammates were worth less than €3 million, with some valued under €300,000.

Iceland's squad was by far the cheapest in the tournament.

Yet, through teamwork, grit, and their deep understanding of each other's play, Iceland managed to level the playing field.

After earning a hard-fought point against Portugal, Iceland suddenly had a glimmer of hope for advancing to the knockout stages. All they needed was one win in their next two games to secure progression.

That said, it wouldn't be easy for them to win those games, given the strength of their remaining opponents.

Lin Quan watched Portugal vs. Iceland as well. Historically, Portugal went on to win this edition of the European Championship, even though few had faith in them at the start.

Looking back, Portugal's path to victory seemed almost magical.

If Lin Quan's memory was correct, Portugal drew their next game against Austria, and in their final group-stage match, they drew again with Hungary.

With three straight draws, Portugal advanced to the knockout rounds with just three points and a zero-goal difference. They finished third in their group, sneaking through along with Northern Ireland from Group C.

Albania and Turkey, both with three points, were eliminated due to their inferior goal difference.

Portugal earned the nickname "the kings of draws" during that tournament, drawing six out of seven matches in regular time.

However, Portugal's resilience was impressive. In the round of 16, they beat Croatia in extra time, and in the final, they did the same to France, securing their first major international trophy.

But Lin Quan had a feeling that Portugal might not be able to repeat that miracle this time.

If Spain finished top of their group, their round of 16 opponent would be Portugal.

(End of Chapter)

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