Qatar can be said to be an old rival of the Dragons.
The initial exchanges between Dragon Football and Qatar began in the 1970s. Due to the friendly relationship, cooperation between the two parties has become increasingly frequent.
After entering the 1980s, the Dragon Country men's football team has been at the top level in Asia. In order to improve the country's level, the Qatar Football Association is willing to have long-term competition exchanges with the Dragon Country team.
Unfortunately, in 1987, due to an unwise decision by the Dragon Football Association, the relationship between the two teams was at odds. Since then, every time they met the national football team, Qatar did not need to mobilize to play the national football team.
The reason was that after Nian Weisi took over the Dragon Country men's football team, he needed to find warm-up match opponents in preparation for the Asian Games. Qatar reached out to help when the Dragon Country Football Association's arrangements were not in place, and took the initiative to provide food and accommodation for the national football team to go to Doha for a warm-up match.
As a result, according to the agreement the following year, the Qatar team should return to the Dragon Kingdom for exchanges and discussions.
Since the main focus at that time was on preparing for the right to qualify for the 1988 Olympics, the Dragon Football Association arranged for the Guangdong Foshan team, which was still in the second league, to play against the Qatar national team. This approach was considered an insult by the opponents.
After returning home, the Qatari media rushed to report on it, which also made the Qatari football community resentful of Dragon Football and eager to use victory to complete revenge.
Then came the famous "Three Black Minutes". At that time, perhaps no one would have thought that Qatar's revenge would come so quickly.
On October 28, 1989, in the Asian finals of the 14th World Cup preliminaries, the Dragon State men's football team coached by Gao Fengwen faced Qatar in their final match.
They were out of the game at that time and should have had no desires or desires. In contrast, the Dragon Country men's football team only needs to win their opponents to realize their dream of the World Cup for the first time in history.
The result was precisely the humiliation of the match against the Chinese second team, which made the Qataris, who were always thinking about revenge, soar in combat effectiveness.
The Longguo men's football team finally took a 1-0 lead through Wu Qunli's goal in the 76th minute of the game. However, in the 86th and 89th minutes, they encountered three black minutes and were scored by Qatar with 2 consecutive goals to complete an astonishing comeback.
Italy's summer World Cup dream was shattered, and the Dragon Football Association regretted it.
Eight years later, in 1997, the Longguo men's football team led by Qi Wusheng once again launched an attack on the World Cup.
At that time, the Dragon Country men's football team took the initiative to advance after winning consecutive games against Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. When they returned to Golden State to face Qatar at home, the Dragon Country men's football team might win World Cup tickets in one go if they could win.
You must know that the national football team, which has many famous players such as Fan Zhiyi, Sun Jihai, Li Tie, Li Ming, Ma Mingyu and Gao Feng, is obviously superior in strength.
As a result, Fan Zhiyi, who made great passes and shots, failed to block two mistakes in his own backcourt, allowing the Qatar team to succeed in two consecutive counterattacks within 5 minutes of the second half, causing the Dragon Kingdom men's football team to encounter a reversal.
At that time, all the Dragon Kingdom fans shouted "Replace Li Tie", which can be regarded as a famous scene in Dragon Kingdom football.
Losing this game, after the top 10 matches, was unanimously considered by the outside world to be the fatal injury for the Dragon Kingdom men's football team to lose the right to qualify.
Then came the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup. The two teams were in the same group in the previous stage (top 40). The Long Guo team lost 0-1 in the away game, and then returned to the home court under the guidance of fire-fighting coach Gao Hongbo. Under his leadership, the Dragon Country team defeated its opponent 2-0 and was lucky enough to catch the last train in the top 12 competition.
And that game was the only victory the Dragon Kingdom team had in the past five games against its opponents!
It can be seen that although Qatar is not considered a top team in Asia in terms of absolute strength, it has always been the victim of the Dragons.
Therefore, the national football coaching team headed by Lippi did not dare to be careless about this opponent and made sufficient preparations for the game.
And Pan Yi also contributed ideas and suggestions.
His suggestions mainly focused on the starting lineup and main tactical play.
"When we play Qatar, we must get off to a good start."
At the pre-game meeting of coaches organized by Lippi, Pan Yi came up and said this.
"Qatar are not a particularly strong team, but if we can't produce something in the early stages, they will probably be able to hold on and compete with us for the initiative."
The purpose of attacking is of course to score goals, but even if you can't score, you can still disrupt the opponent's rhythm.
But Pan Yi is well aware of the strength of the national football team.
The international players are still not familiar with his tactics, mainly because the time is too short. Even if Pan Yi has reduced his tactical ideas a lot and made them more direct and easier to accept, they still need some time to integrate.
For example, the most advanced pressing tactics in world football, as well as the most basic frontcourt interspersed movement and coordination.
But there is no retreat for the national football team in this game. Only by winning can there be a chance of survival.
I believe Qatar must be aware of this and will make use of this to make a fuss.
Therefore, the start is very important for both sides, and the national football team must also make a good start.
"The key to our victory is still on the wing."
Pan Yi played Qatar's formation and tactics on the projection screen. He guessed that the opponent should still adopt the 4-5-1 defensive counterattack tactics used in the previous group matches.
"In this game, we played high from the start. The two full-backs had to boldly step in. We need to be more threatening on the wing, attracting the opponent's defensive power, and then attacking from the other side or from the center. Create opportunities.”
With Pan Yi's demonstration on PPT, all coaches clearly saw Pan Yi's arrangement.
The full-backs intervene in the attack, which has also been the focus of Pan Yi's training exercises in the past period of time.
And he has always emphasized the offensive concept of using reality to create illusions and imaginings to create reality. That is to attack a certain point, attract defensive forces, and then suddenly move to another point to create a threat.
This is also a routine that Pan Yi often uses in the Swedish team, including York City now.
However, unlike Sweden and York City's "left-leaning" playing style, the Long Guo team's position of right back Zhang Linpeng is stronger than Jiang Zhipeng on the left.
In the 4-3-3 formation designed by Pan Yi for the national football team, right winger Wu Lei will also be the most important attacking point. After all, he plays for Hamburg and can now be said to be the number one star of the Dragons!
Therefore, this national team will focus on the right wing.
Of course, Lin Liangming and Wu Lei will also change positions, and they will be able to flexibly match them when the time comes.
Once the wing is blocked, Pan Yi also hopes to switch to the center to attack.
In the current Dragon Country team, the midfield ability can actually be said to be very good in Asia. Captain Zheng Zhi, Huang Bowen, and Wu Xi can all be said to be good at offense and defense.
Zhang Yuning, currently playing for Vitesse in the Eredivisie, is currently the strongest center in the country. His advantage is that he can hold the ball and pass the ball. He also has advantages in high balls. It should be said that he is very suitable for Pan Yi. The center's tactics require it.
With Zhang Yuning in the center, Wu Lei and Lin Liangming crossing or cutting in from the wings, and the midfielder inserting from behind, the national football team's offensive capabilities will definitely be unleashed.
Gao Lin was not used because Pan Yi didn't trust "Gao Jiji's" finishing touches. At the critical moment when points were needed, he could only be left on the bench.
On the back line, in addition to the two fullbacks Zhang Linpeng and Jiang Zhipeng, Pan Yi also used the central defender combination of Feng Xiaoting and Mei Fang, and this defense can basically be said to be Changzhou Hengtai's defense line.
And Pan Yi's biggest change to the original main lineup is to advocate for Wang Dalei's starting goalkeeper position!
The current starting goalkeeper of the national football team, Yan Junling, gives the fans the impression of being stable. In the game, Yan Junling makes relatively fewer mistakes than Wang Dalei, just because he is more stable and chooses a relatively safe way to handle things.
But the problem is that such stability also makes him a veritable "squat" goalkeeper. He wishes he could not leave the small penalty area for the entire game, let alone the large penalty area.
This is actually very inconsistent with Pan Yi's requirements for modern goalkeepers.
On the other hand, Wang Dalei, first of all, is a domineering goalkeeper. Once his teammates make mistakes or lose concentration, he can always stand up and remind them.
This is something that Yan Junling does not have. Yan Junling's goalkeeping style is more calm than passionate. Even if his teammates make mistakes or lose concentration, he will not immediately stand up to remind them.
Secondly, in addition to Wang Dalei's impressive penalty saves, his precise long passes also frequently help the team create threats.
His powerful hand throw in Shandong Luneng can throw the ball directly across the half court to find his own counterattack player. He has provided many assists to his forwards. Wang Dalei is also nicknamed the "assist goalkeeper".
Yan Junling's big kick technique is a little rougher. Not only can he not find his own center, but he is also easily intercepted by his opponent and can counterattack on the spot.
If we compare this style with two world-class goalkeepers, maybe Yan Junling is De Gea, and Wang Dalei is Neuer.
They are all world-class, but if Pan Yi chooses, he will definitely choose Neuer.
Finally, in terms of saves, although Yan Junling is more stable, Wang Dalei's "nerve knife" attribute allows him to often make incredible saves.
It can be said that Wang Dalei's lower limit is not as good as Yan Junling, but his upper limit is higher than Yan Junling.
Based on the above comparison, it is not difficult to understand why Pan Yi prefers Wang Dalei.
As for Pan Yi's suggestions, Lippi basically adopted them all.
On the one hand, he believed in Pan Yi's judgment. On the other hand, in fact, Pan Yi's starting lineup was not much different from the best eleven in Lippi's mind.
He is the former head coach of Changzhou Hengtai, and he trusts players from Hengtai more.
In this lineup, the midfield and backfield are basically all Hengtai's!
That is, for the forward position, Pan Yi used three European players instead of Gao Lin, the Hengtai forward, but this is not a big problem.
As for the goalkeeper, Lippi's favorite Zeng Cheng was injured during the Iran game, so he had no choice.
Moreover, Lippi and Pan Yi agree on one thing, that is, this game should be attacked hard from the beginning, and strive to score as early as possible, so as not to give Qatar a chance to breathe! ——
After the coaching meeting, Pan Yi immediately came to the players' dormitory and knocked on Wu Lei's door.
"Boss?" The person who opened the door was Wu Lei's roommate Lin Liangming.
This is actually Pan Yi's arrangement, so that the two main wingers are in the same room and can communicate more.
Because in the game against Qatar, the performance of these two wingers can be said to be the top priority.
"Boss, are you looking for me?" Wu Lei jumped from the bed in the room.
"Let's chat with you." Pan Yi said and walked in, closing the door behind him.
Pan Yi came here mainly to see Wu Lei.
After all, since leaving Hamburg, he has not had much direct communication with Wu Lei. He mainly uses Nagelsmann to get a little understanding of his current situation.
At present, his performance in Hamburg is pretty good, with about ten goals every season. Although it is not as good as when Pan Yi was here, it is already quite good for a team that is currently only at the mid-level level. Not a bad result.
However, Wu Lei's performance in the national team has been unstable.
Sometimes the performance is okay, but more often he gets lost on the court and even misses some must-goals.
"What do you think the problem is?" After Pan Yi explained his purpose straight to the point, he threw the question to Wu Lei.
Wu Lei thought for a while and said: "Maybe it has something to do with the formation. In the national team, we basically play a 4-4-2 formation, allowing Gao Lin and I to cooperate on the forward line. But in the club, I usually play as a winger in a three-forward system, so I don’t need to contend with opponents in the frontcourt..."
Pan Yi nodded.
This is the confusion caused by the difference in positioning on both sides.
Wu Lei is very fast, very flexible in movement, and has a keen sense of smell in front of the goal. After several years of traveling in Europe, his ability to break through with the ball has also been greatly enhanced, but he is not a pure center after all.
Putting him at the front to contend with the opponent's tall and strong defender is undoubtedly exploiting his weaknesses and avoiding his strengths.
This is also a sign that domestic coaches are sometimes too rigid, or simply lack of quality.
For example, he only knows a 4-4-2, or he can only use a two-forward formation.
At this time, there is a forward like Wu Lei in the team who can gain a foothold in the five major European leagues. I will definitely use him, but how to use him?
He can only be placed directly on the front line and become one of the two forwards.
As for whether to switch to a formation like 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 to take advantage of Wu Lei's characteristics, that's out of the question.
Because other formations cannot be used!
In fact, even if Wu Lei retreats a little and plays as a shadow forward, it is better than playing as a center. It would also work to become a 4-4-1-1, but others don't like it.
This resulted in Wu Lei's performance in the national team and the club team being completely different.
This is normal. After all, not everyone can perform well in any position. Even if Mbappe is asked to play center, his performance will definitely not be as good as when he plays winger.
"Boss, how are you going to let me play?" Wu Lei asked with concern.
At this time, he really hoped to get Pan Yi's guidance.
Pan Yi was well prepared and said with a smile: "Of course I will let you play as a winger comfortably. However, it is still the same as before in Hamburg, it may be a left winger or a right winger."
Then Pan Yi looked at Lin Liangming again: "Same for you."
Wu Lei is on the right foot and Lin Liangming is on the left foot.
When there are tall centers in the middle, they all play with their own feet. Their main function is to pass from the base and fly from both wings. This is not a big problem.
Especially Lin Liangming, because of the presence of Baker in the York City team, he basically plays on the left side of the team.
However, sometimes when it is necessary to strengthen the shooting ability of both sides, Scaloni will also let Lin Liangming play on the right side and let him cut inside to shoot.
The same is true for Wu Lei.
Now that they are about to face Qatar, the first goal of the national football team is to score goals, so they must give full play to the offensive power of the two wings and not be limited to letting the two people pass down the bottom.
Therefore, Pan Yi wants Wu Lei to appear more on the left, start diagonally from the side and insert into the penalty area, or insert behind the defensive player to take advantage of his speed.
And as long as he gets the ball, he will have many options. This is the advantage of cutting inside with his feet.
In this way, he and Lin Liangming became two inside forwards, and together with the center Zhang Yuning, they were a real three-point attack, attacking Qatar's defense line together.
"When you are on the court, you should pay attention to changing positions at any time. This will make it difficult for opponents to figure out the routine, and it will also make your playing style more difficult to guard against. When running, pay attention to the position of the midfielder, and then run out of space..."
In the current midfield position of the Dragon Country team, the reserve can be said to be the best among the three lines.
In addition to the starters Zheng Zhi, Wu Xi, and Huang Bowen, Hao Junmin, Cai Huikang, Cao Yunding, and Sun Ke are all capable of fighting.
Captain Zheng Zhi even has precise footwork to pass forward - you know, when he was at Charlton, he often appeared in the main attacking midfielder position!
Therefore, as long as the forwards can create enough space, it can be believed that the midfielder can pass fatal passes.
"Also, you should pay attention to the opponent's full-back..."
Under Pan Yi's in-depth explanation, the two national football wingers Wu Lei and Lin Liangming nodded frequently.
As they understand Pan Yi's national football tactics more and more deeply, they are becoming more and more confident in the upcoming games!
——
The next morning, when the bus full of national team players slowly drove outside Kunming Tuodong Stadium, the fans who had been waiting here for a long time swarmed up and shouted at the team bus.
The entire stadium was crowded with people. At least two to three thousand fans came to the scene.
This scene made the international players sitting in the bus feel refreshed.
This kind of treatment has never been experienced by the national team, which has suffered many defeats recently.
They all know why fans' attitudes toward them changed so quickly.
It's because Lippi is here, it's because Pan Yi is here, they see hope!
As for today's adaptive training, Pan Yi also proposed that it be open-ended, allowing all fans and media reporters who came to the scene to enter the infield to watch the team's training.
This is also a trick Pan Yi often uses when coaching at the club, which is to let the media and fans watch the game to stimulate the players and let them perform better in training.
As for tactical confidentiality...the training in the morning was mainly about recovery and did not involve tactical content at all.
Before the training begins, the national football team also allows the media to conduct a simple interview with the national football players.
"Everyone knows that we have been forced into desperation. Only by trying our best to win can we have a glimmer of hope."
Captain Zheng Zhi is of course the first interviewee.
He faced the camera and microphone and spoke very sincerely.
"I am already 36 years old. This may be my last chance to compete in the World Cup. I will definitely try my best!"
"Because Qatar is a very strong team, it has always been difficult to play against them, so we all have to play our best to have any hope of winning."
"But I'm also very confident. As long as we can play our best, we have nothing to fear no matter what opponent we face."
Zheng Zhi was also full of praise for the new coaching team.
"Mr. Lippi worked with me when he was at the club. This group of Italian coaches are very professional and cooperate very well with the players, which is of great help to us."
"Of course I would like to highlight our technical consultant Pan Yi. Everyone knows that he is the world's top football coach, but he is willing to only be a consultant here for the national football team. It is really amazing."
"What's even more amazing is that he really gave everything to this team. And his concepts and ideas are very advanced. We have not been able to fully grasp many of his things so far, but after this period of training, We all admire him tremendously."
"With the help of such a world-class coach and coaching staff, we are really confident to win today's game!"
After the interview, the national football players began to prepare for training sessions.
The fans and media reporters at the scene were immediately attracted.
A ninety-minute training session, although it is mainly restorative training, is still very compactly arranged.
What's more important is that in just one week, the mental outlook of the international players has changed a lot.
The most obvious thing is that the originally tight mood has become significantly more relaxed, which is extremely rare in the past national teams.
Especially during a series of game competitions such as monkey walking, with Pan Yi teasing on the side, bursts of cheerful laughter erupted from time to time in the venue.
There are also veteran reporters in the media. They admired while watching:
"Sure enough, when Pan Yi comes to the national football team, he will bring a new atmosphere to the team."
"If I remember correctly, the last time I was so happy when I saw the national football team training was in 2001."
"At that time, the then head coach Milutinovic was promoting happy football in the national football team..."
(End of chapter)
