Chapter 497: None
"Strange, I have asked the first team and the reserve team to train together. It stands to reason that there are more people than usual, but why do they always feel deserted?" Chen Mo frowned as he watched the players leaving the training ground one after another.
When these players finished training and left the training ground, they gathered together in twos and threes, chatting and walking to the locker room. It was indeed different from the usual atmosphere of laughter and laughter.
"That's probably because a few key people responsible for the atmosphere are missing, ha!" Zhao Kangming laughed next to him.
"Oh, right!" Chen Mo patted his forehead, "Those young people are gone."
Another weekend has passed since the Stars won their first win in the AFC Champions League at home. During this weekend, the Stars welcomed an "old rival" at home - Haihe Shuanggang, which they met in the FA Cup last season.
Considering that in order to make way for the international match day, there will be a one-week truce period in club competitions. This time Zhao Kangming did not make a major rotation of the lineup after playing in the AFC Champions League, but only made fine adjustments in individual positions.
For example, Qin Lin, who started in the AFC Champions League midweek, was placed on the bench, and Xia Xiaoyu, who did not start in the AFC Champions League, took his place and partnered with Junpei Morikawa to form a double midfielder.
At the same time, the "trident" of Hu Lai, Chen Xingyi and Zhang Qinghuan all started.
This arrangement also takes into account the difficulty of relegation this season. The team should go all out to win as much as possible if there is a chance to win.
In the end, the team's performance did not disappoint Zhao Kangming. Flashing Stars, who played almost all the main players, defeated Haihe Shuanggang 3:1 at home.
Each Trident scored one goal, their performance was very average, and no one suffered a loss.
After playing this league game, many players, including Trident, left the club to participate in their respective international competitions.
Zhang Qinghuan and Ding Yuanhai went to participate in the national team's Asian second-stage qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in the United States and Canada (co-hosted by the United States and Canada), which is commonly known as the "Top Forty Tournament."
Hu Lai, Chen Xingyi and Wang Guangwei went to participate in the warm-up match between the Chinese Olympic team and the Serbian Olympic team.
Junpei Morikawa was also called up by the head coach of the Japanese Olympic team, Koichi Sato, to represent the Japanese Olympic team and return to China to participate in the warm-up match with the Portuguese Olympic team. This kid seemed very excited when he received a call from Sato Koichi. He was still in the team locker room at the time. According to other players' later descriptions, Morikawa Junpei was holding the phone and bowing to a wall. It felt so bad. Sato Hikari knelt down in the air...
"Sigh... Six people are missing all of a sudden. It feels like our international match day team of Flash Star is getting stronger and stronger. Although this is a good thing, it shows that we are getting stronger and stronger. But every international match day, we are taken away. Half of the main team is still under a lot of pressure..." Chen Mo sighed, "This time it's okay for just one warm-up match, but in July and August, they train for the Olympics and are absent for two months. Who can bear this?"
"There's nothing you can do about it, Lao Chen. For an event like the Olympics that attracts the attention of the whole people, the interests of the club must give way to the interests of the country. This is completely non-negotiable."
"Hu Lai, Chen Xingyi, Wang Guangwei, plus Morikawa Junpei who represented Japan in the Olympics... Four people will be absent from the game for two months... Oh, by the way, there are also over-age players. Zhang Qinghuan is He is over one year old, what if Shi Wuyuan plans to recruit him as an over-age player to participate in the Olympics? Will you let him go, Lao Zhao?”
Zhao Kangming spread his hands: "How can I have the final say? If the Olympic team needs it, then I will let it go."
"What should we do here at the club?"
"Let's bite the bullet...what else can we do?" Zhao Kangming also had helplessness in his tone. But there is no way, this is the disadvantage of Flash Star mainly focusing on young players, and it is the inevitable price of setting off a youth storm in the new season.
※※※
"Xiao Shi, what do you think about the overage players?" Ran Jiachang, the head coach of the Olympic team, knocked on the door of Shi Wuyin's office and asked as soon as he came in.
Shi Wuyin shifted his gaze from the computer screen to Ran Jiachang's face, and said with a smile: "What? A club is looking for you in private to get people in?"
Ran Jiachang waved his hand quickly: "Look at what you said... Some players may want to participate in the Olympics, but you must know the club's position - no one is willing to send their main players to us for training for a month before leaving. If he's not the main player in the Olympics... I guess you won't look down on him, right?"
Shi Wuyuan's smile became brighter: "Lao Ran, you still understand me. So what goals or expectations does the Football Association have for our Olympic Games?"
Ran Jiachang shook his head: "No, no goals, no pressure. This was clearly stated at the Olympic work meeting."
"That's just talk..." Shi Wuyin suddenly lowered his voice and asked: "Lao Ran, tell me, do you really have no expectations for results within the Football Association?"
Ran Jiachang's expression was a little awkward: "It's certainly impossible to say that there are no expectations at all. Let's just talk about me. I personally have expectations for our performance in the Olympics... But when it comes to setting a bottom line in my heart in advance, if If we don’t reach this bottom line, we will do whatever we want. I believe that no one in the Football Association has this idea. If the results are not good, everyone will be happy. Isn’t this human nature?”
Shi Wuyuan nodded after hearing this.
Seeing him like this, Ran Jiachang quickly added: "But don't think there will be any pressure on you. I have already said that it is a breakthrough for us to reach the Olympics this time. When the Football Association asked you to coach this As a team, the only goal you set is to participate in the Olympics. Now you have accomplished it. The goal is to put down the burden and just try our best. The key is to let people see the spirit of this team. For example, in the U23 Asian Cup, the team did not lose their mind when faced with the Iranian referee's difficulties. More goals and a resolute counterattack...that’s good.”
"Lao Ran, I feel relieved when you say that. I also want to talk to you about over-age players. To be honest, I don't plan to bring any over-age players."
"Ah? No?" Ran Jiachang was surprised.
Before he came, he was still thinking that if Shi Wuyin asked for any over-age players and there was resistance from the club, he would do the work one by one... Who would have thought that Shi Wuyin would choose not to take any over-age players, so he asked again: "Are you worried that the club will be unhappy with you? You don't have to worry about this. As long as you confirm the roster, I will do the work and be the bad guy..."
Shi Wuyin waved his hands quickly: "That's not what you mean, Lao Ran. I'm not worried about this. What I'm worried about is that when those over-age players come to the team, they will break the existing good atmosphere and tacit understanding of the team. You are also following this team. The team has gone all the way from the youth team to the present, and we know the composition of the players in these teams and their relationship with everyone. If we find three over-age players who are older than them and have more seniority than them, it will inevitably create a gap, which will have an impact on them. to the team And football is a collective sport, and the team is a whole. Our training arrangements are based on the current team as a whole. How can we integrate three strangers into the team in one month? Is the training time enough? What are the thoughts of those players who have been robbed of their positions by overage players? Will their friends become dissatisfied with the overage players?
Faced with Shi Wuyuan's series of rhetorical questions, Ran Jiachang frowned and fell into deep thought.
He admitted that what Shi Wuyuan said made sense, because he thought of the first Olympic Games in 2012, when Qin Lin entered the Olympic team as an overage player. With Qin Lin's ability and level at that time, it is not an exaggeration to say that he is the strongest player in China, so he naturally has high hopes.
As a result, the addition of such a powerful foreign player did not improve the team's strength. The Chinese Olympic team left a shameful record of "no win, no goal, no point" in that Olympics.
So as to whether over-age players can improve the performance of the Olympic team in the Olympics, many people actually know the answer.
A football match is a sport in which eleven or even twenty-three people train together and then play together. It is not a simple card game. You can be invincible by choosing the eleven strongest people on paper.
"So I thought, rather than recruiting three time bombs like this, I might as well not recruit any at all. At the same time, this Olympic Games is a rare opportunity for young players and is a very important training opportunity. Through the competition with high-level foreign young players They can also score more goals in the competition. But what's the point of those over-age players who have already been established to play in the Olympics, except to add a beautiful touch to their personal resumes..." Shi Wuyin spread his hands and shrugged.
"The Football Association has not set any goals for the Olympics, but I personally have a goal. That is, if the players of the National Olympic team can learn something and grow by participating in this Olympics, then it will be good for themselves and our national football team. It is a good thing for the future. I hope that participating in the Olympics can achieve such a goal and have such an effect. How can such an important opportunity for training, learning and growth be given to over-age players?”
"What about Zhang Qinghuan? He is only one year older...he is still a young player." Ran Jiachang asked again. When everyone thinks of over-age players participating in the Olympics, Zhang Qinghuan will be the first to think of him. Although he is no longer the person who has placed the hopes of fans across the country due to the rise of young players such as Hu Lai, but he performed well when the prodigal son returned, and coupled with the fact that he is only one year older, it always makes people feel that he should Go to the Olympics, otherwise it would be a shame.
"Zhang Qinghuan... Guo Junfu is the captain of our team and the core midfield organizer. If Zhang Qinghuan comes, Guo Junfu will have to go to the bench. Guo Junfu played a great role in the team's qualifying process. In the end, he had to sit on the bench for the Olympics. I personally think this is very unfair to Guo Junfu. Secondly, Lao Ran, have you considered another issue? "
"What's the problem?"
"The current three main players of the Olympic team are all from Flash Star. If they go to the Olympics, these three people will have to leave the team for two months and miss at least seven league games. This is very fatal for the team's relegation... and then Let’s select Zhang Qinghuan into the National Olympics as an over-age player Team, go to the Olympics. Almost half of the main lineup of Flash Star is gone... Although Zhao Kangming is famous for his good temper, we can't catch him alone. I'm telling you, he bites the rabbit when he is anxious! As for people, aren’t you afraid that Lao Zhao will block the door?”
Ran Jiachang was amused by Shi Wuyuan's words. He nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay, if you don't want to recruit, you won't. What you said is terrible. I'm really afraid that Old Zhao will come to my house and block the door..."
Shi Wuyin said sternly: "From the perspective of being good for Chinese football, I don't want Flash Star to be relegated. I hope that Lao Zhao can fully demonstrate his football philosophy on Flash Star, and maybe it can bring a better future to our Chinese football." There is no guarantee of a bright future..."
Ran Jiachang was a little surprised: "Are you exaggerating? Can a shining star shoulder the future of Chinese football?"
"Lao Ran, Hu Lai, Chen Xingyi, Wang Guangwei, and Zhang Qinghuan are all in Flash Star now. Which one of them do you think will not be able to join the national team in the future?"
Faced with this problem, Ran Jiachang was stunned.
"So can they shoulder the future of Chinese football? If they can't, who should we put our hope in?"
Ran Jiachang remained silent.
"I have been paying attention to this team since the beginning of the Chinese Super League. They have brought something different to our country's football. Although the Chinese Super League has just begun, I dare to assert that this team will also be the first in the Chinese Super League. If they can successfully avoid relegation, I think it will be able to prove Zhao Kangming's success. Is it effective? Maybe more teams will be willing to give young people opportunities? When the entire football environment is tilted towards young people, then there will definitely be more talented young people emerging? Maybe our league can cancel the U23 protection policy at that time..."
As Shi Wuyuan spoke to the end, his voice became lighter and lighter, as if he was flying to the distant future with his thoughts. (End of chapter)