Chapter 980 Chinese Football Image Spokesperson
Just after the Premier League kicked off first, the major leagues in Europe also blew their whistles to start the game.
The European football season has officially kicked off.
La Liga, Serie A, the Portuguese Super League, the Eredivisie and the Eredivisie 2 all started fighting in the same week.
However, except for Hu Lai, several other Chinese players playing in top leagues were not able to enter the game roster.
Although Chinese fans are looking forward to and anxious, they still need to know: Even if these people perform well in the World Cup, it does not mean that they can conquer the club based solely on their performance in the World Cup.
National team games and club games are inherently two completely different systems.
There has never been a shortage of stories in the intercontinental competition about those who performed mediocrely in the previous leagues, but in the intercontinental competition, they seemed to have divine help and became national heroes.
On the other hand, there are many players who have made great achievements in the national team, become famous in one battle, and are valued by wealthy clubs to buy them at high prices. However, they do nothing in the club and are denounced as "parallel imports".
The vast majority of players are players who need to integrate into the system and have the support of the system to perform well. There are very few players who can adapt to any team and any tactics. Therefore, if the staffing and tactical design of the national team are different from those of the club, it is normal for the same player to perform very differently.
The problems Zhang Qinghuan encountered in Sarria will also be encountered by other international players studying abroad. It’s just that they haven’t worried about this yet—Xia Xiaoyu, Chen Xingyi, and Wang Guangwei still need to start from the bottom.
Except for one person.
After Roquet adapted to Veronica last season, he has already started for Veronica in the first round of the new Eredivisie League season.
Although there were no goals or assists, the performance was remarkable.
As his second season in Europe and his first full season, he is not expected to kill everyone from the start like Hulay.
After seeing what he experienced in Veronica last season, everyone recognized the reality.
I think it is enough for Luo Kai to be able to work steadily in Veronica, step by step, and walk in a down-to-earth manner.
As for the statistics of goals and assists, it will come naturally if you can establish a firm foothold, so there is no need to worry. After all, as a forward, if Luo Kai never scores a goal or assists, how can he possibly gain a foothold in the team?
On the other hand, as long as he really establishes his footing, he will have all the goals and assists he should have.
Those who think that Luo Kai has scored goals in the World Cup and has half a year of experience in the Eredivisie should go to the Eredivisie League. Otherwise, even if the performance is bad, they are obviously not the ones who really support Luo Kai. They are more just watching the excitement and eating the melons. Just the masses.
Such people currently do not constitute the majority, and the voices they make are minimal.
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The new season has just begun, and there is actually no difference between now and last season - Hu Lai is still the only person who can truly represent the image and face of Chinese football in European football.
Three days after the first round, the second round of the Premier League begins.
Leeds City is still at home, facing the challenge of newly promoted Helmer.
In fact, Helmer was also a Premier League team before. They were relegated from the Premier League in the 2024-2025 season. Hulay first arrived that season and only played for half a season, helping Leeds City successfully avoid relegation.
Helmer only accumulated 26 points after thirty-eight league rounds and was tragically relegated. Of course, they are not the worst. The worst thing was Hudes who ranked last in that season - they only won three games, drew seven games, lost 28 games throughout the season, and scored the fewest goals in the Premier League. Falling into the Championship with 16 points.
Hudes never came back after this fall, and Helmer was promoted again after playing in the British Championship for a season.
So from this perspective, Helmer cannot be simply understood as an ordinary newly promoted player.
Returning to the Premier League this time, the slogan Helmer shouted up and down was "Let's stay here." This shows that they are still very confident in the success of relegation.
However, in the first round of the league, they lost 0:3 against Battleship Port at home. It seems that the road to relegation in the new season is not easy...
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Leeds got off to a great start.
Unlike the last game where Woldhampton's strong defense limited it to score, this time they took the lead within the first five minutes.
The goal was scored by captain Lorenzo.
After receiving a pass from Charlie Potter, he scored with a header.
Although he is older, Lorenzo's header ability is still there.
Since the new aid Lasky has not yet integrated into the team, in the first two rounds of the league, the veteran captain Lorenzo was still the starting partner with Hulay.
He also used this header to score his first goal in the new Premier League season.
He also used this goal to tell everyone that the club made the right decision to renew his contract. He is definitely not the kind of "mascot" who can only wave a towel on the bench and cheer for his teammates.
As captain, he can still contribute to the team on the pitch.
Leeds City, who took the lead early, took the initiative in the game. They launched attacks on Helmer's goal many times.
This is exactly what Leeds City is good at - using continuous attacks to put continuous pressure on the opponent and force the opponent to make mistakes, so that Leeds City can get opportunities.
Their offensive worked:
In the 35th minute, Helmer's Polish midfielder Hubert Tupai accidentally blocked Kamara's cross directly into his own goal.
Own goal!
Leeds City took a two-goal lead before the first half was over!
The Flanders Stadium was filled with cheers.
Leeds City also relaxed significantly after taking a two-goal lead.
They adjusted themselves, and their offensive was not as fierce as before. Even if they had the ball, they did not rush forward, but fell back in the midfield. After all, if I keep playing like this, my physical fitness will not be able to sustain it.
So it’s normal to slow down and adjust.
But they seemed to have accidentally relaxed too much - in the 41st minute, Leeds City's defense also made a mistake.
While defending, Ben Grist accidentally knocked the football into his own goal.
Returned an own goal to Helmer!
Ben Grist, who scored an own goal, covered his face with his hands and looked in pain.
So at the end of the first half, the score was 2:1, with Leeds City leading at home.
But because of Ben Grist's own goal, it didn't feel as good as ending the first half 2:0.
Losing the ball in this way is a blow to the morale of Leeds City players.
Helmer, on the other hand, had their morale restored.
At halftime, facing Ben Grist who blamed himself, Clark did not blame him, but encouraged him.
Then, substitution adjustments were made, and winger Jack Walsh, who had just transferred from Liverpool United in the summer, came on as a substitute to replace midfielder Jose Vieira.
Push Kamara to the front line and form a left-leaning forward combination with Hulay and Lorenzo.
At the same time, let Walsh who comes on the field play as the left midfielder-Walsh is versatile with both left and right feet and can play on both sides, which is more comprehensive than Charlie Porter who can only play on the right side.
This substitution adjustment is to continue to strengthen the team's offense.
Obviously, in Tony Clark's view, the last goal conceded in the first half was a wake-up call for him - even a two-goal lead is not safe!
Therefore, we must continue to strengthen our offense in the second half and strive to score more goals.
The purpose of replacing Walsh is to strengthen the wing attack and provide more crosses for Lorenzo in the center, whether he directly headers the ball or passes it to others.
As for defense... Substitute midfielder Vieira in the midfield, and there are still two players, Jay Adams and Salif Seydoux, so there shouldn't be any big problem.
So in the second half, the Leeds City players stepped back onto the court with the coach's instructions for them to "continue attacking."
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The effect of replacing Walsh was immediate.
After Kamara was pushed forward, he used his speed and skills to directly threaten Helmer's goal.
At the same time, Walsh formed a trio with Kamara and Quinn on the left, and they could take turns attacking Helmer's defense on this side.
Finally, just five minutes into the second half, Walsh and Quinn played a one-two and then sent a cross near the baseline.
Lorenzo attracted the attention of Helmer's defender in front of the goal and created an opportunity for Hulay to run into space.
Walsh's ball accurately passed into the open space in front of the goal. Hu Lai stabbed out diagonally and kicked the ball towards the goal!
Although Helmer goalkeeper Clement Arnette fought hard to save, he was still unable to deal with Hulay's shot from the small penalty area line. He didn't even touch the ball, but just threw it into a ball of air...
The football has flown into his goal!
"Hu——!" Matthew Cox shouted, "The second goal of the season! He has scored in two consecutive games in the new season! It is also his ninth consecutive league game to score goals across the season! In addition, in the summer Walsh, who moved to Leeds City, also received his first assist in his new team! ”
After scoring the goal, Hulay first ran to the corner flag area and made his signature celebration, then hugged Walsh who came up, laughed and patted him on the shoulder and back.
Seeing this scene, He Feng laughed and said: "Walsh is lucky to be a teammate with Hu Lai. I think he will definitely have assists this season, ha!"
Walsh felt the same way.
He and Hu Lai were rivals last season. This summer, he heard that Leeds City was interested in him and he agreed to transfer without hesitation.
Quite simply, as an offensive midfielder who is good at creating opportunities on the wing, being able to cooperate with a forward who has an excellent ability to seize opportunities will definitely be of great benefit to his career.
It can be said that the reason why he came to Leeds City was that the title of Premier League champion was not that attractive to him.
After all, the Premier League championship was won before he came and does not belong to him. With the strength of Leeds City, it is also very difficult to win another league championship in the Premier League with so many strong players. So if it is for the Premier League honor, he should not come to Leeds City...
He chose Leeds City largely because of Hulay.
Any offensive player will like to be teammates with a player like Hu Lai who does not occupy the ball, is excellent at seizing opportunities, and can always convert your passes into goals.
Wales fringe international Jack Walsh is no exception.
With his performance in Leeds City, he may be able to consolidate his position in the Welsh national team... (End of chapter)