Chapter 368: It’s an honor to lose, review after the game
Although this is not the first time they have lost.
However, the loser this time is not the league or the Europa League that happens every year.
It’s the European Cup that happens every four years!
If you are eliminated, you will have to wait another four years before you can play on such a stage again.
Moreover, seeing the European Cup final just ahead, they had the upper hand and were dragged into a penalty shootout by their opponents, ultimately losing the game.
This process and the result left Ling Feng with mixed feelings.
Regret? Not willing to give in? Disappointed?
Both.
The key is that he tried his best in this game.
However, football is a team sport.
The reason for losing the game cannot be summarized in just a few words.
The reason why this game was lost can be said to be that the teammates were spitting cakes like crazy and failed to seize Ling Feng and created many excellent opportunities;
It can be said that the team's defense was not stable enough. , unable to limit Ronaldo's two goals;
It can also be said that head coach Hodgson's tactics are very conservative. Why not play a more aggressive 442 and send both Kane and Vardy as forwards? Come on;
It can even be said that Portugal's bus was too ugly and its counterattack was too reliable;
It can even be said that Rooney missed the key penalty kick, ruining the team's efforts in the entire game.
But Losing means losing.
No matter how many excuses and reasons there are, it will not affect the outcome of the loser.
However, how to treat failure is more important!
Someone once said that it is not that people always like to impose depressing plots in football stories, but that every teenager needs to climb one mountain after another before stepping onto the stage that he has longed for countless times in his dreams!
And this head-on confrontation with Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the highest mountains that Ling Feng must climb.
It’s just that the first attempt to climb over failed.
Success is just accidental, failure is the normal state of life!
Looking at Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates in the distance, Ling Feng's eyes slowly glowed with a more determined light.
Besides, isn't this what he has always dreamed of? !
You know, many people don’t even have the chance to challenge Ronaldo head-on.
And not only did he stand in front of Ronaldo, he was just a little bit close to defeating him!
Although defeated, it is still glorious!
Besides, if Cristiano Ronaldo would be defeated so easily, he would not be the last Mr. Ballon d’Or in the Premier League, the top scorer in Real Madrid’s history, and the unparalleled twins in football.
You know, this Portuguese is the player with the most desire to win in football!
No one!
Although I lost this time.
But next time, he firmly believes that he will climb this mountain called "Cristiano Ronaldo" with an even stronger attitude!
. . .
As the Portuguese players bid farewell to their victory, the English players could only come to the pure white stands with a heavy heart to express their gratitude to the fans.
After completing the last interaction with the fans in this European Cup, everyone returned to the player tunnel and the locker room.
Except Rooney.
As the captain, he took the initiative to accept the responsibility for interviews after the game.
In front of the media, Rooney also took responsibility and took over the responsibility for the elimination:
"The boys played great, especially Ling Feng, who has become the team's most trustworthy player. But the team cannot go further, and as the captain and the person who missed the penalty, I have to take responsibility for that. "
"Although we are disappointed with the result of the game, we are also pleased with the team's process and performance. As the youngest team in this European Cup, we played our own football and style. ,"
"I firmly believe that the team has a bright future!"
When he said this, the lonely expression on Rooney's face was also a bit heartbreaking.
Anyone who has watched the game can see that Rooney's influence on the game has seriously declined when he is on the court.
He doesn't know if he will be in the team's future plans after this European Cup.
At the post-match press conference, Hodgson also highly praised the team's performance and expressed his gratitude for the team's performance. Rooney eased the pressure of public opinion:
“Even a great striker like Roberto Baggio misses penalties.”
“Wayne is our captain and our leader. . Without him, the team would not be where it is now.”
“It’s my problem that the team is out, the team has done a great job.”
As a wandering coach, Hodgson is very aware of the virtues of the British media.
In the 1998 World Cup, Beckham's red card made him the sinner of England.
The media's verbal criticism almost destroyed this outstanding young man who would become the captain in the future.
If at that time, without the careful protection of Ferguson and the team, as well as the support of his coaches and teammates, Beckham might have gone silent.
Perhaps there would not have been the Red Devils and Manchester United's Triple Crown a year later, and there would not have been the free kick against Greece in 2001 that lifted England into the World Cup.
Therefore, in order to protect Rooney and this young team, Hodgson also took the initiative to take responsibility.
Of course, as the team coach, Hodgson has also been questioned by the British media:
For example, why not use Kane, why not form 442, and let Ling Feng play from the beginning Right winger, etc.
In this regard, the experienced Hodgson also answered one by one.
After the post-match time was spent in silence, the Three Lions took a shower and changed clothes, then silently walked out of the illuminated stadium and boarded the team bus.
On the way back to the hotel, the car was quiet.
Wearing headphones and sitting quietly on the window seat, Ling Feng looked at the scenery outside the window and the Portuguese fans celebrating in the streets from time to time. He couldn't help but start to look back on his first European Cup trip.
In fact, from the beginning, he really never thought that England could reach the semi-finals.
This England team, to put it mildly, relies entirely on their own offense, and relies solely on their numbers for defense.
Without itself, England's offense simply cannot suppress its opponents.
The already unreliable defense will also be put under greater pressure, resulting in more goals conceded.
Indeed.
As Ling Feng's strength and reputation have grown, he has transformed from the little butterfly he was at the beginning into a big butterfly that can influence the Three Lions' tactical system and the outcome of the game!
It was precisely because of the emergence of Ling Feng that Hodgson did not make any weird maneuvers such as asking Kane to take a corner kick, nor did he fall to Iceland in an upset in the quarter-finals.
But Belgium, which completely defeated Northern Ireland and defeated the golden generation, reached the semi-finals of the European Cup again after 20 years, tying its best record in recent decades!
Although they finally fell at the feet of Portugal, led by Ronaldo, they stopped in the semi-finals.
However, with such a lineup, such results are beyond expectations.
If Ling Feng hadn’t carried him throughout the whole process and tried his best, England would never have gotten this far!
But after all, he is just a person.
Football is a sport for eleven people, sometimes even fourteen.
Of course, it is difficult to accept that we lost to Portugal, our old enemy, in a penalty shootout again.
Whether it is the players, the fans, or the media who are never afraid of making big things happen.
It is foreseeable that the British football world will be very lively tomorrow.
Rooney, the only captain who missed a penalty kick, will inevitably become the target of media bombardment.
Just like Beckham who also missed a penalty kick 12 years ago and became a criminal of the country
. . .
After dragging his tired body back to the hotel, the chairman of the Football Association, Dyke, came to greet him with a group of staff. It seemed that the FA spokesman was very happy and smiling.
In fact, I am really happy.
Speaking of wanting to win the championship is just talk in front of the public and the media.
Although they were eliminated by Portugal again, they still did not break the penalty kick curse.
But the performance of being able to reach the semi-finals, and even almost reaching the final, has met the expectations of the Football Association.
After all, there are too many young players in this young Three Lions team.
And most of them are participating in the European Cup for the first time and have a serious lack of experience in competitions.
Two years later, when talented young people like Ling Feng, Kane, Sterling, Dell and Ali have grown up, I can’t imagine how strong this new Three Lions team is!
Therefore, the Football Association is also relatively satisfied with Hodgson's coaching results.
After having a sumptuous dinner together, FA Chairman Dyke and head coach Hodgson also took the stage to give speeches.
It’s nothing more than those clichés of recognition and encouragement.
Finally, the England generals also returned to their respective rooms and began to digest this cup tour.
When I returned to the room, it was already nine o'clock in the evening.
After the game, Ling Feng's cell phone received many text messages from friends, as well as comforting calls from his parents and girlfriend.
However, just when he was about to chat with Vardy and review the situation, Mourinho actually called him personally!
“Hello, Ling?”
“José?”
“It’s me.”
Ling Feng originally thought that Mourinho called to comfort his injured little heart, and then to promote Manchester United by the way.
As a result, Uncle Psy called, not to comfort him, but to start reviewing the game with him!
First of all, Mourinho expressed his respect for Hodgson's coaching level.
Then, he changed the topic and suggested that Hodgson’s usage of Ling Feng was wrong:
“If I were the head coach of England, I would establish you as the team’s leader both on and off the field. Tactics are absolutely core.”
"No matter how senior the other players are or how high their status in the locker room is, you are the only core player on the field!"
"Everyone else must play around you!"
As today's football Ling Feng was flattered by the recognition from Mourinho, one of the best head coaches in the world.
In fact, in the game against Portugal, among the starting players in the frontcourt, apart from Vardy who volunteered to give Ling Feng space and movement, Rooney and Sterling were actually somewhat competing for credit. .
Sterling is better, Ling Feng's tactical status and reputation in the team are higher than him.
At most, he could not make a breakthrough, so he quickly passed the ball back to Ling Feng, allowing him to organize the attack and also run and pull.
The key lies in Rooney!
As the captain and right winger, Rooney, who was supposed to create space for Ling Feng, became the terminator with the most shots among the frontcourt players!
Although among the front four, Rooney's shooting skills are second only to Vardy.
However, the more he wanted to prove himself in this game, the more unstable he became.
In addition, when he saw Ronaldo scoring a goal, he became even more anxious and wanted to counterattack with a goal.
You know, Rooney must be on the list of players who are least willing to lose to Ronaldo in the world.
However, his persistence dragged down the team's offensive rhythm.
If Rooney had been replaced earlier, and then replaced with Lingard, who is more willing to push and pull, it would increase the vitality of the frontcourt attack.
Then, both Ling Feng and Vardy will be able to get more space and opportunities to directly attack the goal!
However, Hodgson replaced Sterling with Sturridge, who was more independent and needed the ball more.
In short, a big solo guy replaced a little solo guy.
In this way, the offensive tacit understanding and cooperation in the frontcourt become more independent.
We can only rely on Ling Feng and Sturridge to blast from both sides to create opportunities.
This is also the reason why Vardy had almost no chance to touch the ball at that time.
Coupled with Danny Rose's unexpected injury, Hodgson was forced to use up his last substitution.
Otherwise, replacing Vardy with Kane and then retreating to cooperate with Ling Feng can still create some opportunities.
In short, after so many years, Daying finally had a serious organizational midfielder in Ling Feng, but Hodgson did not let others completely play around him.
Moreover, Ling Feng has to play the three roles of attacking midfielder, winger and forward on the court.
It is necessary to organize and dispatch with the ball, but also to discern the gaps in the opponent's defense and deliver threatening balls;
He also had to pick up the ball and explode on the wing, roam around to meet his teammates, and even hit the goal to complete the follow-up shot.
If his endurance had not reached 91, he would not have been able to last until overtime or even the penalty shootout. !
After bluntly analyzing the reasons and details of England's defeat, Mourinho also analyzed where Portugal won.
Although Portugal's paper strength is not as good as England's, their tactics are pragmatic, which is to focus on defensive counterattacks and let Ronaldo complete the final blow.
Others either defended and intercepted, or passed to Ronaldo.
The core idea of the tactic is to seize the ball in the backcourt and let Ronaldo handle it!
Then others either create space for Ronaldo or feed him the ball.
Sometimes, simple tactics are the most effective!
Finally, Mourinho did not forget to give Ling Feng some advice:
“Ling, you are still too selfless!”
"If you want to lead the team to victory and compete for the Ballon d'Or, you must be more selfish in front of the goal!"
"Also, I noticed that your left foot is still not as good as last season. Progress."
"You know, the ability to reverse the foot is an important factor that restricts you from being able to be restricted. Look at Cristiano, he can shoot high-quality shots with both feet."< br>
“I suggest you learn from him and practice your left foot every day.”
After chatting with Ling Feng for more than an hour, Mourinho hung up the phone without any satisfaction.
However, until the end, Mourinho did not show any intention of letting Ling Feng join Manchester United.
For Ling Feng, Mourinho's actions moved him very much.
However, what he didn’t expect was that as soon as Mourinho left, another unexpected phone call came:
“Buenasnoches (Good evening), here. It’s Perez”
(End of this chapter)