Can the Chinese team win the championship? This seems to be an issue that should not be too entangled. Nowadays, the strong Chinese team has long been considered one of the favorites to win the championship, due to China's record in recent years, it has rarely eaten defeats and gained a lot of FIFA points, and FIFA has also set the Chinese team as the first team, which is commonly known as the seeded team. China is also seeded by seven other teams: Russia, Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Belgium and France.

In the group grouping, the Chinese team was divided into Group H, with Poland, Senegal and Colombia, from the perspective of strength, the Chinese team is not a problem to qualify, with their strength, it is not surprising to get the first place in the group.

But whether to win the first place or not is not up to the fans and the media, the key depends on the performance of the players on the field. However, An Rong, as the head coach of the team, can do a little bit on this and decide as much as possible whether to compete for the top spot in this group.

And An Rong is thinking about this at the moment.

The players had just finished their morning training, and An Rong stayed in the office, with his back to the sofa, his hands on his head, looking at the ceiling. Song Weifeng walked in and asked, "What's the matter, Anzhi, thinking about the afternoon training?"

"No, I'm thinking about the opponents we might face in the World Cup. ”

Song Weifeng sat down, An Rong stood up, and said, "Old Song, we can make a hypothesis first." ”

"What assumption?"

"Assuming we have a smooth journey, you see," An Rong pointed to the "Sports Weekly" on the table, and the top page of the group is the grouping situation: "We are in Group H, according to the matchup situation, after we qualify from the group, the opponent will be one of the teams in Group G, and Group G has two strong teams, Belgium and England, from my personal point of view, whether it is Belgium or England in the round of 16, there is not much difference." Of course, on paper, I think Belgium is a little bit stronger. ”

Glancing at Song Weifeng, An Rong said: "If we can get the first place, then we will be divided into the second half; if we can pass the top 16, then in the top eight, we may meet Germany; if we can pass the top eight, we should meet one of Spain, Portugal, and Argentina in the semi-finals." ”

Speaking of which, An Rong didn't say anything, Song Weifeng asked: "What about the finals, who are you most likely to meet?"

"Brazil or France!" after a pause, he added, "Not necessarily." If you look at the situation in this group, Group B is the most variable, Spain and Portugal are in a group, and judging by the matchups, they may even meet in the final. ”

Song Weifeng said: "Then what will happen if we take the second place in the group and be assigned to the first half of the district?"

"I've thought about this question too, let's skip the round of 16, no surprise, it's England or Belgium. When it comes to the quarterfinals, Brazil is the most likely. No, no, not possible, for sure! Definitely Brazil! The semi-finals are a bit more complicated, and our potential opponents should be France, Spain, Portugal. The main thing is that Group B is unpredictable, and no matter which half we are in, it is theoretically possible to meet them, including in the final!"

Song Weifeng sighed: "There is no weak team. ”

"So I thought about it and decided to try to win the group. Judging from the historical display data, only the team that wins the group will have a better chance of winning the championship. ”

"Winning the championship......" Song Weifeng read these words softly.

An Rong looked at him and asked, "What's wrong?"

"No, it's just that I never thought that the Chinese team would have the ability to compete for the championship in the World Cup. ”

"The country has long been yelling at us to take the Hercules Cup home. And the odds of winning the championship have also come out, and we are in first place!"

"It's incredible. Four years ago, we could not have imagined that the Chinese team would have so many high hopes. Song Weifeng glanced at An Rong as he spoke, and asked, "An Zhi, what if we don't win the championship?"

An Rong was silent for a moment before he said, "I was talking to Chairman Guo last month about this issue, and we also talked about this. I hinted at the time that if I didn't win the title, I would resign as head coach of the national team. ”

Song Weifeng had already guessed this statement in advance, but when An Rong said it himself, he was still a little surprised in his heart: "That...... Did Chairman Guo understand your hint?"

"Yes, he heard that. ”

"And what does he think?"

"He thinks the same way as me, if he can't win the championship, he, the head of the Football Association, won't do it. An Rong said and made a pot of tea and looked at Song Weifeng: "You also know his character, the reason why he wants to be the chairman of the Football Association is not to want any rights, but to really do something for Chinese football." ”

"Definitely. I know this very well. ”

"You know very well what the general environment in China is like. Guo Fan has made achievements over the years, and many people are jealous of him, but they can't find any place to discredit him. So what if there is no champion? And that's where those guys' chances come. That's why Guo Fan has the same thoughts as me. ”

Song Weifeng didn't speak, as if he was pondering something. An Rong asked, "What about you, what are we going to do if we really get nothing?"

Song Weifeng smiled bitterly: "You all go, I will definitely leave too, what's the point of staying?"

An Rong smiled and didn't speak.

An Rong's meaning is obvious, the lineup of this Chinese team is too strong, and it is rare throughout the history of the World Cup. In addition, most of these players have played together since the National Olympic team, and many of them were teammates when they were students, and their familiarity and tacit understanding with each other are far beyond the reach of other countries. is such a strong team, if he really can't win the championship, An Rong will feel that he has no shame to stay in the position of head coach.

Besides, who doesn't want a championship? Especially the traditional powerhouses. Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, France, Germany and other teams, who is not aiming for the championship?

An Rong made two cups of tea and took a sip of himself, Song Weifeng asked again: "If you can win the championship, will An Rong have any ideas and plans?"

An Rong put the teacup on the table and said, "Then bring it to the next World Cup." ”

"Okay, I'll follow Ann to the next one!"

An Rong laughed and said: "Old Song, in fact, what I really can't bear is not the head coach position of this national team, but these players. Every one of them was personally selected by me, and when several of them were amateur players, they played under me and worked together for so many years, how could I be so easy to let go? So, in order to continue to live with them, only the championship is a valid reason. ”

Song Weifeng patted An Rong's shoulder and said, "An Zhi, I believe these young men understand your hard work." I also believe that they will not let each and every one of us down. ”

(End of chapter)