Since serving as the head coach of the Chinese national team, Gao Han's every move can be said to have attracted the attention of the media and fans across the country and even around the world.

Who will play the main force?

What kind of tactics will be used against South Korea and Iran?

How sure are you that you'll be able to get away from the away game?

Will the curse of Koreanophobia continue on Gao Han's body?

……

Many questions hovered in everyone's minds, but Gao Han himself had no answers to them.

Compared with what fans are concerned about, Gao Han pays more attention to the team's run-in and the state of the players, especially the injuries in the team.

Hengda's right-back Zhang Linfan has just returned from injury, how is his state recovering?

In the professional league, nepotism is not a bad thing, but after Gao Han coached the national team, he did not employ people, he paid more attention to the state of the players and whether they could play.

For example, this time he did not recruit Li Xuepeng, who was not in good shape, but recruited Mei Fang.

Among the international players who stayed abroad, Zhao Jun and Wang Lei both performed well in the national team, and they still played in the second team of China City this season, and appeared in the West B League, and there were many opportunities to play.

It can be said that Gao Han's selection and appointment of people has not attracted too much attention.

The question is what kind of lineup will be adopted.

The media have spied on the military situation, some people rumored that Zheng Zhi will withdraw to the central defender position and partner with Feng Xiaoting, and some people say that Zhang Yuning will get the start, replacing Gao Lin and becoming the main center of the national team.

But just when the domestic media was talking about it, the first leg of the AFC Champions League quarterfinals was over, and domestic public opinion was in an uproar again, because the two teams representing the Chinese Super League were sniped by South Korean teams.

Sanggang drew 0-0 at home to Jeonbuk Hyundai, while Lane Neng lost 3-1 away to Seoul.

These two games were hailed by the media of the two countries as warm-up battles for the next World Cup qualifiers, but unexpectedly, the Chinese club team failed to beat the opponent in both games, and Shanggang drew 0-0 at home to Jeonbuk Hyundai, which seemed to be a draw, but in fact it had lost the opportunity.

The setback in the AFC Champions League has made domestic public opinion mournful, and the dark cloud of Koreanophobia hanging over the heads of the Chinese people has once again become dense.

After the first leg of the AFC Champions League, South Korean media interviewed the German head coach of the South Korean national team, Stillik, who was present to watch the game.

The 62-year-old was a German international when he was a player, and after retiring as an assistant coach of the national team, he was twice the head coach of the German national youth team, and then he coached national teams and club teams such as Ivory Coast and Al Arabi, and became the head coach of the South Korean national team in 2014.

Just before the first leg of the AFC Champions League quarterfinals, Stillik had just announced the national team's training squad, but this time they only called up 20 internationals, plus the influence of the league and foreign internationals, the South Korean team will not be able to gather the internationals until August 29, just three days after the first game.

On this point, Stillik confidently says that it is not a problem at all.

'I think three days is enough, we have a clear style of play, and we know the opponent very well, the players have been playing with each other for a long time, and it doesn't make a difference if it's three days or three months for us. ”

When asked by the media about the Chinese team's temporary adjustment of the league schedule and preparation in advance in order to prepare for this game, Stillik said with a smile, "This may be a panic in their hearts." ”

But he quickly added that it was just a joke.

"Gao Han is undoubtedly the best manager in the world, his tactical philosophy is still very advanced even now, but his players may not be able to accept his philosophy, so he needs more time to grind into the team, which I think is understandable, but we don't have that kind of time. ”

Regarding the 2-0 defeat of the Chinese team in last year's East Asian Cup, Stillik said that it was in the past, and the head coach at that time was not Gao Han, but now the Chinese team has made a significant difference.

"In the past few years, the Chinese league has been increasing investment and bringing in strong foreign players, but the level of Chinese players is far from improving, so this does not worry me, but Gao Han, I think he has brought a lot of changes to the team, he is a phenomenal manager. ”

"However, I would like to say that there is a fixed pattern for the growth and improvement of a team, and Gao Han took over in the middle of the game, and he has been training with the team for less than a month so far, so I think it will be difficult for him to bring about a transformation of the team, so I am confident that I can beat the opponent in Seoul. ”

When asked by the Korean media about the glorious history of Gao Han who has never been defeated, Stillik smiled and said that he knew, "But everyone will lose, and Gao Han is no exception, and his brilliant coaching results are the driving force for us to forge ahead, and it is an honor for us to beat Gao Han." ”

For this time South Korea only called up 20 players, Stillik said it was enough.

"We can only play a maximum of 14 players against China, and the remaining six players will be rested, and if there is an injury, we can call up other players on a temporary basis, so I think 20 people are enough for the game, and we will not make any changes to the roster. ”

As for the AFC Champions League quarterfinals in Seoul, Stillik said that he gave confidence to the South Korean national team.

"There is no doubt that this win is wonderful and will make us more confident. ”

In addition to the South Korean coach Stillik expressing confidence, the South Korean media have also used the AFC Champions League to build momentum for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, saying that the Chinese team will suffer another defeat in Seoul, South Korea, and Koreanphobia will continue.

"Three to one, it should be a very reasonable scoreline. ”

In the questionnaire survey conducted on the Korean media website, South Korean fans basically believe that there is basically no big problem in winning the Chinese team, because South Korea has a natural psychological advantage over China, and the key to the question is, how many games can you win?

As a result, the majority of fans think they can win by two goals, followed by those who win three goals, followed by one goal.

As for those who think that the two sides can reach a draw, there are very few of them, let alone being defeated by the Chinese team.

When the news from the South Korean media reached China, it immediately caused an uproar in the country.

On the one hand, domestic fans have complained that Shanggang and Lu Neng are not angry, and they actually lost face for the national team at a critical moment.

But on the other hand, everyone has no bottom in their hearts, South Korea is too strong.

South Korea and Japan are like two mountains weighing on China, bringing countless pains and tears to Chinese fans in the past few decades, as well as deep fear and even powerlessness.

No one is sure about South Korea.

It can be said that Gao Han is the strongest weapon of the current national team, but even so, everyone is still apprehensive.

The reason why Gao Han has been able to create legends again and again is that although the team he coaches is not as good as others, the gap is far less than that between China and South Korea.

Can he really keep his winning streak on the road this time?

Oh, and even just need him to get out of the way.

Not only have the domestic media and fans lowered their expectations for the national team, but even Deputy Director Cai, chairman of the Football Association, came forward to say that the Football Association will not issue any performance requirements for this game, and the only requirement is that the team can play spiritually.

The country's authoritative party journal and party newspaper have also issued articles, calling on domestic fans to be more tolerant of the national football team, hoping that the national team can play easily and strive to play with a mental outlook, even if it is acceptable.

But at the same time, domestic fans are extremely enthusiastic about this game.

This is the first time in the past ten years that the national team has reached the final stage of the World Cup qualifiers, and the venue of the game is in neighboring South Korea.

The match was held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, which can accommodate 66,000 fans, and according to the data released by the Korean Football Association, 45,000 tickets have been sold, of which 15,000 have been bought by fans from China.

Korean Football Association officials predict that together with tourists and Chinese living in South Korea, this highlight match is expected to attract more than 30,000 fans to watch the game, which will occupy half of the stands.

In addition to the fans, there are also 5,000 fans of the Dragons, the official cheering group, who will come to the away stadium wearing the same jersey.

This is not only a contest on the court, but also a contest in the stands, and it is an all-round contest.

After South Korean head coach Stillik was interviewed by the media, Gao Han and the national team declined all interviews and concentrated on preparing for the game, but as the game time approached, there was still news coming out.

First of all, the Football Association arranged that all away games in the top 12 will be chartered to the away game, which is the request of the head coach Gao Han, to provide the best service to the players as much as possible, and reduce the fatigue and accidental injuries caused by the fatigue of the journey.

In terms of food and accommodation, the Football Association has chartered two floors of the Seoul Hilton Hotel, specially arranged independent access channels, and arranged security personnel to guard them 24 hours a day, and the team will bring its own chefs and ingredients to ensure that the players' diets can continue the domestic recipes and avoid unaccustomedness.

Finally, there is the lineup of the outing, there are only 18 players in the game squad, but Gao Han decided that all 25 training players will go away, his intention is very clear, that is, to tell all international players, whether it is to start, or enter the squad, or sit in the stands, the national team is an inseparable whole.

Gao Han's initiative has been supported by the Football Association, and the domestic media and fans have responded.

On the evening of 29 August, after the last training session of the afternoon, the national team took a special plane from Shenyang to Seoul after resting and recuperated, and arrived on time at 10:30 p.m.

At the same time, the international players of the South Korean national team also gathered on the 29th, including well-known international players such as Son Heung-min and Ji Chengyong, who played in Europe.

South Korea's number one star Son Heung-min, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League, said confidently in an interview with South Korean media at Seoul Airport, "We only need three days to run in, this is our home stadium, and it is the first game of the top 12, we will win the Chinese team!"

As for the head coach of the Chinese team, Gao Han, Sun Xingmin said that he had heard the legend of Gao Han, but that was in Europe.

"There is no savior in the football world, and it is impossible for Gao Han to bring much change to the Chinese team in a short period of time, so I am not worried, but I can't wait for the game to come as soon as possible. ”

(End of chapter)