Chapter 21: The Battle for the Negative Squad Leader
Because of the performance of a submersible play, it once again received strong attention from the domestic media, and even since then Granada has had a reporter from China. Pen Γ fun Γ Pavilion www. ο½ο½ο½ο½ο½ο½ γ To be honest, Yan Feng's performance in that game was just a small bright spot in a tragic fiasco for people from other countries. It's nothing compared to the performance of those players in Europe from China's neighbors, Japan and South Korea.
From this point, it can be seen that Chinese football is sad. China can't even find a player who can get ahead in Europe.
In the face of enthusiastic attention from China, Yan Feng was not complacent because of this. He is very self-aware of himself, and he understands that he is currently just a person who has not even mixed up with the main team of the relegation weak. He has no right to be complacent. He needs to sweat more than anyone else to try to improve himself.
Yan Feng didn't pay attention to how those reporters from China reported on him. He buried his head in training in anticipation of trying to keep up with the pace of the players. He immersed himself in special training in the hope that he could continue to improve his ability.
I don't know whether to say that Yan Feng's talent is good, or whether to say that his long passing foundation is too low. In just a week or so, Yan Feng felt that his long passing ability had made good progress.
Of course, this progress is only relative to himself. If you compare it with others, not to mention Modric, take your junior teammate Samper as an example, there is still a big gap. And with such progress, Yan Feng himself is quite satisfied. As long as you can see hope, no matter how much you pay, you will be motivated.
The days of training passed quickly, and more than a week passed like this.
And during this time, in fact, the national team also has competitions. It's just that it's not a major event, but the China Cup that China has done on its own. It may be that Lippi did not recruit Yan Feng to return to China this time out of consideration for training young players.
As for the fact that he was not selected for the national team this time, Yan Feng was actually relieved. Now is the key moment for him to get a foothold in Granada, and if he is called back, he will come back after the game. His goal of fitting in with the team will definitely be delayed for a long time.
It's not that Yan Feng is unwilling to contribute to the country, but such an unimportant game allows him to run back and forth, which is definitely a bad existence for his career. And the biggest lesson from the past is Yao Ming. Even Yao Ming has been dragged down, and people like Yan Feng who are still in the adaptation stage will have to go back to the Super League if they can't do it.
Without these drags, Yan Feng's integration into the team is really getting better and better day by day. And all this makes manager Alcaraz happy. Therefore, in the next La Liga game, Yan Feng was put into the squad by him again.
Yan Feng's entry into the list this time is well deserved. Unlike last time, it was just Alcaraz who got into the squad in order to curry favor with the boss.
Compared with the last time the list was announced, teammates were surprised by Yan Feng's selection. When Yan Feng's name was announced this time, everyone took it for granted.
For entering the list this time, Yan Feng has great expectations. Although he is still a submerged, he is full of enthusiasm for the game this time. He's hungry for a better performance, and he's confident he'll do better this time. The reason is on the opponent in Granada this time.
In the first round of La Liga, Granada's opponent is Osasuna. Osasuna are currently last in the La Liga standings. It is the breast of fish same as Granada.
In fact, Granada and Osasuna can be said to be a pair of difficult brothers, and the other teams will be happy to give away points when they see each other, and the points of the two teams are about the same. Therefore, this one is a veritable battle for the negative squad leader. Whoever loses will be the last one.
"Boys, we've got to win this game. If we want to keep our relegation hopes alive, Osasuna will have to win it. And, today is our home stadium and we can't let the fans down anymore. "Before the game, in the dressing room in Granada, Alcaraz was cheering up the morale of the team.
"Win Osasuna. "We can't let the fans down!" the players said they wanted to win.
"If I can play, I will definitely help the team win. Yan Feng secretly clenched his fists and swore in his heart.
"That's what you have in your eyes. Eyes full of incomparable eagerness for victory. Hold it on, and then go and defeat any enemy that stands in our way. Granada, win!" Alcaraz said with his fists clenched.
"Granada will win!" the players replied.
"Alright. My fighters, go fight now!" Alcaraz waved his players out of the locker room.
Yan Feng followed a group of submersible players to the submersible bench, and then sat there watching others hold the entrance ceremony, watching the game blow in the referee's whistle.
Today, Granada is in a formation of 4231, a balanced formation of attack and defense. Playing in such a formation at home is a sign of Granada's determination to win.
However, Osasuna, who was playing away, discharged a formation like 532. 5 guards, tower-shaped formations, Ming people know at a glance that they are going to defend to the death. And it's still the kind of layered and not afraid of being besieged.
"I'll go, it's clear that I want to defend to the end! It's hard to do now!" Yan Feng couldn't help but shake his head when he looked at the formation his opponent had put up. The last thing you want to see in any game is this kind of opponent who is clear to defend as soon as you come up.
Sure enough, as Yan Feng said, in the face of the Osasuna team that blindly defended, Granada was like a rat biting a turtle - there was nowhere to put its mouth.
In the face of this kind of team that shrinks into defense, even Real Madrid and Barcelona will have a headache when they come. What's more, it's a team like Granada that is weaker in defense and scum.
Granada had some advantage on the pitch but couldn't pose much of a threat to Osasuna's goal.
And so it was. If you keep playing like this, it's going to be too hard to win against them. When 20 minutes passed in the game, Yan Feng couldn't help but sigh. During this time, Granada were unable to break down Osasuna's defence except for a few long-range shots.
Granada wanted to attack, but they didn't have much to do. Osasuna only wanted to defend on the counter-attack, and the occasional counter-attack did not pose much of a threat to the Granada goal. The two sides played like this, playing stalemately, but there was not much excitement to speak of. Before you know it, the first half of the game ended in a dull draw.
Back in the locker room, Alcaraz's brow furrowed. Throughout the first half, Granada's side has tried all kinds of methods, but there is still nothing to do in the face of Osasuna, who is blindly defending.
In fact, focusing on defense often means being beaten passively, but the problem is that Granada does not have the means to break the shell of the opponent's turtle. Alcaraz seems to see the result of this game ending in a dull draw.
A draw is not what he wants. On his home turf, facing the weakest opponent in the entire La Liga, if he can't win the opponent. Wouldn't it be worse to face other stronger opponents?
Alcaraz pondered, but couldn't think of a better way. It's not that his level is not enough, but it's difficult for a woman to cook without rice.
Looking at the head coach's frowning and thoughtful look, the players were also frowning. They also want to win against their opponents, but they just can't do it.
After thinking about it for a while, Alcaraz still didn't come up with a better way. After seeing the dull look of the players, he knew he couldn't continue like this. So, he decided to break the silence: "Guys, in the first half we met a bunch of cowards. They can only shrink back to the defense. They didn't even dare to attack half the court. β
"That's right, they're a bunch of cowards. "These guys who didn't plant. "The players who played last game felt this the deepest. They hate each other like this. So they scolded one after another.
"If they only want to be cowards, then we will fulfill them. Let them be a bunch of failed cowards. We used a more powerful attack in the second half to tell them. When cowards bury their heads, they can't protect their goals. Attack, with more shots. Can they hold once, hold ten, can they hold twenty, or more?" Alcaraz became more agitated the more he spoke.
"That's right. If they want to defend it, then we will attack them until they can't defend it. "Shoot them. "Beat up these cowards who don't have eggs. "The players are also cheering.
"them!" Yan Feng also thought. He also knows that his team doesn't have a lot of attacking ability. There is no other way to break down the opponent's defense than to use more attacks.
With Alcaraz's encouragement, the Granada players have regained some morale. Although he couldn't come up with a better way, he could still have some positive effects by keeping the team in spirit.
"It seems that we, as a coach, still have a set. Especially the grasp of people's hearts. Sure enough, it's an old fritter for relegation!" Yan Feng watched Alcaraz still try his best to improve the fighting spirit of the players, and his heart was still full of appreciation.
The intermission ended quickly. The game resumes.
Granada, back on the field, is once again full of desire to attack. They began to storm the Osasuna defense with a wave of high attacks.
Watching the home team launch a more fierce offensive as soon as the second half came up, the home fans were also excited. "Come on, Granada. "Attack, break their turtle shells. β
In the Granada offensive, Osasuna was like a reef constantly battered by stormy seas, in danger of being swallowed up at any moment. But in this very unfavorable situation, Osasuna just held on.
Osasuna today is just too desperate. They were very tenacious and goal-oriented. They made Granada's attack futile again and again with aggressive defence.
As the saying goes, one go, one go, one go, three and all the best. No matter how strong and fierce the offensive is, once it fails to achieve results for a long time, it will demoralize. But after 60 minutes of the game, Granada's offensive gradually rebounded. Even then, Alcaraz changed two strikers in a row to no avail.
One is discouraged, and the other is that most of the players on the field have consumed a lot of physical energy in the previous continuous strong attack. This has led to a gradual decline in Granada's overall strength.
Osasuna, on the other hand, began to become more active after withstanding Granada's fiercest attack. Especially after they also adjusted some players, the intensity of the counterattack has also increased. There was even a time when he almost broke the Granada goal.
As the clock ticked down, Osasuna's coach GrΓ cia smiled with satisfaction as he saw that he had achieved half of his pre-match goal of keeping the draw.
Seeing that his team was gradually suppressing Granada, Gracia excitedly shouted from the sidelines: "Good job. That's it, hold on. Don't be in a hurry, just attack if you can. We can't attack, and if we draw, we're completely targeted. β
And now, it's Alcaraz's turn to be anxious. Seeing that the situation on the field was reversed, his brows were about to wrinkle.
The manager is in a hurry, and the players on the pitch are even more anxious. And this urgency often leads to problems. When the game came to the 73rd minute, defender Uche was sent off with a red card in a defensive attempt.
This is a real disaster for Granada. In the case of at least one player, let alone want to win, it is good to be able to defend.
Looking at the situation on the pitch that had been turned upside down by the change in numbers, Alcaraz knew it was time to make a decision.
A few minutes later, Alcaraz finally decided to give up on winning after Pereira was booked for a foul forced by a defender.
"All that's left is to keep the home game and not lose. But how do you do it?" Alcaraz began to think about who would go up.
Alcaraz's gaze scanned back and forth as he warmed up. After looking at it for a while, his ascent remained on Yan Feng's body. He remembered that in the last game, Yan Feng's super single defense ability after he came on the court. "Perhaps, let him go up, he should be able to ensure that he does not lose. β
"Well, that's it. Alcaraz made up his mind, and then shouted, "Yan, come here." β
"Yes. Yan Feng hurriedly ran over.
"Oh, Yan Feng is coming. "Great, finally waited for Yan Feng to appear. "Haha, it's on. It must have done a great job. β
In fact, this game has been watched in China. But the dull game, coupled with the not very good situation in Granada, made the people who paid attention to Yan Feng very calm. And when they saw Yan Feng standing next to the coach from the camera, they all cheered. In the eyes of domestic fans who love Yan Feng, it doesn't matter if Granada wins or loses. The important thing is that Yan Feng can play.
In the expectation of all domestic fans, Yan Feng finally stepped onto the court. The opponent didn't care much about his play. And the home team only knows that the team has lost hope of winning.
Although Yan Feng replaced a striker, his position was still a midfielder. It's equivalent to the position of Uche who was sent off before the top dive. The entire Granada formation became 423 strikers.
Seeing this, Osasuna, of course, attacked aggressively. They will not let go of such a rare opportunity. Although they only wanted to take one point at first, now that they have the opportunity to take all three points, how can they let it go?
Osasuna's attack was unprecedentedly fierce, and they thought that Granada, who was missing one man, would definitely be beaten by them and would not be able to fight back. But it soon became clear that it was not that simple. Because Granada's defense has become tougher and more aggressive.
Granada did not want to miss their chance, as they had more troops to attack. They almost all of them made it past half-time. They were going to lay siege to Granada.
Osasuna once again organized the attack, with No. 8 Kosic picking up the ball in the middle. After he took the ball, he didn't pass it immediately, but observed the position of his teammates on the field. Granada's defence is solid, and he can only look for opportunities slowly.
And just as he was looking for an opportunity, just as he was looking to the side, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him. Then, when he couldn't react, he stabbed the ball away.