Chapter 22: The Start!
That choice is Fan Bizhuang.
Although he has only been selected for the national team for a short time and Van Bizhuang has never started a major international tournament, there are still some doubts about how he will perform in major tournaments, but the reality has left him with no choice.
He could only entrust Fan Bizhuang with a heavy responsibility.
Of course, he could also choose to reuse Llorente or Pedro for the next game, but he would prefer to trust the two fringe strikers of the national team, despite being a newcomer.
The reason is simple, Fan Bizhuang is the winner of the Golden Boot in La Liga for two consecutive seasons, and his individual combat ability is undoubtedly the top in the entire national team. And judging by his past history with Villarreal and Real Madrid, he is also a player who can perform well in the team system.
There is another reason, Fan Bizhuang is his predecessor Aragonenest meant to leave him a "precious wealth", the reason why the first group stage was not used, Bosque is also worried that Fan Bizhuang and the team's run-in and integration is not enough, for Fan Bizhuang's future, he has no doubts, but at the moment, he hesitates.
But now, there is nothing to hesitate about, the strikers who can take on the heavy responsibility are only Torres and Fan Bizhuang, the former's form is still very average, so the hope of destroying the city for the team can only fall on Fan Bizhuang's head.
Spain can't afford to lose, and if they can't get three points in their next group game, the new European champions are likely to be eliminated early.
If they want to stay in South Africa and stay on the World Cup stage, Spain must win the next game against Honduras, and to win the game, they must score goals, and the La Liga Golden Boot for two consecutive years is the object that Bosque can only rely on.
In the match with the Swiss team, Bosque has paid an irreparable price for his conservatism and hesitation, and when he and the team have no way out, Bosque can only let go of his burden and fight against the water.
In the team training match the next day, Bosque signaled very directly that Fan Bizhuang and the main players were in a group.
The decision left the internationals stunned, and they all knew what it meant, and it was almost certain that Van Bizhuang would be part of the starting line-up for the next game against Honduras.
The reaction of the internationals to the decision was mixed.
Some people feel that the manager's decision is too hasty, after all, Van Bizhuang is a newcomer to the national team, without any qualifications, nor has he had any convincing performance in the tournament, and he has performed well in the warm-up match against Belgium, but there is no comparison between the warm-up match and the World Cup.
There are also people who like it, such as Real Madrid players, as well as some players from Villarreal such as Cazorla. They have all been teammates with Fan Bizhuang in the club, and they are very convinced of his ability, to be honest, in their opinion, Fan Bizhuang's ability is complete Torres and Villa in all aspects, there was no such person in the national team before, and now Fan Bizhuang is already in the team, so it is not an exaggeration to occupy a starting striker's place. Although he is a newcomer to the national team, Fan Bizhuang is obviously more capable, and he has no problem as the team's starting striker.
There are also some people who are very resentful of Fan Bizhuang's "upper position", the representative figures are Llorente, Pedro and other players in the same position, their national team resume is not excellent, but compared to Fan Bizhuang, it is an old-timer and old qualification, so they think they are the best choice other than Torres and Villa.
As a result, the head coach directly raised a recruit to the top position, how to think about it, how to go wrong, but this is the will of the head coach, and they have no way to disobey it, so they have to hold their breath in their hearts, determined to give the other party a little color in the team competition, so that Fan Bizhuang knows that in the national team, his ranking can only be behind them.
What is surprising is that the Barcelona players, who are known to be at odds with the Real Madrid camp, are also supportive of the manager's decision. Barcelona boss Puyol also congratulated Fan Bizhuang, who got the red main vest, and Xavi and Iniesta also exchanged a few words with him.
This kind of style is a little incomprehensible, doesn't it mean that Real Madrid and Barcelona are rivals? Aren't you old and dead and don't get along, and if you can't get in touch, you won't get in touch?
Now they are talking happily and happily, what is this for?
Whether he is satisfied or dissatisfied with this decision, and whether he has doubts in his heart, Fan Bizhuang's ascension is already an established fact, and no one can change it.
……
After the day's intra-team training match, the entire training ground was silent.
The score of 6:1 was displayed on the scoreboard on the sidelines, so bright red and glaring.
Everyone was shocked by this score, and of course, they could only have nothing to say about Fan Bizhuang, the protagonist who created this "massacre".
Regardless of whether he agreed or was dissatisfied, after this training match, Fan Bizhuang convinced everyone with his excellent form and super scoring ability.
In this training match, the red team, which symbolizes the main side, defeated the green team with a score of 6:1, six goals, five of which Van Bizhuang was directly involved in, of which four were directly scored, and he also assisted Torres to score a goal.
Four goals, one assist, in the face of such statistics, everyone can only lose their voices.
"Well done! Fan"
"I knew you were an unusual player, but I didn't expect you to be so special that you were left to admire! Four goals, that's amazing! ”
"Happy seniors! It's just a match, but with such a performance, I'll see who can have a different opinion! Hmph, if anyone is not convinced, then you will score so many goals for me to see! ”
A group of teammates who were good friends with Fan Bizhuang all gathered around and sent congratulations and blessings to Fan Bizhuang. Puyol and Xavi and others are also among them, especially Xavi and Iniesta, both of them have a satisfied look on their faces, how good Fan Bizhuang is, and Villarreal and Real Madrid have played many times They are very clear, but what they didn't expect is that Fan Bizhuang's performance and ability are still beyond theirs, and Fan Bizhuang fights side by side, it's not too cool, every intention and every pass, the other party can understand in advance, and just appear in the most suitable position.
The happiest thing about a good passer is that someone can understand him.
Those who feed the bread and eat the bread are always interdependent.
Obviously, Van Bizhuang is an extremely good eater, which makes Xavi and Iniesta and others very comfortable, and they will feel that their efforts have existential meaning and value.
Fan Bizhuang is also very excited, the Spanish national team was originally based on Barcelona and Real Madrid, he is a Real Madrid player, and he is no stranger to Barcelona's tactical play, after all, he was born in La Masia, so his integration into the team is not sluggish at all, perfect.
He is also full of expectations for the passing skills of Xavi and Andres Iniesta, at club level, they compete with each other, but in the national team, they can be strong together, side by side.
The combination of the most powerful midfielder and the best shooting machine will undoubtedly explode with unparalleled power.
Several players who had previously been the main striker of the next team who Fan Bizhuang would be the main striker of the next game were a little embarrassed and embarrassed at this time, they had doubts about Fan Bizhuang, and they didn't think about it, and the other party immediately responded with practical actions, and such a response made them speechless.
Fabregas took off the green vest on his body, held it in his hand, and looked at Fan Bizhuang, who was surrounded by everyone, with both emotion and envy in his eyes.
He suddenly remembered what Fan Bizhuang said on the sideline bench in the last game, "If I become a starter, then I will not give up this position again!" ”
"Won't you let it out again? Perhaps. ”
Fabregas shook his head again and smiled wryly.
……
Losing in the first round and the team's main striker was injured and was exempted, the Spanish team faced a difficult dilemma from the beginning of this World Cup trip in South Africa.
And Fan Bizhuang's upper position, and showed a strong competitive state and scoring ability, which is undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the slightly low morale of the Spanish team, with such a terrifying goal machine, the players for the next game, gradually regained confidence.
Of course, confidence is one thing, whether this confidence can be sustained and transformed into one victory after another, that still needs to be tested by the actual test of the game.
Time slipped through quickly amid criticism and skepticism, and a week later, the Spanish team turned the battlefield and arrived at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
Their opponent in this round of the group stage, the Honduran national team from Central and North America, also descended on the venue.
In the first round of Group H, Spain and Honduras were both disappointed, with the former losing 0:1 to the "underdog" Switzerland, while the latter also lost 0:1 to Chile in South America.
Both teams are tied for third (fourth) place in the group, both with zero points and a clean sheet.
For these two teams, this game is undoubtedly extremely important, both of them lost the first game, which means that they are no longer eligible to make mistakes again, and whoever loses again will almost be able to declare the end of this World Cup journey in advance.
Of course, considering the strength of the two teams and their past records, the Spanish team is undoubtedly the more favored side.
However, the truth that football is round has been verified once in the Spanish team, and in this game, no one dared to issue too absolute "pre-game predictions".
Many fans and professional football commentators are speculating about what kind of formation the Spanish national team will arrange and what tactics it will choose to try to win.
Some people speculate that the Spanish team will still choose an offensive tactical style of play, and some people expect that after suffering the loss of the Swiss team's defensive counterattack, the Spanish team will also take care of defense while attacking, and their back line can no longer withstand the blow.
There are many discussions, and there are different opinions.
Near the start of the game, when the Spanish team's starting 11 list was announced, it immediately caused an uproar.