After returning to Porto, after not staying for a few days, Lao Lei will leave Porto again, because when the time comes for the national team break, the Portuguese national team will regroup and play two warm-up matches. Compared with the last warm-up match with a similar selection nature, this time it seems much more formal. Big stars such as Figo and Rui Costa were all on the field. However, compared with the lineup of the 02 World Cup, this time the lineup of the national team has changed greatly, and a series of veterans such as Couto, Jorge, Xavier, etc. have not been selected, and the Portuguese media have also called this national team the beginning of a grape flavor renewal.

Portugal's two warm-up opponents are Brazil and Poland. As the host country and host of the next European Championship, Portugal does not need to bother to compete for a place in the European Championship finals. Therefore, although the match with Poland is nominally a group stage of the European Championship qualifiers, its nature is no different from the nature of the warm-up match.

The warm-up match of the Portuguese national team this time is undoubtedly the main battle between Rui Costa and Deco, although Rui Costa is undoubtedly the best candidate in terms of qualifications. However, due to the increase in the age of Rui Costa in recent years, the increase in injuries, and the ups and downs of his form, Deco is not without a competitive force in the eyes of the outside world. However, due to Rui Costa's long-term popularity in the team, as well as his popularity and image among national team fans, the outside world is still debating Deco's entry into the Portuguese national team. However, the outside world believes that this warm-up game will slowly determine the position of Portugal's main forward.

However, due to the large number of Porto in the Portuguese national team at present, Deco does not have to worry about someone deliberately looking for trouble for him in the national team. At present, the entire central midfield of Portugal is almost all Porto's personnel. With this backpad, plus this is definitely the last European Cup for Figo and others. No one will openly disrupt the unity of the team and provoke infighting, and Deco and Rui Costa will fight for the main midfield. However, it is well maintained at the level of healthy competition.

First up was the warm-up match against Brazil. To deal with such a warm-up match, the Brazilian team will definitely not call in those big-name superstars, for them such a game is only used to examine newcomers, most of the recruits are newcomers from the domestic league and players who have not yet played in Europe, and they don't even have Kaka. Such a Brazilian team, which is equivalent to the second tier, is undoubtedly the best warm-up opponent for Portugal, which will not consume too much strength, and at the same time has a little strength. Born to be a good object for military training. At first, Lao Lei was afraid that Deco would face the Brazilian team in the first game, but what he didn't expect was that Deco had already prepared for it. Looking at his mental state, there shouldn't be too many problems, Lao Lei thought in his heart.

Scolari still had Rui Costa in the starting line against Brazil. Old Ray looked at Deco worriedly, and saw his teammates winking at him, signaling to reassure him. Deco had a very confident look, which made Lao Lei stunned. Looking at Scolari again, he also nodded at Deco. Lao Lei now understands that the two of them have already had an agreement.

Once the game started, both teams played wide open. The players played with ease. Under Scolari's arrangement before the game, Lao Lei deliberately only focused on defense and completely relinquished offensive command. Let Rui Costa do whatever he wants. However, Rui Costa's performance was not ideal, and I don't know if it was affected by physical fitness. Against the second team's Brazilian defence, his organization did not allow Portugal to achieve an absolute advantage. In the first half. Portugal only narrowly took the lead with a score of 1-0, and it was an own goal by the Brazilian defender. Joaquín's cross sent the Brazilian centre-back into the middle of the game and headed the ball into his own goal. At the end of the first half, Rui Costa bowed his head in frustration as he felt his main position getting farther and farther away from him. Looking at his back, Lao Lei couldn't help but think of a sentence, since ancient times, famous generals are like beauties, and they are not allowed to see white heads in the world.

After the start of the second half, Scolari made a large number of substitutions, including Lao Lei and others were replaced, and Deco was substituted. In the second half, Deco led the Portuguese players on the field and completely reversed the weak state of Portugal's attack in the first half. In the 57th, 69th, and 77th minutes of the second half, Portugal scored three goals in a row to make the score 4:1, in which Deco contributed an assist, a goal and a planner. The overall table is in stark contrast to the table of Rui Costa in the first half. The final warm-up match ended with a score of 4:2, and the Brazilian team scored a free kick to pull one back when the game was about to end.

Scolari's arrangement for this game is very meaningful, starting with Deco and Rui Costa playing half each half, using direct and clear contrasts to allow the two to compete fairly. Secondly, the playing time of the Porto players such as Lao Lei was divided with Rui Costa, so that there would be no situation where Porto players helped Deco, which was more fair. Although Rui Costa has a low-key personality, he is still very proud of being a master of a generation in his bones, and in the face of such a comparison, although he is unwilling, he will definitely accept it. At that time, even if someone can help him use other means to get the main position, he will not accept it. After thinking about it for a long time, Lao Lei finally understood Scolari's intentions, and he couldn't help but sigh that the methods were really old-fashioned.

In the warm-up match against Poland, Portugal still used this lineup and rotation method. This time in the first half, Rui Costa adjusted a little bit and led the team to a 2-0 lead in the first half. And Deco did not show weakness, leading the team to a 3:0 score in the second half. In the two warm-up games, Deco was slightly better than Rui Costa. Although the main position will not be determined like this, in Lao Lei's opinion, Rui Costa has lost the opportunity. In the next warm-up match, there will be no more opportunities for two people to compete directly. The next game will definitely be based on polishing the team's tactics, and Rui Costa will want to overpower Deco again. It's very difficult. Although he saw Rui Costa's somewhat lonely expression, Lao Lei was also very pity. But who makes the competition in professional football so cruel, it will always be a new generation replacing the old.

But Lao Lei didn't have much time to sigh. After returning to Porto, he and his teammates had to prepare urgently for the third round of the Portuguese Super League. They will face Setúbal at home, but Porto have not performed well against Setúbal due to the physical problems of most of their main players going back and forth.

After the start of the match, affected by the national team match, Costa and other players were clearly out of standard. The action rate and reaction rate of the whole person have been greatly affected, and it seems extremely clumsy, Lao Lei had to make up for the leaks everywhere in his own half after the opening, and there was no chance to step forward to assist. Meantime. The attack up front also did not go well, and fell into the dense defense of Setúbal. The situation was very unfavorable for Porto, but Mourinho had no choice, and he did not expect the player's form to be so poor in this game.

And Lao Lei's defense alone can only be prevented for a while, not for a lifetime. In the 35th minute of the first half, Setúbal successfully broke the ball at the back, and only made a two-foot pass from the back to the feet of the forward, playing a Porto-style counterattack. It was ultimately Setúbal's centre-forward in the penalty area. Headed in a cross to end the attack. Setúbal took a 1-0 lead at the Stadio de la Dragon, which silenced the Porto fans for a while.

Seeing this, Jose Mourinho decisively pulled back his team's line. Don't think about equalising, get through the first half of the game. Setúbal saw what was going on and made a rare push out at the home of Porto. Pressed Porto to play. At the end of the first half, the Porto players walked off the pitch a little lonely. This first half is probably one of the worst they have played in two seasons.

At half-time, look at the condition of the players. Jose Mourinho also knew that nothing could be done, and in the second half he set up Porto to play a defensive counter-attack. In the second half, the first thing that was the case with Maniche and Deco was replaced and two substitutes were brought on to ensure that the players could run when they counterattacked.

After the start of the second half, it basically continued the shape of the final stage of the first half, with Setúbal pressing Porto to play. Although the situation was not dominant, Porto's defence, which was fully defended, did not make Setúbal's attack very comfortable, after all, Setúbal itself is not known for attacking. This situation continued until the 86th minute of the second half, when Porto finally played a counter-attack. When Alenichev was about to enter the penalty area after receiving a pass from Lao Lei, he was pulled down by a Setubal defender and won a free kick for Porto. The elder Lei stood in front of the football and equalised for Porto with a beautiful outside instep free-kick. And in the end, the score of 1:1 was maintained to the midfield. Porto managed a draw at their home stadium very badly.

At the post-match press conference, in the face of accusations from reporters, Mourinho took the initiative to take the blame on himself. However, in the team, Porto's players were severely reprimanded by Mourinho, and Lao Lei did not escape. Porto's players also knew that they were wrong and accepted Mourinho's punishment without complaint, but they were holding back their energy to get it back in the next game.

Then Porto soon took that breath out on their fourth-round opponent, Morirense. At the end of the first half, Porto sealed the victory with a score of 4:0. The whole scene was under Porto's control, and although Lao Lei only provided an assist, no one would ignore his role. It was under the leadership of Lao Lei that Morirenne was completely suppressed and couldn't even turn over. And Moreirence can only lament that he was unlucky and ran into such a breath-holding Porto.

With such a score, Mourinho replaced Lao Lei and Deco at the beginning of the second half, and also told the players to collect the points and not get injured.

Because of the Champions League, it's coming! (To be continued......)