Basel, Switzerland's third largest city, is located in the Rhine Bay.

The city, with a population of only 160,000, is an important transportation hub connecting Germany, France and Switzerland.

With plenty of sunshine every day, it is known as the city with the best weather in Central Europe.

Sitting on a temporarily rented bus, Ling Feng watched the bright sunlight fall on the streets and pedestrians, giving people a sense of tranquility and relaxation.

You know, in England, sunlight is a rarity

And in the middle of the city, there is one of the most successful clubs in Switzerland.

That's the Basel Club, which bears the name of the city!

FC Basel is the second-most winning team in the Swiss Super League, behind the Grasshoppers Zurich.

Since winning the championship in the 09~10 season, the Swiss Super League championship in the past five seasons has been won by Basel!

It is no exaggeration to say that Basel is now the overlord of the Swiss Super League!

There are many famous stars who made their debut at Basel FC, or used Basel FC as their first stop in Europe, so as to go to the top five leagues.

For example, Croatian star Rakitic, who has just moved from Sevilla to Barcelona;

For example, the "Pharaoh" Salah who transferred to Chelsea in the winter window;

Another example is Granit Xhaka, who plays for the Bundesliga giants Borussia Mönchen!

It is worth mentioning that Xhaka's international debut was in the European qualifiers against England three years ago.

Three years on, Xhaka has grown from a newcomer who was selected for the national team for the first time to one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga, and has also grown into the core of the midfield of the Swiss national team!

This Swiss national team is full of familiar names.

The 18-man squad is made up of most of the players who play in the five major leagues, as well as a small number of players from the two clubs of Basel and Grasshopper in the domestic league.

Benario, Sommer, Xhaka, Shaqiri, Lichtsteiner, Behrami, Inle, Zemaeli.

The Swiss national team has experienced Mesozoic veterans such as Senderos, Lichtsteiner and Inle, as well as rising young stars such as Xhaka, Shaqiri and Rodriguez.

It is no exaggeration to say that Switzerland is now ushering in their golden generation!

At the World Cup in Brazil, Switzerland, who finished second in the group, met the Pampas Eagles led by Messi in the quarterfinals.

I thought that Argentina could defeat the Swiss in a devastating manner, but I didn't expect that Switzerland would draw with their opponents in 90 minutes and drag it into extra time.

Since then, the Swiss' tenacious fighting spirit and never-defeating spirit have been widely recognized in world football.

Compared with the solid midfield, Switzerland's forward line is average.

With the aging of former Swiss striker Alexander Frei, the burden of Switzerland's attack has been entrusted to Shaqiri, who plays for Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga champion.

In addition to Shaqiri, who is known as the "Swiss Messi", Dermic, who scored 17 goals in the Bundesliga last season, is also another good candidate for the Swiss striker.

Aware of the strong strength of the opponent, coupled with the away game, in the dressing room before the game, Hodgson also repeatedly emphasized that he should defend well first, and then wait for the opportunity to counterattack!

In this away game against Switzerland, Hodgson also lined up his strongest lineup.

Goalkeeper Joe Hart.

The back line is a continuation of the four players in the World Cup in Brazil, Baines, Jagielka, Cahill and Glen Johnson.

In the two-man midfield position that attracted the most attention from England fans, Hodgson put on a new combination that was relatively more defensive:

Henderson partners with Milner!

The left and right wingers are Welbeck and Raheem Sterling, and Ling Feng is still sitting firmly in the starting midfield.

On top of the arrow, it is the captain of Great Britain, who scored two goals in the last game and is in hot form, Wayne Rooney!

The 38,000-seat St. Jakob's Park stadium was almost filled with home fans in red Swiss jerseys.

They have no reason to be upset.

Because, from the very beginning of the game, the home team took the initiative on the field.

Compared to Norway's weak backline, Switzerland's backline is much more stable.

The strong centre-back duo of Julu and Schar almost stared Rooney to death.

Perhaps it is the strong sense of contrast that makes Rooney like a headless fly on the field, and he doesn't know what to do.

At this time, Rooney's body has begun to show obvious signs of slippage.

There has been a noticeable regression in the ability to hold the ball and protect the ball in the front line.

As long as the 1.9-meter-tall Zhulu and the 1.86-meter-tall Scheer collide with their bodies, it will be difficult for him to control the ball at his feet, let alone make the ball for his teammates.

This is one of the important reasons why after buying Robin van Persie from Arsenal last season, Ferguson chose to drop Rooney as a wingman.

The old man has long seen that Rooney's ability to have the ball has declined greatly, and he can't continue to take on the heavy responsibility of attacking the city on the front line!

In addition to the ability to have the ball dropped dramatically, "Lu Xiaopang" was not fast enough to run without the ball.

Even if Ling Feng passed him some through or overhead balls, he couldn't chase the ball before the opponent's defender cleared it, so as to complete the goal.

If you can't run behind the defender, shoot at the first time; Retreat can't act as a fulcrum center, stand in the penalty area, and play the ball with his back.

The current Rooney, in addition to his shooting skills, is not bad, but he is like a two-person match!

Playing a fish belly team like Norway, he can also receive Ling Feng's very comfortable passes, relying on his personal ability to kill indiscriminately.

However, it is not so easy to play against a traditional powerhouse like Switzerland.

On the field, Ling Feng cooperated with him, which was very awkward.

It's easy to lose the ball if you pass, and it's not good if you don't pass.

As the new captain of the Three Lions and the number one in Britain, as long as Rooney himself does not say anything and there is no injury, Hodgson will not be able to take him off the starting line-up.

And in this way, it is difficult for Ling Feng, who is the organizer of the front court.

It was only then that he finally experienced for the first time what it was like to be pitted by his teammates.

Thankfully, Switzerland's forward level is not much stronger.

Shaqiri repeatedly made waves on the right and attacked England's left flank, threatening no less.

But on the final blow, Dermic, who had high hopes from Swiss coach Petkovic, was doing nothing.

The forwards on both sides are being targeted and can only do something about the wings.

In the first half of the game, the most active in the Three Lions team was the "Happy Boy" Sterling!

Suarez's departure and Sturridge's injury have made this young man who is only 20 years old the most relied on knife on Liverpool's front line!

In the first three rounds, he contributed two goals and one assist, and he was the best young player in the entire Premier League, except for Ling Feng, who had a more explosive performance!

Back in the national team, he has Ling Feng's continuous support, and he is even more powerful, and he is almost unstoppable on the side.

As Ling Feng continued to split the ball, England gradually regained possession and repeatedly blasted from the flanks, threatening Benaglio's goal.

In the 28th minute, Raheem Sterling drew a foul on the opposition full-back when he cut inside on the right.

The Three Lions were awarded a well-placed free-kick on the right side of the penalty area.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ling Feng came to Rooney, who was standing in front of the ball, covered his mouth, and whispered his suggestion:

"Wayne, you drop back a little bit more, we hit the wall a little bit more, or I step forward and pull the centre-back for you. This way you can also avoid tangling with the centre-backs and finish your shots."

"Or, after I split up with Rahim and Danny, they can also find a couple."

Hearing Ling Feng's words, Rooney, who was fiddling with the ball, stood up straight, and nodded seriously:

"I see."

After Shuangde withdrew from the national team, Rooney, who was the team's veteran and new captain, naturally became the boss of the locker room.

He's not stupid either.

Having played in the Premier League for many years, Rooney knows very well that taking over the captain's armband of the Three Lions will be amplified by the media frame by frame.

If you do well, the media will surely praise how the right decision is to be the captain;

On the contrary, the media will definitely fall into the well mercilessly, and even turn over old accounts, and take out the off-site they have done to disgust themselves.

So, of course, he wants to keep a good job and keep all the media and skeptics shut.

So, how can this be done?

In Rooney's opinion, he needs his teammates to give him enough support to be able to score more goals!

Especially Ling Feng!

The young man, who is ten years younger than himself, has an incredible talent and superior quality, and has become the new heart of the Three Lions' midfield.

Moreover, he used his consistent and stable performance on the field to prove to his coaches and teammates that he is definitely worthy of the title of "Shuangde successor".

As long as Ling Feng is willing to keep passing the ball to himself, his goals will definitely not be less!

And what surprised Rooney the most was that he didn't need to say it himself, Ling Feng also consciously sent him assists again and again.

In the last friendly against Norway, Ling Feng used his actions to support him, the new captain of the Three Lions.

Keep feeding him the ball and stuffing the pie in his mouth!

If he hadn't played as a striker for a long time, and the wind was not very smooth, he could even score a hat trick or a senior win!

It is precisely because of Ling Feng's personal strength and importance in the team that Rooney has been recognized that he will listen carefully to Ling Feng's opinion.

Otherwise, a newcomer to the national team who has made less than ten appearances dares to give his opinion, and Rooney will definitely not have a good face.

What kind of identity does you dare to give advice to my Red Devils and the double captain of the Three Lions?!

Oh, the successor of Shuangde, right?

That's fine.

Although Hodgson's handpicked first free-kick taker was Ling Feng.

However, the free-kick opportunities that were closer to goal were all taken by Wayne Rooney.

This is the privilege of the captain and the head card of the team!

After observing the position of the human wall, Rooney ran and hit a curling ball directly!

The ball went over the wall, but it flew slightly over the crossbar and out of the line.

Seeing this, Rooney just looked up and sighed, then turned around and walked back.

He Wayne Rooney, never Beckham

After this free kick, Rooney obediently listened to Ling Feng's advice and began to retreat frequently to receive the ball.

And Ling Feng also stepped forward from time to time to help him attract the attention of the central defenders.

The frequent switching and running of the two disrupted Switzerland's central defence.

Until the forty-second minute of the game, the two played a continuous collision with the wall in the midfield!

Ling Feng made a precise short pass through the middle of the two midfielders of Xhaka and Inle, and passed to the feet of Rooney, who retreated to receive the ball.

The latter knocked the ball back directly without stopping, and Ling Feng, who was inserted forward at high speed, took the ball forward and advanced it.

And when he dribbled to the front of the big penalty area and attracted the central defenders to scramble, Ling Feng directly shook his ankle and gently crossed the ball to the left, creating a shooting opportunity for Rooney.

And the British captain was not polite, and he went straight to the near corner of the goal and slashed to the ground, and finally penetrated the gate guarded by Benario!

1 to 0!

England take the lead in Basel first!

After scoring the goal, Rooney also turned around immediately, showing a simple hearty smile, and did not forget to raise his hands to point at Ling Feng to express his gratitude.

Seeing Ling Feng and Rooney hugging each other, Hodgson on the sidelines couldn't help but smile.

As a head coach, it is natural to be happy to see that the new captain of the team can get along with the future core of the team.

At this time, the slightly relieved words of assistant Leivington also sounded in his ears:

"Wayne and Ling are getting more and more tacit."

"I never doubted the abilities of the two of them."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze in the direction of the midfielder.

What makes Hodgson happy is that as the game progresses and runs in, England's new midfield partner is also becoming more and more composed.

Compared to Gerrard's penchant for attacking from time to time, Milner's offensive attributes are slightly weaker, but his defensive attributes are stronger.

Both he and Jordan Henderson are the kind of sappers who have the ability to run, cover a wide area and work diligently to complete the manager's tactical set-up.

Especially when they don't need to organise an attack and defend full-time, the new combination of the Three Lions has stopped the Swiss attack again and again with active running and sweeping interceptions.

The existence of the two also made Ling Feng in the front court almost not have to retreat to defend, and organize the attack with confidence!

In the end, with Rooney's goal in the first half and Raheem Sterling's goal in the second half, England won the first European qualifier against Switzerland without danger!

And Ling Feng, who organized the team's offense in an orderly manner and delivered an assist, became the best player of the game.

The next day, the course and results of the match were reported by major British media outlets.

In addition to praising Hodgson's selection of personnel, he also greatly praised Rooney's fiery state after becoming captain.

Of course, Ling Feng, who won the best game in this game, was also given a new nickname by the media:

Flag bearers of the Three Lions!

During the game, as long as his battle flag is facing, the lions of the Three Lions will launch a fierce attack!

The Times, on the other hand, directly took a photo of Ling Feng and Rooney hugging each other as the cover of the sports section.

And with a very eye-catching and very intriguing title:

"The Three Lions have ushered in a new era!"

(End of chapter)