Chapter 126 Strength Wins Respect (3)

This is the first internal training match of the England team and it is also a training match that head coach Eriksson will watch from beginning to end. Therefore, whether it is the big-name stars or the new members joining the team, they are all ready to show their strength to win a position in the team and the favor of the head coach.

Wang Li was assigned to the first substitute group. He and Rooney would form a partnership as the substitute team's striker duo. The media did not know that the England double star combination they had imagined was easily realized by Eriksen.

In the substitute group, the midfield is composed of Chelsea general Lampard, Joe Cole, Manchester United's Butt, Newcastle's Dyer. On the defensive line, Jamie Carragher became the captain of the substitute group to lead the entire defense line. The others include Tottenham Hotspur's King, Chelsea's Bridge and Terry. Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson is responsible for defending the goal.

This substitute lineup alone can scare most Premier League teams!

It can be seen that the luxury of the England team is by no means comparable to that of ordinary teams. However, it is ironic that this luxurious lineup always returns empty-handed in international competitions.

The game had already lasted for more than ten minutes, and both the main team and the substitute team had played at their best. They all wanted to show their abilities in front of Eriksson, so the game was very intense. In fact, there was not much difference between the main team and the substitute team. Generally speaking, the main team only had a few more big-name players, but when the big-name players didn't have a flash of inspiration, they were not much different from the ordinary players.

The main team's forwards Michael Owen and Vassell were completely defenseless against the substitute team's defenders, while the so-called England duo of Wong Li and Rooney had no tacit understanding at all, and the attacks they launched were completely harmless.

At this time, the confrontation in the midfield became the focus of the competition on the field. On one side was the star midfield led by Gerrard. Beckham, Scholes and Hargreaves were all very strong individually. Their occasional surprise attacks would pose a strong threat to the substitute team. However, the 'blue-collar' midfield led by Lampard should not be underestimated. Their style was very tough, and the technical difference was not big, which also caused a lot of trouble to the main team.

But for Wang Li himself, Eriksson's worries have become a reality. Wang Li is a technical striker, and his position is closer to that of a shadow striker, so it is difficult for him to cooperate with these traditional English players. Moreover, because he has too little game experience and has played for too short a time, he cannot be compared with his teammates in terms of tactical concepts, awareness, or cooperation ability. When he was in Wolverhampton, the whole team revolved around him and he could not notice anything, but now on the court, he feels out of place.

Even the players on the substitute team were no less famous than him, and they were all very confident in their own abilities. In addition, they were not familiar with Wang Li, so it was impossible for the team to revolve around Wang Li. This made it impossible for Wang Li to display his strength. He just kept roaming around in the frontcourt, but under the defense of the main team's star guard, he couldn't get out of position at all, let alone get the ball and make any performance.

Wang Li knew that if he continued like this, his status in the head coach's heart would definitely plummet, and his teammates would think that he was a sneak and treat him coldly. He didn't want this to happen. However, near the opponent's penalty area, the zone defense formed by several ace defenders of the main team was very effective, at least for Wang Li, so he couldn't get out of the position when he stood nearby, and could only retreat to get the ball.

When Rooney in the frontcourt saw Wang Li's performance, he looked down on him even more. 'This black-haired kid is really just a useless guy,' he thought silently.

But Eriksson on the sidelines nodded, then took out a notebook and wrote something down. As a head coach, Eriksson had already had an in-depth understanding of every player on the team. He knew very well why Wang Li could not play to his full potential. The black-haired boy on the field was able to understand his situation and tried to change him. This showed that he was very smart and knew how to play football with his head, which was an indispensable quality for stars to succeed.

…………

Hard work always pays off, and Wang Li's chance to perform finally came in the 25th minute of the training match.

Joe Cole tackled Beckham's ball in the backcourt and passed it directly to Terry. After receiving the ball, Terry kicked it to the midfield before Vassell could counterattack. Lampard got into position, stopped the ball steadily at his feet, and then looked towards the main team's half.

The substitute team's attack!

Wang Li, who was retreating, was at the front of the penalty area. He saw the opportunity and suddenly shook off Philip Neville and ran sideways to the left. However, Philip would not be shaken off so easily. He was very fast. Although it was difficult for him to catch up with Wang Li, he did not let him fall behind much.

At this moment, he found that Wang Li's body suddenly stopped, and ran directly to the right as if it was not affected by inertia at all. Philip opened his mouth in surprise and watched Wang Li passing by him. He ran forward so fast that he couldn't stop all of a sudden. He could only turn his head and look at Wang Li's back.

After shaking off Philip, Wang Li finally created an opening.

At this time, the ball was at Bart's feet. Seeing that the black-haired boy on the field had a good position, he passed the ball to Wang Li with a low kick, and the ball flew quickly along the grass towards Wang Li. As a member of the Manchester United team, Bart had already seen Wang Li's skills in that game at Old Trafford. Even though Wang Li had not performed well before, he still believed that this boy would never let him down.

In order to receive the pass more safely, Wang Li ran directly towards the ball, and Gary Neville followed closely behind him. He knew Wang Li's strength very well and must not let him get the ball easily, otherwise the goal might be in danger. Until now, Gary still clearly remembered the time when this kid broke through alone at Manchester United and scored a goal by passing three people. The incredible movements and crazy imagination made Gary feel incredible and at the same time, he also felt admiration in his heart.

Facing such an imaginative and technically excellent player, how could Gary not try his best to defend even though he was not yet eighteen years old!

…………

Although it only took a blink of an eye for the ball to be kicked out and approach Wang Li's body, this time was enough for him to react.

Wang Li's body instantly completed a 180-degree turn in the direction of the ball's rolling, then he knocked the ball to the left with his left foot, turned around and bypassed Gary who had not yet reacted, and caught up with the ball again.

Wonderful!

So wonderful!

There is such a huge gap between the video broadcast and the live game that the players who saw Wang Li's action all had the same idea at the same time!

Wang Li's move just now was so beautiful, clean and neat, without wasting any unnecessary movements. He passed Gary Neville directly with a wonderful pass.

On the sidelines, Eriksson stood up with his mouth wide open. He looked at Wang Li who was still dribbling the ball forward in disbelief. Although the dribbling seemed simple, as a professional in the football field, he understood the difficulty of this kind of ball.

Just a quick turn would stump most people, not to mention the subsequent movements. Moreover, as long as the ball deviates a little bit, it would be difficult for Wang Li to catch up with the ball.

Although modern football concepts often pursue quickness, speed, and no unnecessary movements, how many people can really achieve this? It’s not that the players like fancy moves, but that they simply can’t do a straightforward attack, which is much more difficult than fancy ways of dribbling!

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