Chapter 538: Embark on the Journey
Carragher in an awkward situation?
In recent days, his performance in the training field has been quite satisfactory, but in the team's locker room, he rarely communicates with his teammates. This is mainly because the black-haired boy in the team has returned to the team, which makes him feel depressed. ?
As a star player, Carragher is by no means a fool, he is well aware of his situation. ?
In the last Champions League final, he was kicked into the hospital by Wang Li. This scene is still deeply imprinted in his mind. Due to the injury for half a year, he almost failed to be selected for the England team. If it weren't for his outstanding performance after Christmas and Liverpool's good results, I'm afraid he would never be selected by McClaren for the national team. ?
Now that he has joined the England team, he has the opportunity to play in the World Cup with the team. ?
That's good news, at least for Carragher. ?
However, the primary problem Carragher faces now is how to get along with the black-haired boy in the team, and he doesn't know what to do now. ?
The English strongman must be depressed. He has good strength, but his position in the England team is definitely not comparable to Wang Li. He knows his position very well. If he really clashes with the black-haired boy, he will definitely leave. The media and fans will not try to keep him and may even scold him as a pest of the England team.
This situation is really frustrating, but this is how it is in the football field, only with strength can you have status. ?
Therefore, Carragher has been hesitant recently. Although his performance in training is still normal, when he is with his teammates outside of training, he is not as active and cheerful as he was a few days ago. ?
In fact, he knew what he should do. The best choice for him was to make peace with the black-haired boy in the team, at least during this World Cup. In this way, the conflict between the two would at least not affect the performance of the England team, nor would it affect his position in the England team. This was the most beneficial to him.
In his heart, he also knew that he was the one who had provoked everything in the last Champions League final. Although he was still a little indignant about the half-year of self-cultivation, after another half-year, these indignations had faded a little. ?
In other words, Carragher wanted to make peace with Wang Li, but he had no way out. As a man, he would not take the initiative to compromise with Wang Li, as that would make him "looked down upon" by his teammates. After all, no matter how the conflict between the two occurred, Carragher was the most unlucky victim.
'A victim takes the initiative to shake hands with the perpetrator and make peace?' Even if he is expelled from the England team, Carragher will not do this because it will make him lose face. ?
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The teammates were worried about the relationship between the two, mainly because this matter involved Wang Li?
As the most important member of the England team, everything Wang Li does is a big deal, and this kind of conflict within the locker room is an even more serious matter. ?
Because this is not only related to the unity of the team, but also to the performance of the team in the game. ?
But in fact, Wang Li didn't take it seriously at all. ?
For him, he did not suffer any loss in last year's European Champions League. In that final, Chelsea not only won the championship trophy, but he also got a half-year "vacation", while Carragher was hospitalized and stayed in the hospital for half a year. ?
This year's "vacation" has allowed Wang Li to enjoy his life, but it has had little impact on his reputation. Real Madrid has won the treble this season, so what else can he complain about? ?
However, he also knew about this matter, but he did not take the initiative to adjust it. ?
No matter what, the last incident was initiated by Liverpool players. He was just passively counterattacking. Well, at least he thought so. From beginning to end, he did nothing wrong. ?
So why did he take the initiative to reconcile with Carragher? ?
As for the impact of this incident on Carragher, this is not something Wang Li needs to consider. In the team, he is not the coach, nor the captain of the team. Even without Carragher, Wang Li does not think that the strength of the England team will decline much with him. He has this confidence in himself, so he does not care about these things at all. ?
Therefore, the atmosphere in England's training remains the same. ?
On this day, journalists from some major newspapers, magazines, and websites entered Wembley Stadium to film the England team's preparations for the training match. ?
Since the England team gathered for training on May 23, McLaren has been conducting closed training, and reporters are not allowed to interview him during such training. Now, with Wang Li and Beckham returning to the team, it has become difficult to refuse interviews.
Because the influence of both of them is too great. ?
If the training is still closed, the English media will definitely make a scene. As the head coach, McClaren will definitely be subjected to a lot of verbal attacks. ?
He didn't want to see such a scene, so today he ordered the staff to open the court. ?
The training on this day was the same as usual. In the England team, the players did some tactical training and the tacit cooperation training of the players in the game. This is mainly because the players in the team all come from different teams, and the tacit cooperation between them is the most important. ?
As for improving skills? If you don’t have the ability, you can’t join the team. ?
After some simple training in the morning, McLaren arranged an internal training match in the afternoon. Only a real match can strengthen the cooperation between the players.
Wang Li is of course the main force. ?
Other players in the main team include Thomas, Beckham, Gary Neville, Owen and other players. Most importantly, Carragher was also assigned to the main team. ?
Seeing this situation, Beckham felt a little nervous. He felt that under the attention of many media, the conflict between Wang Li and Carragher might be exposed.
His premonition came true. ?
There is definitely no problem with the technical strength of the main team players. Offense and defense are basically training cooperation. The same is true for Wang Li. He reduces the time he dribbles the ball and chooses to cooperate with other players more. ?
During a main team attack, Jamie Carragher dribbled the ball to look for an opportunity, while Wang Li used his speed to create a gap in the right corner of the penalty area.
The gap was obvious, but Carragher still passed the ball to Beckham who was following him. ?
One time doesn't mean anything, but in the following time, the media who noticed this found that Carragher almost never passed the ball to Wang Li, and as a striker, Wang Li rarely had the opportunity to pass the ball to the backcourt. ?
Soon, almost everyone noticed this problem. Even if Wang Li had a very good position, Carragher would not pass the ball. ?
This may not explain much, but the next scene on the court confirmed this situation: in the backcourt, Wang Li asked Thomas for the ball, and Thomas kicked it to Carragher, wanting the latter to pass it, but Carragher ignored Wang Li and kicked the ball directly to the frontcourt! ?
This scene confirmed everyone's guess that there must be a conflict between Carragher and Wang Li. ?
"Internal conflicts in the England team have emerged!!"?
"The feud between Carragher and Allen, the England team is full of contradictions before the game!!"?
“Bad news before the World Cup!!”?
......?
On the second day, this topic immediately became the focus of English media reports. Compared with other hype, this time it was a real concern for the entire English media, simply because this was the England national team, and now they were about to face the World Cup. ?
How can the media and fans not be worried when such problems arise within the team a week before the World Cup? ?
What they hope to see is a harmonious England team, which is likely to win good results. The internal conflicts in the dressing room are by no means a trivial matter. For a team about to participate in a major competition, this is a top priority.
The Sun, a die-hard supporter of Wang Li, was the first to be criticized. In the article, they suggested that McLaren should consider firing Carragher: "... there are conflicts within the England team, and this conflict also arises from the team's top star Alan Wang. This situation is worrying. For the sake of England's performance, perhaps the team's head coach Mr. McLaren should consider firing Carragher. This approach is somewhat unfair, but for the sake of England's performance, a little sacrifice is necessary."
The London Morning Post reported that firing Carragher was the top priority, and they felt that it was not even a small sacrifice: "A year ago, we saw Carragher's rudeness in the Champions League. This player, who had no gentlemanly manners, was a completely reckless man. England might be stronger without him, and Allen is an indispensable member. Firing Carragher in exchange for a stronger team and internal harmony is the most correct approach."
These two media outlets truly support Wang Li and England's decision to fire Carragher. Other media outlets, when analyzing this matter, more or less pointed their fingers at Carragher. This shows that in football, strength is the most important thing.
Let’s not talk about how the conflict between them occurred in the last Champions League final. ?
Under the current circumstances, the two should be equal, but these media still unanimously favor Wang Li, which explains the problem. ?
.........?
Amidst such sensational reports, McLaren was also hesitant. He didn't know what to do.
'Sack Carragher?'
The media thought it was simple, but for the England coach, it was difficult to make a decision on this matter, because the conflict between the two was not exposed, and he had no reason to fire Carragher?
Even if the conflict between the two broke out, as the head coach, he had to be fair to every player, at least on the surface, otherwise it would definitely disappoint the other players.
No matter what, the team is a whole, and he can't make a hasty decision. ?
So he asked the team captain Beckham to inquire about the situation. ?
"Sir, leave this matter to me."
Facing McLaren's question, Beckham said affirmatively. In fact, he was ready to adjust the matter. If nothing unexpected happened, this would be Beckham's last World Cup trip. He didn't want such a strong England team to perform poorly due to internal conflicts.
Just yesterday, he had already started to think about it. In fact, it was not Wang Li who made Beckham hesitate. The two had a good relationship. As long as he told Wang Li about the situation, he believed that Wang Li would know what to do.
What matters is Carragher's side. ?
Beckham and Carragher were not familiar with each other, and even had some conflicts. One year ago, when England was participating in the World Cup qualifiers, Beckham's penalty kick in the away game against Poland was not scored, so after the game Carragher accused Beckham of being a "parasite" of the England team.
Until now, this incident is still deeply engraved in Beckham's mind. ?
But as the captain of the team and the leader of the England team, he had to give up his personal grudges. It can be said that Beckham did well in all aspects and he had given up a lot for the England team. ?
And now, he has to put aside his personal grudges to mediate this matter. ?
Although Wang Li is the strongest player in the England team, Beckham's contribution to the team is truly unquestionable. Almost all of his teammates agree that Beckham should be the captain of the team.
............?
"Oh? As long as he doesn't mind, I certainly don't mind."?
Wang Li was resting in the players' dormitory. When he heard what Beckham said, he smiled and said, "In fact, he didn't take it to heart at all. Carragher didn't pass the ball to him yesterday. Although there was some tension at that time, Wang Li knew the position between him and Carragher very well."
In the England team, his status is much higher than Carragher's, so he doesn't need to bother with the other party. ?
And other people, perhaps the coach, perhaps the FA officials, etc., will always come out to settle this matter. They will not allow problems to occur within the England team, especially at this sensitive moment. ?
However, Wang Li did not expect that this person would be Beckham. ?
"Okay then, I'll arrange for you to have lunch at the same table with Carragher."
This is a way to improve player relationships. ?
If they just hugged or shook hands in front of the media, it would explain the problem, but there would definitely be some grudges between the two people, and those were just shown to outsiders. ?
Beckham wanted to resolve the conflict fundamentally, at least to suppress the conflict between the two during the World Cup. If the two could sit together, the relationship would definitely ease.
"Ok, don't worry, David." Wang Li shook his head and smiled. He didn't care about it at all.
Afterwards, Beckham found Carragher again and talked about the incident.
After listening to Beckham, Carragher knew what he should do. In fact, he knew what he should do, but he insisted on doing it for the sake of face. Since Beckham acted as a mediator, it was really the best thing.
............?
At lunch time that day, Wang Li, Carragher and Beckham sat together in the restaurant. ?
The atmosphere was very depressing. Wang Li just kept eating, and Carragher was too embarrassed to speak up, so the two of them remained in a stalemate.
This made the teammates a little worried. ?
Time passed quickly, and in a blink of an eye, Wang Li had already devoured three servings of food. During the whole process, his teammates did not see any easing of the relationship between the two, and they only lamented the amazing extent of Wang Li's appetite.
After everyone finished eating, Beckham became a little anxious. After all, this was a rare opportunity for reconciliation. At least the two should reconcile on the surface, but the current situation was that his mediation did not seem to have any effect.
In this quiet and strange atmosphere, under the surprised gazes of everyone, Wang Li finally stood up, stretched out his right hand to Carragher, and said solemnly: "For the World Cup!"
Carragher obviously didn't expect this kind of scene. He was stunned for a moment before he reacted. He also stood up politely and stretched out his right hand and said: "Oh... OK... For the World Cup!"?
This strange scene became the final scene of lunch. ?
However, at least on the surface, the relationship between the two finally eased, but the teammates also saw Wang Li's generosity. After all, it was Wang Li who spoke first.
As the team's top star, it's really not easy to do this. ?
Therefore, in the afternoon training match, McLaren saw a subtle change in the team's atmosphere. The players were much stronger in the training match than yesterday, at least in terms of momentum. He also saw several cooperations between Carragher and Wang Li. This was the scene he hoped to see.
On the surface, the conflict between the two has been resolved. ?
This makes McLaren more confident about this World Cup. As the head coach of the England team, he is under great pressure. No matter what the England team's historical record is, the England team is now the team with the highest overall value in the World Cup. In the media's public evaluation, the England team's strength is also ranked in the top three. From the odds offered by various bookmakers, the team is also in the top three, only lower than the odds of the Italian team. ?
It's good to be valued by everyone, but McClaren feels a lot of pressure. If he can't lead the team to achieve results that satisfy the fans, he will definitely become a sinner in England. ?
Now, the reconciliation of the internal conflicts in the team has also made him breathe a sigh of relief. Next, what he needs to do is to lead this New England team to embark on the journey of the World Cup and strive to defeat each opponent.
Amid the attention of various media, time passed quietly day by day, and soon it was June 6, the day before the opening ceremony of the World Cup. That afternoon, the England team finally flew to Munich, Germany.
The opening ceremony of this World Cup will be held at the Allianz Arena in Munich, and all national teams will participate in this symbolic opening ceremony.
The smoke of the World Cup has enveloped the entire world. ?
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