Chapter 80: "Take me first"

"It was the best result to play the eighth-finals with the Chinese team!"
As soon as Sugiyama Tatsuya entered the restaurant, he heard his teammates talking.
The topic is naturally the next eighth final opponent.
After all the matches of the Chinese team's group ended last night, the Japanese team's opponents in the eighth-finals were also released.
Japan, who is number one in Group D, will face China who is second in Group C.
"For us, which opponent is the same?"
"That's what I said, but I still prefer to run into the Chinese team."
"Yes, I also prefer to play the Chinese team."
Sugiyama Tatsuya didn't participate in it, but turned around to pick up the meal.
He is not surprised that everyone is so keen to talk about the Chinese team.
Because this is indeed a hot topic within the Japanese team.
In the World Cup last summer, the Japanese team had the best results among all Asian teams, because they were the only Asian team that made it to the knockout rounds.
Although it only stopped in the top sixteen.
But this is enough to make Japan the face of Asian football.
However, in the field of public opinion, the Chinese team's limelight is stronger than the Japanese team.
Everyone is talking about the Chinese team that can remain unbeaten in the World Cup for the first time, discussing their 3:3 match against Brazil, and discussing Hu Lai's achievements in winning the World Cup Golden Boot...
This kind of overwhelming propaganda is not only spread in China, but in Japan, South Korea, Asia, and the world, everyone is discussing the stunning debut of the Chinese team in the World Cup.
During the World Cup, the AFC even issued four key reports on the theme of the Chinese team. The Japanese team has only three articles.
If you are someone who has never watched the World Cup and only learns about the World Cup through news reports, it is easy to think that the Chinese team is the "frontal role" of Asian football in this World Cup.
So this matter has caused some controversy on the Japanese Internet, and many Japanese fans have expressed dissatisfaction with it.
They are dissatisfied with the "eccentricity" of the AFC, dissatisfied with the slack in the propaganda of the Japanese media, and of course dissatisfied with the Chinese team.
A team that thinks that the Chinese team is "unworthy of virtue" and that even the team failed to qualify is not qualified to represent Asian football.
Don't say "the only undefeated", the only undefeated is not the failure to make the knockout, so what's the use of being unbeaten?
The discussions among Japanese netizens are so enthusiastic, how could the Japanese internationals not know about this? How could they have no opinion on this matter?
The views of most players are basically the same as those of Japanese fans.
Everyone thinks that Chinese football has "a false name".
Therefore, to meet the Chinese team in the Asian Cup this time, for those Japanese players who are holding their breath, it is of course "the best arrangement for destiny."
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The Chinese players did not go to the training ground for ball training in the morning, but went to the hotel gym for physical recovery training under the leadership of a physical coach.
The game with the Philippines just ended, physical recovery training is very important.
If this link is not done well, the fatigue accumulated by the players in the previous game is not good, and it accumulates in the body, and it may burst out in the next training or game and cause injuries.
Therefore, any team attaches great importance to the recovery training the next day after the game.
Even Xia Xiaoyu, who was replaced due to injury during the game, did simple recovery training in the gym.
It also proved to some extent that his injury was indeed not serious and would not affect the next game.
This is very important for the Chinese team.
The game against the Japanese team is very difficult to play, especially the Japanese team's midfielder is very strong, which is their traditional strength. And if the Chinese team cannot play Xia Xiaoyu here, it will be difficult for the Chinese team to compete with the Japanese team for midfield.
It is normal for Xia Xiaoyu to appear in the gym, but the appearance of another person here surprised everyone.
"Why did you come to Team Yao?" Wang Guangwei asked with wide-eyed eyes seeing Yao Huasheng.
"I'm here to train." Yao Huasheng said it for granted. He walked in front of Wang Guangwei, got on a treadmill, and started jogging.
Wang Guangwei, who was standing next to him, was very strange: "Aren't you supposed to rest..."
Unlike Xia Xiaoyu's injury, the team leader Yao Huasheng's injury was very serious at first sight-literally "heavy at the first sight", after all, a piece of ridge had come out on his shoulder.
Everyone speculated privately that Yao might not be able to catch up with the Japanese team.
Unexpectedly, he appeared in the gym with his usual expression now, doing recovery training with everyone.
No wonder everyone is weird.
The deputy captain Howard came up and frowned and asked, "Dayao, your injury..."
"No big problem." Yao Huasheng glanced at the bulge on his shoulder, with a calm expression on his face. "The bandages are all removed."
When Haode saw the criss-crossing fixed tape on the opponent's shoulder and arm, he didn't believe Yao Huasheng's words.
Noting the look in Hao De’s eyes, Yao Huasheng explained:
It’s still a little swollen now. When the swelling disappears, it will be fine. It will not affect normal activities.

As he said that, he moved his shoulder slightly, and at the same time, his face was as usual, to prove to everyone that the injury really didn't affect him.
After he was done, he said to everyone: "Okay, well, what are you doing around? Don't you go to training?"
After blasting everyone away, Yao Huasheng continued to jog. He presses his lips tightly and breathes only through his nose, so as not to expose his clenched teeth.
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At the press conference held by the Chinese team that afternoon, the head coach Dong Jianhai revealed to the Chinese and foreign reporters the injury of Yao Huasheng, which they are most concerned about:
"After inspection, there is no big problem. The shoulders are indeed misplaced... but it does not affect his participation in the next eighth-finals."
This remark caused the reporters present to look at each other first, and then talk a lot.
The bulge on the shoulder has been seen by everyone... It's all like that, there isn't a big problem?
Can you still participate in the match against the Japanese team?
Dong Jianhai ignored the reactions of the reporters. He continued: "...The game against the Japanese team will be very difficult. But the Chinese team will definitely go all out in this game. We will show what the Chinese team deserves. level."
A reporter sneered.
This is what Dong Jianhai said before every game. As a result, the level that the Chinese team should have is a 0:2 loss to Iraq. Is it being scored by Palestine and the Philippines?
Although Dong Jianhai said that Yao Huasheng would not be absent, he was injured after all, and it is impossible that a piece of expenditure on his shoulder would have no effect on his activities at all.
This must not be the best Chinese team.
What kind of level can it show?
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"Yao Huasheng has nothing to do, so he can still participate in the game against us?"
"Ahhh, what a pity! I still count on him not to be able to get on..."
"Yes, yes, as far as the level of the Chinese team's defense line is concerned, if Yao Huasheng can't make it anymore, it will basically be abolished."
Just after training, the players of the Japanese team changed their clothes in the locker room while continuing on the hot topic that ranked first among them.
Sugiyama Tatsuya still just listened silently, and didn't say anything to participate.
Because he actually doesn't agree with everyone's views on the Chinese team, but almost all the words are the big brothers of the national team, his predecessors, how can he dare to refute it?
So he can only listen quietly.
At this time, he couldn't help but think of Junpei Morikawa who was not in the team.
If that idiot is there, he will definitely stand up and express his opposition, right?
Sometimes Sugiyama Tatsuya even wondered if Morikawa Junpei is actually a Japanese now-he can speak fluent Chinese, and the relationship with those Chinese players is obviously closer than with his compatriots.
Sugiyama Tatsuya also thought that if it hadn't been for Morikawa Junpei who had already played for the Japanese national team, if he now heard that he was going to change his nationality to play for the Chinese team, he would not be surprised...
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
There was a lot of discussion, and everyone turned to look at Kengo Yamagami, the team captain sitting in his seat. He was staring at them.
"Why should we care about Yao Huasheng's failure to play? Couldn't we win if he is there? When did Japanese football become so timid? If you want to win, you have to count on the opponent's main player to be injured and missed. ?"
After everyone saw it, he issued a series of rhetorical questions.
No one in the locker room dared to answer the question.
Kengo Yamagami just stared at his teammates ~EbookFREE.me~ Under his watch, the teammates bowed their heads, not daring to look at the captain.
"Everyone, don't forget what our goal is. On our way to defend the title, should we expect our opponents to make mistakes in order to succeed?"
Kengo Yamagami stood up altogether, with his hands on his hips, his eyes puffed up and stared at a room of teammates.
"The reason why Japanese football is strong is that we are strong. As long as we can perform our abilities normally, we don't need to care about the Chinese team!"
"So! From now on, I don't want to hear those stupid voices in the locker room anymore! Go all out to play the game and focus on the game itself!"
After talking about these things, Kengo Yamagami sat down again, the locker room was quiet for a while, and everyone's voice reverberated.
It's just that this time no one really discussed whether Yao Huasheng would miss the game.
(End of this chapter)