Fox in the Penalty Area

"Strange, I have already let the first team and the reserve team train together. It stands to reason that there are more people than usual, but why do they always feel deserted?" Chen Mo frowned as he watched the players leaving the training ground one after another.

When these players finished training and left the training ground, they gathered together in twos and threes, chatting and walking to the locker room, which was indeed different from the usual atmosphere of laughter.

"That's because a few key atmospheres are missing, ha!" Zhao Kangming laughed beside him.

"Oh yes!" Chen Mo patted his forehead, "Those young people are gone."

Another weekend has passed since Flash Star won the AFC Champions League for the first time at home. During this weekend, Flash Star ushered in an "old opponent" at home-the Haihe Shuanggang they met in the FA Cup last season.

Considering that in order to make way for the international competition day, there will be a one-week truce in the club competition. This time, Zhao Kangming did not make a large rotation of the lineup after the AFC Champions League, but only fine-tuned individual positions.

For example, Qin Lin, who started in the mid-week AFC Champions League match, was placed on the bench, and Xia Xiaoyu, who did not start in the AFC Champions League, took his place, and partnered with Junpei Morikawa to form a double midfielder.

At the same time, Hu Lai, Chen Xingyi and Zhang Qinghuan all started the "Trident".

This arrangement also takes into account the difficulty of relegation this season. The team should go all out to get as many points as possible when they have a chance to win.

In the end, the team's performance did not disappoint Zhao Kangming. Flash Star, who almost played the main force, defeated Haihe Shuanggang 3:1 at home.

Trident scored one goal per player, and their performance was very average, and no one suffered.

After playing this league, many players, including Trident, left the club to participate in their respective international competitions.

Zhang Qinghuan and Ding Yuanhai went to participate in the second stage qualifiers of the national team in the Asian region of the 2026 US-Canada (jointly hosted by the United States and Canada) World Cup, which is commonly known as the "Forty Finals".

Hu Lai, Chen Xingyi, and Wang Guangwei went to participate in the warm-up match between the Olympic team and the Serbian Olympic team.

Junpei Morikawa was also recruited by the head coach of the Japanese Olympic team, Koichi Sato, to represent the Japanese Olympic team and return to China to participate in the warm-up match against the Portuguese Olympic team. This kid seemed very excited when he received a call from Koichi Sato. He was still in the team locker room at the time. According to other players' later descriptions, Junpei Morikawa kept bowing to a wall while holding the phone. Sato Koichi knelt down in the air...

"Hey... six people were lost all of a sudden, and it feels like our Shining Star international match day team is getting stronger. Although this is a good thing, it shows that our strength is getting stronger and stronger. But every time the international match day takes us away Half of the main team is still under a lot of pressure..." Chen Mo sighed, "It's okay to just have a warm-up match this time, but in July and August, they will be absent for two months from their training camp and the Olympics. Who can bear it?"

"That can't be helped, Old Chen. For an event like the Olympic Games that the whole people pays attention to, the interests of the club must give way to the interests of the country. This is completely non-negotiable."

"Hu Lai, Chen Xingyi, Wang Guangwei, plus Junpei Morikawa, who represented Japan in the Olympics... Now four people will be absent from the game for two months... Oh, yes, there are also overage players. Zhang Qinghuan said He's over one year old, what if Shi Wuyin plans to recruit him as an overage player to participate in the Olympics? Will you let him go, Old Zhao?"

Zhao Kangming spread his hands: "How can I decide this? If the Olympic team needs it, then I will let it go."

"What about the club?"

"Let's grit our teeth... what else can we do?" Zhao Kangming also expressed helplessness in his tone. But there is no way, this is the disadvantage of Flash Star's focus on young players, and it is the inevitable price of setting off a youth storm in the new season.

※※※

"Xiao Shi, what do you think about the overage players?" Ran Jiachang, the leader of the Olympic team, knocked on the door of Shi Wuyin's office and asked as soon as he came in.

Shi Wuyin shifted his gaze from the computer screen to Ran Jiachang's face,

He smiled and said, "What? Some club secretly approached you to ask you to get someone in?"

Ran Jiachang quickly waved his hand: "Look at what you said... Some players may want to participate in the Olympics, but you must know the club's position - no one is willing to send their main players to us for a month of training. Playing in the Olympics. If it wasn't for the main force... I guess you don't like it, right?"

Shi Wuyin's smile became brighter and brighter: "Old Ran, you know me well. Does the Football Association have any goals or psychological expectations for our Olympic Games?"

Ran Jiachang shook his head: "No, no goals, no pressure, this was clearly put forward at the Olympic work conference."

"Is that a scene talk..." Shi Wuyin suddenly lowered his voice and asked: "Old Ran, tell me, is it true that the Football Association has no expectations for the results at all?"

Ran Jiachang looked a little embarrassed: "If you say that you have no expectations at all, of course it's impossible. Let's just talk about me. I personally have expectations for our performance in the Olympics... But I have to set a bottom line in my heart in advance. If If you don’t reach this bottom line, you have to do whatever you want. I believe that the Football Association does not have this kind of thinking. If you don’t get good grades, you will regret it. If you get good grades, everyone will be happy...Isn’t this human nature?”

Shi Wuyin listened and nodded.

Seeing him like this, Ran Jiachang quickly added: "But don't think that there will be any pressure on you. I have already said that this time we can enter the Olympic Games, which is already a breakthrough. When the Football Association asked you to coach this team The only goal you have set is to participate in the Olympics. Now that you have achieved your goal, you should let go of the burden and just do your best. The key is to let people see the spirit of this team, such as in U23 Faced with the Iranian referee's making things difficult in the Asian Cup, the team did not lose their minds, but resolutely fought back with more goals...that's very good."

"Old Ran, I feel relieved when you say that. I also want to talk to you about the overage players. To be honest, I plan not to bring any overage players."

"Ah? No?" Ran Jiachang was surprised.

Before he came, he was still thinking that if Shi Wuyin asked for an overage player, the club would have resistance, so he would go to work one by one... Who would have thought that Shi Wuyin would choose not even an overage player, so he asked again: "Are you worried that the club is not happy with you? You don't have to worry about this. As long as you confirm the list, I will do this job and be a bad guy..."

Shi Wuyin quickly waved his hand: "That's not what I mean, Lao Ran. I'm not worried about this. What I'm worried about is that after those overage players come to the team, they will break the existing good atmosphere and tacit understanding of the team. You are also following this team The team has come all the way from the youth team to the present. I know the composition of the players in these teams and the relationship with everyone. If you find three overage players who are older than them and have senior qualifications than them, it will inevitably form a barrier, which will actually affect the team. What about the combat effectiveness of the team. Moreover, football is a collective sport, and the team is a whole. Our training arrangement is based on the current team as a whole. When three strangers come in suddenly, how can we let them integrate into the team? Is one month of training enough? What do players think when they are taken over by overage players? Will they lead to a worsening relationship in the locker room? Will their friends express their dissatisfaction with overage players?"

Facing Shi Wuyin's series of rhetorical questions, Ran Jiachang frowned and fell into deep thought.

He admitted that what Shi Wuzhen said was reasonable, because he thought of the first Olympic Games in 2012, when Qin Lin entered the Olympic team as an overage player. With Qin Lin's ability and level at that time, it is not too much to say that he is the strongest player in China, so he naturally has high expectations.

As a result, the addition of such a strong foreign aid did not improve the team's strength. The Olympic team left a shameful record of "no wins, no goals, and no points" in that Olympic Games.

Therefore, many people actually know the answer to whether overage players can improve the performance of the Olympic team in the Olympics.

A football match is a sport in which eleven or even twenty-three players play together after a tacit understanding of training, rather than a simple card game. Choose the eleven players with the strongest strength on paper to play and be invincible.

"So I thought, instead of recruiting three time bombs in this way, I might as well not recruit any of them. At the same time, this Olympic Games is a rare opportunity for young players, and it is a very important training opportunity. But what's the point of those long-established overage players playing in the Olympics? Apart from adding a nice touch to their personal resumes..." Shi Wuzhen spread his hands and shrugged.

"The Football Association did not set any goals for the Olympic Games, but I personally have a goal. That is, if the players of the Olympic team can learn something and grow by participating in this Olympic Games, it will be good for themselves and our national football team. The future is a good thing. I hope participating in the Olympics can achieve such a goal and achieve such an effect. How can such an important opportunity to exercise, learn and grow be given to those overage players?"

"What about Zhang Qinghuan? He's only one year older...he's still a young player." Ran Jiachang asked again. When everyone thinks of overage players participating in the Olympics, Zhang Qinghuan will be the first to think of. Although he is no longer the one who pinned the hopes of fans across the country because of the rise of young players such as Hu Lai, but the prodigal son has performed well, and he is only one year older. Go to the Olympics, otherwise it would be a pity.

"Zhang Qinghuan... Guo Junfu is the captain of our team and the core of the midfield playmaker. If Zhang Qinghuan comes, Guo Junfu can only go to the bench. During the team's qualifying process, Guo Junfu put in a lot of effort, In the end, he can only be allowed to sit on the bench for the Olympic Games. I personally think this is very unfair to Guo Junfu. Secondly, Lao Ran, have you considered another issue?"

"what is the problem?"

"The current three main players of the Olympic team are all from Shining Star. To play in the Olympics, the three of them will have to leave the team for two months and miss at least seven league games. This is very fatal to the team's relegation... Then Let's select Zhang Qinghuan into the Olympic team as an overage player to play in the Olympics. Flash Star has lost almost half of the main lineup... Although Zhao Kangming is famous for his good temper, we can't catch him alone Squeeze! I told you that rabbits bite people when they are in a hurry, so you are not afraid of Lao Zhao coming to block the door?"

Ran Jiachang was amused by Shi Wuyin's words, and he nodded repeatedly: "All right, all right, if you don't recruit, you won't recruit. What you said is terrible. I'm really afraid that Lao Zhao will come to my house to block the door..."

Shi Wuyin said sternly: "From the perspective of being good for Chinese football, I don't want Flash Star to be relegated. I hope that Lao Zhao can fully demonstrate his football philosophy on Flash Star, and maybe it can bring us a better future for Chinese football." There is no guarantee of a bright future..."

Ran Jiachang was a little surprised: "Aren't you exaggerating? Can a team of Shining Stars shoulder the future of Chinese football?"

"Lao Ran, Hu Lai, Chen Xingyi, Wang Guangwei, and Zhang Qinghuan are all in the Stars now. Which one of them do you think will not be able to enter the national team in the future?"

Faced with this question, Ran Jiachang was stunned.

"So can they shoulder the future of Chinese football? If they can't afford it, who should we pin our hopes on?"

Ran Jiachang remained silent.

"I've been paying attention to this team since the Chinese Premier League. They have brought something different to our country's football. Although the Chinese Super League has just started, I dare to assert that this team will also be the top player in the Chinese Super League. If they can successfully avoid relegation, I think it can prove to some extent that Zhao Kangming’s method is effective? Maybe more teams are willing to give young people a chance? When the entire football environment tends to Young people, then there must be more talented young people emerging? Maybe our league can cancel the U23 protection policy by then..."

At the end of Shi Wuji's speech, his voice became lighter and lighter, as if flying to the distant future along with his thoughts.