Grass roots glory

Chapter 188 Surprise!But the future is unpredictable?
Chinese journalists have always had a good sense of smell.After observing Schalke 04's pre-match training for two consecutive days, they already felt that Jiang Hao's possibility of playing is extremely high.

The media and fans have high expectations for Jiang Hao, far higher than when Zhou Tiancheng first emerged last season.The reason is very simple. At that time, many fans actually did not believe how good a young man who had just got a chance in the first team could perform.Especially, it is still a Chinese player.

But now it's different.Zhou Tiancheng let domestic fans have a deeper understanding of the strength of Schalke's youth training with his performance in one season.Therefore, the expectations for Jiang Hao will naturally rise.

Being from the same school as Zhou Tiancheng, the strength should not be inferior, right?
Many people think this way, Zhou Tiancheng's "brand effect" is really not weak...

In the second game, the whole team moved from California to Georgia, and still did not get rid of the Chinese reporters. In order to dig out more news, they even did not hesitate to watch or wait for two hours at the training ground every morning and afternoon, just in exchange for the first time after training. Stop Jiang Hao or Zhou Tiancheng's chance for a while.

Since Zhou Tiancheng became famous, many heads of domestic sports media have regretted it.I just regret that I didn't follow up and pay attention in time. As a result, "Football News" poached the most valuable first-hand material.Therefore, when dealing with Jiang Hao, the media from all walks of life paid enough attention from the beginning.

"Jiang Hao Jiang Hao, you have been training on the main side these days. Has the coach communicated with you and will arrange for you to play in the next game?"

"Just entered the first team, how do you feel about Magath's devil training?"

"Has Zhou Tiancheng talked to you about how to quickly gain a foothold in the first team?"

Jiang Hao was not quite used to the feeling of being surrounded by microphones, so he could only give Zhou Tiancheng a look of help.

Zhou Tiancheng glanced at him jokingly, and still took a step across to block most of the shots, and said to the reporters: "I can understand everyone's enthusiasm, but Jiang Hao is not used to it yet. After all, he just came up from U19, and the photogenic There are few opportunities. I can answer your questions just now..."

Jiang Hao was glad that he and Zhou Tiancheng were on the same team at this time.

"Good guy, these reporters are too scary. Fortunately, Brother Cheng, it's lucky to have you here."

Zhou Tiancheng deliberately said: "Haozi, this is not like you. Don't you like to show off? Actually, I regret it a bit. I shouldn't have taken your spotlight."

Jiang Hao shook his head like a rattle: "I don't want to think about it. I used to be an audience, and I thought it was very beautiful to watch the stars on TV. When it was my turn, I found that I couldn't even speak well. I don't want to think about it anymore."

Zhou Tiancheng laughed: "However, Haozi, unless you want to be a salted fish all the time, you will have to pass this test sooner or later. You see, I am calmer than you when facing the camera now, and I am not forced out. This is the first time I face the camera. The lens is not much better than yours."

When Jiang Hao heard the words, he immediately turned into a sad look: "You are right, Brother Cheng, but the devil just told me to let me attend the press conference."

"You don't have to worry about this. In fact, it's just for you to show your face in front of the media and let everyone get to know you. You don't need to say anything, just be natural. Hehe, but Haozi, it's the first time I see you worrying. In the future, if you chase girls, More of this kind of expression, really, it's on par with the deep male lead in TV dramas, it's quite stylish."

……

In the second game against AC Milan, Schalke 04 moved from California to Atlanta Arena in Georgia. At the pre-match press conference, Magath and Jiang Hao appeared in front of major mainstream media.

Generally speaking, there are two conventions for the head coach to choose the players to attend the press conference: one is the players who may play a key role in the game, and the other is the new players who think they have great potential.And Jiang Hao has both of these points.

Chinese reporters have already had a preliminary understanding of Jiang Hao, but those European media did not know him. Seeing that Magath brought a strange Chinese player, they felt puzzled at first, until Magath said that he was from U19. Yes, to deal with AC Milan's secret weapon, those blue-eyed reporters deliberately took a set of shots to try to remember Jiang Hao-in fact, this is not easy, with Europeans' ability to distinguish, it is easy to see Asian faces Blind, silly and unclear.

……

Compared with the previous start with Inter Milan, Magath has rotated three positions. Matip's starting partner at the center back is Hewedes. Matip's performance as a substitute in the last game was stable enough to make people shine .Obviously Magath wants to further examine his ability to play as a starter - of course it is only a preseason game, but in the league, no surprise, Westerman's main position is still stable.After all, in a long season, a stable defense is crucial.

In the midfield, Rakitic's midfielder partner was replaced by Greek midfielder Priatskas, Holtby came off the bench, Jiang Hao started the single arrow on the striker, and Kuranyi was on the bench standby.Magath gives every young player a chance.

Jiang Hao stood on the field representing the first team for the first time. He seemed very excited and felt endless energy. Zhou Tiancheng walked over and reminded him: "Haozi, I know you are very excited, but learn to take a deep breath. You are too excited at this time. It's not a good thing, and your physical energy will be exhausted soon."

The broadcast camera stayed on Jiang Hao's No. 40 jersey for a few seconds. Marcel Leif saw the two talking and couldn't help guessing: "Is Zhou teaching the secrets of his debut to his compatriots? Ha! Last season Jiang Hao, the second-ranked scorer in the U19 Youth League, is from China like Zhou, and it’s his first first-team appearance, will his performance be as surprising as Zhou’s?”

This is also the answer that the Chinese media and fans are looking forward to.

However, AC Milan obviously learned the lesson of their rivals in the same city, Inter Milan. They retreated very deep at the beginning of the game, leaving enough depth for the defense. Coach Leonardo knew very well that the characteristic of the team lies in defensive counterattacks, so he would rather be conservative.

And there is not enough room for impact. For Schalke's lineup that lacks a standing center, the offense has encountered a lot of trouble, and they have the same concerns, and they dare not raise too much like they did against Inter Milan. Both Seedorf and Pirlo are extremely experienced midfield engines, and there are also Alexander Pato and Inzaghi who scored extremely efficiently last season on the front line-that is to say, once Schalke is cut off in the midfield The ball, conceding the ball may no longer be a "possibility".

But despite this, Schalke's overall style of play is still more inclined to attack. After all, they have an advantage in the number of midfielders in the middle, and they strengthen ball possession by increasing their range of activities.Although the risk of being intercepted increases, Magath doesn't care about losing the ball in this kind of game. He still has a chance to come back when he falls behind. The only thing he cares about is whether he can achieve the purpose of warming up the lineup and inspecting the players.Only a more open game scene and a more active offense can fully demonstrate the characteristics of each player.

Of course, the different strategies are also due to the different starting points of the head coaches of the two sides. Like Magath, Leonardo has just taken over the previous coach and took office, but his task is even heavier. After all, the big boss Berlusconi is dead. The order, this season must overwhelm Inter Milan to reach the top of Serie A. Facing Inter Milan, which is buying and strengthening the lineup next door, Leonardo feels a lot of pressure, so he needs more realistic victories to enhance his prestige in the eyes of these stars.

……

On the field, the opening stage of the game was very stalemate. Although Schalke 04 had a higher ball possession rate in the frontcourt, there were not many opportunities to face AC Milan's solid defense.Jiang Hao's speed impact in the frontcourt needs enough depth and space, but Nesta and Bonera did not give him such an opportunity at all.

His enthusiasm can only be reflected in the high-position press on the defensive end, and he almost made a mistake when he grabbed Bonera several times.

CCTV commentator He Wei looked at the scene with mixed joy and sorrow: "Jiang Hao is actively fighting, which is gratifying for his first show. But it is not the way to go on like this, and the efficiency is too low. Judging from the information we have before, Jiang Hao Hao is a mobile shooter with strong impact. He needs enough support from the midfield, so Rakitic and Zhou Tiancheng, especially Zhou Tiancheng, need to send more balls to the striker."

In the opening stage, Jiang Hao was the most active person on the field. After only 10 minutes of playing, his real-time running distance reached nearly 800 meters, which was nearly 500 meters higher than that of Zhou Tiancheng. Off the field, Hollerbach's expression was It wasn't easy at all. When I stood up, I wanted to shout at Jiang Hao, but Magath grabbed him: "Old man, what are you doing?"

"Felix, Jiang fought too hard, and his physical fitness won't last long."

Magath pulled his assistant back: "Don't worry, young players who are willing to work hard should be encouraged."

Hollerbach was stunned for a moment, and asked in a low voice, "Felix, are you planning to let Jiang play half the game? But with his hard work, it's hard to say whether he can last half the game."

"This kind of game is not worthy of me making such a detailed plan. If I can't hold on, I will just replace it." Magath said lightly: "For a player of this age, if he doesn't fight until he is physically exhausted in his first show, he can't imagine playing in my team. The team gets the position."

Hollerbach gave Magath a meaningful look: "You really... do you know what they call you in private? Devil. But I don't think it's enough to describe you. You're just a whore."

Magath glanced at the assistant and didn't care: "Whatever they say, as long as I can win, I'm willing to be more **** than ***!"

After speaking, Magath stood up and shouted to the field: "Zhou, go up! Go up!"

Zhou Tiancheng heard the instructions and increased the frequency of dribbling the ball vertically, getting closer to Rakitic. AC Milan's midfield defense immediately appeared to be very tight.Gattuso was a midfield iron gate at his peak, but he is 31 years old this year. His body hardness and running ability are hard to compare with his peak. Facing Rakitic and Priatskas, he can barely rely on experience Relying on his laurels, but Zhou Tiancheng also pressed up, one-on-three in the midfield, and Gattuso also felt struggling.At this time, Seedorf can only take the initiative to retreat-Pirlo is a pure midfield organizer. Although he plays in the midfielder, he is actually the front midfielder and the back, and his defensive ability is almost negligible.

But even if AC Milan responded quickly enough, Schalke 04 still seized an opportunity before they adjusted!
No.30 minutes, Zhou Tiancheng blocked Pirlo's direct pass and moved forward. With his confrontational ability, he withstood Seedorf's pursuit and pushed the ball to Rakitic who retreated to respond. At this time, Gattuso Facing Zhou Tiancheng, he was planning to form a pincer attack with Seedorf, but Zhou Tiancheng took the lead and the ball rolled directly behind Gattuso.

A rare good opportunity, Schalke 04 really penetrated AC Milan's midfield for the first time!
Rakitic looked up and saw Jiang Hao raised a finger from a distance, which was a signal for the ball.

Rakitic didn't think much about it at all. He was very impressed with Jiang Hao's speed after training together these days.

The AC Milan defender also saw Jiang Hao's actions, and Nesta believed that his explosive power must be unmatched.At the first moment, he wanted to reach out to stop Jiang Hao, but his movement was still half a beat slow, Jiang Hao had already rushed out, and he only touched half of the corner of his clothes.

But he was not worried. Although his positioning was unreasonable, Bonera was still behind.

But he underestimated Jiang Hao's speed of sprinting with the ball.

If Zhou Tiancheng's current style of play is more and more inclined to win by cleverness, Jiang Hao is a typical young player who has just entered the first team. He likes whoever he likes, relying on his speed, and he can eat all kinds of tricks.

Even facing Bonera head-on, Jiang Hao didn't slow down at all. After changing direction, he took a big step directly, taking advantage of Bonera's turning and changing direction, accelerated with all his strength, and passed Bonera like a gust of wind Beside him, the latter fell to the ground and only shoveled a cloud of air.

Jiang Hao dribbled the ball directly into the penalty area!

"Wow! Jiang Hao is completely unreasonable to bully AC Milan's old arms and legs."

In fact, Bonera, who was born in 1981, is at the peak of his 28 years this year, but this time he lost because he was too confident. If he is more stable, his reaction speed may not be weaker than Jiang Hao, and he may get stuck in a favorable position.

But now it's too late.

Zambrotta chased back from the left to the middle, more like the final struggle. Jiang Hao faced the old Brazilian goalkeeper Dida, dribbled the ball directly in the opposite direction, and scored an empty goal.

"The goal is scored! The goal is scored! Jiang Hao's speed is really a surprise. He rode through the barrier alone. With a late kick, Dida's goal was finally broken by a Chinese player."

At this moment, He Wei thought of Zhao Junzhe's kick against the Brazil team in the 2002 World Cup. Dida was standing in front of the Brazil team's goal at that time...

However, Jiang Hao also used up the last of his physical energy in this sprint, and squatted directly on the field. After 2 minutes, he was replaced by another fast horse Jones.

He Wei saw that Jiang Hao was replaced so quickly due to physical reasons, and the surprise that had just ignited immediately turned into worry: "Jiang Hao is indeed very special, and sprinting for a short distance on the field does consume more energy than a uniform speed, but the first team Players can only last half an hour of high-intensity running, and they are still weak. I am afraid that such a physical reserve will become his biggest obstacle. Magath is notoriously demanding on players' physical fitness."

He Wei expressed concern about Jiang Hao's prospects in Schalke.In fact, this is not unreasonable. For example, no matter how good the performance of an aircraft is, poor endurance will cause headaches for users.

PS: Explain a question that was not mentioned above.

Kobia Schwilli and Kristajic were not in Schalke after the 08-09 season. Holtby came to fill their positions, so the next plot will be without them.

(End of this chapter)