Chapter 231 Fell asleep? (National Football Team)
The game was still going on. After Fu Bo replaced Jiang Yuan, he asked the team to pull the overall defense line back, because he also knew that after Jiang Yuan left the field, the Chinese U23 would have no advantage against the Syrian U23.

This is reflected in the ball possession rate. According to statistics, China U23 had a ball possession rate of 45% in the first half, while in the second half, this ratio has been declining.

As of the 80th minute, China U23's ball possession rate in the first 10 minutes has dropped to 36%.

Fortunately, because Fu Bo used a defensive formation such as 442, Syria got the ball but failed to launch an effective attack.

"In the 81st minute, the score is still 5:0. Let's see if these U23 players can hold on to the score."

"Hey! There was a problem with the coordination between Zhang Xiaobin and Zhao Yuhao, Zhan got the ball"

"The ball was passed to Baher, who passed it to Mubayed, who went down the field. Shi Ke tried to catch up, but failed."

"Mubayed... cross!"

"Mavas' header! Zhang Yinuo! Oh, Syria U23 scored a goal!"

"To be honest, this ball is a bit of a pity"

China U23 conceded a goal, and Zhan Jun was of course very frustrated, as were the fans at the scene.

Fortunately, China U23 is still leading by a large score of 5:1, so there is no need to panic.

"Go China!"

"Go China!"

"Clap clap clap!"

"Pa pa pa pa pa pa pa!"

The atmosphere at Khalifa Stadium was very good.

Mawas ran to the Chinese team's goal to pick up the ball. It seemed that Syria wanted to score as many goals as possible in the last few minutes.

In the U23 Asian Cup, each team only needs to play three games, and only two teams in the same group can qualify. This means that after three rounds of the group stage, some teams may have the same score.

In this case, goal difference is very important.

"Stay back! Stay back! Don't give them a chance!"

"Hao Lun, you and Wang Tong stay in the restricted area. Yes, hold it!"

"Clap!"

Fu Bo used his hands and mouth, shouting and clapping, cheering for the players on the field crazily.

The game was still going on, and in the 86th minute, the score was still 5:1. China U23 was preparing for a corner kick, and the director was very smart to give a shot to Fu Bo outside the field. The coach of the Chinese team frowned, and he looked really nervous.

Then, the director turned the camera to Jiang Yuan on the bench. The current Chinese team star was sitting on a chair, wearing a baseball cap with the Chinese team logo on his head, and his whole body posture was very relaxed. This is...

Fell asleep?
【? ? ? ? ? ? 】

【? ? ? ? ? 】

[Is it okay to fall asleep? 】

[Nimma, who said before that this competition would be difficult for Xiao Jiang? Come out and see for yourself, is this difficult? ]

[Look at Zhang Yuning next to him, his expression is so serious, and there is also Du Jia. I guess only Jiang Yuan can handle it.]

[Is it okay to sleep at this time? 】

[What does it matter? Xiao Jiang flew here from London after playing in the Premier League. He played a game the next day. Isn't it normal for him to be a little tired? Do you like to watch Jiang Yuan play in every game? What if he gets injured? Will you go up to the Chinese team? ]

[Some fans asked not to be too strict. No one is allowed to sleep after scoring 4 goals? Ask Mourinho if he will let Jiang Yuan sleep on the bench after scoring 4 goals]

[Top league teams have big hearts]

[Otherwise, he is the only player in the entire U23 Asian Cup who has played in the Champions League, and Jiang Yuan has also scored a goal in the Champions League knockout stage]

[Yes, this is very relaxing]

[This Wei Shihao is really manly, much bolder than Zhang Yuning, young and promising! ]

……

"Hiss... On the bench, China's No. 7 Jiang Yuan seems to have fallen asleep"

"Well, considering that the player only arrived in Qatar yesterday, this situation is understandable"

"I hope the Chinese team coaching staff will give Jiang Yuan a chance to rest after they return. Excessive fatigue is not a good thing for young players."

Whether it was the fans in front of the screen or CCTV commentator Zhan Jun, everyone expressed understanding and even support for Jiang Yuan's behavior of sleeping.

It's just like the saying goes, being bad at competitive sports is the original sin!
In the stands behind the Chinese U23 substitutes’ bench, two middle-aged men wearing Dragon Team cheering jerseys shouted, “Zhang Yuning! Zhang Yuning!”

"what?"

Zhang Yuning turned his head and pointed his index finger at himself, as if to say: Are you calling me?

Seeing Zhang Yuning turning around, the two uncles' eyes lit up, and one of them said loudly: "Yes, yes, Yuning, help Xiao Jiang cover with a coat, the stadium has air conditioning, don't let him catch a cold!"

"Ohhh, okay, okay!"

Zhang Yuning made an OK gesture and asked the logistics team for a Nike jacket of the U23 football team and covered Jiang Yuan with it.

After finishing, Zhang Yuning looked carefully and made sure that Jiang Yuan's belly was not exposed before lying back in the chair.

If this guy catches a cold, he can go back home directly after playing against Iran next week.

“Beep, beep—!”

Syria's last counterattack shot was blocked by Zhang Yinuo with both fists. The referee Jassim blew the whistle to end the game, and the 11 players on the field rioted instantly.

“Come on! Roar!!”

"Awesome! 5:1!"

11 players rushed to the outside of the field to interact with the Chinese national team's expeditionary force.

Most of those who are willing to fly to Qatar to watch the U23 game are die-hard fans of the Chinese national football team. To put it bluntly, teams like U23 and U21 are the reserve forces of the Chinese national football team's first team.

For fans, the current U23 team will be the first team of the Chinese national football team in 3-5 years.

现在的U23踢叙利亚U23打了一个5：1，四舍五入一下，3年后国足5：1叙利亚！
Two words, comfortable!

"Brilliant!"

"China is awesome! Holy shit, it's really awesome!"

"Pa pa pa! Jiang Yuan! Pa pa pa! Jiang Yuan!"

The fans in the stands were very lively and the players on the field were also celebrating.

On the bench, Zhang Yuning looked at Jiang Yuan who was sleeping next to him with a puzzled look on his face.

Why can Jiang Yuan fall asleep at a time like this?
……

After the game, domestic reporters rushed forward, using their terrifying speed and momentum to squeeze out the local Qatari football reporters and began interviewing the U23 team.

First it was head coach Fu Bo, then it was Jiang Yuan's turn. One look at his sleepy eyes revealed that he had just woken up.

"Jiang Yuan! May I ask how you feel after this game?"

A female reporter handed a microphone to Jiang Yuan. Having suffered a loss last time, Jiang Yuan deliberately took a look at the microphone in the female reporter's hand this time.

CCTV
Ok, Jiang Yuan already knows what to do.

"Well... first of all, I must be very grateful to the coaching staff and teammates. If it weren't for their trust in me, I would definitely not be able to play like this. Of course, there are also fans who support us at the scene and in front of the TV. Thank you for your support."

Jiang Yuan bent down slightly.

"Okay, then let me ask you about the penalty kick in the first half. You gave the penalty kick to Liao Lisheng even though you had already scored a hat trick. Was that your idea?"

"Um"

Jiang Yuan nodded: "As you said, I already had a hat trick at that time, so it was a better choice to let Brother Liao take the penalty kick."

"I see. Then, may I ask, you just arrived in Qatar yesterday, and you wore the captain's armband for the match at noon today. Do you feel a lot of pressure?"

"Hahaha"

Jiang Yuan laughed: "Of course! I am under a lot of pressure. After all, this is my first national team game, and I don't know many of the brothers in the team yet. Getting familiar with the team and the game are all good challenges for me."

high pressure?
Zhang Yuning on the side was looking at Jiang Yuan who was being interviewed.

Damn, I watched you fall asleep little by little!
At this moment, Jiang Yuan pointed at Zhang Yuning and said, "I have almost finished what I have said. Now I will let Brother Ning answer your questions."

what?
Zhang Yuning pointed to his mouth: "Me?"

"Don't hesitate, come quickly!"

Jiang Yuan pulled Zhang Yuning over, pushed him in front of the reporters, and ran away through the back door.

……

China Football Team Weibo——5:1, China U23 defeated Syria U23 with a big score, Jiang Yuan scored four goals and Liao Lisheng scored a penalty!

CCTV1：北京时间1月15日晚9点30分，U23亚洲杯小组赛A组第2轮的比赛在卡塔尔哈里发球场举行，在经过90分钟的比赛之后，中国U23足球队以5：1的比分战胜叙利亚U23足球队。央视记者报道，在赛后采访中，国足U23/切尔西球星江远表示他在这场比赛中感受到很大的压力。

Xinhua News Agency reporter reported: Currently in Group A of the U23 Asian Cup, the Chinese U23 team and the Iranian U23 team have 3 points each, ranking second with the advantage of goal difference. The first place is the host of this tournament, the Qatar U23 team, which has won all 2 games and has a total of 6 points.

The headline of the Iranian Football Newspaper: Iran U23 coach Queiroz appealed to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), who believed that allowing 17-year-old players to participate in the U23 level competition was an act of underestimating the opponent that was "unsportsmanlike". The AFC office rejected Queiroz's request to ban Jiang, and the AFC determined that the Chinese U23 did not underestimate the opponent in this tournament.

The topic of the weekly Chinese composition test for the first and second grade students of Qingshan Middle School is: Iranian coach Queiroz believes that allowing 17-year-old players to participate in U23 level competitions is an act of underestimating the enemy. Please write a letter to refute Queiroz, choosing your own theme and title, and the letter should be no less than 800 words.

The Sun's front page headline: No difficulty? Jiang fell asleep during the national team match. According to the first-class cabin attendant on flight QR006, Jiang slept for less than two and a half hours on the plane.

Chelsea Twitter - Congratulations! Blue for the club, red for the national team! Jiang Yuan scored 60 goals in 4 minutes to help the national youth team win a big victory. Relax! (Attached is a photo of Jiang Yuan sleeping on the bench)
The Times front page headline: Chelsea is seeking 3000 million euros to buy Leicester City midfielder Kante. The management is open to the deal, but the team coach Ranieri rejected the deal. …

After defeating Syria, the Chinese U23 team's next game will be in three days, against one of the strongest opponents in this U3 Asian Cup, Iran U23.

That night after the game, the players had dinner in the hotel lobby.

"Brother Yuan, let me toast you!"

Liu Binbin raised his glass. Since he was not allowed to drink alcohol during the competition, the glass was filled with Tymbark apple juice, a Polish brand whose apple juice is very famous in Qatar.

Pour apple juice into a wine glass and throw a few ice balls in it. It's exactly the same as drinking beer, but without the bubbles.

"Fuck, Brother Bin, come on, come on!"

Jiang Yuan stood up, filled his glass, clinked glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

er...it's sour and sweet, not bad.

"Come on, Brother Yuan, let me toast you too, thank you for the penalty kick!"

Liao Lisheng, who was sitting on Jiang Yuan's right, raised his cup and said, "I'll drink it. Brother Yuan, it's up to you!"

"Ha ha!"

Jiang Yuan smiled. It wasn't wine anyway, so he just ignored it and drank another glass in a few gulps.

Later on, Fu Bo stopped letting the players drink from wine glasses. Although apple juice does not contain alcohol, it is high in sugar. Drinking too much will disrupt the athletes' diet structure.

Apple juice was banned, but this also suppressed the players' excitement, and later everyone simply used water instead of wine. It must be said that Liu Binbin was really ruthless. Nearly 30 people in the team walked over to toast one by one.

Seeing Liu Binbin's expression, Jiang Yuan believed that even if the cup contained real beer, Liu Binbin would not be pretentious at all. It is not possible to play football in Shandong without drinking. It is just like in the UK and Germany. The whole team drinks, and it is impossible for you to be the only one who does not drink.

"I'll take this opportunity to talk about the problems in today's game."

After Fu Bo and Liu Binbin finished drinking, they put their cups on the table, and the hall instantly became quiet.

"First of all, everyone played very well today, but there are still some problems I need to point out. Yuning, you should be bolder on the court and learn from Shihao, who did very well. Syria is not stronger than us, I don't know what you are afraid of!"

Zhang Yuning glanced at Wei Shihao, who responded with a thumbs up: "Never mind, just curse them directly. If you call them idiots, they won't understand. You should say fuck you."

When it comes to swearing, Wei Shihao is very experienced. He speaks three languages: Chinese, Portuguese and English, and can basically swear at anyone he meets.

"Shihao, don't be like this, your temper is a bit too much"

Fu Bo pointed at Wei Shihao with his chopsticks. The Bengbu guy glanced at Fu Bo and said, "Fuck him. That No. 12 is really no different from an idiot. He kicked my ankle and then accused me of faking a fall. Isn't this just an idiot?"

"OK OK"

Liu Binbin patted Wei Shihao on the back, signaling him to calm down.

The party was still going on, and Fu Bo approached Jiang Yuan again: "Brother Yuan!"

"Teacher Fu, don't call me Brother Yuan anymore, just call me Xiao Jiang!"

Jiang Yuan waved his hands repeatedly. It was fine for Liu Binbin and Liao Lisheng to call him Brother Yuan, but it was really unreasonable for Fu Bo, who was over 50 years old, to still call him Brother Yuan.

"Good good!"

Fu Bo chased Zhang Yuning away and sat down next to Jiang Yuan: "Brother Yuan, what is your next schedule? Are you going back to London for training or... coming with us?"

When it comes to the words "with us", Fu Bo is a little embarrassed. The reason is that the U23 training content is basically useless to Jiang Yuan, but Fu Bo really doesn't want Jiang Yuan to leave.

Even though he was flying first class, the time difference still disrupted Jiang Yuan's daily routine. The most obvious manifestation was when he fell asleep on the bench this afternoon.

"Um……"

Jiang Yuan licked his lips. In fact, he had already thought about it before coming, but in this situation it would be better to hesitate for a while.

"Teacher Fu, I'll stay here and train!"

"That's great!"

Fu Bo smiled happily, then suddenly became serious again: "But I have to tell you in advance that our training course may not satisfy you..."

"It's mainly due to the team's running-in. After all, I've only known you all for a short time."

Jiang Yuan shook a spoonful of lamb leg pilaf. He ate bread and macaroni of various flavors every day in London, and today he could finally eat.

"Oh, I have something else I want to tell you."

As he spoke, Fu Bo motioned Jiang Yuan to stand up. Jiang Yuan slowly stuffed the rice into his mouth and followed Fu Bo.

It wasn’t far, just a corner of the hall.

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Yuan looked at Fu Bo in front of him, his tone was a little strange.

We are all on the same team, is there anything we need to talk about privately?
"It's not a big deal, it's just Yuning, you can see that this kid doesn't have enough courage"

"I think he is a very talented player. What do you think of him? Oh, don't look at it from the perspective of a European player. Based on your feeling, what level of talent does Yuning have among domestic young players?"

Fu Bo looked at Jiang Yuan with anticipation. Although Fu Bo's face was very kind, he still gave Jiang Yuan a creepy feeling.

"Well... to be honest, Brother Ning is not bad, but just like you said, he is too conservative sometimes. Winger shouldn't play like that."

Jiang Yuan gave his evaluation, and he had a good impression of Zhang Yuning. Caution and conservatism are common characteristics of overseas players, and Wei Shihao is an exception.

"Before selecting the squad, I called Yuning's previous coach, and he said Yuning was a very wild player during the youth training period."

Jiang Yuan pursed his lips and said, "This is normal. Studying abroad will affect one's self-confidence. When I first went to Porto U17, I seldom spoke. Fortunately, my roommate was very nice and helped me integrate slowly."

"The help of teammates is really important..."

Fu Bo muttered, and at this moment he had no idea who Jiang Yuan was talking about. It would probably take Fu Bo 2 or 3 years to react to this matter, and by then Felix would be almost famous.

"So, what Master Fu meant is..."

"My idea is that if you get a penalty kick while ensuring the team's victory, I hope you give it to Yuning first. I'm not saying that you should always give it to him, but I just want to see if the penalty kick can improve his condition. After all, his talent is there, and we need to think about the future. After beating Iran, we still have the knockout rounds to come."

Jiang Yuan nodded slightly, expressing his understanding of Fu Bo's words, but he did not make it clear whether to give a penalty or not.

……

At this time, on the other side, at Cobham base, the players had just finished their afternoon muscle relaxation and had now returned home one after another.

Mourinho and Brown had not left yet. They had agreed to take a walk around the training ground.

Mourinho, wearing Adidas training shoes, felt the stimulation of the grass on his feet: "Lyon, I used to be a football player, a professional"

Brown continued: "Who doesn't? To be a coach in a club, you must have a professional resume."

"no no no"

Mourinho suddenly slowed down: "You didn't understand what I meant. I meant that my career as a player was not smooth. To put it bluntly, I couldn't play well, but I liked football, so I chose to be a coach. In the past, when I was in my 30s, I saw some particularly talented players and I would be very envious, but I won't be now."

"Tell me, does this mean that I have no ambitions anymore?"

"No ambition? Jose, how can you not have ambition?"

Brown stopped and stood face to face with Mourinho: "You contacted Zlatan and let Diego leave. This transfer operation cannot be done by a coach without ambition. The facts prove that you still want to stay at Chelsea and you want to bring better results to Chelsea."

The two have known each other for more than ten years. In terms of familiarity, Brown is probably the one who knows Mourinho best.

It would be a huge shame for Portugal coach O if he fails to prove himself at Chelsea.

"Zlatan is important..."

"By the way, how is Kante's transfer going? We need a player who is good at stealing the ball"

Mourinho changed the subject and said that Costa's transfer gave Chelsea a large new budget. In addition to Ibrahimovic, Chelsea can also buy 1-2 core players.

"Ranieri won't sell. I told you a long time ago that with Leicester City's current record, if you want to buy anyone from them in the winter window, Ranieri will definitely not sell them."

"Steal? We have Cesc and Matic, both of them are good at stealing."

Mourinho wants a midfielder with excellent tackling ability, and Kante is not actually a necessary choice.

Fabregas and Matic are both good at stealing the ball!

'This is different'

However, Mourinho and Brown have different views: "I have seen the data. N'Golo averaged 4.2 steals per game in the first half of the season, which is the highest in the Premier League. And N'Golo not only has steals, his advancement and defensive coverage abilities are also very good. Believe me, this kind of player has a high ceiling. Although he is not as good as Jiang, he is not much different."

Brown opened his mouth wide, and it was obvious that he did not expect Mourinho to speak so highly of Kante.

"So, you still want him, but the problem is that Leicester City won't sell him. We asked for 3000 million, but Ranieri refused without even considering it. From this point of view, it will probably take 4000 million to have a chance of negotiation."

"4000?"

Mourinho frowned: "Too expensive!"

"There is no other way. This is how it works when buying core players in the winter window. It is unrealistic for you to ask Ranieri to give up Kante. Leicester City has a tendency to win the championship this season."

There is nothing wrong with Brown's analysis. Judging from the state of Leicester City this season, it would be strange if Ranieri was willing to sell players in the winter window.

What if the team's condition collapses after selling a player? Ranieri cannot bear this responsibility.

"never mind"

Mourinho steps forward:

"Hold on a little longer, if it doesn't work, forget it."

……

(End of this chapter)