super all-rounder

Chapter 466 Chapter 464: Guess the World Cup in South Africa!

When the Netherlands and his party appeared at the airport, the waiting reporters immediately flocked to them.

Van Marwijk signaled to the assistant coach to lead the players out of this "land of right and wrong", and he faced the media alone.

The "luck theory" put him on the cusp, and he almost lost the warm-up match with Uruguay at home, which made him almost drowned by the drool of the Dutch media.

It was to avoid the domestic media that he came to Johannesburg two days in advance.

Without waiting for the reporter to ask questions, Van Marwijk said, "The main purpose of coming to Johannesburg early is to allow the players to adapt to the South African climate earlier."

The Dutch coach wants to strike first: "The atmosphere in the team is very good now, and it is slowly getting on the right track."

"Please fans don't be careful, we are really very good, except for a few players, most of our players are healthy."

Van Marwijk's pre-emptive strategy has achieved results, making it impossible for the reporters to ask more than half of the questions just thought of.

A Dutch reporter asked: "Mr. Van Marwijk, one thing everyone is very concerned about now is, how will you arrange Chen's position? Is it a defensive midfielder? A forward?"

"Or like Mr. Wenger, according to the different situations of the game, flexibly arrange his position?"

Van Marwijk breathed a sigh of relief, and he said with a smile: "Our coaching team has also conducted in-depth discussions on the use of Chen. Being able to play multiple positions, how to use him is not a distress, but a kind of luck for the Dutch team."

"We will still conduct research and discussions on where to let him appear. We will let him appear where he should appear most!"

Yes, there are not many players who can play multiple positions, and the span is so large from forward to defensive midfielder and even full back.

In today's world football, there are almost no such players.

For the Dutch team, this is indeed lucky.

A Spanish journalist asked: "Would you replace De Jong with Chen?"

De Jong took the initiative to apply for a red card in the game against Uruguay. This is an extremely uncool behavior. You must know that the Netherlands was behind by two goals at that time.

His red card made the Dutch team worse. After the game, the Dutch media criticized him fiercely, thinking that he was an "irresponsible" player who could not calm down when the team was in extreme danger.

Van Marwijk shook his head and said: "De Jong is a very good defensive midfielder. His presence has increased the defensive hardness and strength of the Dutch team. I will not easily put him on the bench."

Protecting their players in front of the media is a common method used by coaches.

The Dutch reporter frowned. De Jong is a time bomb for the Dutch team. It may explode at any time during the game, and the Dutch team will be injured in the end.

Will such a player be reused?

……

After an hour's drive, the Dutch team came up and down to the hotel where they stayed - the Hilton Sandton Hotel.

Set amidst scenic gardens and suburban surroundings, the Hilton Sandton enjoys a fantastic location north of South Africa's financial center Johannesburg.Guests have easy access to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, global banking institutions and the Sandton Convention Centre.

Hilton Sandton is a six-storey modern low-rise building offering beautifully appointed guest rooms and flexible event spaces, including a 6-square-meter grand ballroom.

The hotel offers numerous dining and entertainment options, including the much-loved Pool Gazebo Bar.Nestled between the outdoor swimming pool and tranquil gardens, it is a delightful oasis of relaxation in the heart of Sandton.

This is the hotel chosen by the Dutch team in Johannesburg.

Chen Fan got off the bus with his sports bag on his back, looked up, saw that the hotel only had six floors, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Even if he lives on the highest floor, he doesn't need to climb for too long.

There is a banner on the hotel building - welcome to the Dutch team and wish the Dutch team a good result!
This banner made the Dutch team feel at home. The hotel manager led the general hotel staff to stand at the entrance of the hotel building, welcoming the favorites to win the World Cup with a smile on their faces.

The Dutch team walked into the lobby under the leadership of the hotel manager, and handed the house number to the assistant coach from the front desk.

The room arrangement has been arranged long ago, Chen Fan and Van Persie live together.

"How many?"

Chen Fan asked Van Persie who got the house number.

"408."

"You only have to climb four floors," Van Persie said with a smile.

Spatial claustrophobia was no secret. The Dutch team already knew that Chen Fan had this mental illness.

Robben looked at Chen Fan and said with a smile, "Chen, you climb slowly, I'll take the elevator first!"

How could Chen Fan admit defeat: "Let's see who gets to the door of the room first!"

Everyone laughed. After Chen Fan asked the stairs, he immediately walked like flying...

When Robben and others walked out of the elevator, Chen Fan stood at the door of 408 leisurely and waved to them.

"I won!"

Robben shrugged and said, "Okay, you win, and then..."

Chen Fan was short of breath for a while, and said angrily, "Anyway, I won anyway!"

Seeing the childish Chen Fan, everyone burst into laughter.

The next day, the Dutch team began to enter normal training.

The training time is generally arranged in the afternoon and evening, which is to adapt to the competition time.

Under the leadership of Van Marwijk, the Dutch team is recovering at a fast pace, and they are waiting for the World Cup.

Chen Fan updates his social platform almost every day, attracting the attention of many fans and media.

As time went on, other teams arrived in South Africa and the media's attention shifted to these teams, taking the pressure off Van Marwijk.

In addition to reporting the situation of each team, the media also began to warm up for the World Cup. Various speculations appeared in major media.

Which champion team falls in the group stage?

The Spanish newspaper Marca said: The seven World Cup champion teams in history will all appear on the field in South Africa. It is their ultimate goal to win the Hercules Cup again, but the tragedy of being eliminated in the group stage may still be repeated on the top seven.

The superstitious Domenech chose the Chinese team as his opponent in the last warm-up match, hoping to repeat the miracle of reaching the World Cup finals after defeating the Chinese team in the warm-up match four years ago.

The lack of strength of the team and the fact that they are in the same group as the hosts, this World Cup is just a cutscene before the reshuffle for the precarious French football. The chance of repeating the miracle of four years ago is slim, and the scene of eight years ago is very likely to repeat itself.

Another World Cup champion team that is a little worrying is the Italian team led by coach Lippi.The unexpected victory in Germany is more thanks to the outbreak of the "Phonegate" incident. The unprecedented unity of the players has greatly improved the strength of the team.

Italy is currently deliberately creating the same tension as when it won the championship four years ago, which also shows the weakness of the Italian national team from another aspect.

The stagnation of football in the Apennines is a fact recognized all over the world. Lippi has to continue to rely on the old team from four years ago due to the small number of new-generation players, and the competitive status of these old players has long since deteriorated. The recent performance in the warm-up match, which is difficult to win, has made the prospect of the Italian team in South Africa even more bleak.

Although there are two underdogs in the same group of the World Cup, New Zealand and Slovakia, but the Italians' natural slow-heating habits cannot guarantee how smoothly they can go in the group stage.

However, compared with the French team, Italy has a greater chance of entering the knockout round.

Among the other five teams that have already won the World Cup, only the Brazilian team still has some doubts about whether they can qualify for the group stage. The "Samba Army" was unfortunately classified into the "group of death".

The last time Brazil faced such a severe group situation, it dates back to the World Cup in England 44 years ago. At that time, they were in the same group with Portugal led by Eusebio, Hungary and Bulgaria. In the end, Brazil failed to enter the knockout stage with one win and two losses.

Although Dunga's team is the biggest favorite in this World Cup, his primary goal is to ensure that he can stand out from the group.

(End of this chapter)