There is a belief called football

Chapter 205
After returning to the Hebei Xianghe training base, Stan gave the players a one-day leave, and then the team will set off to play away games.

The good news is that Lin Zhijian can finally play for Stan. When Stan heard the news, he immediately put him in his squad. When he was preparing to play against Lebanon in the away game, he could be used for inspection.

*****
The Chinese team has failed to qualify for the top 2 for two consecutive qualifiers. This time the Football Association still attaches great importance to it, but it does not put too much pressure on Stan. The Football Association also knows Stan's character and leadership ability.

For the game on June 6, the whole team flew to Lebanon on June 3. Everything was quiet, just like an ordinary game. The domestic media was not very optimistic about the Chinese team’s journey to the top 6. In recent years, the Chinese team has been strong but not weak, and weak and not strong.

Especially in the qualifiers before 2006, the last game of the top 20 was against Kuwait. As long as they tied, they could enter the top 10, but the Chinese team lost inexplicably. So although Lebanon is not strong, there are still many people who are not optimistic about the prospects of the Chinese team.

*****
The atmosphere on the plane was a little silent. Stan purposely sat with Li Weifeng. After all, only he and Sun Jihai in this national team had experienced the glory of the Chinese team in 2002. The other players were playing in the top 10 for the first time.

"When we left, not many fans came to see us off," Stein said.

Li Weifeng didn't speak.

"Maybe when we come back, the whole BJ will be empty",
"Coach, I'm sorry, West Asia always gives me a lot of bad memories. In the first two qualifiers, we fell at the feet of the West Asia team. Some people said that the Chinese team has a fear of the West in addition to Korean fear."
"Don't you think it's different now," Stan asked.

Li Weifeng didn't speak again.

"Are you really scared?" Stan asked.

"It's not that I'm afraid, it's just that I felt that way too many times. Last night I dreamed about the match against Kuwait before the German World Cup qualifier," Li Weifeng said.

"I can understand, but you are the captain, I don't want you to bring this kind of emotion to the court, remember my words, everything is different now", Stan looked at Li Weifeng with firm eyes.

Perhaps because of the strength conveyed by Stan's eyes, Li Weifeng felt strong confidence, and he nodded to Stan.

*****
In the locker room, Stan was uncharacteristically, and only wrote a sentence "everything is different" on the tactical board.

"Today I will not arrange any tactics, because to be honest, I don't know the opponent very well. The opponent's FIFA ranking is around 120, and the highest is over 80. I will not spend time researching such a team. What you have to do is to use what you usually train."

The players nodded one after another, but it was obvious that they were a little nervous. After all, this was the first top 10 match of this national team, and the first time always makes people nervous and excited.

In order to ease everyone's emotions, Stan finally said: "Everyone raise your head, I have one last request, you must listen clearly."

Stan's tone was very serious, and everyone guessed that it must be an important request, but what Stan said next made them almost burst out laughing.

Stan said: "In this game, I only allow you to win less than 5, not more than 5. I don't want us to become a strong Asian team overnight, that's too fast."

*****
But the team members disappointed Stan in the end. They didn’t fulfill Stan’s request, because the Chinese team finally won 7 goals, beating Lebanon 7-0 in the away game.

The starting lineup of the Chinese team in this game is exactly the same as before except Lin Zhijian replaced Shao Jiayi.

However, Lin Zhijian and Li Qiao, two European-level wingers, were fully fired, which surprised Stan a bit.

In fact, players of similar level on the football field will be attracted by breath. Although Lin Zhijian and Li Qiao cooperated for the first time, their understanding of football is at the same level, so they "play together" in the first game, and the two "German level" wingers face Lebanon, which is not ranked 120 in the world, just like the German team beat Saudi Arabia with 2002 goals in 8.

After the game, the players in the locker room of the Chinese team stripped to their underwear, and someone opened champagne to celebrate, as if the Chinese team had entered the World Cup. Indeed, the Chinese team has been suppressed for almost 10 years, and it was the first time that the Chinese team won the World Cup qualifiers so well.

Li Weifeng wore only a bath towel, held champagne in one hand, and said, "Jihai, I feel happier today than when we entered the World Cup in 2002."

Sun Jihai nodded and said: "Drink less, I don't know how many media will block outside the stadium later."

"Haha, who cares, happy, cool, I used to come to "West Asia" and leave in despair, this time I can walk out with my head held high."
Sun Jihai looked at Li Weifeng who was like a child, and smiled helplessly.

"Li Qiao, Lin Zhijian, have a drink, thank you both," Li Weifeng said.

Lin Zhijian's Chinese was average, and he only said "thank you", and Li Qiao said, "Captain, save your drinking capacity and drink it when we go to Brazil."

Li Weifeng was already three points drunk, "Do you know that Stan said at the beginning that we would go to Brazil, I didn't quite believe it, but now I believe it, I can play in the World Cup again before my big head retires, long live Stan, long live the Chinese team."

Seeing the captain's happy appearance, everyone felt embarrassed to spoil the fun, and everyone drank a little.

*****
While the players were high, Stan showed up in the postgame press conference hall.

Stan sat down with a blank expression, then shrugged his shoulders, meaning, "Why are you looking at me, just ask if you have any questions."

Finally, the on-site press officer reminded everyone to ask questions.

The first question was asked by a reporter from Al Jazeera, "Coach Stan, do you know that after the game, the odds offered by major European betting companies are the lowest for the Chinese team to qualify for Group B."

Stan nodded and said, "I'm sorry, my salary is enough, I don't usually gamble".

Everyone was amused, and everyone knew that the reporter didn't mean that.

The second question was asked by a local reporter, "Coach, do you hate Lebanon very much, you almost kicked us out of Group B in the first game"?
Stan laughed, "I'm sorry, I mean it, I told my players to win no more than 5 before the game, but they violated my order".

Stan's words made the reporters on the scene laugh again. Of course, it is impossible for anyone to know that Stan is telling the truth this time, he is not joking.

The next few questions were all routine questions. In fact, this kind of game was nothing to watch. It was a one-sided game, not intense, and there was no explosive point.

Stan still praised the opponent's game attitude, at least the opponent did not give up and deserved the title of Asia's top 10. Stan also said that if the opponent's goalkeeper hadn't performed well, maybe we could have scored more goals.

In the end, Stan wished Lebanon to beat the South Korean team in the next game, and then Stan stood up and left the press conference.

*****
亚足联10强赛头3轮比赛安排的很紧密，分别是在6月3号，6月8号，6月12号，中国队第二轮轮空，也就是说中国队的第二场10强赛在6月12号主场打乌兹别克。

The first big victory is a great thing for Chinese fans, but it is not a good thing for Stan. As a head coach with great ambitions, Stan knows this kind of game, it is not a good thing to go out too early, drive high and go low.

In the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the final champion Spain lost the first game, 0 to 1 against Switzerland, but was Spain really in a bad state in the first game, and the head coach did it on purpose?

It's not just in China, it's everywhere, so teams with high aspirations know to keep a low profile.

But now it is impossible for the Chinese team led by Stan to keep a low profile, so what should we do?Low-key can't work, Stan can only do the opposite, and turn to high-key.

After returning to China, Stan allowed the players to freely accept media interviews and say what they had to say. In this way, Stan’s national team went from being questioned to being praised to the sky. Only the "Sports Weekly", which has always disliked Stan, still analyzed the game against Lebanon objectively.

*****
On June 6, the Chinese team had a bye. According to the usual practice, a warm-up match will be arranged. The Chinese team found the Thai team for a warm-up match. In the end, the Chinese team tied the opponent 8-0.

After the game, Stan changed from a democracy to an autocracy, and he ordered that before the Uzbekistan match, he was no longer allowed to accept media interviews.

Stan's back and forth is like a ecstasy, leading the media by the nose. When he is happy, he will give you something sweet, and when he is not happy, he will not say a word. In short, the message that Stan wants to convey to the media is neither as flattering as "Wenger" nor as far away as "Mourinho", but to tell everyone that I am the boss and I can do whatever I like.

The game against Uzbekistan was arranged in Shanghai, a city that Stan likes very much. After the warm-up match with Thailand, the whole team rushed to Shanghai to prepare for the match. This game will be much more difficult for Stan than the last one. Many players on the other side have played in the Chinese Super League and know the Chinese team very well.

But in any case, this is a ball that the Chinese team must win.

　ask for support
　　
　
(End of this chapter)