Becoming the Tactical Core of the Team

"Wait a moment, everyone!"

Hearing the reporters' questions, Lin Feng didn't waste any time with empty talk, instead heading straight back to his room.

After a quick search, he pulled out the ID card he had applied for just last year from his wallet.

This ID card was something he had specifically returned to the country to obtain last year after turning 16, following a reminder from his Mom.

Seeing Lin Feng produce such decisive evidence, the reporters immediately Breathed a Sigh of Relief.

Several reporters took photos of Lin Feng's ID card before returning it to him politely.

During this process, Lin Feng could clearly sense a shift in the reporters' attitudes toward him.

Before seeing the ID, they had been merely polite to Lin Feng.

But after seeing his ID and confirming his identity, their demeanor became noticeably more enthusiastic.

"Your question is actually quite strange. I recall that our country doesn't recognize dual citizenship, so if I weren't Chinese, how could I possibly represent the Youth National Team?"

The reporters nodded with smiles upon hearing this; they understood this logic, of course.

But that didn't stop the fans, or rather, some Conspiracy Theorists, from doubting it!

Now that the misunderstanding was cleared up, there was no need to dwell on this issue any further.

The reporters began to ask the questions they had prepared in advance, mainly asking Lin Feng to introduce himself and his family background.

They asked him to talk about his feelings on playing for the Youth National Team, evaluate his own performance, and share his outlook on the upcoming matches.

The Football Association had already informed Lin Feng of the questions the reporters would ask, and he had prepared his answers in his head long ago, so the interview went very smoothly.

Lin Feng's humorous and witty responses, occasionally dropping some Embarrassing Stories about himself and his teammates, had the reporters laughing out loud.

The sense of responsibility and leadership of Chen Tao, the simplicity and frugality of Hao Junmin, the perseverance of Feng Xiaoting, and the loyalty of Gao Lin—these images came to life through Lin Feng's descriptions, gradually taking shape in people's minds.

Every one of these young men was flesh and blood, possessing their own distinct personality traits.

The interview was very pleasant, and Lin Feng was particularly good at handling social situations.

He was not only sweet-talking, calling every man "Brother" and every woman "Sister," but he also acted with great care.

After the interview concluded, he thoughtfully presented the reporters with Small Gifts he had carefully prepared in advance, leaving everyone pleasantly surprised.

This kid is worth knowing; we should keep in touch with him in the future.

For reporters working in the Sports Circle, building good relationships with players is a crucial part of their job.

Especially with this Youth National Team achieving unprecedented success at the Youth World Cup, it was even more important to foster those connections.

If all went well, most members of this Youth National Team would likely join the National team in the future.

By building a good relationship now, they would be able to secure more Exclusive Reports from them later on, thanks to their rapport.

Thus, after finishing the interview with Lin Feng, they took the opportunity to interview the other players on the Youth National Team as well.

Compared to the socially adept Lin Feng, the other players appeared somewhat reserved in front of so many reporters.

This made the reporters reflect even more: why was the youngest one the most mature, while these players older than Lin Feng performed far less impressively than him?

Indeed, the gap between people is sometimes even greater than the gap between a person and a dog.

"One last question: your next opponent has been confirmed as the Argentina team. Do you have the confidence to defeat an Argentina team that features Messi?"

The microphone was passed to the Youth National Team Captain, Feng Xiaoting, who stammered, unable to speak, fearing that a slip of the tongue would lead to public criticism from the fans.

Chen Tao, standing to the side, saw the Captain's embarrassment and was about to take the microphone to answer the question for him.

Unexpectedly, someone was faster than him.

"Of course we have confidence! Our goal for this Youth World Cup is the championship. Whether the Argentina team has Messi or Mei Dong, nothing can stop our momentum!"

The reporters were stunned by this bold answer, only reacting a moment later.

"Well said!"

"That's the spirit!"

"Go for it, I'm rooting for you!"

Reporting was just their profession, but being fans was their true nature.

Hearing such an inspiring answer from Lin Feng, the reporters present cheered for him one after another.

Chen Tao, standing to the side, watched in a daze, unable to help but reach up and cover his forehead.

You kid, you really dare to say anything!

If we lose, I'd like to see how you're going to get yourself out of this!

Forget it, I'll just have to go down with the ship!

After all, he did call me 'Brother Chen'!

As expected, once the reporters' interview report on the Youth National Team was published, it immediately caused a massive stir in the country.

"Haters, speak up now!"

"Where are those people who spread rumors that Brother Lin is a fake foreigner? Come out and take a few steps, will you?"

"Heh, those guys are all cowards; there's no way they'd dare show their faces now!"

In the face of ironclad evidence, no one doubted Lin Feng's nationality anymore, and the previous rumors collapsed on their own.

However, regarding Lin Feng's declaration of winning the championship, the fans' opinions were somewhat divided:

"This Argentina team is too strong. Even a powerhouse like the Spain youth team was almost dismantled by them. It's going to be too hard for the Youth National Team to win!"

"That's right, the Argentina team is already the number one favorite to win the Youth World Cup. They are packed with talent and have an unstoppable Messi. I think the championship is basically already in their pocket!"

Many fans stayed up late to watch the marquee matchup between Argentina and the Spain team, and after watching the game, many felt their hearts sink. They felt that this Argentina team was almost an invincible existence.

Compared to them, the gap for the Youth National Team was very obvious, and it wasn't a gap that one or two star players could bridge.

Moreover, the Youth National Team had already made history by reaching the final four of the Youth World Cup, which had already exceeded the goals the fans had set in their hearts.

If they were to fall to such a powerful opponent at this stage, the fans wouldn't blame the players of the Youth National Team for it.

As long as the loss wasn't too ugly, they could accept it.

This view occupied the absolute mainstream among the fans, but a small minority of fans still firmly believed that the Youth National Team could win.

"Argentina is strong, but weren't the German team and Brazil Team strong before? Before these two matches, did anyone think the Youth National Team could win? Yet, what was the result?"

"In the end, it was the Youth National Team that had the last laugh, so I believe that this time, the Youth National Team will win again!"

In every major tournament, media predictions are often unreliable.

There have been far too many instances where heavy favorites to win the title unexpectedly crashed and burned.

Before the Youth National Team participated in this Youth World Cup, they were listed by many European media outlets as the weakest team in terms of strength.

Yet, the 'weakest' Youth National Team broke into the final four, while those highly favored teams were eliminated one after another, including tournament favorites like Brazil, Germany, Spain, and the host, the Netherlands team.

So, media predictions are just something to listen to; if you take them seriously, you've already lost.

Regardless of how the outside world argued, the Youth National Team's preparation work continued in an orderly manner.

As the big match approached, the usually strict Old man Klopp rarely reduced the team's training volume.

Although he hadn't exchanged notes with Milu, during his time leading the Youth National Team, Klopp had gradually realized that one shouldn't put too much pressure on Chinese players.

Too much pressure would cause them to underperform, and when facing an opponent stronger than themselves, underperforming basically meant certain death.

To boost the players' confidence, he took all the players of the Youth National Team to watch game tapes of the Argentina team, analyzing the technical characteristics of the opposing players one by one.

Klopp had profound expertise and a very sharp eye.

After his analysis, the Argentina players' secrets were stripped bare.

The players of the Youth National Team had originally felt uncertain, but as Klopp explained things, their understanding of the opponent became deeper and deeper, and their confidence slowly began to build up.

At the very least, they now knew how to deal with their opponents on the pitch.

"Argentina excels at midfield strangulation. Chen Tao, your next match will likely be very difficult. I need you to move your position back a bit and take on the organizational work from a relatively safer area."

Moving the Attacking Midfielder back?

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow. Isn't this the tactic of AC Milan?

Thinking of this, he suddenly had an epiphany; he would likely become the tactical core of the team in the next match.

Sure enough, after finishing Chen Tao's instructions, Klopp looked at Lin Feng, his expression becoming serious:

"Lin, for the next match, I will formulate the tactics with you as the core, bringing your speed advantage into play. What you need to do is to keep charging at the opponent's defensive line, just like Kaka!"