The two weeks of National Team matches passed rather uneventfully.
Although Yang Yang had not returned home to play, China Team were, after all, the World Cup runners-up. Their players' ability and confidence were there for all to see. They first crushed Bhutan sixteen-nil, then defeated Hong Kong, China, three-nil.
Wu Lei, who had replaced Yang Yang in the lineup, dazzled in both matches and performed exceptionally well.
Wu Lei had also been turning in commendable performances in La Liga. He had firmly established himself at Espanyol and earned a starting spot. At twenty-four, he was entering the golden period of his career. If he could push himself a little harder, he might well get the chance to play for a big club in the future. The key was still how he developed and improved from here on out.
Although Yang Yang had not returned home to play, he was hardly idle in Madrid.
Apart from spending two days off each week at home with his wife and children, he spent all his remaining time at Valdebebas. Besides training with players like Casemiro who had no National Team duties and maintaining his form, he also attended meetings with Zidane and the First Team coaching staff to study Barcelona and run through the upcoming El Clásico.
Pre-match preparation was crucial, and anticipating all sorts of situations that might arise during the game was the key part of it. Only then could they avoid being caught off guard by their opponents.
A team often had to rehearse not only taking the lead, but also falling behind—when they might fall behind and by how many goals. All these scenarios required contingency plans in advance, as did the common unexpected incidents that could occur during a match.
In short, pre-match preparation was indispensable, but