After defeating Atletico Madrid, the European leagues went on hiatus, ushering in two weeks of National Team match days.
The European teams were playing in the European Cup qualifiers, while Yang Yang was also called back to China to attend the National Team training camp.
The first test facing new National Team Head Coach Queiroz after taking office was the Qatar Asian Cup in January. However, several National Team starters, including Yang Yang, Chen Tao, and Feng Xiaoting, had not been called up at the time, choosing instead to remain in Europe and focus wholeheartedly on playing. The National Team only summoned young internationals such as Wu Lei, Zhang Linpeng, Zhang Chengdong, Zhang Xizhe, and Hao Junmin.
The Football Association leadership had not set any performance requirements for the Asian Cup. Queiroz focused on developing the team, calling up many young players and well-known domestic prospects. As a result, players such as Zhang Linpeng, Hao Junmin, and Yu Hai all performed quite well.
The National Team stopped in the semifinals of the Asian Cup after losing to Australia. Japan ultimately defeated Australia to win the title.
The domestic media and public opinion did not criticize the National Team excessively. On the contrary, they gave tremendous recognition to the ability and spirit displayed by the many young players studying abroad, including Wu Lei.
This group of young players had ability and drive. Most importantly, they gave people hope.
Wu Lei was one example. At nineteen, he had already established himself as a starter for Ajax's First Team and was performing quite well. He was now a rising star of some renown in European Football. Many teams had even given him the title of [Yang Yang II], placing great expectations on him, and he was working extremely hard himself.
Wu Lei had