Is this really the China National Team?
Little Pea Hernández rubbed his face hard.
He watched the China National Team players celebrate.
His thoughts drifted: Li on the National Team plays the way he did with the Manchester United Youth Team—the purest, most direct expression of his talent!
He shook his head.
Hernández's gaze sharpened... I have to come back against the China National Team, just like Cristiano Ronaldo did for Portugal!
The celebrations at Kazan Amber gradually died down.
Play resumed.
Mexico kicked off.
The ball moved cautiously across the pitch... and the Mexican players grew bewildered all over again. Everything had changed. The China National Team that had pressed like a pack of mad dogs was gone.
In its place stood
a wall!
A 10-0-0 Iron Bucket Formation.
Even Li Luo had dropped back to defend deep!
Mexico's head coach, Juan, felt his head might split in two.
Damn it.
I just adjusted to their frantic press, and now they're parking the bus!
It was like punching cotton.
"The China National Team has dropped back!"
"Everyone's defending."
"Lippi's decision is practical. That ten-minute high-intensity press at the start burned through a lot of the players' energy. Now it's time to sit deep."
"The China National Team players can't keep up that pressing style for ninety minutes. Lippi knows that very well... he learned the hard way when he first coached in the Chinese Super League!"
"Mexico came well prepared, but they clearly overestimated our stamina. Heh, heh."
Coach Zhang continued, "Lippi knows the overall gap between the China National Team and Mexico. Trading attacks would be suicide, but defending for the whole match would be too passive. Mexico is stronger, but not by that much... they're not untouchable. So he chose the smartest approach: snatch an