Troussier smiled, "I had your concerns before, so I discussed it with Zhang Kuang as soon as he joined the team, and his attitude was very clear. As long as the team can defend well and not concede the ball, and can continue to deliver shells to him, he doesn't care what tactics or personnel are used. I think this is very good, there is no big-name problem as I imagined."
Reporter: "Zhang Kuang, do you have any suggestions for coach Troussier's tactical arrangements? Do you think there is anything that needs to be improved in the tactics?"
Zhang Kuang took the microphone and thought for two seconds, "It feels good. No, as a player, what qualifications do I have to dictate the head coach's tactics?"
I don't like this kind of judging others by myself. If it were me, there would always be people telling me what to do, and I would feel uncomfortable.
Then why do we need to invite Coach Te? Why don't we just invite the head coach and discuss and arrange the tactics ourselves. I believe that by inviting Coach Te, it means full authorization and full trust in him. Since we fully believe in him, we will not mess with the coach's arrangements."
Reporter: "You scored four goals in your first game back with China Hong Kong Team. How does it feel?"
Zhang Kuang: "It feels good. At least it proves that I am seamlessly connected with the team. Every goal I score is created by my teammates. I like this feeling of everyone working together to score the ball into the opponent's goal."
What I'm most worried about is that no one passes the ball to me, and then they think, 'Aren't you a Manchester United superstar? You go and score goals by yourself.' That's the worst thing.
However, the facts have proven that such a thing did not happen, and I am very satisfied."
Reporter: "Coach Troussier, why do Hong Kong Team dare to pass the ball when Zhang Kuang is in the frontcourt? Is it because there was no superstar in the frontcourt before?"
Troussier: "This problem is more complicated. They dare to pass now because of the superstar Zhang Kuang. In the past, they didn't dare to pass because the passer would think, 'I passed the ball and no one can catch it and I can't convert it into a goal, so I passed it in vain? It's also easy to lose the ball. If I lose the ball, some people will blame me for passing the ball randomly', so those who pass the ball don't dare to pass it."
Players who dared to sprint before no longer dare to sprint because they sprinted as soon as their teammates got the ball. They thought their teammates would pass the ball to them. But after rushing a few times, their teammates didn't pass the ball. Later, as soon as their teammates got the ball, they stopped sprinting. They thought their teammates couldn't pass the ball anyway, so why bother sprinting?
This creates a vicious cycle. The teammate who finally got the ball originally wanted to pass the ball, but when they saw that no teammate was sprinting, they would think, 'Fortunately I didn't pass the ball, otherwise it would have been a waste without a teammate to respond, and the whole team would blame me for passing the ball randomly.'
This kind of thinking also existed in the early days when I coached South Korea and Japan Team. Later, after a long period of transformation, everyone slowly changed this fearful mentality, and the Japanese and Korean teams became more and more decisive in attacking.
Hong Kong Team dares to spread the word now, mainly because with Zhang Kuang in front, they don't have to worry about taking responsibility. Secondly, we are constantly changing their previous concepts."
Troussier's words made reporters nod frequently, and Zhang Kuang also nodded. This is indeed the case.
Reporter: "Zhang Kuang, a warm-up match just ended tonight at Wuhan. The mainland's national team over there drew with New Zealand 1:1. Do you have anything to comment on? If you were on the national team, what do you think the score would be?"
Zhang Kuang: "I understand what you want me to say, but what I want to say is that the mainland's national team has nothing to do with me. I am not qualified to judge them. I only wish them better and better as they play.
Hong Kong Team has a brotherly relationship with the mainland national team. They are elder brothers and we are younger brothers. As brothers who also fight for China football, we should unite rather than pull each other down.
I did let go of some harsh words before because of the actions of some people in the Mainland, but that was just to vent my grievances. But when I vented those grievances, I just hated them and had no other thoughts.
But I am a China person, and I have the most basic sense of national consciousness and unity.
No matter how big my previous grievances were, I am of the same mind as the mainland national team when it comes to developing China football and representing China football to the world.
If they play well, I congratulate them. If they play poorly, I encourage them to improve and work hard. We are brothers. I will not bully or belittle them. Belittling them will not prove that I am stronger, it will only prove how stupid I am.
This is just like some China people I saw outside. They went outside and kept trampling on the country and their own people. They thought that doing so would be appreciated by outsiders.
In fact, doing this will only make outsiders look down on you even more. How good can you be as a person who despises your own nation, parents, brothers and sisters? Traitors are looked down upon by everyone. Not only do your own people look down on you, but the forces you join will also look down on you.
Therefore, I wish China National Team will get better and better in the future, and the results will be better and better. Of course, if we meet on the field, I hope everyone will rely on their own strength."
Zhang Kuang's words made the reporters look at each other in shock, especially the reporters from the mainland who felt incomprehensible after hearing this.
His answer was jotted down by reporters.
Reporter: "Zhang Kuang..."
Next, the reporter asked Zhang Kuang several more questions, and Zhang Kuang answered them all one by one.
After Hong Kong Team's press conference, Uzbekistan's press conference, their head coach was very helpless.
Abramov: "We created many offensive opportunities at the beginning and took the lead early, but it's a pity...
Our team does not have a superstar. If our team also had Zhang Kuang, then we would have won Asia Cup earlier and also scored World Cup.
Yes, we completely failed in facing the problem of Zhang Kuang. This was due to our insufficient estimation of the strength of world-class superstars and our inability to face such superstars.
Overall, in today's game, we lost to a world superstar. At the same time, this kind of training is also meaningful, so that we can understand how to prepare when we face the world's top teams in the future."
"..."
That night, the news of Hong Kong Team 4:2 was all over the Chinese Internet.
Not only did Hong Kong go crazy on the Internet, the news also shot to the top of the mainland's social media hot search lists.
The news about Hong Kong Team's 4-2 reversal of Uzbekistan has three topics on the Weibo hot search list in the mainland, and the amount of discussion behind each one is jumping like crazy.
#Zhang Kuang: I will not bully the national team, we must unite! #, followed by the dark red word "Explosion", steadily ranking first.
The second one is ##
The third is #How to see Hong Kong Team 4:2 reversal Uzbekistan and China national football team 1 ratio 1 New Zealand#.
Yes, Zhang Kuang's words are the most explosive. The words he said when facing the reporter's camera were made into screenshots, videos, and emoticons, and were bombarded back and forth by Weibo, Hupu, and Tieba.
"We are brothers, the mainland national team is brothers, we are younger brothers. I will not bully or belittle them. Belittling them will not prove that I am stronger, it will only prove how stupid I am.
How good can you be as a person who despises your own nation, parents, brothers and sisters? Traitors are looked down upon by everyone..."
Some people applauded, some sneered, and some felt weird.
"Hey, are we brothers now? What was your attitude like when you betrayed me before? Who the hell is your brother now? Get the hell out of here."
"What kind of brothers? They are either father and son. Where do they come from?"
"Tsk tsk, some people are just good at setting the pace, fanning the flames, and creating confrontation. Do you know how the country expresses it? Compatriots from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, do you know what the word compatriot means? Why do you want your compatriots to be your sons?"
"That is, what was Zhang Kuang's face before? Could it be that what he said when he trolled China national football team was wrong? Those are not facts? His position is different now. China national football team has no interest in him, so he is looking at China people and hopes that China national football team from the mainland will be better. What's wrong?"
"Some people with ulterior motives like us to be at each other's throats every day, and they want us to be divided and antagonized so that they can take advantage of us. It's really bad."
"By the way, wasn't there a guy who said before that if Hong Kong Team could win this game, he would stand on his head and eat the air? Where's that guy?"
"The person is missing. You are not the only one looking for him. Many people are looking for him and he is missing."
"This kind of speech is like farts. The vows, promises, and harsh words before the beginning disappear and disappear. Not long after, they pop up again and pat their chests..."
"They can cover up one by one and change the rhythm once, but what if? If Zhang Kuang doesn't score, they have the right rhythm this time. If Zhang Kuang scores the goal, they will disappear and lose nothing. Where can they find this profitable business?"
"Fuck, who the hell are here to stir up trouble? These people are really bad."
"Who? Haha..."
"..."
The heated discussion on the Internet was nothing. What really ignited the fire was the anonymous interview posted on a portal website the next day.
The title is shocking. "National Team Insiders Respond to Zhang Kuang Controversy: Traitors Are Not Qualified to Judge Us"!
The article is not long, but every sentence is like a knife. "Don't bring some traitors to trample us, he is not qualified. Uzbekistan ranks 77th in the world, and New Zealand ranks 56th in the world.
We are facing a stronger opponent, so what's the problem with a draw? Football is a sport of eleven people, not a one-man show.
Some people rely on teammates to feed them a few statistics and think they are invincible. When it comes to the big competition and the defensive intensity increases, how many goals can he score?"
The comment section exploded.
"You call me a traitor? The transfer of Hong Kong Team followed the normal procedure, so why am I a traitor? Uzbekistan is ranked 77, and New Zealand is ranked 56. You said that your opponent is 21 places higher than the opponent, so you say that your opponent is stronger? So it is more difficult for you to draw? I give you full marks for this comparison."
"Manchester United scored 58 goals in a single season, you say he is not qualified to evaluate China national football team? Who are you? Do you dare to name me? What kind of skill is it to hide behind an 'insider' and shoot cold arrows?"
"Although it is true that Zhang Kuang's transfer to Hong Kong has made some people lose face, but what this insider said is too ugly. The football circle is only so big, why should it be like this?"
There are also those who are on the national team. "This member of the national team is right. How can a person who represents Hong Kong Team evaluate China national football team? He kicks his team and we kick our team. The water in the well does not offend the river."
"How can we compare with such a big difference in rankings? If Hong Kong Team meets New Zealand, can it be a tie? I'm afraid I'll lose three starts."
"Haha, do you really want Hong Kong Team to be on the same page with the national team? Okay, okay, ok, next time someone wants to score points, don't let Hong Kong Team let go. Who shamelessly let Hong Kong Team lose to the national team 0:7? In the end, they lost 0:7 and still didn't advance. Now you have the nerve to say that you are on the same page?"
"These people are so shameless. They use people to look forward and not people to look behind. They have clown-like faces."
"..."
Hupu's last long post was upvoted more than 3,000 times.
The title is "Zhang Kuang's words reminded me of a question": "He said 'betrayers are looked down upon by everyone, and the forces you join will also look down on you'."
Are you trying to defend yourself by saying this, or are you talking about it to some people? You should taste it carefully."
The quarrel downstairs turned into a pot of porridge.
Some people said he was insinuating that the national team did not recruit him back then, some said he thought too much, and some directly scolded him for being pretentious.
But the most disturbing thing is that the same national team challenged Costa Rica in an away game and was compared again.
"Xinmin Evening News" published an article titled "On the same day, two China National Team".
"Tonight, China National Team will challenge Costa Rica, ranked 56th in the world, in an away game. At the same time, China Hong Kong Team will face Nigeria, ranked 39th in the world, at home.
One is playing 56, the other is playing 39. One is away from home, and the other is at home. On one side, the main team has been working together for many years, and on the other side, it is a temporary lineup that has only been put together for a few days. It is clear at a glance which side has greater pressure."
The most favorable comment in the comment area of the article on Weibo is. "I will just say, wherever Zhang Kuang is, I will support you."
The second high praise, "We are all China people. Supporting who is not support? But Hong Kong Team has Zhang Kuang, I have hope. At the current level of the national team, I don't even have hope."
The third high praise, "Mainland fans go to Hong Kong to watch Zhang Kuang. This is ridiculous enough. China is the best player who does not play for the national team."
Someone immediately replied, "You said such confrontational words again. Those of you who instigate confrontation should die. Hong Kong Team is not China National Team?"
"..."
Arguing is noisy, scolding is scolding.
But Zhang Kuang never spoke again.
He is practicing coordination with his teammates at the training ground. On some basic skills, he also acts as a temporary coach, telling these teammates what to do with the ball.
For example, ball-stopping skills, long-passing skills, etc. These skills are already in his mind. Although they are added with some extra points, they are still knowledge that has been truly instilled.
In addition, Hong Kong can't make up for Qi and Blood Points, so it's good to train with teammates.
As for the noise outside, he didn't bother to pay attention to it. He Qigang asked him if some Hong Kong celebrities wanted to meet him or not, but he was too lazy to go.
At the pre-match press conference in the afternoon, Troussier walked into the venue wearing a gray training jacket, his expression much more serious than the previous one.
The reporter's first question went straight to the point, "Coach Te defeated Uzbekistan in the last game, and public opinion's expectations were raised. Today, are Coach Te confident in facing the higher-ranked Nigeria?"
Troussier leaned on the back of the chair and was silent for two seconds. "Nigeria's current strength is much stronger than the current Hong Kong Team.
Their technology, physical confrontation, and tactical literacy are all a level higher than Uzbekistan.
The last victory made the fans excited, which I understand. But as a coach, I must be clear-headed and we will be more cautious to avoid low-level mistakes."
Reporter: "What kind of formation and tactics will be used today?"
Troussier: "I'll keep this secret for now. Everyone will know it in the evening."
The reporter asked, "Zhang Kuang scored four goals in the last game. If Nigeria focuses on him today, do you think he will score again? How many goals will he score?"
Troussier smiled, "I am not a god, so I don't know the outcome that has not happened. However, I believe that Nigeria's defense should not be stronger than Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal.
The defense of these top teams cannot guard against Zhang Kuang, so... hmm, you can think about it, can the defense of Nigeria guard him to death?"
Reporter: "..."
After the coach's interview, the visiting team's coach arrived. In fact, coach Nigeria had been here for a while, and the attitude of coach Lagerbäck was as relaxed as if he was on vacation.
"Our whole team watched the last game live, and then studied the video of the previous game together. Zhang Kuang's performance was truly amazing.
I learned about his playing style, and also about Hong Kong Team's overall playing style. Nigeria will not lose, we are World Cup regulars, and we have the experience to deal with superstars."
The reporter asked if someone would be specially assigned to keep an eye on him.
Lagerbäck laughed out loud, "Marking? Facing a superstar like Zhang Kuang, you will definitely mark him, and you must use the entire team to restrict him.
If one person can't be marked, two will be there, and if two can't be marked, three will be there. Of course, the key is to cut off the contact between him and his teammates. If the ball cannot reach his feet, he can't do anything.
Although we know that the effect of doing this may not be significant, after all, many strong Europe teams do not have a strong effect of doing so, but we will still do it, the key is that we score more goals than them."
"Haha..."
At 6:30 in the evening on the 27th, Hong Kong Stadium locker room.
The stands with 40,000 people are all full, which is even fuller than the last game.
There were obviously several percent more fans from the mainland, and they crowded into the entrance channel with accents from all over the world.
Some people shouted at the top of their lungs, "Where is Brother Zhang Kuang celebrating?", and someone held up a temporary printed light sign saying "Zhang Kuang is awesome".
Some people simply put the Manchester United 33 jersey on the outside, and covered it with a Hong Kong Team red jersey.
In the square outside the stadium, thousands of mainland fans who had not bought tickets gathered. Some were beating gongs, playing drums, and holding flags and waving flags, and they were surrounded by people.