Full-level pass, please call me the speaker of the Three Lions

Chapter 346: My days playing Landlord in the Three Lions
After easily defeating Russia in the first match, Ling Feng also completed four achievements in succession: [European Cup debut], [European Cup first assist], [European Cup assist and double goal], and [European Cup Man of the Match].

Four achievements, rewarding four free attribute points.

However, Ling Feng did not add these four attribute points to [Reaction] immediately.

Because, after increasing [Reaction] from 82 to 90 all at once, he found that he needed some time to adapt to the sudden increase in reaction speed.

It's like he was driving an Audi R8 at first, and suddenly changed to a Lamborghini, he also needed to adapt.

So, after careful consideration, he added the four attribute points he had just obtained to [Prediction], raising it from 82 to 86!

For a player, anticipation is a very important mental attribute.

The higher the prediction, whether on the offensive or defensive end, he can make more reasonable predictions, thereby gaining insight into the opponent's next move and gaining an advantage!

After adding the points, Ling Feng looked at the [Overall Rating] which was still 89, and couldn't help but make a decision:

In this European Cup, as long as you play well and have data recorded, you should be able to get some attribute point rewards.

So, the goal of this European Cup is to improve my [Overall Rating] to 90!

The victory in the first battle is a good start for the ambitious Three Lions.

At the same time, it is also a release of pressure.

Because, before the competition started, it was not just the domestic media that were praising them crazily, saying that they had a chance to win the championship.

Even the chairman of the English Football Association, Dyke, publicly stated in Paris that he is optimistic that England will win the European Cup!

Although Ling Feng was not clear about what tournament goals the FA had set for Hodgson.

However, just from these words of the FA chairman, we can see how blindly confident the "masters" of the FA are.

Of course, the English people’s overly high expectations for the Three Lions in every major competition are not a one- or two-day thing.

They always thought that their team was composed of all the major Premier League stars and local talents, and that judging from their strength on paper alone, they were a strong contender for the championship.

However, football has never been just a game of paper strength!

Judging from the public remarks made by the FA chairman, it means that if the Three Lions fail to achieve relatively satisfactory results this time, Hodgson’s position as coach will definitely be lost.

For Ling Feng, this is an issue that needs to be considered.

If Hodgson is sacked, will his core position in the team be affected?
Will it affect his future as the leader of the Three Lions?

definitely will.

After all, in Hodgson's tactical system, he is the tactical core that no one can shake!

However, given his unique strength in the entire Three Lions, no matter who the England head coach is, he will be regarded as an important member of the team.

However, the new coach and new tactics will definitely cause a reshuffle and turmoil within the team.

For a team that is facing renewal and replacement, stability is very important.

The team's personnel changes are too great, and the tactics change frequently, which will only cause talented "England stars" such as Kane, Sterling, and Ali to waste time in the process of adapting to the team.

Therefore, from the perspective of himself and the team's future impact on major championships, Ling Feng certainly does not want Hodgson to be sacked.

For this reason, he decided to go all out to keep Hodgson, the old coach who valued him so much!

Besides, it is not impossible for the Three Lions to win the championship.

Even Portugal, which had three consecutive draws in the group stage and was weaker on paper, was able to win the championship in the end.

Why can't the Three Lions win the championship with this cheating team? !
. . .

With all three matches on the second match day coming to an end, the situation in Group B where England is located is very clear.

England beat Russia 3-0 and secured first place in the group with three points and three goal differences.

In another match in the same group that started earlier, Wales defeated Slovakia 2-1, winning their historic first European Cup victory and ranking second in the group.

As analyzed by the media before the game, England and Wales are expected to qualify together.

Of course, we’ll have to wait and see who comes first in the group.

In the second round of the group stage in a few days, England will face its biggest opponent in the group and also England’s little brother - Wales!

And this game may be regarded as the first test for England in this European Cup.

This is the first time Wales has reached the final of an international tournament since 1958.

However, everyone can see that Wales is not just here for the formalities!
The key man in the Wales team is naturally Gareth Bale, the winger who plays for the top club Real Madrid!
This guy made ten appearances in the qualifying stage, scored seven goals and provided two assists, accounting for 70 percent of the team's goals!
It is no exaggeration to say that Bale led Wales into the European Cup on his own!

Of course, football is always a team sport.

The role of superstars is obvious, but being able to perform superbly in one game does not mean that they can always be superbly talented.

Especially under the opponent's close defense, when the superstar is restricted, whether other teammates can stand up is the key to victory or defeat!

In addition to Bale, the Welsh lineup is also assisted by Premier League players such as Ramsey, Ben Davies, Ashley Williams and Joe Allen.

Even so, judging from the strength on paper alone, Wales is definitely no match for England.

However, considering the historical grievances between the two sides, England naturally dare not take it lightly.

Even in terms of historical records, England has an absolute advantage.
. . .

Life in France is very monotonous.

After the first match victory over Russia, the team had a day off.

In this European Cup, as in the last World Cup, Hodgson has expressly prohibited players' partners from appearing in the hotel.

Moreover, players cannot go out without permission.

Therefore, most of the English players who got holidays can only find something to kill time.

For example, playing table tennis, watching TV series, or playing Landlord!
In the hotel restaurant in the afternoon, Ling Feng's voice suddenly rang out:
"Four eights, explode!"

Ling Feng smiled and picked up the only playing card in his hand, and waved it to Vardy who was sitting opposite him:
"Mr. Landlord, do you want more? I only have one card."

At the same time, at several tables next to them, Rooney, Kane, Henderson and others were also holding playing cards in their hands and arguing with each other.

Ever since Ling Feng started introducing “Dou Dizhu” to his Three Lions teammates last year, this very interesting and easy-to-learn poker game has quickly swept the entire team.

Of course, Doudizhu is not just as simple as playing cards.

As the English people who love to gamble the most, Premier League stars always add some bets to the game. The bets can be as small as tens or hundreds of pounds, or as big as a Rolex gold watch!

Premier League players who can join the Three Lions are not short of money.

It can be said that they are all "landlords"

Ling Feng has his own ideas on promoting the highly socialist poker game of Landlord to players in capitalist countries and making it the main recreational game in their lives.

Isn't this a form of cultural invasion, just like table tennis? !
As the team had just finished a season of games, some players in the team who were not in good physical condition showed signs of fatigue during training.

Therefore, in the next few days of training, the team will mainly focus on recovering physical strength.

Fortunately, in the last game against Russia, after leading by three goals in the second half, Hodgson used up his three substitutions and rotated the players.

This will prevent some main players from depleting their physical energy so much.

It is worth mentioning that what surprised Hodgson and the coaching staff was that Vardy's physical fitness and condition during training were extremely outstanding.

He doesn't look like a 29-year-old striker who has just played more than 40 games and sprinted the most distance in each game!

In Ling Feng's opinion, Vardy, who won the Premier League Golden Boot this season, has obviously reached the peak of his career.

His speed, core strength, shooting skills and physical fitness are among the best in the entire Three Lions team!
More importantly, behind him, there is Ling Feng, a club teammate who knows his running habits very well and provides him with ammunition!
The tacit understanding between the two continued from the Premier League champions Leicester City to the Three Lions, and they jointly contributed the fastest goal of this European Cup in France.

Considering Vardy's current hot form, Hodgson has no reason to remove him from the starting center.

He could only temporarily let Kane sit on the bench for a while longer.

Soon, the match day for the second round of the group stage arrived quietly.

Against Wales, Hodgson continued to use the starting lineup that defeated Russia in the first round, keeping the same attitude in the face of changes:
Joe Hart guards the goal, Danny Rose and Walker, the Tottenham wingers, are on the left and right, and Smalling and Cahill partner as central defenders;
The double defensive midfielders Henderson and Dale built a barrier in front of the defense line to clear all threats behind Ling Feng;
On the left is the sharp-breaking Sterling, and on the right is the team captain Rooney.

At the forefront is still the Blue Fox Demon Sword Vardy!
Wales, on the other hand, adopted a 532 tactical formation that focused on defense.

In goalkeeper position, it is Hennessey;

The five defenders are Gunter, Ben Davies, Ashley Williams, Chester and Neil Taylor;
The three midfielders are Ledley, Joe Allen and Ramsey;

At the forefront are Kanu and Bale!

Wales coach Chris Coleman also understands very well that there is a clear gap in strength between his team and its opponents, and only defense and counterattack can help them find a way out!
Considering England's offensive capabilities, if they defend first and wait for the opponent's formation to press forward, they will be able to fully utilize Bale's speed advantage and deal a fatal blow to the opponent!
"Welcome to watch the focus of the 2016 European Cup Group B match in France, England vs. Wales!"

"Let's turn our attention to the Stade Bollaert-Delely in Lens."

“The game is about to begin.”

On the stands, the distinction had already been made clear.

The "Red Dragon" fans wearing red jerseys and the "Three Lions" fans wearing white jerseys cheered for their respective teams with the loudest shouts.

In the player tunnel, the protagonists who were about to appear on the stage had serious expressions.

Even if Ling Feng wanted to go up and say hello to Ramsey, whom he was somewhat familiar with, and Bale, whom he met for the first time, he couldn't take a step forward.

The war of words before the game had already made the atmosphere between the players of the two teams full of tension.

In an interview with the media, Bale criticized the English for being "too arrogant, arrogant and boasting about themselves, but in fact they have not achieved any results."

He once refused England's call-up and claimed that "even if I can never participate in a major tournament, I will still play for Wales" and "There is not a single player in this Three Lions team that is eligible to be selected for the Wales squad."

In England, Rooney and some English stars also joined the battle, and began to mock that "Welsh talent is fading" and "the group stage of this cup will be sent home."

Some media also directly said that Bale was not qualified to be selected for the England team.

Ling Feng just found this quarrel between kindergarten kids funny.

It must be said that Bell's words may have attracted too much hatred.

However, the British media's counterattack was too meaningless.

Bale is at his peak and is qualified to be a main player of the national team no matter which country he is in!

Moreover, Ling Feng knew that this Welsh team, under the leadership of Bale, had created a great miracle.
"Be careful, Wales is not a soft persimmon that can be easily squeezed"

With cautious thoughts, players from both sides lined up and walked onto the court.

After a series of pre-match ceremonies and a long whistle from the referee, the much-anticipated English civil war in Group B officially began!

Wales, who kicked off first, did not take the initiative to attack, but passed the ball back.

In contrast, the Three Lions were more proactive, trying to get off to a good start through attack.

Vardy, Sterling and Rooney all pressed forward immediately, exerting pressure and preventing the opponent from passing the ball easily in the backcourt.

Ling Feng was also cruising near the opponent's midfield, ready to predict interceptions at any time.

Among the three midfielders of this Welsh team, Ledley is a full-time defensive midfielder.

The midfielders Joe Allen and Ramsey on both sides are organizing midfielders.

Judging from past games, many times, when Wales' three central defenders passed the ball from the backcourt, they would directly look for Joe Allen and Ramsey who would retreat to receive the ball.

Then these two people will handle the ball.

In addition, they also have Bale, a free man in the frontcourt who has huge tactical freedom!

Bale is more of a winger than a striker.

When the England formation presses forward, the Red Dragon star wearing the No. 11 shirt will retreat to the wing to receive the ball.

Then he uses his speed and dribbling to advance, then immediately passes the ball to his teammates, and then moves forward again to support them.

In the first five minutes of the game, everyone could see that Wales was determined to adopt a defensive counterattack tactic.

They passed the ball in the midfield and backcourt, attracting the England formation to press forward, thus creating space for counterattack.

England, eager to get off to a good start, willingly fell into the "trap" and pressed from a high position.

After all, in the eyes of Hodgson and most English people, how can a small Welsh team with mediocre backcourt players pass the ball from the backcourt to the frontcourt?

That's something only Spain can do!

Therefore, as long as the front court presses, you guys in the back court will either make mistakes or can only make long passes.

There is no other way!

(End of this chapter)