Chapter 135 Two Days Later

Madrid, Las Rozas training base.

Li Kang arrived on time to meet up with the Spanish national team.

Compared to the star-studded team that won the European Cup a few months ago, Spain's roster for this international match day seemed a bit lackluster.

Diego Costa had an upset stomach.

Fabregas sprained his ankle.

Iniesta was riddled with injuries.

Busquets twisted his knee because the turf was too slippery.

David Silva injured his finger.

Saúl's kidney disease relapsed...

The national team's injury wave wouldn't trigger the "Turning the Tide" module.

...

Many unfamiliar faces stood on the green field.

De Gea ran up excitedly, "Li, we can fight side by side again!"

He took off his gloves while speaking and gave him a big hug.

His attitude wasn't exaggerated.

He had been suffering too much recently at Manchester United because the players in the defensive positions were frequently injured, and they lost the Manchester derby.

Even his repeated heroic saves couldn't prevent the tragedy from happening.

In comparison, the national team was more relaxing.

Not far away.

Two Bayern Munich players also enthusiastically waved hello.

Thiago and Martinez.

The two often appeared in online text stories, playing the male and female protagonists respectively.

Last season in the Bundesliga, they didn't have the chance to compete against Li Kang for Bayern because of injuries.

...

"Li, long time no see."

Asensio's smile was a little stiff.

Back then at the European Youth Championship, he was the anticipated future of the Spanish national team.

Times had changed.

The two's fortunes hadn't diverged too much.

Asensio returned to Real Madrid, and his performance this season was extremely outstanding, deeply loved by Zidane.

The awkward atmosphere didn't last long.

Isco pushed away his club teammate and excitedly ruffled Li Kang's hair.

Morata couldn't help frowning: Why did he feel like the locker room atmosphere was a little strange?

...

After some warm greetings, Bosque sat back on the bench... with a slightly melancholy expression.

The midfield system that had finally been honed during the European Cup had to be reworked due to the absence of the veteran players.

Spain had plenty of midfield talent.

But it wasn't easy to find a partner suitable for Li.

Li would have to bear too much responsibility at the World Cup two years from now...

No.

The new lineup must be integrated as soon as possible!

Therefore, Bosque chose a half-hard, half-soft eggplant to pinch for this friendly match: the full-strength Japanese team!

Well... definitely not because the Japanese Football Association gave him a lot of money!

....

On the training ground.

Milla's whistle blew.

The group scrimmage officially began.

Li Kang was assigned to Team A.

His midfield partners were: Martinez, Thiago, and Isco.

Thirty minutes later.

The game ended.

Team A 2:0 Team B.

The expression on Bosque's face became even more tangled: How did the Spanish national team become Bayern Munich!

The chubby face of Ancelotti kept popping up in his mind!

"Martinez, you don't need to fall back so deep, don't take up Ramos and Pique's defensive space!"

"Thiago, we have Li... we don't need such frequent vertical passes, slow down the pace slightly and pay attention to ball control!"

"Li... you played great!"

....

Martinez and Thiago had different ideas from the coaching staff.

Li Kang's performance could be described as genius!

He didn't need any integration at all, he was plug-and-play, suitable for any framework!

Even at the end of the training match, whether it was his positioning, awareness, passing routes, or passing tendencies, it was seamlessly connected to Bayern's tactical system!

"Li, have you watched Bayern's games this season?"

"Kahn often mentions you..."

Li Kang nodded.

For some reason, the Arsenal coaching staff would occasionally analyze the replays of "Ancelotti's Bayern" matches...

He felt that his two teammates from Bayern were also very strong, but their styles weren't very compatible with the front and back lines.

For example, Thiago, although he came from La Masia's youth academy, his playing style was gradually "Bayernized."

....

The next day.

The Spanish players arrived at Tokyo International Airport.

The arrival gate was packed with people.

Posters of Li Kang surged through the crowd like waves.

The LED screens of nearby commercial buildings were all displaying his photos.

"Li-san!"

"Lee!!!"

"Lee!!!"

Security personnel formed a long human wall.

Flashes of light flashed frantically.

The media reporters were acting like madmen, scrambling to lean forward, chattering and spitting.

Unfortunately, they couldn't get an interview.

Surrounded by his teammates, Li Kang boarded the national team bus.

The Japanese Football Association had spent a lot of money, turning a good international friendly match into a commercial match with money, and even paying Li Kang according to the highest standards of an exhibition match!

Li Kang's Tiger Shot back then had given them a great shock.

After "buying" the youth training plan from Milla, the direction of cultivating young players in recent years had been to copy the Li Kang template...

Morata saw the fans on both sides of the street running after the bus like locusts, and couldn't help but exclaim:

"Li, are they crazy?"

"Even when Xavi came to Japan, he didn't cause such a big sensation..."

Milla pressed his hands down, signaling the players to be quiet.

"Listen, this is not an exhibition match. The full-strength Japanese team is not weak. They have called up players from the top five leagues in Europe. We must show our true strength..."

"Don't hold back, give them the greatest respect."

The Spanish assistant coach was also very close to the Japanese Football Association. He had earned a lot of money from the Japanese just from that youth training plan he picked up from a second-tier Spanish club, and the other party even tearfully invited him to join the island nation's youth training team.

Of course, Milla wouldn't go.

Maybe he could become a champion assistant coach at the World Cup two years from now!

...

During this period in history, the Japanese team's strength wasn't bad.

AC Milan's Keisuke Honda, Borussia Dortmund's Shinji Kagawa, Leicester City's Shinji Okazaki, Inter Milan's Yuto Nagatomo, Southampton's Maya Yoshida... and so on.

Ajinomoto Stadium.

Vahid Halilhodžić was wearing a training uniform, loudly encouraging the players.

"This is not a friendly match."

"It is a crucial battle that embodies the hopes of the people!"

"The opponents are the European champions! But the large-scale absence of key players has turned them into a tiger with its teeth pulled out!"

"Our lineup is stronger than theirs!"

"Defeat them, defeat Li!"

"Hai!"

The Japanese players put their hands behind their backs and responded to the coach's encouragement with a firm voice.

Full of confidence.

Fearless.

Last time, Li-san only encountered the local J-League lineup.

This time, they couldn't let him retreat from Tokyo unscathed.

...

The major Asian online media were also warming up for the match.

Comments were flying across the screen.

-【What are the Japanese Football Association's brains thinking? Spending money to invite people to create a tragedy?】

-【It's only been a few months since the end of the European Cup, how did the Spanish national team's roster become so weak?】

-【Weak? Martinez and Thiago are both Bayern's main players, and Asensio is also Real Madrid's hotshot!】

-【You need to watch the news more, these two Bayern main players have just recovered not long ago, their condition is a mystery, as for Asensio, don't overhype him, he just enjoyed the benefits of being on the peak Real Madrid team.】

-【The Japanese team's lineup is quite luxurious, all of them are main players playing in Europe.】

-【Football is a team sport, this match is hard to say.】