Another semi-final.

Germany 5:0 Mexico.

Schalke 04's young player, Goretzka, scored the first goal. The North Rhine twins, Havertz and Brandt, dominated the game, and Werner ended his goal drought.

However, Löw was not overly happy. He saw many problems:

Before the match, during the group photo, Goretzka tried to instigate his teammates to make "political" gestures.

During the game, Goretzka kept complaining about his teammates.

He swore when his teammates scored.

Because of his missed position, Mexico launched a threatening attack, but he blamed Kimmich instead.

The German team doctor believes that long-term dieting and not taking in enough protein can make an excellent young man become eccentric. Goretzka needs to gain muscle and weight.

After the game, when facing reporters, Goretzka took all the credit for himself.

It wasn't until the assistant coach reminded him that he began to praise his teammates.

"Scoring goals is a matter of course for me. Li set a benchmark: even if you are a midfielder, you can score a lot of goals."

"My playing style at Schalke 04 is almost exactly the same as Li's."

"After this game, my value will increase by at least... The assists my teammates gave me were very good. I didn't put in much effort to break through the opponent's goal."

"I won't go to Bayern. Schalke 04 is my eternal home."

"Even if I leave, I will leave Schalke 04 a lot of money."

Live broadcast room.

-

[I bet he won't leave Schalke 04 a penny. He still refuses to renew his contract, and he will definitely leave as a free agent. Schalke 04 is at a big loss, driving away so many stars and making him the core.]

-

[It's okay, at least he won't sue his parent club for the second time.]

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[I heard that Boateng and Müller really want to beat Goretzka. He's too much of a diva, full of negative energy, and he's not happy even when the team wins.]

-

[Schalke 04 spoiled him.]

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[The new generation of Ballack, the midfield soul of the future German team, the puzzle for the next World Cup champion, what's wrong with being a bit of a diva?]

-

[Goretzka wasn't like this before. He has chronic gastroenteritis and can't eat pork and nuts, which affects his endocrine system and leads to his eccentric temper. He will definitely return to normal once he resumes a regular diet.]

The German team will not have infighting because of these small things.

Löw chatted with Goretzka for a few words.

The latter left the locker room in frustration, angrily kicking over a small chair in the aisle.

Goretzka is very arrogant.

Whether in Bochum or Schalke 04, he enjoys the core treatment of being surrounded by stars.

Kimmich and Brandt quickly stepped forward to comfort him.

"Leon, don't be angry. Even if you don't play, we can still win."

"You didn't have many chances to play anyway. Your level is not yet enough to become the core of the national team."

"When Li was at Leverkusen, he would never make gestures complaining about his teammates, no matter how difficult the situation."

The two slapped the Schalke midfielder's face hard.

Goretzka gradually calmed down, and after a while, he nodded sensibly.

The German team has always been good at managing prima donnas: unless you are Beckenbauer.

Kazan training base.

The Spanish team held its last internal meeting.

The Confederations Cup schedule is very tight. In three days, they will go to St. Petersburg to start the final battle with the German team.

"The German team is very likely to continue the 3-4-2-1 formation."

"Because of the lineup changes, their speed on the wings is much weaker than during the European Cup. Most of the time, they will attack our center."

"In the defensive stage, they will switch to a 5-4-1 formation, and the success rate of predicting interceptions is very high."

"During the advancement stage, they don't like to break through through small-scale give-and-go cooperation. Instead, they prefer to pass the ball back to Kroos after attracting the defense, and attack the weak side through a wide range of transfers."

"Because of the integration problems of the old and new generations, this German team essentially still relies heavily on the performance of Kroos and several other veterans."

"..."

Miniano is progressing very quickly. In two years, he has gone from a physical fitness coach to a master of replay analysis.

The players listened carefully and took notes from time to time.

In fact, Spain is very similar to the Wenger and Cruyff schools: no matter how the opponent plays, as long as we play a complete pass-and-control chain or pass-and-cut chain, combined with a rhythm burst point, we have a chance to take away the opponent.

The meeting time was very short and did not delay the players' rest time.

Li Kang returned to his dormitory, turned on his computer, and roughly watched several club coaches' "philosophy" lectures, and refreshed the teaching columns of Kroos and Maguire again.

The next season will not usher in a crazy wave of tactical changes like last season.

The overall tactics of the major European powerhouses are becoming stable, which is a process of continuously improving weaknesses and making up for shortcomings.

Li Kang estimated that he would not need to use his brain too much to break the game.

Suddenly.

Morata quietly sneaked into the room.

The guy had a bath towel around his waist and a panicked expression.

"Li, Enrique sent me a message. He said that I have no place in Arsenal's tactical system next season."

"Arsenal has signed Lacazette and Aubameyang, and they believe that their finishing ability is stronger than mine."

"Real Madrid may let me go back."

"But my agent has contacted Chelsea... You know, my childhood dream was to join Chelsea."

"Diego, why are you standing outside the window scaring people?"

The final day arrived.

Fans from all over the world gathered in St. Petersburg.

The classic West-Germany battle will never lack attendance and ratings in football history.

The wind on the Neva River blows the Confederations Cup team flags.

A grand closing ceremony performance is being held on the green field.

The turf is covered with Volga-style carpets.

Huge wooden robots twisted their waists to the rhythm of the music.

"St. Petersburg allowed the Russians to realize their ocean dream."

"The mascot Zabivaka leads the honor guard into the arena."

"..."

"The Confederations Cup is coming to an end, is the World Cup far away?"

"Accompanied by Polina's singing, Maradona and Ronaldo enter the arena holding the Confederations Cup trophy!"

Player tunnel.

There was not the slightest atmosphere of tension.

Li Kang and Brandt and Havertz gave each other a simple hug. The bits and pieces of the North Rhine instantly occupied his thoughts.

Neuer and Boateng also greeted each other simply.

Too familiar.

Since Li Kang's debut, he has played against Bayern at least twice every season.

"We won't encounter Li so easily in the Champions League next season."

"That sounds like a curse."

"Ctv5! Ctv5! Good evening, audience friends."

"We are now broadcasting live the 2017 Confederations Cup final."

"Spain against Germany."

"The 'pre-show' of the Russian World Cup is about to come to an end."

"I wonder if the team that wins the championship tonight can break the Confederations Cup curse next year?"

The referee team led the players from both sides into the arena.

The St. Petersburg stadium was immediately enveloped in cheers.

The coin toss ended.

Li Kang stood in his position on the green field.

No system prompt sounded.

Only the main task of winning the Confederations Cup lit up in the task panel.

"Spain is fielding a 3-5-2 formation!"

"Goalkeeper: De Gea."

"Defenders: Azpilicueta, Pique, Ramos."

"Midfielders: Saul, Busquets, Li Kang, Fabregas, Koke."

"Forwards: Diego Costa, Morata!"

"On the other side, Germany is fielding a 3-4-3 formation!"

"Goalkeeper: Neuer."

"Defenders: Hummels, Boateng, Rüdiger."

"Midfielders: Kimmich, Kroos, Reus, Havertz."

"Forwards: Brandt, Werner, Draxler."

(End of this chapter)