Another semi-final.

Germany 5:0 Mexico.

Schalke 04 youngster, Goretzka, opened the scoring, while the North Rhine twins, Havertz and Brandt, dominated the match, and Werner broke his goal drought.

However, Löw wasn't overly joyful. He saw many problems:

Before the match, during the team photo, Goretzka tried to incite his teammates to make "politically charged" gestures.

During the match, Goretzka kept complaining about his teammates.

He cursed when his teammates scored.

Because of his positional lapse, Mexico launched a dangerous attack, and he pushed the responsibility onto Kimmich.

The German team doctor believed that long-term dieting and lack of high protein intake could lead to a young man becoming eccentric. Goretzka needed to gain muscle and weight.

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

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

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

Livestream room.

-

[I bet he won't leave a single penny for Schalke 04. He still refuses to renew his contract. He will definitely leave as a free agent in the future. Schalke 04 will suffer a great loss. They drove away so many stars and made him the core.]

-

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

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

-

[Schalke 04 spoiled him.]

-

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

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[Magnetic Card (Ci Ka - Goretzka's nickname) wasn't like this before. It's because he has chronic gastroenteritis and can't eat pork or nuts, which affects his endocrine system and leads to his eccentricity. He will definitely return to normal after he resumes his regular diet.]

The German team would not have internal strife because of these trivial matters.

Löw chatted with Goretzka for a few words.

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

Goretzka was very arrogant.

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

Kimmich and Brandt quickly stepped forward to comfort him.

"Leon, don't be angry. We can still win even if you don't play."

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

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

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 ball bullies: unless you are Beckenbauer.

Kazan training base.

The Spanish team held its last internal meeting.

The Confederations Cup schedule was very tight. In three days, they would go to St. Petersburg for a final battle with the German team.

"There is a high probability that the German team will continue the 3-4-2-1 formation."

"Because of the lineup changes, their ability to speed up on the wings has weakened a lot compared to 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 attacking phase, they don't like to break through with small-scale give-and-go plays. Instead, they prefer to attract defense and then pass the ball back to Kroos, using wide-range transfers to attack the weak side."

"Due to the integration problems of the old and new players, this German team essentially still relies heavily on the performance of veteran players such as Kroos."

"..."

Minaño's progress was very fast. In two years, he went from a physical trainer to a replay master.

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

In fact, Spain is very similar to the Wenger, Cruyff, and other schools: no matter how the opponent plays, as long as we play a complete pass control chain or pass-and-move chain, combined with rhythm burst points, 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 the dormitory, opened his computer, and roughly watched several club coaches' "philosophy" lectures, and refreshed Kroos's and Maguire's teaching columns again.

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

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

Li Kang estimated that he wouldn't need to use his brains much to break the game during the match.

Suddenly.

Morata quietly sneaked into the room.

This guy was wearing a bath towel around his crotch, looking anxious.

"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 believes 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-German battle will never lack attendance and ratings in football history.

The wind on the Neva River blew the Confederations Cup team flag.

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

The turf was covered with Volga-style carpets.

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

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

"The mascot Zabivaka led the guard of honor into the arena."

"..."

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

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

Players' tunnel.

There was no tense atmosphere at all.

Li Kang and Brandt and Havertz simply hugged each other. The bits and pieces of North Rhine occupied his thoughts in an instant.

Neuer and Boateng also greeted each other simply.

Too familiar.

Since Li Kang's debut, he would face Bayern at least twice every season.

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

"That sounds like a curse."

"Ctv5! Ctv5! Good evening, viewers."

"Now broadcasting live for you is the 2017 Confederations Cup final."

"Spain vs. Germany."

"The 'rehearsal' for the Russian World Cup is about to come to an end."

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

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

St. Petersburg Stadium was immediately shrouded in cheers.

The coin toss ended.

Li Kang stood in position on the green field.

No system prompt sounded.

Only a main quest to win the Confederations Cup lit up in the quest panel.

"Spain is playing 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 playing a 3-4-3 formation!"

"Goalkeeper: Neuer."

"Defenders: Hummels, Boateng, Rudiger."

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

"Forwards: Brandt, Werner, Draxler."

(End of this chapter)