According to footage captured by World Football News, the "Top 10 England Legends All-Star Team" includes:
"The Lamp" Frank Lampard!
"The Curler King" Beckham!
Paul Scholes, a player endlessly debated among the masters!
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney!
"Golden Boy" Michael Owen!
The embodiment of genius, Gascoigne!
The ever-successful Giggs!
The king of the left flank, Ashley Cole!
The gentleman of football, Lineker!
The unpredictable Joe Hart!
Fans quickly flooded the comments section.
"If you've got the guts, let Southgate actually follow Lampard's defensive tactics."
"With all these people involved, is it really just to create a plan to shut down Lin?"
"What are you thinking? Of course it's not just Lin, but he's definitely the one getting the most attention."
"In this Liverpool clash, Henderson will go head-to-head with Lin. If something like what happened between Rooney and Ronaldo in international tournaments happens again, just thinking about it is exciting!"
Rooney and Ronaldo, once teammates at Manchester United, created one of the most iconic moments of conflict during an England vs. Portugal clash in a major tournament. It remains a scene fans still love to talk about.
England are preparing with everything they have. Their ambition is obvious. They want to reclaim the glory that belongs to the Three Lions.
Southgate has brought in a wave of young talent. Tottenham's prodigy Dele Alli, Manchester United's youngster Lingard. One of the most talked-about images is of a young Cristiano Ronaldo learning skills in front of an even younger Lingard.
England's shining star Harry Kane, Tottenham's leading striker!
Trippier, known for his excellent technique and praised for having Beckham-like free-kick ability!
Liverpool's iron-blooded captain, Henderson!
The lightning-fast Kyle Walker!
Modern center-backs like Stones and Maguire, and more!
This youthful England squad has been dubbed the "Youth Storm" of this World Cup by fans.
The team has virtually no weaknesses and has performed exceptionally well on the pitch. Eliminating the Pampas Eagles is the clearest proof.
After knocking out the Pampas Eagles, England have 12 fewer hours of rest compared to Spain.
That will be Spain's advantage.
Coach Hierro and his staff have also been working around the clock. Hierro understands that only a completely new attacking system can give Spain an edge against England.
Only fresh tactical ideas and structures can allow Spain to showcase more creativity on the pitch.
The legendary five-man coaching team has not relaxed for a moment. Zubizarreta is working hard to refine his pyramid-style defensive system to deal with England's surging three-center-back youth storm.
Whether it was psychological warfare or not, on the evening of July 14, Southgate suddenly posted an image on his personal social media.
It was clearly a tactics board. The diagram itself was hidden, with only the title visible at the top:
"Tea Poison"
At first, no one thought much of it. Then some fans noticed that Lin had posted multiple times about his love for tea on social media. Only then did people realize that Southgate's title was clearly aimed at Lin.
Lin didn't respond at all. He didn't care. To him, it was nothing more than Southgate's mind games.
Tea poison or not, seven poisons or eight poisons, what difference did it make?
October 14, 11 PM.
"There are two things a man must never get wrong in his life."
"First, choosing the right wife. Second, choosing the right career."
"Lin, I got both right."
"I chose football and treated it as my life. I chose my wife and treated her as my soulmate."
Sergio Ramos turned over to look at Lin. He still could not fall asleep.
Thinking about tomorrow's massive clash with England, even someone as experienced as Sergio Ramos, who had been through countless high-stakes battles, could not hide his excitement, along with a trace of nerves.
"You're a winner in life, Sergio Ramos."
Lin turned over as well. He could not sleep either, and the two of them chatted back and forth.
"Back in Castilla, I had never even heard of you. Hardly anyone in the first team paid attention to you."
"Then Zidane suddenly promoted you to the first team and had you play in a friendly."
"After that, though, you left a deep impression on me."
"It's a shame we never got to fight side by side at Real Madrid. I still haven't forgiven you. After all, you beat me in last season's Champions League final."
Sergio Ramos still could not let go of that defeat.
"Hahaha, it's fine. You can come to Liverpool. We'll keep winning the Champions League together."
They talked for a long time, deep into the night.
At the very end, moonlight streamed through the window, reflecting in Lin's eyes. Sleep finally caught up with Sergio Ramos. Before drifting off, he asked one last question.
"Lin, do you think we can win?"
Lin did not answer for a while. Soon, he heard the steady sound of snoring. The Spanish captain beside him had already fallen asleep.
Maybe he was answering Sergio Ramos, or maybe himself, or even the moon.
"We will."
"We will."
Lin savored this calm before the storm.
It felt like standing on a surfboard atop the waves, ready at any moment to dive into the towering, roaring tide.
You do not know whether you can complete this once-in-a-century ride, or break through the dangerous waves surrounding you. But the moment you soar high above the crest, you have already become yourself. Your truest self.
...
July 15.
"Fans watching in front of your screens!"
"Good evening!"
"The highly anticipated showdown!"
"A true clash of giants!"
"A European blockbuster!"
"England versus Spain. The match is about to begin!"
"The referee for this match is world-class official Marciniak!"
"I know you have all been waiting for this game for a long, long time. So have I!"
"Every late night, I could not stop thinking. Who will make it to the World Cup final?"
"Now, the answer is right before us. It is about to be revealed!"
"England have already submitted their starting lineup. A full half hour ahead of the deadline!"
"This is another layer of psychological warfare. Southgate frequently uses pre-match mind games to disrupt Spain's preparation!"
"Goalkeeper: Pickford!"
"Back three: Maguire, Stones, Kyle Walker!"
"Defensive midfielder: Henderson!"
"Wide midfielders: Ashley Young on the left, Trippier on the right!"
"Attacking midfielders: Alli, Lingard!"
"Two forwards: Kane, Sterling!"
"A squad overflowing with talent!"
"What has drawn the most attention is the targeted tactic known as 'Tea Poison', developed by Southgate together with ten top English legends!"
"Even though no one was named directly, it is obvious this was designed specifically to contain Lin."
"And how will Spain respond?"
"This will be a match that combines tactics, individual brilliance, team cohesion, and in-game managerial adjustments!"
"Top-level quality!"
"A modern football war!!!"
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (65 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.