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Who expected the Champions League final to be a Spanish derby? Will there be a repeat of the script from two years ago? Hahaha.

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During the two days of preparing for the trial, Qin Xiong did not go to the bustling Amsterdam, he only jogged in the morning, afternoon and evening around the place where he lived, did light exercises in the room, and had reasonable and sufficient rest.

27 August 2003.

In the morning, Freddy and Qin Xiong came to the youth training base of Ajax FC: DeToekomst

Meaning: belonging to the academy of the future.

Since the 60s of the last century, the high-quality production efficiency of this Ajax youth academy has created the myth of Ajax youth training.

Here, there are three ways for Ajax to absorb the youth seedlings.

First, we need to recruit local talent within 60 kilometers of Amsterdam.

Second, the annual draft day, on which thousands of children come here to show Ajax their football abilities in an attempt to impress Ajax and enter the most famous football school in the Netherlands.

Third, Ajax overseas satellite club recommends talents, like Pinar from South Africa, who is not yet 18 years old in the team, Shabalala, who can cross the ocean to Ajax, is the contribution of Ajax's satellite club system, and Qin Xiong's trial qualification is also from the behind-the-scenes transaction between Tang Group and Ajax overseas satellite club.

It must be confronted that while Ajax is distorting the facts by not digging talent from abroad, Academy director Ricklink has tirelessly declared: "We will not look for children 60 kilometres beyond Amsterdam". We believe in our culture and we don't think about going abroad to find young players.

There is no doubt that Ajax's youth system is an important trait for them to use their own family!

Of course, Qin Xiong is 18 years old, and he yearns for Ajax, but it doesn't mean that he wants to become an authentic Ajax!

He's not here to join Ajax's youth system, he's just here for a trial, if he can succeed, the goal will be to get into the first team, so to speak, he doesn't expect Ajax to develop him, reshape him, he needs a stage to show, he believes he has a lot of strength, the last 15 years of hard work, is the foundation of his confidence.

And even if Ajax is famous all over the world for its youth training, it still needs outsiders, that is, reinforcements in the transfer market.

For example, the striker Ibrahimovic in the first team was poached by Ajax, who is the club that missed Ibrahimovic? Arsenal.

The Youth Academy is located next to the Amsterdam Athletic Stadium, and it is a sunny day with a warm breeze, and when Qin Xiong and Freddy walk into this training base, they will naturally enjoy the scenery inside.

There are 7 full-size courts here, and the training conditions are outstanding at a glance, but the scenery here makes Qin Xiong feel that his heart is about to move, and it is excited.

Rick Link, the youth director who received the two, was in his office, and he looked at Qin Xiong with scrutinizing eyes while looking at the trial recommendation letter handed to him by Freddie.

Qin Xiong keenly perceived from the other party's majestic expression: he seemed to be a little unhappy.

Yes, Rick Link was certainly not happy.

Ajax does not yet have a satellite club in China, especially in terms of talent introduction channels, and has not made such an investment.

This must be related to China's football competitiveness, or the soil of football talents.

So a Chinese player came to Ajax for a trial and showed up a letter of recommendation from a satellite club in Africa.

Rick Link isn't stupid, there's definitely something to it about!

However, he didn't intend to make things difficult for Qin Xiong and Freddie.

It's not uncommon for black-hearted agents on the African continent to "sell" some children who dream of becoming famous to Europe.

Anyway, the other party came, and he also had a letter of recommendation in hand, and Rick Link confirmed it with the satellite club on the African side and approved Qin Xiong's trial qualifications.

In his mind, maybe it was just to let Qin Xiong take a day trip here.

"Can you understand English?"

Although the Netherlands has its own language, the mainstream language in this country is English, even for homeless people begging on the streets.

Qin Xiong replied to him: "Sir, I will, there is no problem with general communication." ”

Rick Link nodded and said to him: "Wait a minute, there is a warm-up match for the youth team, I will let you join one of the teams, this is your tryout, take advantage of the opportunity." ”

Qin Xiong said solemnly: "Sir, I will!" ”

Rick Link got up and walked out with the two of them, then pointed to a building and said to Qin Xiong: "There is a locker room over there, you go inside to change your jersey and sneakers, it doesn't matter what you wear, I will put on your training shirt later." ”

Qin Xiong picked up his shoulder bag and walked towards the building.

Freddie followed Rick Link to the training ground, and on the way, Freddie asked curiously, "Aren't there some other tests?" Ajax is famous for its selection criteria, TIPS, technology, insight, personality, speed. Just a short training match, the inspection of players is not comprehensive enough, right? ”

Rick Link didn't mind Freddy's outspokenness, so he got straight to the point: "The new season has begun, this young man didn't come here on draft day, we haven't looked at him before, the standard you said is just the foundation of the basics, maybe you don't know us here, I can introduce it to you in detail." ”

"I want to hear about it."

Freddie said with a smile on his face.

Through Guò Rick Link's introduction, Freddie has an intuitive understanding of this.

For a club like Ajax, which has absolute superiority in the Netherlands, they select players and develop them, and they are by no means judged on the basis of the most basic characteristics like ordinary clubs.

In this academy of the future, Ajax, there are more than 200 academy players divided into seven groups, with a squad for each age, ranging in age from 7 to 19 years old.

Like the selection criteria that Freddie asked about just now: TIPS.

That's relative to younger players, the younger you are, the more malleable the players are!

Like Qin Xiong is already 18 years old, if you just examine his speed, personality, insight, and technique, this is not enough!

In practice, the development model of Ajax's youth training system is that the echelon under the age of 12 is based on the main 343 formation as the core of the game training, and the 433 formation is changed to the 433 formation if it is over 12 years old.

In other words, TIPS is only the minimum standard to enter the threshold, otherwise, Ajax has thousands of children coming to trial every year, but it has accumulated year after year, and it is impossible for only more than 200 academy players to stay here, let alone the addition of talents recommended by satellite clubs.

In the long run, the root cause of this situation is the general tone laid by the development of Dutch football!

That is the "sword battle" within Dutch football.

Which is the most important, tactics or technique?

When Michels led the Netherlands to the title of uncrowned king with an all-out attack, the Dutch all-attack and all-defense football tactics swept the world and won the applause of the world.

This also laid the foundation for the tactical supremacy that Dutch football has insisted on for a long time!

So when it comes to Dutch football, it's attacking football, and it's the almost unchanged 433 formation.

The TIPS standard, in this context, can only be the foundation of the foundation.

Whether it's personality, insight, skill and speed, all of them need to serve tactics!

In other words, to serve the team!

If you go against this principle, no matter how fast you are, no matter how good your personality is, no matter how good your insight is, no matter how good your skills are, and you are outside the tactical system, then, sorry, you are not the player Ajax wants!

Qin Xiong is 18 years old, whether he can meet the selection criteria of Ajax is not only to evaluate him by the TIPS standard, but also to further observe his team consciousness on the basis of TIPS, and to find a balance in it, that is, not only to obey and serve the team, but also to find his own role in it, and give full play to his personality.

The reason why Rick Link is not optimistic about Qin Xiong is also here, in that kind of place in China, there may be some players who are fast, strong, good in technique and perceptive, but compared to a team, in such a complex environment as 11-person teamwork, if there is no patient and active guidance and training from an early age, he does not think that Chinese players can do better than Dutch local players.

In particular, Qin Xiong is a stranger, an outsider.

And in today's training match, the players on both sides are training together every day, and they are very familiar with each other!

Freddy's expression did not change at all, he had confidence in Qin Xiong, especially when he understood the focus of Ajax's specific inspection of players, and he had no worries.

It is necessary to sort out the complex situation, find the correct position in the team, and find a breakthrough in the unfamiliar environment.

This kind of thing is what Qin Xiong is best at!