World Cup in Qatar: Don't miss these highlights

Source: Overseas Network

In a few days, the 2022 Men's World Cup will open in Qatar. In the past few days, the 32 teams competing in this World Cup have announced their rosters one after another, only waiting for the opening whistle.

The 4-yearly World Cup is a feast for football and a festival for fans. Whether it is a "senior fan" who is familiar with the team and a group of players, or a "pseudo fan" who only watches the ball once in 4 years, there are many things not to be missed for those who "watch" this football drama.

How "cold" is the World Cup in winter?

Due to the climate of the host country, the Qatar World Cup became the first World Cup to be held in the northern hemisphere winter. For Chinese fans, the standard of watching football that used to be "drinking beer and eating skewers" is now going to become "drilling a bed next to the heater" or "wearing a coat and shabu shabu".

The change in the holding time brought annoyance and testing to the participating teams. This World Cup schedule has "cut off" the ongoing Europa League and continental competitions, with many players suffering injuries in intensive competitions and struggling to recover in time, missing the World Cup roster or missing the group stage. This has also made the Qatar World Cup always subject to "spitting" and controversy.

At the same time, the intensive schedule has reduced the time for national teams to assemble and train and adapt to the climate from about three weeks to one week. There is not enough time for the lineup to run-in, and "finding the state in the game" may become the choice of many teams, which will also increase the suspense and uncertainty of the game. The World Cup in winter may have more unexpected "unpopular" and "dark horses".

The Qatar World Cup is also the first World Cup to implement the five-substitution quota rule. In June this year, the new substitution rule was "regularized" from a temporary measure to a permanent rule. In the World Cup, the increase in substitution places has made the importance of the thickness of the team's bench more prominent, and also created more possibilities for the on-field command of the coaching team. The battle of wits between famous coaches is expected to bring many classic showdowns that turn the tide.

Highlight 2 Who is expected to hold the Hercules Cup?

Who will lift the Hercules Cup? As the biggest and final suspense of every World Cup, predicting the championship is the lowest threshold but the most fascinating.

The traditional strong team with a "hanging star" on the chest is naturally the favorite to win the championship. The defending champion France has "Mr. Golden Ball" Benzema and "first price" Mbappe, and the luxury of the lineup is enviable. But the absence of midfield core N'Golo Kante and Pogba inevitably makes the road to the "Gallic Roosters" title defense thorny. Brazil is regarded as the number one favorite, and under the leadership of Neymar and superstar Vinicius, the team is in its prime both in terms of age structure and squad strength. As long as the curse and pressure of "hot must die" are avoided, Five-Star Brazil has the ability to go further.

The German team, which stopped the group stage of the last World Cup, is back, and the "German chariots" still have a solid talent reserve in the central midfield, but after the main striker Timo Werner is absent due to injury, there is still a question mark over whether players such as Phil Kruger, who participated in the World Cup for the first time, can take on the offensive responsibility. Messi's Argentina team plays team football, and a number of powerful players play "low-key gorgeous", but Lo Celso's injury has damaged the "Pampas Eagles" a lot.

The "Three Lions" England team is star-studded, gathering strong stars such as Foden and Kane in the midfield; Eighty percent of the young Spanish team is participating in the World Cup for the first time, and young players such as Ferran Torres and Pedri have taken over the cloak of "bullfighters"... Coupled with the teams such as Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and Croatia who are eyeing the Hercules Cup, the battle for the Qatar World Cup title is still confusing.

Highlight 3 Is the "Last Dance" happy or sad?

Every World Cup is a stage for veterans to sing swan songs. In Qatar, Messi's "last dance" with Cristiano Ronaldo (Cristiano Ronaldo) is destined to remain in the memory of fans forever.

Earlier, Messi has said that he will welcome his own World Cup farewell match in Qatar. The 38-year-old Ronaldo recently publicly "broke" with Manchester United and manager Ten Hart, and is on the cusp of public opinion. Playing as a "great rival" for many years, Messi and Ronaldo have performed a magnificent chapter of football, but they have left many regrets in the World Cup - neither has been able to lead the team to lift the Hercules Cup, and has not even completed the goal in the World Cup knockout stage. It remains to be seen what kind of tragic and happy plot the football legend performed by "Mero" will end.

Not only Messi and Ronaldo, but also a group of famous players who have been in world football for many years, may all usher in their own World Cup farewell performances in Qatar. Ballon d'Or and World Footballer of the Year winners – 34-year-old Benzema, 37-year-old Modric and 34-year-old Lewandowski will lead the team to the Gold Cup; Mueller, 33, and Neuer, 36, are eager to "recreate" the peak moment of 2014; 35-year-old Suarez, 35-year-old Cavani, 38-year-old Thiago Silva, 33-year-old Bale tell the story of "veterans don't grow old"... As the veteran's backs fade away, world football will turn a new page.

Highlight 4 Which newcomers became famous in the first battle?

Veterans leave, and naturally there are new people to fill the vacancy. In previous World Cups, there have always been young players who have made a declaration of "new generation" on the highest stage of football.

In the Qatar World Cup, there are many powerful young players. The Spanish team, with young people playing the lead, has assembled a group of high-potential hopeful stars. The last two-time Copa Award winners, 19-year-old Pedri and 18-year-old Garvey, have already shined in leagues and internationally. Together with Ferran Torres and Ansu Fathi, who also played for FC Barcelona, the young Matador is very energetic.

In the traditional strong teams, there are newcomers as the mainstay. After N'Golo Kante and Paul Pogba's two 90s are retired, France may use two post-90s in midfield – Camavinga and Chuameni – and two Real Madrid teammates will take on the burden of attacking and defensive transitions for the defending champions. Brazilian duos Vinicius and Rodrigo, who also play for Real Madrid, will make their first World Cup trip. In last year's Champions League match, the two have played key roles many times. Competing in the World Cup, the two superstars will become Neymar's right hand.

In the German squad, 19-year-old midfielder Musiala is Bayern Munich's youngest "Mr. Hyakuba", while his national team teammate Mukoko is expected to make his World Cup debut before the age of 18. England players such as Foden, Bellingham and Saka have been in the league this season, and fans are looking forward to their continued highlights in the World Cup.

In addition, Canadian defender Alfonso Davis and Ecuadorian midfielder Caicedo have become the key players that their respective teams rely on the most, and are expected to usher in the opportunity to become famous in Qatar.

Reporter Liu Jiao

People's Daily Overseas Edition (November 16, 2022 Version 09)