Chapter 561 A Phone Call
"I think the old man is a little too nervous, right? It's just a Chinese team, right? As long as we draw this game, we can qualify..."
After the meeting, the players of the Argentina Olympic team walked back to their rooms in twos and threes. After staying away from head coach Roderich Rosas, they couldn't wait to talk.
"We can't just be satisfied with qualifying from the group!" Meli Bane said, "If Belgium can defeat Nigeria, we will be second in the group. If the second place in the group appears, we should meet the host Spain as expected. That is not a It’s an easy opponent to deal with, so we not only want to win, but we also want to win by a big score.”
Merry has said this, so naturally it's hard for others to say anything else.
After everyone returned to their rooms, Ramon Cantero, who lived in the same room as Melly, asked curiously: "Melly, have you really not scored five goals in nine minutes?"
Melly shook his head: "No."
"Not even in youth competitions?"
"Probably not..." This time Mellie Banega thought for a moment and shook his head, "At least I don't remember such a thing."
"Can anyone really score so many goals in such a short period of time?" Cantero said with a frown. "Could it be a lie?"
Melly looked at his friend and shook his head with a smile: "I've heard about this too, saying that the player scored five goals in nine minutes in the Olympic qualifying match. I think since it's the Olympic qualifying match, There should be no possibility of fraud, and the gold content of the game is guaranteed. He is truly capable..."
Cantero shook his head and interrupted Melli: "I don't agree, Melli. I don't agree with the statement that he is capable. He is just a lucky bastard. From the game video the old man showed us , I don’t see what this person is capable of doing that you haven’t done yet.”
Melly did not intend to continue this topic. He shook his head: "Whether he has the strength or not, we will know when we compete with them, right?"
"That's right. I will keep my eyes open and watch carefully when the time comes." Cantero said, still very unconvinced, as if he felt that an unknown person who appeared out of nowhere actually stole the spotlight from his good friend. accurate.
"Then don't forget the game." Melly joked.
"Of course I won't forget it. We will kill them. Not only will we win, but we will win big!"
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The players have left the meeting room, and now only the coaching staff of the Olympic team are left in the room, with no outsiders.
Assistant coach Li Zhifei asked Shi Wuyin: "How confident do you think we are of beating Argentina?"
Shi Wuyin stretched out a finger: "One percent?"
Li Zhifei sighed: "Fortunately, we set the goal of qualifying for the group early on, otherwise this last game would have been a mere formality. Now...at least we can still let the players work hard, It won’t be too ugly to lose.”
"Yes, young man, you have to hang with that breath."
"Carrot on a stick?"
Shi Wuyin laughed when he heard Li Zhifei say this, and then sighed: "Actually, I am very satisfied with their performance in this Olympics. It was a surprise to draw with Nigeria in the first game, but they lost to Belgium in the second game. It's normal, but only lose one Just one goal is already amazing. These young people have done more than we imagined. You haven't seen the domestic media's unprecedented relaxed atmosphere towards the Olympic team... It was rare to see a team after losing a game. How can you still get this kind of treatment?”
He was talking about the voices in the domestic media and the Internet.
After the Chinese Olympic team lost to the Belgian Olympic team, the domestic media did not criticize the team's performance. Fans also expressed regret online, but few people would criticize the team.
After all, the strength gap between the two sides is there, and the performance of the Chinese Olympic team in the game is there. As long as your eyes are not blind and your brain is not broken, you should know that the Chinese Olympic team only lost to the Belgian Olympic team by one goal. What an achievement.
Of course, such a relaxed public opinion environment has a lot to do with the performance of the Chinese Olympic team, which evened twice after falling behind twice in the first game, and finally tied with Nigeria.
Then Shi Wuyin said sternly: "But precisely because we have such a performance, we must maintain it in the last game, and we must not lose it late. In this last game, no matter whether we win or lose, we must show our style. Come. Only in this way can we live up to the trust of the people of the country!”
What he said was a bit harsh, and every coach in the conference room felt a little pressure.
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The Olympic Games have started for a week, and the competitions in all individual events are in full swing, and gold medals have already been decided in some events.
Olympic athletes bringing glory to their country has also become a hot topic on the Internet in China. On various social platforms, "Olympic Games" has become the hottest search term.
In this context, the popularity of the Olympic team is no less than that of those world champions.
The previous Olympic Games basically had nothing to do with the Chinese men's football team. The excitement was other people's excitement. Chinese football just didn't come out to cause trouble for others at this time. It also wants to become the darling of everyone... What are you dreaming about?
But at this Olympics, the topic about the Chinese Olympic team has always been hot. With the arrival of the last group match, it has reached the top of various hot topic lists, even surpassing those of entertainment stars. Gossip overwhelms the hot searches paid for by some variety shows.
When Chinese football was in a quagmire, many people wondered why football could be regarded as the number one sport in the world. They feel that at least in China, the influence of football has long since expired. In terms of sports, it is far behind basketball.
But now looking at the grand scene on the Internet, you know that it is not football that is not good, but Chinese football in the past...
Chinese football can become the protagonist in the Olympic Games, which makes many Chinese fans burst into tears. During the previous Olympic Games, they didn't even dare to speak out, for fear that the men's football team would be caught and whipped to death again. Whenever something happened, the men's football team would always become the target of ridicule.
Although the men's football team does stink, most fans would still be concerned if they were ridiculed so unscrupulously.
Now, they have a sense of pride and pride - they have become serfs and sing!
They were flattered to see that everyone on TV and on the Internet was paying attention to the match between the Olympic team and Argentina.
In fact, they are very relieved about how the game between the Chinese Olympic Team and the Argentine Olympic Team will turn out. This scene was enough for them to brag about their awesomeness for a long time.
After all, the Argentine Olympic team is very strong and has a talented player who is recognized as the best in the world, Mellie Banega. The fact that the Olympic team only lost three goals is considered great.
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It's been a long time since Matt Dawn got a call from Tony Clark.
Since the latter resigned from Hammond Castle, it has been as if he has disappeared and there has been no contact with him. He couldn't find Clark on the news either.
But at this moment, Matt received a call from Tony again.
"I thought you'd forgotten about me, Tony," Matt complained.
"Sorry, Matt. I originally wanted to go directly to Hammond Castle to find you, but I just found out that you have resigned." Tony Clark's apologetic voice sounded on the other end of the phone.
"The club has changed a lot of people. The new head coach didn't pay much attention to my work, and it was not interesting for me to stay there. So I resigned." Matt briefly explained the reason for his resignation and asked, "What about you? ? Where have you been these past six months? ”
"I went to a coaching training course organized by the Football Association to recharge my batteries." Tony said with a smile, "What I didn't understand very well before I now understand. What I used to rely on intuition has now become a theory and put it into my mind." Brain.”
"Congratulations on that, Tony. You've leveled up now."
"Yes, not only have I upgraded myself, but my work has also upgraded!"
"Work? Have you found a job?"
"That's why I'm calling you, Matt. Leeds came to me and wanted me to be their manager."
Matt Dawn was stunned for a moment: "Leeds? Leeds City?"
"How else can there be one? There is only one professional team like this in Leeds!"
"But it's a Premier League team!" Matt yelled.
"Otherwise why would I say my job has been upgraded? I have signed a contract with them. From now on, please call me Premier League coach, Matt. Haha!" Tony Clark was very happy.
"Why are they looking for you?"
“当年他们在英冠的时候，我曾经率领球队痛揍了他们，可能因此反而让他们爱上了我吧……上赛季他们成功保级，留在了英超，于是就请我去做他们的Head coach!”
"Wait, Tony. It's not that I look down on you... I just feel strange. Lauren Galli has done a good job in Leeds City and led the team to successfully avoid relegation. Why is it your turn to be the head coach?" Matt discovered the blind spot.
"Ahem... Well, after Galli was relegated, he resigned and left without reaching an agreement with the club on a new contract..."
"Ah? When did it happen?"
"Just five days ago..."
Matt Dawn slapped his forehead. He came to Spain to watch the Olympic Games and didn't pay much attention to the domestic football news in England. Unexpectedly, when he heard Tony talk about it now, he felt a little out of touch with the world.
"I heard what you said, and I feel that this head coach's job is not easy to do, Tony... What you want to replace is a meritorious coach who led the team to promotion and also led the team to avoid relegation."
"Of course I know, that's why I called you, Matt. Originally, I was worried that it would be difficult for you to get around in Hammond Castle, but now that you are free, I want to ask... you Would you like to be my video analyst again and continue working together like we did at Hammond Castle?"
Video analyst for a Premier League club?
Matt Dawn felt his heart beat rapidly several times.
"I need your help, Matt...I can't do so much on my own..."
Seemingly seeing Matt's silence and thinking he was hesitant, Tony quickly begged.
"But Tony, I can't sign a contract with Leeds City now." Matt came back to his senses and said.
"Why?"
"Because I'm in Spain now!"
"Spain? Why are you going to Spain?"
"I came to watch LaiHu's game."
"LaiHu?" Tony Clark on the other end of the phone was stunned for a moment, "Who is that?"
"Five goals in nine minutes." Matt said the key words.
Tony suddenly woke up: "Oh - it's him! Wait, he participated in the Olympics? Did the Chinese team enter the Olympics?"
Matt sighed: "Tony, I suspect that you are not going to the FA's advanced class, but to escape from the world of yoga."
"Uh..." Tony was a little embarrassed, "I just don't care much about Chinese football... So how did the LaiHu you care about perform in the Olympics?"
"One goal and one assist helped the team draw with Nigeria."
"Sounds good."
"It's pretty good... Wait, I thought of an idea, Tony. I really can't go back to England to sign a contract with you now, because I have to stay in Spain and wait to watch tomorrow's third group match, the Chinese team The game against Argentina. If you are interested, why don’t you come to Valencia with the contract, let’s watch a game together and sign the contract?” Matt Dawn said. "You have heard me talk about LaiHu many times before, but you have never watched him play in person, right? This is an excellent opportunity, and it may also be the last chance."
"Are there any tickets left?"
"Of course, the stands are not full in every game. If you are sure, I can buy the tickets for you now."
"Of course, let me come, let me see what the player you like so much is like in reality!"
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Note 1: Because in reality many teams in the UK are named directly after the places where they are located, and I did not make up foreign place names, so when I fictionalize foreign clubs in the book, many times the names of the teams that everyone is familiar with are actually real. There is no way around it.
For example, Liverpool Football Club is located in the city of Liverpool. I can't deliberately avoid the city of Liverpool when setting it up to avoid conflict with Liverpool Football Club. It's one of the eight core cities in the UK that doesn't even have a top professional team, right?
The same is true for the abbreviations, Leeds United and Newcastle United, we will all refer to them as Leeds and Newcastle, instead of shortening them to Manchester United like Manchester United.
Therefore, the names or abbreviations of some clubs may be the same as real clubs in this world, but this does not mean that the clubs in the book are real clubs. Please do not treat them as the same.
Leeds City and Leeds United in the book are not the same. If you encounter similar situations in the future, I won’t explain it further. Please just acquiesce to this rule - even if they have the same name, they are not the same team. . (End of chapter)