Born to be a coach [soccer]

Chapter 151

When Mr. Jorge Mendez called Anton, he felt very headache.

Yesterday, when Boas tweeted, he already vaguely felt that something was wrong. When did Anton come to Lisbon, and when did Anton get so close to Boas?

Later, the development of things really confirmed his intuition. Anton did not "befriend" Boas at all, but "challenged" in the air, and then evolved into a unique "combat for young handsome appearance" in history. Adding fuel to the flames and making a fuss, and obviously leaning on Anton's side...

They are all his clients, but why are all of them so uneasy?

Originally, Mendes thought he was very lucky. Boas and Anton are the only two head coaches in history who have been coaching in the top league at the age of 30 (including below).Both of them are handsome, good-looking, and have a high level of coaching. They are currently leading the teams in their respective leagues.

But how did it get on the bar?

Mendes has been in this industry for so many years, so he can see people very accurately.He knew that Boas was a very strong person, and he had an unyielding temperament in his bones. If he was sure of one thing, ten mules would not be able to pull him away.

Boas's life experience should have been unprecedented, something that no one in the world dared to think about.But then Anton came up: the two seemed to be "replicas" of each other, but when you think about it, Anton overwhelmed Boas in every way.

No wonder Boas dissatisfied.So as soon as Anton "challenged" yesterday, Mendes knew that Boas must have found an opportunity to challenge Anton.

Mendes is really depressed: If Boas succeeds in the Portuguese Super League, he is planning to let Boas follow the old path of "madman" and operate Boas to the Premier League.But when Boas arrives in the Premier League, won't his clients "fuck each other"?

At this time, Anton answered the phone and tortured Mendes with a smile. Mendes also heard Ronaldo's voice on the phone saying hello to him: "Hi Jorge, I'm also waiting to see you Who to vote for!"

Mendel suddenly felt sweat on his forehead, so he could only answer eagerly: "Voting... of course Anton..."

In terms of appearance, Mendes thinks it is nothing to say, Anton is better than Boas by a few chips: Anton is of mixed race, with a sharp and handsome face, beautiful features, and black hair adds to him. Less mystery from the East.Several agencies have approached Mendes, hoping that Anton can represent their clients.

But football coaches—never rely on their looks, but on their performance.So the vote initiated by the fans last night was meaningless except for fun.

"Anton, what challenge did Andre ask you?" Mendes finally asked what he wanted to ask.

Anton calmly relayed to Mendes what Boas said to him at the time, and finally concluded: "Jorge, congratulations!"

Mendez: Why am I so happy?

Anton: "The champion coach of the Europa League will always be your client. No matter who it is, it will be the youngest European champion coach in history."

Mendez: ...Why are my people so confident?

Ronaldo interjected: "The same goes for the Champions League."

Ronaldo is talking about Real Madrid coach Mourinho.I don't know if Mourinho wants to win the Champions League, but Ronaldo wants to win anyway.

"So you don't have to worry too much," Anton said, "If this turns into a big challenge, it will be good for both of us."

The world likes to watch duels, especially close duels.This year's Europa League just provided a stage for these two young coaches.No matter what the ending is, what the world can remember is not just a name.

As Mendes listened, he finally let go of his heart: Why can I always hear what I want to hear when I call Anton?

At Boas's place before, Boas only told Mendes not to intervene in this matter, but Mendes became more and more panicked the more he listened.At Anton's place, Mendes finally breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Cristiano is with you? Did you two meet?"

Anton: "Yes, we are in a small restaurant in Almada. I invite you to dinner. Do you want to come too?"

"No, no, no need!" Mendes didn't know why he felt a little guilty, "I, I just reminded Cristiano that he will return to the team tonight."

"Cristiano sent you an 'OK' gesture." Anton turned on the live broadcast mode, "He is going to the airport right now. Don't worry!"

Mendez finally reels contentedly.European champion coach?The youngest ever?Originally, Mendes didn't think so far, but now that he heard it, Mendes felt that it wasn't far away at all—it was time to get ready!I believe that in the spring of next year, there will be a "youth storm" belonging to the coaches in European football.

Putting down the phone, Anton looked up at Ronaldo: "I haven't had time to ask you, how is Kaka?"

C Robbie gestured: "Great. It's just that I often complain to me. There are not many novice players now. You and I are busy with 'challenging', and no one is with him."

Anton: "It's easy. I can suggest that the development company send out a few more closed beta accounts. But you must remind him—upgrade to the elementary level as soon as possible, hurry up!"

Ronaldo immediately pointed at Anton and laughed loudly: "What kind of idea are you playing, hurry up and do it!"

Anton: ...

He did have some careful thoughts, planning to wait for Kaka to be upgraded, and La Kaka "joined"; in reality, he also thought about what he should do when Messi's six-month lease expired.

Ronaldo continued: "Kaka absolutely cannot give it to you!"

Anton was not convinced: "Mourinho's use of Kaka may not be better than mine!"

Ronaldo: "Then you come to Real Madrid to coach!" A word came out of his mouth, Ronaldo suddenly stopped talking, and gave Anton a blank look.

"Mourinho is a very different coach, a special one." Anton had to make amends, trying to restore the awkward atmosphere.

"Yes...very different. But Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and Chelsea are also very different teams." Ronaldo was in a daze for a while, "No matter what, I hope Mourinho can succeed."

Don't need Ronaldo to say, Anton already roughly knows the inside story of each center-Mourinho and Real Madrid are still in the running-in period.

Mourinho himself is a very charismatic person. Although he has a flamboyant personality, he has a strong appeal.Many players have expressed that they are willing to die for Mourinho, which shows that they are extremely grateful and admired for this coach.When Mourinho left Inter Milan a few months ago, many players in Inter Milan were crying after hearing the news. Materazzi once cried and said: "I feel that there will be no more teachers in the world from now on..."

But in just two months, Real Madrid's players have not yet fully integrated with Mourinho.

Anton knew very well that Mourinho had his own tactical system, and his approach was to polish his players so that they could fit his own tactical system.This is very useful in Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, and Mourinho really knows people and is good at tasks. The players he promoted and placed in those positions are all competent for Mourinho's tasks, and he is grateful for Mourinho's "knowledge".

From this perspective, Mourinho is somewhat similar to Sir Alex Ferguson, and the relationship between Mourinho and the players is like a father and son.

But many of Real Madrid's players are already famous stars, and the relationship with Mourinho is more like a cooperative relationship than a traditional mentor-student relationship.

In Anton's view, as the value of players rises, the relationship between coaches and players will become more and more delicate, and how to deal with the relationship in the locker room is becoming an art.Therefore, the current problem needs to be overcome by Mourinho and Real Madrid players.

But these are inconvenient to say in front of Ronaldo.

"Don't worry, Cristiano, your team will gather strength very quickly. The level of all of you is there, don't think so much, just run and play! After all, you have a great opponent. "

When Anton mentioned Barcelona, ​​Ronaldo was shocked and nodded sharply.

At the beginning of the season, despite the absence of Messi, Barcelona still played smoothly-after all, Barcelona played systematic football and were not greatly affected by the absence of a star.

But Ronaldo believes that as long as there is that opponent, there will be no problems in the Real Madrid team, and everything will be united in order to defeat Barcelona and win the victory.Originally, he wanted to ask Anton how Messi was doing in Sunderland.Now I feel that this question is superfluous.

"Anton, don't say much else, take care of everything. You should also work hard in the Europa League. Don't lose to a coach who is not as handsome as you." Ronaldo urged at parting.

"Naturally!" Anton said, "In addition, in 'Green Life', I must lead the team to win the top four this season. When you meet other teams competing for the top four, please help me 'stop'!"

Ronaldo: ...

Anton returned to Sunderland, and the Mason family took the little black cat Larry back to Anton.Roger Mason looked at Anton in shock: "You actually went to Portugal to cook?"

Anton: "...Yes! Portugal is a good place to learn to cook, and there are abundant raw materials."

The trip to Portugal made him realize that fish is a very good protein. After being cooked properly, it can be both nutritious and delicious. It might as well be added to the daily diet of Sunderland players.

Just in time to discuss with Joe's mother.

He returned to Guangming Academy the next day, and the players who had been called up by the national team earlier also returned to the team one after another.The whole team was very excited to hear that there will be a new "developed" nutritious meal. In addition, the players did not forget to ask Anton for credit: "Boss, I voted for you, and I got a lot of votes!"

Anton: ...So that's how I got 78% of the votes.

The whole team immediately put into intense training to prepare for the next stage of the schedule.After the national team match day, Sunderland will challenge Blackburn away on October 10 and Aston Villa at home on October 18. The big test will be on October 24. They will be away at St. James' Park to challenge the "mortal enemy" Newcastle United to verify whether the spell of "capturing the magpie" still exists.

In addition, they also have another Europa League group match, which will be held on the 21st. They need to fly to Spain to play against Getafe.Anton would be happy to arrange the furthest away game in October-because in November their schedule will be denser and their opponents will be stronger.

The opponent in front of him, Blackburn, is also nicknamed "Violent Ben" ①. It can be imagined that the team has fierce firepower and strong confrontation during the game.

Blackburn is also a very glorious team in history, having won the top league championship three times (exactly half of Sunderland).Liverpool's king, Kenny Dalglish, played for Blackburn before joining Liverpool. He himself also served as a coach, leading Blackburn to beat Manchester United and win the Premier League title in the 92-93 season.

But the glory is in the past. In the first seven rounds of this season, under the leadership of head coach Sam Allardyce, Blackburn only achieved two wins, two draws and three losses, ranking 12th in the standings, and losing again If you go down, you may fall into the relegation zone.

In addition, rumors surrounding the acquisition of Blackburn are rampant.The Indian conglomerate VH Group is rumored to have been in talks with the Blackburn owners, and VH Group is inclined to fire Sam Allardyce immediately after the takeover. The unstable coaching position of "Big Sam" has greatly affected the team's performance.

Anton took his Sunderland away to Ewood Park.Here, the physical fitness of the Sunderland players showed a significant improvement, and against the tenacious Blackburn, they did not lose at all.Their players look thin, but they are often stronger than their big opponents. The "violent" Ben had to become "gentle" in front of the black cat Sunderland.

In the end, Sunderland won the game easily 2-0, further pushing Blackburn to the edge of the relegation zone.

Although the opponent was defeated, Anton helped Big Sam tell the truth after the game: "We have seen too many examples of capital affecting the team, both positive and negative, but I really don't understand how to attack like this before the acquisition The will of the team, is this to... hold down the price?"

One word awakened the dreamer, and all the fans of Blackburn were blown up, saying that they really couldn't understand the "stingy" of the Indian chaebol.The Walker Trust, the owner of Blackburn, hastened to renegotiate with VH Group and requested that Big Sam's continued employment this season be included in the transfer agreement.

Big Sam was very grateful to Anton, and sighed again and again: Sure enough, only the head coach understands the head coach.He expressed his gratitude to Blackburn's management and fans for everything they have done for the stability of the team.From now on, Blackburn will definitely not continue to waste time-the season has just begun, and they still have 31 rounds, and they are fully able to catch up.

After this round of competition, Sunderland and Chelsea's positions in the standings were exchanged again.Because Chelsea scored a 0-0 draw in this round.Sunderland's points once again surpassed Chelsea and took the top spot.

For a moment, English football couldn't understand: Will this year's Premier League really be a contest between the defending champion and the newly promoted?

In this season of love, Sunderland and Chelsea are chasing after each other. Sometimes you tie and I win, and sometimes I win and you tie. Everyone changes their positions at the top of the list.

But what happened next was beyond the expectations of many people.

In the match against Getafe in Spain, Anton's team actually lost again, the score was still a bit big, it was a 1-3 loss...

After the loss, the whole team was a little confused. They didn't know why they lost. It felt like they lost by accident.

Looking back at the three UEFA Champions League group matches that Sunderland has played, Sunderland has drawn one game and lost one game away, and only won one game against the "young people" at their own Stadium of Light.

In this way, although Anton's team topped the Premier League, they had one win, one draw and one loss in the Europa League group stage, with 4 points, the same points as Odense and Young Boys in Berne. The reason for the ball comes in third.

The situation in this group was a bit complicated—except for Getafe who led by a large margin, the other three teams were locked together, and it was unknown who would qualify.

Sunderland's result is really beyond the expectations of the fans, and the fans will inevitably exclaim: What's going on?

Is "Black Cat" the legendary home dragon and away bug?

But they have no problem playing away games in the league!

How to lose the chain in the Europa League?

As the coach, Anton knew the reason for the loss very well: the teams in southern Europe have a delicate style of play, which is very different from the style of the Premier League teams.Most of the players in the team rarely have the opportunity to participate in international competitions. Suddenly meeting a team with a different style, coupled with the away game, it is normal to not adapt.

The loss to Getafe this time also sounded the alarm for the team in time.To go far in the European competition, Sunderland must figure out a way to deal with it-making mistakes now is better than making mistakes in the knockout stage.

But how to make tactical adjustments?

When leaving Spain, the assistant coach Russell saw that Anton was thinking most of the time, or just writing and drawing in his notebook, and couldn't help asking: "What are you thinking about?"

Anton: "If our opponent is Barcelona, ​​what tactics should we use to defend."

Russell: "...Think so far?"

Messi (hand raised): "Use the Tin Woodman!"

Anton: "Don't make trouble! I'm very serious-can defend Barcelona, ​​and naturally can deal with these technical teams in southern Europe, including Porto. This is a question of tactical concepts, not that we are really going to face each other right away. Barcelona."

After losing the game against Getafe, Anton led the team back to England.As soon as he got off the plane, he found that he had an extra follower on Twitter. After a closer look, he found that the person he followed was Boas.

This is a kind of silent challenge, and the other party seems to be reminding with a smile: Hey, don't patronize the matter of appearance, did you agree to it at the beginning?

Anton certainly knew Boas' intentions.Villas-Boas's team, Porto, not only tops the Portuguese Super League standings, also won all three games in the Europa League group stage, ranking first with 9 points.

Anton clicked back immediately.The meaning must be understood by the other party: Don't worry, I will remember it.There are still three group matches, it's too early to draw any conclusions!

So, the two "young marshals" who hadn't paid attention to each other at all, just closed each other quietly.

Mr. Mendez, who has been secretly keeping an eye on the social media activities of the two, finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Back in Sunderland, Anton's team didn't care about tasting the depression caused by the loss, and immediately put themselves into preparations for another game-this is the benefit of the intensive schedule, and there is no time to worry about the past. And frustrated, in addition to the coaching staff continuing to analyze the reasons for the loss, the players must immediately put the past behind them.

The author has something to say: ①To rectify the name of Blackburn, the name "Violence Ben" is not because the team is very "violent", but because the earlier Cantonese translation is more like "Violence Ben". a nickname.

Can you recognize the following Cantonese translations, which teams are they?

Arsenal

Chelsea

Newcastle

Everton

Swans (this one is more difficult to guess, hint, in Wales)