After arriving at the hotel on the afternoon of the 24th, Ajax made some adjustments and entered a state of preparation for the match. In fact, the distance from the Netherlands to Germany was not far. The difference in temperature and time zone was not huge, so the players did not have to spend too much time adapting.
They began their closed-door training.
Comain declined any interviews from the outside world. He did not want the media to put more mental pressure on these young players, who were burdened with the expectations of individuals and fans.
The day before the final, Ajax came to Estadio Schalke for on-field training. All the preparation work was carried out step by step.
In the afternoon, Comain and Mourinho attended the pre-match press conference for the Champions League.
Mourinho told the reporters, "If you don't control your emotions, you can't win the key game. If you don't keep calm, it will be difficult to achieve your goal. My players don't need psychological stimulation. I won't brainwash them or give impassioned speeches.
I know them. I know they are fearless. They are ready to deal with any situation. We will not be surprised if Ajax defeats us. I want to be happy from my club. I want to trust each other with the players. The most important sentence in my life is what my children say to me when I fail. You are the best Dad! But I prefer to win the match. "
When asked about how to limit Ajax's powerful three-pronged front line led by Ibrahimovic, Mourinho said, "Football is a team sport, not a contest between individual players. We can reach the final because we are strong as a whole. Ajax is the same. They are strong, but not because they have a particularly outstanding star player. If this can determine the strength of a team, Real Madrid and AC Milan will be here today. So we will work hard to limit Ajax's team. A starting team of 11, not a single player."
When talking about the team's core player, Deco, Mourinho said, "I know Deco's ability and what he can bring to us. Ajax's coach will find ways to limit him. At the same time, I will find ways to let him play to his greatest potential. We like to score goals. When we don't score, we will work hard to fight for it. But I'm not saying that we will adopt an open offensive strategy and win 5: 4 in the end. "
He seemed to have told Ajax at the press conference that Porto would not try to make the game very open. The so-called love of scoring, in Mourinho's philosophy, had a big premise: solid defense and not conceding goals.
Comain, on the other hand, was more low-key during the pre-match interview.
He told the reporters, "Ajax may have won the Champions League four times, but today's Ajax is special and independent. As we all know, our team is very young. I hope the young players can maintain a calm mentality. At the same time, a veteran like Galasek can play the role of a stabilizing force. Porto is difficult to deal with because they have a good manager. I am not surprised by José's achievements in Portugal and in Europe in the past two seasons. When we worked together in Spain, he showed the potential that many good managers should have. He worked hard and achieved his dreams. I am happy for him.
We did not have any communication before the game. Maybe we are all looking forward to the moment when we meet on the field. Not interfering with each other's preparation is a form of respect.
Porto has extraordinary players, but their overall fighting spirit is amazing. Some people say that the game between Ajax and Porto is unattractive. I think that is a wrong view. Maybe some fans think that it should be Real Madrid, Manchester United, AC Milan, Arsenal and other influential powerhouses who should stand on the final stage.
No, Ajax eliminated Arsenal and Porto eliminated Manchester United. We have proven our strength and we deserve to be in the final!
Ajax will strive to win the game. That is our philosophy. We will attack. Even in the face of the final, Ajax will not abandon the tradition of Dutch football. We have always been proud of playing pleasing football. Why should we give up our ideals?
The team is in good shape. After a tough battle from August to May, we have already won two titles. Now the final battle is about to start. No one will be satisfied. We will not stop until the final battle is over. "
Once upon a time, Mourinho and Comain both worked under Louis Van Gaal in Barcelona. Now both of them picked up the coaching staff and led their teams to the most high-profile stage in Europe. They were about to launch a peak battle between dragons and tigers. Opening up this period of history and origin also added a touch of wonder to this magical Champions League season.
Ajax spent the day before the final peacefully.
May 26th.
Ajax set off from the hotel in the afternoon and headed to Estadio Schalke.
Qin Xiong looked through the car window and saw that the closer he got to the stadium, the more he could see that the streets were dominated by three colors.
Blue, red, white.
Porto's blue and white. Ajax's red and white.
Since the red color of Ajax's jersey was the main theme, both teams could wear their home jerseys for the game.
Qin Xiong retracted his gaze and closed his eyes to rest.
Most of the other teammates on the bus were also silent. They used their own ways to mobilize their emotions for the game. Listening to music, reading, meditating …
Estadio Schalke was hosting the Champions League final today. There would be a grand cultural performance before the final.
Therefore, the players had to warm up in advance, before the cultural performance.
Qin Xiong put on his warm-up jersey and walked into the still empty stadium with his teammates.
In the stands, the reporters who had entered the stadium early were occupying various work positions.
At the end of the warm-up, the team's leader came over and whispered to Qin Xiong, "There's an Asian reporter who wants to interview you. It won't take too much time. He says he's from China and hopes to say a few words to you on behalf of the Chinese audience."
Ajax Club seemed to be slow in unearthing Qin Xiong's commercial value.
It was not until the last three months that more and more China fans came to the home game and also consumed Ajax's fan souvenir products, which gave the club a taste of the sweetness. Only then did they realize that Qin Xiong, who came from a football desert country but whose national strength was booming, would bring real commercial value to Ajax.
They discovered it a little late, but they still actively made adjustments to the commercial development in the last month. For example, they would play Chinese slogans at home and cater to Asian cultural tastes when receiving guests, etc.
Because there would be a cultural performance in the stadium, there would be a lot of time for the team to be trained and prepared in the locker room before the game. Therefore, Qin Xiong thought it would not be a big problem to accept an interview.
He did not accept an interview before because he was worried that trouble came from the mouth. Although he felt it was troublesome, he knew rationally that if he wanted to become a star player and earn more money, he still had to rely on publicity through media channels to have the influence of a star. He could not only rely on the media's one-sided publicity, he had to actively respond to it himself.
He accepted the staff's advice and walked to the side of the field. He saw a gentle man wearing glasses and headphones standing on the sidelines waiting for him.
He walked over and took the initiative to reach out his hand.
The other party also reached over to shake Qin Xiong's hand. At the same time, his colleagues carried a camera to record the scene.
"Qin Xiong, hello. My name is Zhan Jun. I'm a live commentator for ESPN. Nice to meet you."
Qin Xiong shook hands with the other party and said calmly, "Hello."
Without waiting for Zhan Jun to speak again, Qin Xiong asked in a low voice, "Are you from China? Do you represent the broadcasting company in China? "
Zhan Jun smiled and explained, "Yes, I'm from China, but ESPN is not a broadcasting company in the mainland of China."
The commentator, whom Qin Xiong had met for the first time, gave a general introduction to the current situation of domestic broadcasting of European football.
First of all, Central TV did not have the broadcasting rights to the Champions League. They used to have it, but in the late 1990s, the broadcasting company of the Champions League had given the broadcasting rights to Central TV for free. They only had one condition, which was that there would be advertisements during the broadcast of the competition. Of course, those advertisements were all for the Champions League sponsors. Later on, the reason why there were no more advertisements was because Central TV had taken the initiative to terminate the partnership. The leaders of Central TV felt that even though the competition was free of charge, Central TV did not receive any advertising fees from the Champions League sponsors. They felt that this was not worth it, so they decided to terminate the partnership. However, Central TV could not afford to buy the broadcasting rights to the Champions League alone.
.....
PS: I'll repeat it again, in case everyone misunderstands that I wrote the wrong words. In order to be anti-harmonious, domestic celebrities, including the players, will appear in the book with homophones instead of their names. Please understand.
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