When the night fell on the 19th of June, 2004, what was the best place to do business in the port city of Gihon?
Without a doubt, it was the bar.
Or to be more direct, the bar where you could watch the game had the best business.
The fans liked to gather together to watch the game, enjoy delicious beer with their friends, and watch the game together. It was simply a kind of enjoyment.
The local TV station in Gijón started the live broadcast of the game two hours in advance. Sporting de Gijón had been away from La Liga for too long. Over the years, they had been trying to compete in La Liga, but their results were not good. They even had few chances to qualify for the promotion play-offs. If they beat Cadiz in this game, the team would qualify for the promotion play-offs. It was a feast that the fans could not miss.
There were still two hours before the start of the game, but a large number of fans had already gathered outside the El Molinon Stadium.
Harvey Gradero, Bader Kurey, and their friends carried banners and flags and were "ready to go" in the square outside the stadium.
Everyone was enthusiastically discussing the game that was about to start. They were all emotional and excited.
"I really didn't expect that we would qualify for the promotion play-offs," Bader Kurey said with a sigh.
"Yes." Harvey Gradero nodded. "We all have to thank Li. Li has led the team all the way to where we are now."
"Yes, we have to thank Li!" Bader Kurey laughed and looked at his friend next to him. Gradero was fiercely opposed to Li Ang in the beginning, and even almost "fought" with Li Ang. But now, he had become the most hardcore Li Ang fan. Just like how Sporting de Gijón had fought all the way from the relegation zone to the promotion zone, it was all like a dream. It was incredible.
*****
Sporting de Gijón's bus was on its way to the stadium.
Li Ang sat in the right seat in the front row. This seat was reserved for almost every team's manager.
The team's training was in good condition. There was training on various tactics, offense, defense, set pieces, and even the small details of cooperation. Everything was going well.
Everyone cherished the opportunity to be promoted, and the morale of the players was high.
Li Ang thought about it. There should be no problem! He said in his heart.
He was a little nervous.
Even when he faced Real Madrid in the final of the Copa del Rey, Li Ang was not so nervous when facing this "Galácticos".
Winning the Copa del Rey is a great honor.
And La Liga represented a whole new world.
"Cadiz."
Li Ang read out the name of his opponent softly. Cadiz's file. Li Ang, Skrtel, and Banderas studied the team thoroughly. They knew the strength of the opponent and the changes they had made. They knew even better than Cadiz and the others. The person who understood you the most was not yourself, but your opponent!
The competition was about to begin. He thought that he had made all the preparations and could rest assured. However, at this time, Li Ang was a little nervous.
He shook his head. He was still too focused on the competition and placed too much importance on this promotion opportunity. That was why he was worried about his gains and losses.
When the Sporting de Gijón team's bus arrived outside the El Molinón stadium, even if it was a sealed air-conditioned bus, the loud noise from El Molinón could be heard from inside.
At this moment, in this city, it was like the hottest volcanic crater!
When the bus stopped, the players stepped off the bus and appeared in front of many reporters and fans. They caused a commotion.
The players waved and greeted the enthusiastic fans, but they did not stay long. Instead, they filed into the tunnel. They went to the locker room.
The last to get off the bus was the Sporting de Gijón's manager, Li Ang. He was interviewed by Spain's national 5 channel.
*****
Almost at the same time, in Madrid, in the hotel where Shakira was staying, the TV had just been turned on. Alice, Shakira, and Miss Betty sat together on the sofa, ready to watch the live broadcast of the game.
After that beautiful and important night with Li Ang, Alice had stayed in Madrid and temporarily joined Shakira's team. Shakira appreciated the lyrics written by Alice. She felt that the lyrics written by this fairy-like girl were very spiritual.
The league game between Sporting de Gijón and Cádiz was related to the qualification for the promotion play-offs. Alice would definitely be waiting in front of the TV to cheer for Li Ang, and Shakira and Miss Betty might as well accompany them to watch the game. They understood football. They were shocked that Li Ang had led Sporting de Gijón from the relegation zone to the promotion zone. They also wanted to see if Li Ang's team could achieve a satisfactory result in this important game.
As soon as the TV was turned on, they saw the Sporting de Gijón's manager, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, saying to the camera with a cold face, "Victory! Of course, victory! Do you think a team manager will give any other answer?! "
After that, Li Ang, under the protection of the security personnel, walked straight away from the cameras and entered the tunnel.
"Sporting de Gijón's manager, Mr. Li Ang, expressed confidence in winning the game," the reporter said to the camera. The reporter looked at the camera and said loudly, "His words caused the Gihon fans to cheer loudly …"
At this time, a fan came to the camera and shouted, "Li, we love you!"
This gave the reporter a fright. He turned his head to look and saw the fans cheering as they walked away.
Almost at the same time, at the entrance of the away team, the Cádiz people also arrived.
Cádiz's manager, Stekelenberg, was also being interviewed by the media, while his players filed into the tunnel behind him.
"Sporting de Gijón is the home team? This has no impact on us. We have a big heart! "
"Will we 'take the bus'? You'll know when the game starts. "
"What do you think of Manager Li Ang? I don't know this person. "Cádiz's manager, Stekelenberg, had a gloomy face.
*****
"When the game starts, be careful of Cádiz's crazy offensive."
"The first ten minutes are the most dangerous. I don't want to see a goal conceded."
"Of course, I'm not asking you to defend completely from the beginning of the game. If there's a chance to counterattack, try to seize it."
"In the first ten minutes, don't concede a goal. If possible, make a successful attack and try to score a goal."
"Press! Press the opponent! Don't let the Cádiz people have a chance to take the ball comfortably! "
"Cut off their passing line!"
"Isolate their striker and midfielder!"
"Their left back, Redit, likes to assist. Try to seize the gaps when he comes up."
"Their striker, Gardelon, has good footwork and is very fast. Don't give him space to dribble the ball. If you can't, foul. Be smart when you foul."
"Cádiz's midfielder, Heffron, is the core of this team's midfield. Restrict him. From the first second of the game, don't let him get comfortable."
"Their fullback, Lefterdragon, is tall and strong. He's good at headers. When you play high up in the air, try to avoid this man's defensive zone. Of course, this man turns slowly. You know what to do."
"If you concede a goal, don't panic. Don't forget, we're the team that defeated Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final!"
After the players returned from their warm-up, Li Ang once again emphasized the tactics and some details of the game.
*****
After he finished talking about the tactics, Li Ang looked around at his players. He could see that the players were a little nervous.
This won't do.
"I won't say much about the importance of this game." In the end, Li Ang said, "I'll also say that this game is just an ordinary game. There's no need to be nervous. Because in a game like this, it's normal to be nervous. Not only are we nervous, but our opponents are even more nervous than us. You know, we've been chasing their points all the way. They've been forced to fight with us now. "
When they heard Li Ang say this, the players burst into laughter. They were a little nervous at first, but after listening to it, their nervousness was somewhat relieved. The coach was right. Cádiz was the most nervous.
At this time, the assistant coach, Scotteri, came over to remind them that it was time to go on the field.
With a wave of Li Ang's hand, the players all stood up with a crash.
"Go, kick Cádiz's ass!" Li Ang said.
These words resonated strongly with the players.
"Kick Cádiz's ass!" The crowd shouted loudly.
Then, in such a lively atmosphere, the players rushed out of the locker room in a single file.
Scotteri and Banderas looked at this scene, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. In such a crucial game, at such a tense moment, Li Ang's last sentence was … really wonderful.
They could see that Li Ang's words were like a final boost to the players. It not only encouraged the players, but also further relieved their nervousness.
This was Li Ang's character. A seemingly casual sentence could have a good effect.
In addition, Banderas was concerned about another question. "How did you know that Cádiz would attack at the beginning of the game?"
"I said that he would 'kick the bus.' I said that his tactics were ugly. He had to prove himself by attacking," Li Ang said with a smile.
"Are you so sure that this provocation will work?" Scotteri asked.
"It should work." Li Ang touched his chin and said with some uncertainty. He had done some research and found that Stekelenberg's temper was not good.
The two assistant coaches smiled bitterly. They thought that Li Ang was very confident, but it turned out that it was just a guess.
"It's not a big deal. It doesn't matter if I guessed wrong," Li Ang said with a smile. "It's always right to focus on defense at the beginning of the game."
The two assistant coaches nodded. What he said was right.
The three of them walked to the players' corridor. Li Ang's mind was thinking. If possible, he still hoped that his guess was right. If the opponent's manager was as he expected, they would have the upper hand in this game.
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