"Gaika is no longer the Gaika he used to be," Scotteri said with emotion.
Banderas nodded when he heard that.
Li Ang frowned. In his plan, Mendieta was very suitable for Sporting de Gijón. The former star player of Valencia was only 30 years old this year. As long as he could play half of his ability at Valencia, it would be quite good. With Mendieta as the core of the midfield, Sporting de Gijón's midfield strength would reach a new level. The midfield tactics that Li Ang envisioned would also be maximized.
However, it was a pity that Mendieta declined Sporting de Gijón's invitation. Not only did he decline Sporting de Gijón's invitation, but Mendieta also declined the invitations of Real Sociedad, Osasuna, and other La Liga clubs.
Although Mendieta did not say why he declined, Li Ang, Scotteri, and Banderas could all guess. His years at Lazio had worn down Mendieta's ambition. He was afraid of a new environment and was afraid of encountering an even greater downturn. During the season when he was loaned to Middlesbrough, he recovered a little bit of his form. Mendieta wanted to continue staying in the familiar environment of Middlesbrough. He did not dare to take the risk of going to a new club. Even if it was the La Liga that he was familiar with, he did not dare to take the risk of going back to a new club. He did not dare to go back to the La Liga that he was familiar with.
Thinking back to Mendieta's limitless glory at Valencia, the most talented midfielder in the history of Valencia had become history forever.
Li Ang shook his head. Since Mendieta was determined to go to Middlesbrough, there was nothing he could do. Mendieta at Middlesbrough was spending the last days of his career in retirement. If he came to Sporting de Gijón, Li Ang believed that this talented veteran would have a second chance under his command. He had this confidence. Unfortunately …
"What did Albertini say?" Li Ang asked.
"Albertini's agent, Mr. Blanchini, has responded. They will come to Palermo to meet us," Banderas said.
Li Ang nodded. Finally, there was good news. Albertini was willing to come to Palermo for a meeting, which meant that he was not against going to Gihon. Now, it was up to him if he could persuade the former AC Milan vice-captain with his glib tongue.
*****
During the warm-up match against Palermo, Li Ang made a bold attempt. He arranged for Modric to start and let the young Croatian player play the role of the midfield organizer.
However, it was clear that Modric was still very young. In the face of the Italian team's chain defense, Modric seemed helpless.
In the second half of the match, Li Ang deployed his troops and arranged for Mata to retreat and participate in the organization of the attack. However, the effect was still not good.
The result of the match was zero to zero. Sporting de Gijón's offense did not play well. However, the double defensive midfielders formed by Marcos and Carlos made it difficult for Palermo to threaten Sporting de Gijón's goal.
On the other hand, the defensive line commanded by Hierro was relatively stable. Even though Pep was still a little rough, there were no dangerous situations with Hierro, an old general, in command.
In short, it was a dull battle.
The only bright spots were Di Natale's performance. In a situation where he could not get strong support, Di Natale got a great chance to shoot in the front field with his individual ability. Unfortunately, the goalpost blocked the goal.
In addition, Grosso's assists on the left flank also made Balermo's right flank a little difficult.
On the contrary, Ribéry, whom Li Ang had high hopes for, performed poorly. In the 90-minute match, Ribéry was trapped in the Italian defensive encirclement. It was as if he was sleepwalking.
This made Li Ang frown. This was not going to work. Ribéry's breakout from the side was an important part of his tactics. He had to activate the power of the French scarred man as soon as possible.
There were not many fans in the stands of the Barbella Stadium. The fans were not very interested in such a friendly match.
*****
Demetrio Albertini and his agent, Branchini, watched the match from the stands. The two of them whispered a few words from time to time.
"Demetrio, what do you think of this team?" Page Branchini asked Albertini.
"The defense is well done." Albertini stared at the field and replied, "Their players are very aggressive."
Branchini nodded. "Demetrio, have you noticed that their players are very young?"
"Indeed." Albertini looked carefully. Although he did not know the ages of the Sporting de Gijón players on the field, it was obvious that many of the players were very young. Some even looked like they were only 18 or 19 years old.
"Apart from Hierro, the oldest are the twenty-seven-year-old Di Natale and Grosso. The youngest is only 17 or 18 years old. " Branchini said, then pointed to the Sporting de Gijón players on the field and began to explain to Albertini.
This surprised Albertini. On the one hand, he was surprised that the composition of the Sporting de Gijón team was so young. On the other hand, he did not expect Branchini to know so much about the team. He looked at Branchini in surprise.
"The club you have chosen may be the last club you will play for in your career," Branchini said with a smile. "I hope that you will not have any regrets in your career. What I can do is to try my best to understand and do a good job."
Albertini felt a warm current in his chest. He did not speak. He had worked with his agent, Branchini, for many years. In Albertini's eyes, the other party helped him like an older brother taking care of a younger brother. There were many disputes of interest between players and agents. This kind of mutual understanding and helping each other was rare. It seemed even more precious.
"Page." Albertini asked Branchini, "What do you think of Sporting de Gijón's invitation?"
"Their manager, Mr. Li Ang, is a very interesting person," Branchini said. "He was very frank on the phone. He pointed out that his players are very young and lack experience. He needs a commander in the midfield, and he has a very interesting saying."
"What saying?" Albertini asked with interest.
"He said that if you go to Sporting de Gijón, you will be the teacher of the young people on the team," Branchini said with a laugh. Plancini laughed and said, "Obviously, Mr. Li Ang is aware that the youth of his team is both an advantage and a shortcoming. He needs a veteran to hold the fort."
"Teacher?" Albertini muttered to himself, then looked at the Sporting de Gijón players on the field. He was a little absent-minded, but in the end, he smiled.
*****
"Page, I can see that you have a high opinion of this Chinese coach," Albertini said with a smile.
"If you knew the things that this young Chinese man has done, you would be interested," Branchini said. He had indeed racked his brains for the final journey of Albertini's career. After receiving the invitation from Sporting de Gijón, it only took him one night to learn about Sporting de Gijón through various channels. He also learned about the Chinese manager, Li Ang.
"Oh, tell me about it." Albertini's interest was piqued.
Branchini started from the time Li Ang was ousted from the position of manager of Real Madrid's under-17 A team …
Albertini was also amazed. When he heard that Li Ang had led Sporting de Gijón all the way to the Copa del Rey final and defeated Real Madrid at the Bernabéu to lift the Copa del Rey trophy, even Albertini, who was used to big scenes, was shocked.
"It's really a miracle." Albertini sighed at the end. Whether it was winning the Copa del Rey, fighting their way from the relegation zone to the promotion playoffs, and finally succeeding in La Liga, the performance of Sporting de Gijón led by Manager Li Ang in the first half of the season could indeed be described as "miraculous."
"That's right." Branchini nodded, and then he said to Albertini in a more serious tone, "Demetrio, I think this team may be a good choice."
"Tell me the reason, Page," Albertini said seriously. He knew that Branchini had his reasons for saying so.
"First of all, this team has Di Natale and Grosso," Branchini said with a smile.
Albertini was stunned at first, and then he nodded. This was indeed an important factor. Although he did not know Di Natale and Grosso, they were both Italian. Having two Italian compatriots would reduce the loneliness of being in a foreign country. People liked to be in a group, and so did players. This kind of group was not about establishing a mountain, but it was really good to have familiar friends and a familiar language.
"Second, as we have seen, and as Manager Li Ang said, his team needs a teacher. Your experience and ability are enough to be the midfield core of this team. This shows how important you are in this team," Branchini said.
Albertini sat up straight and nodded seriously. The manager attached great importance to this point. For a veteran like Albertini, this was what they valued the most. They would be very satisfied if Albertini could become the core of the team, especially when Plankini said that he could become the core of the team.
"Lastly, your old friend also suggested that you join this team," Branchini said.
"Old friend?" Albertini was stunned. Then he looked at the field and saw that Hierro had completed a successful interception. He understood, and a smile appeared on his face. "They are really old friends."
Demetrio Albertini and Fernando Hierro, one was the vice-captain of AC Milan, and the other was the captain of Real Madrid. The rivalry between AC Milan and Real Madrid was once the main theme of European football. Albertini and Hierro were old rivals for many years. Of course, they could also be said to be old friends.
Seeing the 36-year-old Hierro on the field, the 33-year-old Albertini was a little dazed. It was as if he could see the smoke of war all those years ago, him in his red and black battle robes and Hierro in his fluttering white robes. He would never be able to forget those years, just like how he would never be able to forget every bit of his time in San Siro …
Maybe it would feel good to compete with such an old friend. This thought suddenly came to him.
PS: First update.
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