"Sporting de Gijón has five wins, one draw, and three losses in the nine rounds of the league. They have accumulated sixteen points and are ranked third in the league. Their points are actually one point higher than the defending champion, Valencia. Both teams are in good condition, especially Sporting de Gijón. They have achieved consecutive victories in the league and the UEFA Europa League. I think this will be a very exciting and interesting match …"
"Before the match, Manager Ranieri praised Sporting de Gijón's manager, Li Ang. He thinks that Sporting de Gijón is the biggest surprise of the season in La Liga …"
"Manager Li Ang said that Ranieri is a respectable manager. He rarely praises his opponents. However, those who are worried that this match will be quiet can rest assured. Sporting de Gijón was defeated by Valencia in the Super Cup. With Manager Li Ang's personality, he will definitely not let go of the opportunity to take revenge …"
"The two teams are only one point apart. Considering the true strength of the two teams, people are doubtful whether Sporting de Gijón can continue to occupy the top four positions in the rankings. Although Valencia is playing in an away game, they are generally favored. If that's the case, why is this match still attracting so much attention? I think instead of saying that people are concerned about the match, they are more concerned about the result of the battle between the two managers. What kind of sparks will there be when the manager with the best temper and the manager with the worst temper in Spanish football clash? "
The match between Sporting de Gijón and Valencia was undoubtedly the highlight of this round of La Liga. There were all kinds of comments and speculations about this match, and it became the focus of public opinion before the match.
*****
Just as the media said, the managers of both teams were the highlight of this match. Valencia's manager, Ranieri, was nicknamed "The Tinker." In the beginning, it was because he made a few bad decisions when he was directing matches in his early years. He made substitutions when the situation or the score was in their favor, which resulted in the loss of the match. As the saying goes, "A good pot doesn't need to be tinkered with." Therefore, he was given this nickname with a hint of ridicule. Later on, it was used to put out fires. The meaning of "The Tinker" was expanded to help the team stop falling. It was a bit of a compliment. It was mainly because his coaching philosophy in the early years was conservative and he had a stable footing. Therefore, no matter what team he took over, the results would not be bad. However, when it came to competing for the championship, he was lacking. However, he was a very determined person. His character was also very good, and he didn't have a temper. Up until now, when people mentioned him, they were all full of respect. When people talked about him, they would just lightly tease him.
As for Li Ang, his unruly character and his passion for work were also a unique sight in this season's La Liga. The confrontation between these two managers with completely different personalities was indeed very eye-catching.
Of course, just as the media had said, Sporting de Gijón had been defeated by Valencia in the Supercopa de España before the start of the season. Sporting de Gijón was not a team that did not hold grudges, so it was destined that the home team would not be satisfied with today's match. Valencia, as the defending champions, had been suppressed by Sporting de Gijón in the standings, so they would definitely not be satisfied with this result. Therefore, their ultimate goal would be to win the match. The clash between the two teams with the goal of winning would definitely be very exciting.
*****
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the tenth round of the La Liga, Sporting de Gijón's home game against Valencia! I'm Dagostino, and today's commentator is my old friend, González. Old friend, what do you think of today's match? "
"In fact, Ranieri is not a manager who pursues the artistic path of football. He is a manager who values the results of matches very much. When he first coached Valencia, he brought Italy's defense to Valencia, which allowed Valencia to take off. They won the Copa del Rey, qualified for the Champions League, and made history by advancing to the final of the Champions League! Now that he is coaching Valencia again, Ranieri's team has staggered a little, but it is worth looking forward to. "
At this time, the television screen began to play some video material. It was some footage from 1997 to 1999 when Ranieri first coached Valencia.
The story between Ranieri and Valencia began in 1997. After a brief period of prosperity under Guus Hiddink and Aragones (winning the Copa del Rey and being runners-up in the league), the new chairman, Cortés, took over the scepter of Roig, who had become infamous due to the Mijatović incident.
At the beginning of the 1998 season, Valdano could not control the team and was dismissed due to the poor results. The old manager, Riello, who coached the team in 1994, could not restore the vitality of the team. At this time, Cortés thought of the former manager of the "City of Flowers", Ranieri, who led the team to the Camp Nou in the semifinals of the Cup Winners' Cup a few months ago. Therefore, after a short handover ceremony, the Italian took over the turbulent Valencia under the doubts of the world.
At that time, the team was indeed a "rotten winter melon, rotten to the bottom." The embarrassing start with four consecutive losses and the embarrassing results of one win, one draw, and five losses since mid-October made Ranieri feel very pressured and grim. At that time, the center axis of the three lines of the team was also controlled by the veteran players (Subizareta-Djokic, Lmira, Romario). Under the poor results, the morale of the team was low and people wanted to leave. Ranieri used an iron fist policy. First, he "sent" Romario, who despised the team and did not follow the discipline, back to Brazil. Then, he pushed Mendieta, who was in a delicate position in the team, Angulo, Farinos, and others to the front. He let the Italian Carboni, the Frenchman, Roche, and Angelomar reorganize the defense. He also gave the Argentine Olympic striker, López, and Croatia's Vlauvic absolute trust. After "Donkey" joined the team in the Toyota Cup, Valencia reappeared and swept the top three in Spain. In the 21st round of the league, when the champions Barcelona at the Camp Nou were leading by 3: 0, they surprisingly scored four goals in a row in the last 20 minutes, creating the greatest super comeback in the history of La Liga. It was a pity that due to the lack of stability and stamina, the team only finished ninth in Ranieri's first season. In the Copa del Rey against Barcelona, they regrettably were knocked out of the Top 14.
*****
The 1999 season was the year that all the Valencia teams loved to talk about. At the same time, it was also the peak of Ranieri's coaching career. Valencia became the most dazzling team in Spain at that time. Ranieri continued his transformation work before the game. After sending Ortega, whose condition was fluctuating, to Sampdoria, he summoned his old subordinate in "Huacheng", Schwarz, and awarded the number 10 jersey to the Swedish engineer. He also got Real Madrid's disappointing national goalkeeper, Canizares, to replace the aging Subizareta in the World Cup for free. At the same time, he poached Rangers' Swedish center back, Buyorklund, and Barcelona's Gopescu at a low price. He also added the Romanian Ilie brothers to the frontline. Coupled with Angulo, Farinos, Mendieta, Lopez, and Frouvic, who he had trained for a season, the team formed the most prosperous lineup since the 1990s: Canizares, Angulo, Djukic, Buyorklund, Juan, Fran (Carboni), Roche (Mendieta), Schwarz, Gopescu, Lamila (Farinos), Angulo, Lopez, and Frouvic.
In the first round of the league tournament, Angulo allowed Ranieri to get off to a good start against his compatriot, Saki's Atlético Madrid. Although the team had some twists and turns after that, losing to Deportivo de La Coruna, Real Valladolid, Barcelona, and Athletic Bilbao, the team still unanimously supported Ranieri. Starting from the 5: 1 home sweep against Real Betis, Real Zaragoza and Real Madrid became ghosts under his blade. The Argentine striker, Lopez, and the midfield playmaker, Mendieta, and the flanker, Angulo, began to continuously score goals, accurate passes, and sharp breakthroughs, attracting the attention of the major powers. The team's points were also at the top of the rankings for a while, and they shockingly made it to the Champions League final. In the end, they were regrettably runner-up!
At that time, Ranieri was highly respected in Valencia, and people still talked about him enthusiastically even now.
"Now, Manager Li Ang's Sporting de Gijón reminds people of the Valencia of the past. Both teams were built by the manager single-handedly, and both teams began to show strong competitiveness in the league. The difference is that Sporting de Gijón is more grassroots. They just returned from the Segunda División, and their players are more unknown. However, the players that Manager Li Ang brought in and trained by himself have exploded with amazing energy. Now, facing the defending champion Valencia and the Italian Ranieri's Valencia, this will be the biggest test for this season's La Liga's biggest dark horse!" González said. Obviously, he believed that Valencia was more difficult to deal with than the Galácticos Real Madrid. They would be the strongest opponent Sporting de Gijón had faced so far, and the real test for this dark horse team!
PS: Update 5. His eyelids seemed to be glued shut, and his breathing was a little slow.
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