The Sporting de Gijón players soon found out what their manager had said at the press conference. They were all shocked.
First of all, everyone felt uncomfortable. Their manager was flattering their opponents so much. Of course, it made them very unhappy.
Then they were puzzled. They knew their manager well. He was a very proud person. How could he be so humble?
Especially the players who had followed Li Ang back from the Segunda División. When they were still in the Segunda División, the manager had dared to lead them to defeat Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final. Whether it was before or after the game, they were fearless in the face of the La Liga giants. They were like mad dogs.
Now that they were facing Barcelona, they were terrified?!
They felt that there must be a reason for such an obvious abnormality. However, they did not know what the reason was.
At this time, the two captains, Hierro and Albertini, as well as Milito, finally understood the sinister smile on the manager's face when he said that he was going to attend the press conference.
They also knew what Li Ang meant by reminding them in advance. He was leaving the locker room to them. He wanted them to do their job as a team and not be confused by the "illusion" and not affect the team's morale.
Then, the captain of the team, Hierro, explained to everyone that this should be the manager's psychological tactic. In fact, in the manager's heart, this game was very important and he was determined to win.
"The manager once came to us and expressed his determination to win this game," Hierro said.
"Yes, I was there at the time. The manager was very confident," Albertini said.
Then, Milito told everyone that the manager had come to talk to them and asked the assistant manager, Scotteri, to send the notebook with the detailed analysis of the game. This was enough to prove everything.
Di Natale, Ribéry, and the other players, who had watched the game together later, also testified.
Then, everything became clear. Everyone also realized that the manager's words to the Barcelona people were deliberate. It was a smokescreen.
*****
"The boss is too sinister," Ribéry said.
Everyone nodded. Yes, too sinister.
"How do you think the Barcelona people feel now?"
"How do they feel?" Di Natale shook his head. "They must be very happy."
Everyone looked at each other and then burst into laughter.
Albertini patted Milito on the shoulder. "The coach praised everyone in Barcelona, but he did not mention Eto'o."
Milito nodded. He was touched. Even when the coach was playing psychological tactics, he still took his feelings into consideration. This made the honest Argentine very grateful to Li Ang, and he respected him even more.
"All right, guys." Hierro clapped his hands. "Cheer up. We have to give it our all in this match. The coach has done so much for the sake of victory. We can't let his efforts go to waste."
"That's right!"
"Good luck!"
"Kill Barsa!"
Everyone cheered.
Hierro looked at everyone with satisfaction. The atmosphere in the team was great. He could not wait for the game to start.
*****
Li Ang's guess was right. The arrogant Catalonia people were indeed very happy. Li Ang's compliments quickly appeared in Barcelona's major media. They spared no effort in republishing Li Ang's words.
Catalonia's fans were naturally very happy when they saw these reports. Li Ang, who was rumored to be rebellious, praised their Barcelona team. This man dared to fight against Real Madrid and belittled Real Madrid. Now he was praising Barcelona. This was a sincere compliment.
He was indeed "Barcelona's old friend!"
Barcelona's fans suddenly had a better impression of Li Ang than ever.
Li Ang was very satisfied with the attitude of Catalonia's media and fans. However, he was most concerned about how the Barcelona players thought.
The reaction of the Barcelona players did not disappoint Li Ang.
Barcelona's star player, the Brazilian Ronaldinho, was a good-tempered player. He was very optimistic. He was very happy with the praise from the opponent's manager. "I'm very grateful for Manager Li Ang's praise. I just want to play happily. I've done well so far."
In all fairness, Li Ang's praise of Barcelona's star players, including Ronaldinho, was from the bottom of his heart. This Brazilian was indeed the number one star player in today's football. His talent in football was amazing.
*****
Other star players such as Puyol, Harvey, and Decaux also expressed that they were very happy to hear such praise from their opponents.
Decaux said that to be able to hear praise from their opponents was the biggest reward for Barcelona.
The big-mouthed Eto 'o also stood up and was a little proud. He also said that the praise from their opponents was the best reward because Barcelona deserved any praise.
At this time, a reporter suddenly realized that Li Ang praised everyone in Barcelona but did not seem to praise Eto 'o. They sent this question back to Eto' o. The Cameroonian's face immediately changed. "My teammates being praised is the same as praising me."
Those who knew Eto 'o knew that the Cameroonian was unhappy. Yes, everyone was praised. Why was he not praised?!
"Maybe he forgot," someone said.
This statement was generally accepted. After all, Li Ang's attitude was so sincere and humble. It did not look like he was going to pick a fight.
Hearing this judgment, Eto 'o was even more unhappy. Forgot? Forgot? He actually forgot?!
The entire Barcelona team was very happy. Of course, except for Eto 'o, who was a little unhappy.
They did not think that the opposing manager was plotting anything. Because their recent performance was indeed excellent, they were indeed worthy of any praise. Therefore, they calmly accepted the praise, and everyone was in a good mood.
The team's goalkeeper, Valdés, even joked again that he originally thought that Sporting de Gijón, a dark horse opponent, would make him a little busy. Now it seemed that this game would be more boring.
His words led to a burst of whistles and cheers from everyone.
After all, if their opponents raised their hands and surrendered, it would be much easier for them. Naturally, everyone was happy to win the game without breaking a sweat.
*****
Li Ang's words at the press conference made the Barcelona people very happy. They were very optimistic about the game against the third-place team in the league, Sporting de Gijón.
Happy and relaxed emotions rippled in everyone's hearts.
However, at this time, someone came out to pour cold water on them.
In an interview with the media, the Valencia manager, Ranieri, talked about the game between Barcelona and Sporting de Gijón. The Italian manager felt that the Barcelona people were too optimistic. He thought that Manager Li Ang was a very ambitious person. He would never raise his hands and surrender. He reminded the Barcelona people to be careful of this person and his team.
"… I think it's going to be a tough game. If Barcelona underestimates Sporting Gijón, they're going to suffer a lot. I don't doubt it at all. The reason is very simple. Their manager is Li Ang. I just played against this person. He is a very good young manager. He has a lot of ideas and is very cunning. Barcelona people should take this opponent seriously. This game will not be easy … "
Unfortunately, his voice did not attract any attention from the Barcelona people. The happy Barcelona people even said that Ranieri was looking for an excuse for Valencia's loss to Sporting de Gijón. Wouldn't it be more embarrassing if he did not praise a loser like Sporting de Gijón?!
Poor Ranieri. He kindly reminded him, but he was humiliated for no reason.
Li Ang thought that the old man deserved it. He almost jumped out to ruin his plans. Busybody, he deserved it!
*****
Amidst the joyous atmosphere, the entire Sporting Gihon team boarded the bus and left the hotel they were staying at. They set off for Camp Nou.
When they arrived at the stadium, the Barcelona fans along the way applauded them.
The Sporting de Gijón players had been to many away games, but they had never been treated so warmly by the opposing fans. Everyone looked at each other.
Then, they saw that there were even Barcelona fans holding banners with the words "Li, Barcelona's old friend."
Everyone was dumbfounded. Then, the people in the bus couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"What are you laughing at?" Li Ang scolded. "The opposing fans are so enthusiastic. If we don't win this game, they will be sad!"
The bus roared with laughter.
The manager was too sinister. That was the consensus of everyone at the moment!
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