"In the second leg of the UEFA Champions League 18 finals, Chelsea defeated Barcelona 4: 2 at home and advanced with a total score of 5: 4 …"
As the news said, Chelsea was eliminated from the Champions League. With two goals scored in both home and away, the La Liga leader fell at Chelsea's feet. At Stamford Bridge, Barcelona conceded three goals in 19 minutes and was eliminated by Mourinho's team.
From the bottom of his heart, Li Ang did not want to see Barcelona eliminated from the Champions League. It was not because he supported La Liga, but because if Barcelona remained in the Champions League, playing in two tournaments was bound to distract Barcelona. But now, Barcelona was eliminated from the Champions League. In addition, in the Copa del Rey, Barcelona was also eliminated early, which meant that Barcelona could concentrate on dealing with the league later. This was not good news for Sporting de Gijón. Sporting de Gijón was still fighting in three tournaments, the Copa del Rey, the UEFA Europa League, and the La Liga. Their strength was far inferior to their opponents, and they were also fighting in three tournaments. Sporting de Gijón's situation was not optimistic.
Barcelona was eliminated from the Champions League. Now, only Real Madrid, who was about to enter the second leg of the knockout stage, was left in La Liga in the Champions League. And just a day later, in the second leg of the Champions League 18 finals at the Estadio Alpi, Juventus defeated Real Madrid 2: 0 in overtime at home and advanced with a total score of 2: 1. La Liga's only seedling, Real Madrid, fell in the top 16 again. At this point, the La Liga teams were all eliminated.
They all lost in away games, one heroically and one tragically. With the elimination of Barça and Real Madrid, the La Liga teams' road to the Champions League this season came to an end. Since the 19921993 season, the La Liga teams had not missed the Champions League's top eight. In other words, the La Liga teams had created the worst record in the Champions League in 12 years. This also caused an uproar throughout the Iberian Peninsula.
AS reporter Garcia's point of view was that the "complete annihilation" of the La Liga teams was related to the Champions League's restructuring last season, where the top 16 teams directly played in the knockout stage. As everyone knew, although the Spanish national team had never lacked star players, they had few outstanding achievements in European and international competitions. As a result, the country's media came to the conclusion that the Spanish players were least suited to play in the knockout stages. There was some truth to this statement. Since the 19941995 season when the Champions League adopted the top eight elimination system, the La Liga teams ushered in a "spring" in the Champions League.
He also listed some examples in the article. In the 19951996 season, Real Madrid entered the top eight, in the 19961997 season, Real Madrid won the title in the 19971998 season, Real Madrid entered the top eight, in the 19992000 season, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia entered the top four, and in the 20002001 season, Real Madrid and Valencia entered the top four, and in the 20012002 season, Real Madrid and Barcelona won the title, and in the 20022003 season, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia entered the top eight. However, since the elimination of the top 16 group stage in the 20032004 season, Real Madrid was eliminated in the top eight. Until this year, no La Liga team had entered the top eight.
Li Ang scoffed at Garcia's statement. In fact, Garcia's statement was too far-fetched. Even if there was a top 16 group stage, after entering the top eight, they still had to face the knockout stage. This happened to be the strength of the La Liga teams two years ago. Real Madrid had eliminated Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Juventus; Valencia had eliminated Arsenal and Lazio; Lazio had eliminated Juventus and AC Milan; Lazio had eliminated Juventus and AC Milan; such examples were too numerous to mention. Putting aside the national team, it was untenable to say that La Liga teams were not good at the knockout stage. It was just that the addition of a knockout stage increased the chance of the game. For the La Liga teams that advocated offense, this was fatal.
In fact, the La Liga teams' unsatisfactory performance in the Champions League only started last season. Real Madrid and Laco were eliminated by their opponents when they were in a good situation, but there were also unexpected factors. This season, Barcelona's sudden rise gave La Liga hope, but Valencia and Laco's slump caused La Liga to lose its previous advantage of collective seeding.
Barcelona's cowardly defeat was the reflection of Catalonia's media; Real Madrid's tragic death was the confession of the Madrid media. Two great teams dedicated two classic games to fans all over the world and then "died" in the same way. Their opponents were the two league leaders of the English Premier League and Serie A, Chelsea and Juventus, respectively, so their departure was not unjustified.
*****
Li Ang was very disapproving of the Spanish media's wailing. Although all the La Liga teams were eliminated in the Champions League, in the UEFA Europa League, there were still three teams in La Liga: Sporting de Gijón, Villarreal, and Sevilla. They occupied three spots in the top 16, which was considered an outstanding result.
Subsequently, in an interview with the media, Li Ang made a clear statement that he hoped the Spanish media and Spanish football would pay more attention to the UEFA Europa League and support Sporting de Gijón and the other two teams.
"The standard to evaluate the level of a league also has to consider the level of the overall team. The UEFA Europa League is also an examination ground. In the early 1990s, Serie A was recognized as the world's first league. While the top teams were crazy in the Champions League, the mid-tier teams were also contending for hegemony in the UEFA Europa League. The Seven Sisters of Serie A were also strong teams in Europe. Inter Milan and Parma's UEFA Europa League titles illustrate this point. We must note that in the UEFA league rankings, the results of the teams participating in the Champions League are not only considered, but also the results of the teams participating in the UEFA Europa League. The data shows that the biggest contribution to La Liga's current lead in the UEFA league rankings is not from powerhouses like Real Madrid, Barça, or Valencia, but from mid-tier teams. They are also an important force to prop up a league. The La Liga teams were eliminated in the Champions League this year, but it is still too early to say that the La Liga teams have fallen and that the La Liga League is no longer competitive. "
The Spanish people liked to hear Li Ang's words. After the La Liga teams were all eliminated from the Champions League, the Spanish people were very unhappy that La Liga was not as good as the English Premier League and Serie A. Li Ang's words undoubtedly made them very happy. That's right, we still have the UEFA Europa League.
Then, the Spanish media and some football people immediately felt that Sporting de Gijón's China manager was not bad. He came out to support La Liga at the crucial moment and was reliable.
Li Ang did not expect that his words would make a good impression on many Spanish people. He really did not mean to curry favor with anyone when he said those words. He only had one purpose, and that was to tell the Spanish Football Federation and remind them that Sporting de Gijón was fighting hard in the UEFA Europa League to earn points for La Liga. The implicit meaning was that he hoped that the Spanish Football Federation would take care of them within the scope of the rules. At the very least, if they did not take care of them, they would not be bullied.
This was not Li Ang's aimless words. Powerhouses like Real Madrid and Barcelona had a huge influence in Spanish football. In order to snatch food from the tiger's mouth, Li Ang had to concentrate all his energy and take all the factors into consideration. Among them, he had to do his best to give the team a fair chance to compete. This was also something that had to be fought for. At the very least, when it came to the issue of the referees in La Liga, they had to do their best to not suffer any losses.
Only a child who knew how to shout would be loved. Sporting Gihon was a grassroots team. If they did not shout or ask for rewards, no one would care about them.
*****
There was no wind, and some dark clouds hung in the sky.
"It's going to rain," Banderas said.
"Remind them to remember to bring their spiked shoes," Li Ang said.
They would be facing Austria's Rapid Wien at home in the game that night. This was the first leg of the UEFA Europa League round of 16.
However, looking at the weather, it was likely to rain at night during the game. It might even rain heavily. This was not good news for Sporting de Gijón, who liked to attack on the ground.
After the afternoon training, the players walked back to the locker room and tidied up. Then the whole team would gather and go to the hotel together. After dinner, they would rest for a while and then get ready to go to the stadium to prepare for the game.
Li Ang glanced at the club president, Manuel Arango, who was standing on the sidelines of the training ground. The president had specially come to watch the team's training this afternoon. However, after the training was over, the old Arango had not left yet.
"Can we talk in private, Li Ang?" Manuel Arango walked up to Li Ang and invited him to talk.
When Banderas and Scott saw this, they tactfully excused themselves and left.
*****
During the winter transfer, Li Ang almost threatened to resign to firmly resist the old Arango's plan to sell Ribéry and a few other players for money. In fact, if Li Ang had not been vigilant, it was likely that the president would have traded Ribéry and intended to "act first and report later." Perhaps the owner of the team thought that the whole team was his and he had the right to do so. This move would not anger Li Ang, but in fact, it was seen as intolerable by Li Ang. The relationship between the two men deteriorated sharply.
Since then, the two men had not had a private and formal communication.
Li Ang and Manuel Arango, who had worked together very well, knew that the incident had caused a rift between the two men, and it was not a shallow one. As long as there was a rift, it was impossible to restore it to its original state.
The other party was the president, and he took the initiative to talk. Li Ang could not find a reason to refuse, so he nodded.
The two men walked along the asphalt road of the training ground. The palm trees on both sides of the road were listless.
"To be honest, the team's current performance has surprised me. I really didn't expect that our ranking would be so high and that we would be so close to Barcelona. "Manuel Arango first found a topic to talk about.
"This is the result of the team's efforts." Li Ang was not being modest. Yes, as the manager, he led the team to its current results. However, this was also inseparable from the efforts of the players on the field. After all, no matter how good the manager was, he could not personally play on the field. The entire Sporting de Gijón team was extremely convinced and respected Li Ang. It could be said that the three men were united.
"Do we really have a chance to win the league title?" The topic naturally turned to the competition for the league title. Li Ang had been "saving up" in front of the media, so the old Arango also wanted to know Li Ang's real thoughts.
"Since we are already in this position, we have to fight for it," Li Ang said, "Otherwise, I won't be satisfied."
This was also his heartfelt words. Seeing that the league title was in front of him, since there was hope to snatch food from Barcelona's mouth, he would not be satisfied if he did not fight for it.
*****
"Haha, the best thing I did was to invite you to coach," Manuel Arango said with a laugh. Manuel Arango laughed and said, "You were really embarrassed back then. If you hadn't come to Gihon, you might have already returned to China."
Li Ang looked at the old Arango. What did he mean? Was he implying that I should be grateful?!
"Yes, I want to thank Gihon for this stage." Li Ang smiled slightly. "We went from a team that avoided relegation to Segunda División to directly promoted to La Liga. Now, we have achieved our current results as a newly promoted team. I did not expect this stage to be so brilliant."
Manuel Arango stared at Li Ang. Was he boasting? Or was he saying that you did a great job and that you did not owe him anything?!
The fact was that two people who had cracks in their relationship would become extremely sensitive. All of this was because they had lost trust in each other.
"I know that there is a saying in China, 'seek common ground while reserving differences'. Everything has to be forward-looking. I am looking forward to …"
"Mr. President, are you not satisfied with my work?" Li Ang suddenly asked.
The old Arango did not expect Li Ang to interrupt him. This made his expression change and anger rise.
"Of course not," the president said, gritting his teeth.
"Then it's fine." Li Ang said with a smile, "The team is normal."
*****
Manuel Arango stared at the road in front of him, as if he had made up his mind about something. Then he stopped and looked at Li Ang. His expression was not very good. "Li, you know what I mean!"
"I don't understand." Li Ang shook his head. He was a little distressed. Did they have to fall out with each other? Couldn't they wait until the end of the season to talk about it?
"Don't forget that I am the boss of this team. I have the absolute power here." The old Arango roared angrily.
Not far away, Scottley, who was walking over and was about to ask Li Ang to get on the bus, looked at the scene in horror. His expression changed again and again. Although he did not hear what the two men said, he could tell that there was an argument.
Scottley turned and left. At the same time, he told the others not to disturb the meeting between the president and the team manager. Fortunately, he heard it. If other people heard the fierce argument between the president and Li Ang, it would definitely cause internal strife.
Li Ang grinned. Had he finally said what was on his mind? He had worked so hard for Sporting Gihon and tried everything he could to build the team. With almost no transfer funds, he was able to build a team with Ribéry, Modric, Hierro, Albertini, Mata, Di Natale, and Pepe. He felt that he was simply too amazing. He even mocked himself and thought that Sporting Gihon should give him a bronze statue. Now, all of this was because of the chairman's words that chilled him to the bone.
Seeing Li Ang's silence, the old Arango perhaps knew that he had gone too far. He said, "I know you are dissatisfied with me, Li Ang, but don't forget that I am the boss of this team. So, please stand in my position and understand me …"
*****
Li Ang did not speak. He just looked at the old Arango quietly, thinking about the close cooperation between the two of them before. They imagined the grand future of Sporting de Gijón together, the pride and joy of the team's promotion back to La Liga and winning the Copa del Rey. Unfortunately, no one thought that the honeymoon period would be over so soon. Li Ang could almost foresee that the team he had worked so hard to build in the future could face the possibility of being sent to the transfer market at any time. He could stop it once, but could he stop it three times? Four times? Nine times? Ten times? To put it bluntly, the old Arango was the boss. If he really wanted to do something, who could stop him? Could it be that he would threaten to stop him every time? That was really ironic.
Li Ang even suspected that the president now looked at the players who performed well as if he was looking at a cheque.
What lofty ambitions? What glory? None of that was reliable.
It was too difficult for a small club like Sporting de Gijón to develop. First of all, the boss of a small club had to be able to withstand the temptation, have a determined attitude towards development, and have healthy finances. Unfortunately, Sporting de Gijón did not have any of these.
"Mr. President, please believe in my professional ethics." Li Ang said in a very serious tone. "As long as I am in the position of Sporting de Gijón's manager, I will do my best to work!"
After that, Li Ang pointed to Scotterre in the distance. "The team is still waiting for me. I'll take my leave first, Mr. President." After saying this, Li Ang turned and left, unilaterally ending the conversation with Manuel Arango.
Looking at Li Ang's back as he left, Manuel Arango gasped for breath. He was furious. This person actually dared to leave just like that. He actually dared to abandon him and leave just like that.
How dare he!
He did not give him any face.
Then he recalled that since the two of them had worked together, it seemed that this Chinese man had always been like this, a tough style.
Once people were controlled by their emotions, they would only remember the bad things. At this time, the old Arango selectively forgot the achievements and glory that Li Ang had brought to Sporting de Gijón. He forgot the Copa del Rey championship trophy, he forgot the credit for promotion, and he forgot the team's current extraordinary results.
This was really a failure of the meeting.
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