Born to be a coach [soccer]

Chapter 106

Perhaps because of the "mirror image", in reality, Sunderland's preseason also did not go well.

Messi was really called up by the national team, flew halfway around the world, and returned to Argentina all the way.Anton was sympathetic to his exhaustion, and in the preseason, Messi was basically not arranged to play.

In the five warm-up matches, apart from Sunderland's 5-0 victory against League One player Brighton, the remaining four games were against Hull City, Leicester City, Benfica and Hoffenheim. Sunderland only achieved a record of three draws and one loss, losing to the Portuguese super powerhouse Benfica and drawing with other opponents.

In these four games, Sunderland's players also performed mediocre. It seems that after a long summer vacation, everyone's condition has not recovered; it seems that the new lineup has just started to run in, and everyone's cooperation is not too smooth.

In short, the only bright spot in the few games was Royce: At the end of the game against Hoffenheim, the team's new aid Royce staged a "riding alone for thousands of miles", dribbling the ball across half the court at high speed, and then Completed passing and shooting in one go, equalizing the score for the team.

The media from all over the world reported after the game, and they all exclaimed: "This is simply Kaka!"

When Kaka was in Milan, he also staged such a wonderful "riding alone for thousands of miles".

"How can Sunderland be so shrewd, he made a move during the winter window! If such a player waits until the summer window, how can Sunderland have a chance to fight for it?"

In the case of Quarois, the media reached a consensus.For the rest of Sunderland, it is basically all negative voices.

"Sunderland's performance in the preseason is hard to recall the excitement of the Black Cats at the end of last season and the FA Cup final. As a newly promoted team, if Sunderland continues to maintain this performance in the Premier League, then I advise you They don't want to invest more in signings, anyway, they are likely to drop back..."

"It's hard to imagine that such a small team has loaned Messi... Fortunately, Messi is not here, otherwise, seeing the performance of the current 'teammates', I don't know how I would feel."

"The head coach Anton himself is not much older than Messi! Looking at the scene, the team's assistant coach and main central defender Hyypia is probably the one who is really in charge of the field. Anton, handsome is handsome... ..."

He hesitated to speak, probably to avoid repeating the mistakes of the Post last year.

But even if you say it all, there will be no good things to say. It is always Sunderland's pill theory.

Surprisingly, Anton's old rival, Ruben of the Daily Mail, didn't make a sound.Maybe it was because he was slapped too loudly in the face last season. Before the new season came, he finally didn't dare to predict casually.

Soon the new season will come, and Sunderland will soon usher in the pre-season "Community Shield" game.The game is a charity match organized by the FA, with last season's Premier League winners facing off against the FA Cup winners.Anton is about to lead the team to Wembley Stadium in London again, where they will face Chelsea led by Carlo Ancelotti.

The public relations department came to Anton before the game, hoping that he could express his views on the team's performance in the preseason, as well as the prospect of the Community Shield and the league through the media.

So before the team left Sunderland, Anton and assistant coach Russell attended a press conference.This was the first time that Russell and Anton attended a press conference. In the past, CEO Martin appeared, but Martin went to London ahead of schedule today.

Facing the reporter, Anton talked endlessly: "I am very satisfied with the team's performance in the preseason! If we only look at the results and scores, this result may not be brilliant-this is because our lineup is still running in, whether it is the new There is a re-adaptation process for new players and old club players.”

"But if you pay attention to the details of the game, I believe everyone will find that the whole team is playing better every game."

"We are trying to adjust the team to the best condition before the season comes. Taking this opportunity, I also hope to say to the fans who care about Sunderland through the media: Thank you for your support, we have been working hard."

As soon as he finished speaking, a reporter asked excitedly: "Mr. Coach, when do you plan to let Messi play?"

"Will Messi play in the Community Shield this time against Chelsea?"

"When will you give him a chance to play?"

Messi has always been the focus of the media. When will he be able to play and what kind of performance he will perform after he is on the court? These are the questions that the media most want to ask at this moment.

"This of course depends on the player's physical and competitive state..."

Anton's "harmony" answer received a dissatisfied response.

Cut—why does this head coach always speak in such a cloud when he is so young?

It is really a fight with those "old men" in football.

"But what can be revealed is that he will go to Wembley with the team." Anton said with a smile.

Anton's style of speaking was obviously giving a handful of mud and sweet dates, and the excitement of the reporters was immediately aroused—these words are very informative!

In the Community Shield game, the basic rules are mostly the same as the official football game, but there are differences in the substitution restrictions.In the Community Shield game, each team arranges 11 starters and 7 substitutes. During the game, each team can make up to six substitutions.The number of substitutions is double that of normal games.

In addition, if the two participating teams are tied within 90 minutes, a penalty shootout will be played immediately after the end of the game instead of extra time.

The large number of substitutions means that as long as Messi can enter the squad, there is a high chance of being able to play.

Besides, Anton managed to pick up a piece of treasure in his hand, and the shelf life is only six months in total. The reporters didn't believe that he could hold back and not show it off.

With the possibility of Messi playing, this Community Shield game immediately attracted countless attention:

Messi is from Barcelona. Although he was loaned to Sunderland, he is full of Barcelona's brand after all.Barcelona and Chelsea... It hasn't been long since the "Stanford Bridge tragedy" ①, and the two teams still have a "public case" that has not been resolved.And last season, Sunderland snatched away the "twice crown" in Chelsea's hands. Will Chelsea not want to get back?

Such a Sunderland meets such a Chelsea, what kind of sparks will they collide with? ——Reporters write quickly, and manuscripts will be sent back to the agency soon.

When Anton and Russell exited the press conference, Russell took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead—this is the first time this old man participated in a press conference of this scale, and he was so nervous that he was sweating up.

It happened that a group of players came from Guangming Academy, Vardy walked in the front, followed by Royce and Hummels.As soon as Vardy saw Anton and Russell, he immediately greeted: "Head coach, Mr. Black..."

Seeing Russell wiping his sweat, he asked curiously, "Mr. Black, is the weather very hot today?"

Unexpectedly, Russell was feeling annoyed. He couldn't figure it out. At his age, why would he be so nervous to sweat when attending a press conference?Anton next to him is young, how can he cope with it freely, talk and laugh happily, and get along with the mud easily?

Originally, I thought about drying off my sweat, so forget about it, but who knew that just after walking out of the press conference, he was choked up by that bastard Vardy.

Russell glared at Vardy viciously, and Vardy was startled, and said embarrassingly: "I... I saw you wiping your sweat, and thought you felt hot..."

Originally, Royce and Hummels didn't see Russell wiping his sweat, but now they all focused on him.

Russell was so angry: he also said... would he still lose two catties if he said a word less?

He knows that Joe's mother is carrying out a weight-gain plan for Vardy. This kid now has to weigh himself every day, and if he is 200 grams lighter than the expected goal, he will have to eat an extra "delicious" nutritious meal.So Russell secretly gave Valdi a villain in his heart: I hope you will lose 200 grams today.

Anton turned his head to look at Russell, and then at Vardy who looked confused. He seemed to have heard Russell's curse from the bottom of his heart. He couldn't help smiling, and said, "Russo has been very busy preparing for the Community Shield these days. Hard work. Look at him, the hairline has receded again. Jamie, can you be a little more sympathetic to your brother Russell!"

Russell: ...is it even more heart-wrenching?

With the arrival of the new season, his salary has been raised, and he no longer has to worry about repaying the mortgage every month.But after the promotion, the coaching staff generally felt the work pressure.Together with Anton and others, he needs to spend a lot of time every day discussing tactics and guiding players in training.

After half a month, Mrs. Black sharply pointed out that her husband's hair was a little less.

Everyone in the club saw it for all to see, but if they didn't say anything, who would want Anton to puncture it in one bite today.

Russell: I...

"You guys, go to Joe's mother and weigh yourself!" Anton smiled and coaxed the young players away, then turned to Russell and said, "Don't worry, they also care about you."

Russell was still full of anger: ... It's agreed, why don't you expose your faults in front of others?

"Actually, the first time I attended a press conference, I also felt extremely hot when I sat on the stage. The spotlights clicked, and sharp questions were thrown at me... It was a difficult experience. But I got used to it later. That's fine." Anton said.

These words sound like consolation, but they are very pleasant.

Russell's air pressure dropped slightly.

"Well, it feels good! I will tell Martin that you are my most important assistant. You should attend the press conference about the game with me, so that you can help me supplement or remind me at any time. Also, next time, if I have any special circumstances and cannot attend this occasion, old man, you must stand for me!" Anton said again, "You are so familiar with the team, it must be fine!"

Anton said very firmly, Russell's air pressure value continued to drop, approaching zero.

"By the way, I know a very reliable hair transplant institution, are you interested in trying it?"

Finally, Anton suddenly threw out such a proposal.

His tone was very sincere, indeed out of concern for Russell.

Russell immediately became interested: "That's a good relationship..."

But just when Russell was about to ask Anton about hair transplantation, the old man suddenly raised his eyes and caught a glimpse of Anton's thick curly black hair——

Hey... Is Anton's recommendation reliable?

The author has something to say: Anton: ...I am going to recommend Lu Nilu Xiaopang's queen hair transplanter!In addition to Brother Russell, potential clients also include Boss Zidanezi and Robben Luo...By the way, referee Webb should also send a letter...

① "Stamford Bridge tragedy" refers to the second leg of the 2009 UEFA Champions League semi-final. Barcelona played Chelsea at home and drew 1-1 with Chelsea. They advanced because of more away goals.In this game, the referee on duty made many unreasonable penalties and the scales were different. He turned a blind eye to the fouls committed by Barcelona defenders in the penalty area many times, which caused great controversy.There were also some conspiracy theories after the game, thinking that UEFA is unwilling to see the black hands of the Premier League's "civil war" appear again in the Champions League final.In short, this game was later called the "Stanford Bridge tragedy".