Li Shiguang hung up the phone amidst Florentino's grumbling, then muttered to himself, "That old man is so stingy. He thinks 90 million euros is too expensive? With that attitude, he'd be better off not even getting his hands on something hot!"
Amidst the chaotic external atmosphere.
August is fast approaching, and in about ten days, the 2007-2008 English Premier League season will officially kick off.
As the start date of the Premier League draws ever closer.
Surprisingly, it wasn't experts and media outlets that made the first predictions for the new Premier League season, but rather major European betting companies.
But it's different from last year.
This year, the odds offered by betting companies have undergone a dramatic change. The lowest odds have changed from Chelsea last year to Manchester United, who spent heavily on signings this summer. The second lowest odds have changed to Leeds United, who also spent a lot of money. Chelsea is in third place, while Arsenal's odds have remained as stable as their league ranking, still in fourth place.
As for the odds of Liverpool winning the title.
They have already been ranked behind Newcastle and Tottenham by betting companies.
At first, Li Shiguang was quite dissatisfied to see himself ranked behind Ferguson, but after seeing Liverpool's odds of winning the title ranked seventh, that slight dissatisfaction immediately turned into sympathy for Morse.
That old bastard is truly a scoundrel.
After failing to acquire Torres, Morse still spent nearly 50 million euros to strengthen the squad, but Liverpool, without any big-name stars and having missed out on the Champions League for two consecutive years, was not favored by bookmakers, resulting in their odds of winning the title being placed so low.
Although there has been a lot of heated discussion about this season's Premier League.
But before that.
Li Shiguang still needs to give Leeds United a taste of what's to come! They're heading to Wembley Stadium on August 5th for a Community Shield match against last season's FA Cup champions, Chelsea.
····
"Hey buddy, how was your holiday?"
"Not bad, I'm probably doing better than you!"
In the Sky Sports studio, Gary Lineker and Jon, two longtime partners who hadn't seen each other for a month or so, were playfully bantering.
As Lineker watched the players on TV finish their warm-up and walk back, his face flushed, he began his opening remarks.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon! I am your commentator, Reinkel!"
Good afternoon, everyone! I'm Jon!
"Thank you for tuning in to Sky Sports. In twenty minutes, we'll be bringing you the 2007 Community Shield match between last season's Premier League champions, Leeds United, and the FA Cup winners, Chelsea! Jon, what are your thoughts on today's game?"
He heard Lineker bring up the topic to him.
Jon adjusted the microphone, cleared his throat, and began his analysis, continuing Lineker's words: "I guess most fans, like me, are focusing on the new signings of both teams this summer. For example, Malouda and Alex from Chelsea, and Kaká and Adriano from Leeds United. But as we all know, the Community Shield isn't that important, and I wonder if the two managers will field some of these new signings in today's match!"
"Old buddy, you've hit the nail on the head." Lineker rarely praised his partner during a live broadcast. "I think about the same thing as you. More than the result of this match, I'm more interested in seeing how the new signings of both teams perform on the field!"
····
"Alright, everyone come closer." At this moment, Li Shiguang was already standing in the middle of the Leeds United locker room. After all, it was the first game of the new season, and he had to give a pep talk.
After everyone gathered around...
Facing the group of young people, Li Shiguang continued in a relaxed tone, "In twenty minutes, we will have our first official match of the new season. To be honest, although our opponent is Chelsea, the intensity of today's match will most likely not be as high as the match we played against Sheffield United at Elland Road three months ago. But if I remember correctly, this is the first Community Shield match of all of our lives. Although that shield isn't very nice, I still hope that one of them can be displayed in Thorpe Arch's trophy room!"
Li Shiguang's humorous remarks amused many players.
The slightly serious atmosphere in the locker room has eased considerably.
"Alright, lads." Li Shiguang bowed slightly, extending his right hand in front of him. "I believe you all, like me, hope for a fantastic start to the new season. The stage is set for you now; it's up to you now!"
····
"Alright, viewers, we've got the starting lineups for both sides. And the good news is, this season we finally don't have to read the starting lineups from a piece of paper anymore," Lineker joked, glancing at the laptop on his left.
"Haha, Sky Sports is finally doing better." Jon smiled and echoed Lineker's words. "Alright, without further ado, let's take a look at the starting lineups for both sides."
"First, Chelsea. Mourinho is still using his signature 4-3-3 formation today. The starting goalkeeper is Cech, and the defense, from right to left, consists of Glen Johnson, Carvalho, Ben Haim, and Ashley Cole. In front of this defensive line are the midfield trio of Essien, Mikel, and Lampard, and the three forwards are Wright-Phillips, Joe Cole, and Chelsea's record signing this summer, French striker Malouda!"
While Jon was giving his presentation, Lineker kept his eyes glued to the computer screen.
After Jon finished his introduction, Lineker immediately began to offer his opinion: "It seems that Chelsea's lineup can also be converted into a 4-5-1 formation when defending? However, does Joe Cole lack too much attacking power as a center forward?"
“That’s right.” Jon nodded helplessly. As a Chelsea fan, he naturally knew Chelsea’s situation very well. “But Drogba is injured, and Shevchenko and Kalou are unable to participate in this game for other reasons. Today, Mourinho’s only options for the center forward position are Joe Cole and Pizarro.”
"That's really unfortunate, I feel sorry for you, my friend." Lineker said sarcastically while holding the microphone. Before Jon could refute, he put down the microphone and teased the fans watching the live broadcast: "Alright, now that we've seen Chelsea's starting lineup, let's take a look at what kind of starting lineup Li has fielded today."
"We all have high expectations for Leeds United's starting lineup today!"
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