"Boss, Ferguson didn't look too good when he left. What made you upset him again?"
On the bus to the hotel, as soon as Li Shiguang sat down, Simone turned around and asked him a question.
"It's nothing." Li Shiguang shrugged. "This old man has ulterior motives. He was looking at my players with a shifty eye as soon as we met, so I brought up the Sanya King thing to his face."
Holy crap!
Upon hearing "King of Sanya," Simone couldn't hold back and burst into laughter: "You're not giving Ferguson any face at all, hahaha!"
"Tch, don't even mention Ferguson, I haven't given even Florentino Pérez any face," Li Shiguang chuckled, saying nonchalantly. "Besides, if you want me to give you face, you'd better beat me first! Last season, we were the ones who had the last laugh, not him..."
····
October 6, 2007.
Leeds United will face Manchester United away from home.
This is Leeds United's last match in this grueling schedule. After playing Manchester United, players who don't need to return home for international breaks will enjoy a 14-day rest period. This is fantastic news for Leeds United players who have been traveling for almost two weeks!
These young players all know this.
Given Li Shiguang's personality, they should be able to get at least three days of vacation during such a long off-season!
In fact, that's exactly what Li Shiguang said.
After the team finished warming up and returned to the locker room.
Li Shiguang, who was last to enter, closed the door behind him and walked to the center of the locker room, saying directly, "After this match, players who were not called up by the national team will have four days off!"
"Yay!! Long live the boss!!"
As soon as Li Shiguang finished speaking, a cheer immediately rang out from a corner of the locker room.
Look in the direction of the sound.
Ibrahimovic was the first to jump up, looking excited!
Adriano, sitting next to him, rolled his eyes and muttered speechlessly, "Zlatan, can you please listen to what the boss said before cheering? It's four days off for players not called up by the national team! If I remember correctly, you're supposed to go back to the national team for the European Championship qualifiers, right?"
"Huh?" Ibrahimovic's smile vanished instantly. He glanced at Adriano, then immediately turned to look at Li Shiguang, his eyes filled with grievance.
Li Shiguang was amused by Ibrahimovic's appearance: "Zlatan, let's be reasonable. You guys have matches on the 14th and 18th, and then we have a league match on the 20th. If we give the players who have been selected for the national team a break, then we probably won't even be able to field eleven players on the 20th!"
Knowing that Li Shiguang was right, Ibrahimovic's face darkened, and he was about to sit down and complain to Adriano about UEFA's outrageous actions.
But Li Shiguang's voice rang out again: "However, besides the holiday, I have other rewards."
He kept everyone in suspense, only revealing himself after all the players in the locker room had their eyes on him.
Li Shiguang continued with a smile, "I have only one requirement for today's match: win! After winning, everyone's winning bonus will be doubled, as will the goal bonus, assist bonus, and all the rewards clearly stated in your contracts!"
For the players, this is a crucial moment.
There is no more direct form of motivation than such a blunt monetary reward.
So Li Guangshi finished speaking.
A roar of cheers erupted in Leeds United's dressing room, a cheer that seemed to lift the ceiling off the roof.
Everyone's face turned red and flushed.
The funniest thing was that Alves was already calculating with Kaká, who was sitting next to him, how much prize money he would get after winning the game.
After watching everyone get excited for a while, I realized that everyone was very enthusiastic.
Li Shiguang clapped his hands a few times forcefully, and after the players, drawn by the sound, focused their attention back on him, he walked to the tactics whiteboard and began to arrange the day's tactics...
····
At the same time, in the home team's locker room.
The atmosphere was slightly serious.
After Ferguson finished explaining today's tactics, he tossed the marker onto the table and walked solemnly to the center of the dressing room. His seemingly emotionless eyes swept across the faces of every Manchester United player before he began his final pre-match pep talk.
"Lads, for our opponents, today is just an ordinary league match. But for us, it's a revenge match! Just a few months ago, they beat us and cost us the league title at the last minute!"
"To be honest, ever since the Champions League final last season, the title of 'three-time runner-up' has been attached to us. Countless media outlets and fans have used this title to mock us! I'm not kidding, the other day when I ran into Leeds United at the airport, Lee actually used this term to mock me to my face!"
Speaking of which...
Apart from Schmeichel and Berbatov, the rest of the Manchester United players had a flush on their faces.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, who regard Ferguson as their mentor, have even shown signs of anger.
Ferguson also sensed his disciples' emotions.
I felt slightly satisfied.
It seems I've achieved my goal!
This year marks Sir Alex Ferguson's 21st year managing Manchester United, starting in 1986.
In these 21 years, Sir Alex Ferguson has seen it all.
The title of "King of Sanya" is not something that Ferguson would be concerned about for so long.
The reason I brought this up today is simply to ignite the players' fighting spirit and make them play more aggressively and proactively on the field!
"There are many strong teams in world football, and every season new teams emerge to challenge the authority of the giants, which is normal! But true giants are never afraid of these challenges! Because only those who laugh last are the true champions! Kids, the only ones who can defeat us are ourselves! Today, let's stand on the grass of Old Trafford and let those rabble from Leeds go to hell!!"
The Manchester United dressing room was silent.
But after Ferguson finished speaking, a flame of revenge began to burn in the players' eyes.
Two or three seconds later.
Scholes stood up excitedly and shouted, "We must win today! To hell with them!"
"To hell with them! Today's victory belongs to us!!"
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