“Boss, Kaka can actually play... He even came to London with us.” Simone understood what Rivaldo meant and wanted to persuade Li Shiguang.
"no!"
Li Shiguang immediately rejected Simone's proposal.
He kept saying he wouldn't let Kaká play in the recent matches to persuade him not to play for the national team, but now that Kaká is back, he's gone back on his word.
Li Shiguang would never do such a thing.
“If we don’t let Kaka play…” Rivaldo tapped his thigh lightly with his finger, “Whether it’s Kevin, James, Wang, or Wesley, none of them are particularly outstanding in terms of speed. If we let them try to break through from the flanks, it will most likely be ineffective.”
"What about Marco?" Li Shiguang gave his answer.
"Great idea!"
Marco!?
Two voices rang out at the same time. Rivaldo's eyes lit up, while Simone looked somewhat confused.
“Yes! Marco!” Looking at Simeone, Li Shiguang smiled slightly. “Haven’t you noticed? Among these young midfielders and forwards, Marco is the one who’s closest to Kaká. He’s deliberately learning Kaká’s style of play! I’ve seen Kaká accompany Marco for extra training many times. One is willing to learn, and the other is willing to teach! Marco has made great progress in the last few months!”
Li Shiguang erased the things on the whiteboard and redraw a 4-4-2 formation.
"Let Marco and James play as the two attacking midfielders. James, Zlatan, and Fernando will be responsible for drawing the attention of the opposing defensive midfielder and at least one center-back. From the start of the game, we will focus on attacking their flanks and try to take the initiative!"
····
While Li Shiguang and his two companions were discussing tactics in the hotel.
In Wenger's office at the Kearney training ground.
Arsène Wenger and Borr Primorac were also standing in front of a whiteboard on the wall, having a discussion.
"Arsena, the news is confirmed. Leeds United have suffered heavy losses. The players who were reported to be injured during the national team matches did not come to London with their main group this morning." Primorac looked excited, and his tone was several decibels higher than usual.
“Yes, I already know.” Wenger nodded, still staring at the whiteboard on the wall.
"And I just saw a rumor that Kaka seems to be injured too."
"Rumors?"
Primorac shrugged. "Yes, it was reported by The Sun. I can only treat it as gossip."
Upon hearing this news, Wenger finally stopped staring at the whiteboard and turned to Primorac: "Kaka isn't with the team either?"
“No, not at all.” Primorac shook his head. “He came with the Leeds United squad. But the news from The Sun is also interesting. Kaká only played one game in the World Cup qualifiers for the Brazilian national team before returning to Leeds early. So they are guessing that Kaká must have a physical problem. Otherwise, there would be no reason for Dunga to let him go back to England early.”
“Then this isn’t very credible.” Upon hearing Primorac’s words, Wenger immediately lost interest in the news and said dismissively, “Those paparazzi at The Sun only report news that attracts attention. I don’t expect them to tell any truth.”
"By the way, did you manage to get the data and match videos of that Chinese player that Leeds United recently promoted from their youth team, the one I told you about last night?"
"Now?" Primorac looked at Wenger in confusion. "They probably won't let him play. He's just a Chinese player, and he's never played a first-team match before. I guess Li bought him out of consideration for his compatriots."
“Not necessarily.” Compared to Primorac, Wenger was the one who understood Li Shiguang better. He stared at the whiteboard and pondered, “Li’s greatest strength is his unconventional approach. Before seeing his roster, I need to have a general understanding of every player at Leeds United.”
"Okay, I'll go get it right away."
Primorac knew his old partner's personality well, and seeing his determination, he said nothing more, responded with a single sentence, and then turned and walked out the door.
····
November 25th.
Leeds United arrived at the Emirates Stadium early, with Simeone and Rivaldo leading the players to warm up on the pitch first, while Li Shiguang, accompanied by staff, went to attend the pre-match press conference.
Arriving at the venue.
As soon as Li Shiguang sat down on the stage, the reporters below eagerly raised their microphones, asking questions related to the injured Leeds United players.
"...The absence of several key players will have some impact on my tactical arrangements, but fortunately we have a relatively rich tactical reserve this season. Based on the characteristics of the players, I have also prepared corresponding tactics. I believe we can overcome the difficulties today and take these three points away from home."
"...How serious are the injuries? Actually, it's not too bad. According to our team doctor's examination, Adriano, who has the least serious injury, can play at the latest next week, while Lahm, who has the most serious injury, only needs about three weeks of rest. However, out of consideration for the players' health, I will only consider letting them return to the field after they have fully recovered."
"...Kaka is injured!? No, he came to London with the team. He should be on the pitch warming up in a little while. You can go see for yourselves later."
"...Arsenal is very strong, and they're in great form this season. However, in the previous matches, neither Manchester United nor Chelsea could stop us, so Arsenal certainly can't!"
····
After attending the pre-match press conference, Li Shiguang rushed to the stadium.
As soon as he stepped out of the players' tunnel, he saw Wenger on the sidelines, who had finished his pre-match press conference before him.
Facing the players' tunnel, Wenger, who was talking to Primorac, spotted Li Shiguang immediately. Before Li Shiguang could get close, Wenger greeted him, "Li, welcome to the Emirates Stadium."
"Thank you, Alsena."
The two hugged, and after they parted, Wenger said half-jokingly, "Lee, you weren't so lucky this time. Don't worry, I'll tell the kids to play lightly and try to score fewer goals."
When it comes to verbal skills...
Li Shiguang has never been afraid of anyone.
Seeing Wenger taking the initiative to ridicule him, he naturally wouldn't hold back: "Arsena, don't forget, you were the one who lost at the Emirates Stadium last time! Who gave you the confidence to say such a thing? Lehmann or Adebayor?"
Upon hearing Li Shiguang mention these two people...
The defeat at the Emirates Stadium immediately resurfaced in Wenger's mind, and his face flushed crimson. He stared intently at Li Shiguang, momentarily at a loss for words to refute this detestable Easterner before him...
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