During halftime.
Li Shiguang and two others sat on the sofa chatting.
Rivaldo was still savoring Sneijder's brilliant pass: "Boss, I feel like we overpaid by selling Wesley. Wesley's handling of that attack when Inter Milan equalized was superb; every choice he made was absolutely right!"
Li Shiguang agreed with Rivaldo's statement.
However, he does not regret selling Sneijder. After all, through a series of transactions, Sneijder brought Leeds United a net profit of approximately 40 million euros!
"No problem... Ferreira, as long as you're here, I believe you can train Kevin and James to the level of Wesley in a very short time. And don't forget, at Real Sociedad, we still have the twin stars Wang Chu and Miralem. In terms of attacking midfielders alone, we don't lack another Wesley."
“Tsk tsk tsk…” Although he knew that Li Shiguang was right, Simone next to him still couldn’t help but say, “Boss, Wesley was very sad when he left. If he knew that you said something like this, he would probably cry his eyes out.”
“If Diego…if he finds out,” Li Shiguang said in a harsh tone, “I’ll kick you out of Leeds United!”
"No! What does this have to do with me?!" Simone quickly protested.
Li Shiguang looked at Simone as if he were an idiot: "There are only the three of us in this room, so Ferreira definitely won't tell anyone. If Wesley really knows, did I tell him myself?!"
····
The break is 15 minutes.
The atmosphere in the two locker rooms was completely different.
At Inter Milan's side, Mourinho praised his players enthusiastically as soon as he entered the door. Even Materazzi, who had made a small mistake in the first half that led to the team conceding a goal and was feeling a bit guilty, was patted on the shoulder by Mourinho to show his encouragement, without saying much more.
To be honest.
Mourinho is already quite satisfied with how the game went in the first half.
In the Champions League knockout stage, taking away an away goal from Old Trafford, even just one, would give Inter Milan a significant advantage.
On the other hand, look at the home team's locker room.
The atmosphere became somewhat heavy.
Ferguson was already in a bad mood after being teased by Mourinho before the match, but his goodwill improved slightly with a stunning volley from his protégé. However, he couldn't hold on until the end of the first half when Inter Milan equalized.
As soon as he stepped into the locker room, Ferguson was furious: "Owen, Anderson, didn't I tell you two to keep a close eye on Sneijder?! What are you two doing?! Are you ignoring me?!"
Ferguson's authority in the Manchester United dressing room was unchallenged. When he was red-faced and beating up a player, no matter how big a star he was, he had to listen respectfully, let alone Anderson and Hargreaves.
So Ferguson finished speaking.
The entire Manchester United dressing room was too quiet to make a sound. Even Cristiano Ronaldo, who was changing his jersey, moved much more gently, afraid that the sound of the jersey rubbing against his body would provoke Ferguson, who was on the verge of exploding, to turn his anger towards him.
The players didn't dare to speak.
Ferguson stood sharply in the center of the locker room, surveyed the room, composed himself, and spoke again: "We've already conceded a goal at home, and although the score is still 1-1, I believe you all know that we are now at a disadvantage. To advance to the quarterfinals, we need more goals! So in the second half, I hope you won't make similar mistakes again! Remember, I'm talking about every single one of you!"
"The tactics are fine, Cristiano. In the second half, expand your range of movement even more. If necessary, you can switch positions with Wayne. Mourinho has placed a heavy bet on your side, trying to contain you, but I believe that with your form and ability, you will find a way to break through!"
When Ferguson mentioned him, Cristiano Ronaldo, who had just put on his new jersey, nodded.
"Wayne, you need to run too. Don't just stay wandering around in your little circle. Helping Cristiano draw some of the fire is part of your job! Understand?!"
"Yes, I'll be careful, Sir!" Rooney nodded in a muffled voice, his round face revealing little emotion.
"And another one! Irving, Anderson!" Finally, Ferguson didn't let the two men, who were sitting trembling in their seats and not daring to breathe, off the hook. "I'll say it one last time, mark Sneijder tightly! If he finds another chance in the second half, don't wait for me to come, those 70,000-plus fans in the stands will beat you to a pulp!"
····
The two sides switched sides for the second half.
With an away goal in hand, Inter Milan played calmly. Mourinho had already told the players at halftime that in the second half, they should first stabilize their defense and then look for counter-attack opportunities. Even if the game ended in a draw, it would be acceptable to them!
In comparison.
Manchester United played much more hastily.
For them.
A draw means being at a disadvantage.
If we can't win this match, it will be tough when we go to the San Siro for the next leg!
But in football, it's not about who plays faster or launches the most aggressive attacks to score goals. Especially against a coach like Mourinho who has parked the bus to the extreme, sometimes playing too hastily can actually give him an opening.
As the game time ticked away, minute by minute.
Manchester United are getting increasingly anxious as they struggle to score again.
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