Leeds, Thorpe Arch training ground.
Leeds United's training session today has just ended.
Rivaldo and Simone had just finished packing their things when Li Shiguang stood to the side, waiting for the two of them to leave work together.
Rivaldo packed his things first, took out his phone to check it, and then walked over to Li Shiguang and said, "Boss, Jorge sent me a message. He finished the interview for the Manchester Evening News this morning, and the newspaper should be on sale now."
“That’s good.” Li Shiguang nodded. “I like people with strong execution skills. I hope Alex can glean some clues from Jorge’s interview. It would be even better if he could go to Real Madrid to investigate!”
Neither Rivaldo nor Simone understood what Li Shiguang meant.
Simeone stared wide-eyed, his face full of confusion: "Boss, if they know Real Madrid won't sign Cristiano, wouldn't that be a bad thing for us? Wouldn't that eliminate their sense of crisis?"
"You don't know anything! What we want is to keep Ferguson from feeling threatened!" Li Shiguang laughed and kicked Simone. "As long as they find out it themselves, it can only be a good thing for us, how could it be a bad thing!?"
Simone still looked a bit confused.
Li Shiguang was speechless and looked at Rivaldo: "Ferreira, you explain to this idiot."
Rivaldo, unusually, grinned and turned to Simeone, who was still rubbing his backside. He chuckled, "Diego, the boss means that Jorge has already contacted Manchester United to discuss a contract extension and has even revealed in the media that other clubs are pursuing Cristiano. At this stage, the only other club Manchester United can think of is Real Madrid. But if Manchester United themselves find out that Real Madrid has actually given up on signing Cristiano, then Manchester United will think that Jorge is bluffing, his aim being to force Manchester United to agree to his demands for a pay rise for Cristiano in the contract negotiations..."
“Ah! I get it!” Simone exclaimed, suddenly understanding. “So once they think Jorge is bluffing, they won’t listen to his demands for a pay rise, right?”
“Yes.” Li Shiguang nodded, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. “But that’s not the most important thing. The most important thing is that, from another perspective, salary is also an important aspect of reflecting a player’s value. If Cristiano knows that Manchester United is unwilling to give him a raise and renew his contract, it will undoubtedly be a trauma for him! I’ll talk to him about it later; that’s a good starting point!”
After Li Shiguang finished speaking, Rivaldo continued, "And when we make an offer, the boss can also talk to Ferguson. He had already subtly told you through Mendes that we were pursuing Cristiano, but you just didn't take it seriously."
Li Shiguang and Rivaldo's back-and-forth banter left Simone speechless.
He never expected this.
It was just a simple interview with Mendes that had nothing to do with Leeds United, yet Li Shiguang managed to set a trap for Ferguson, making the old sir fall into it.
This is absolutely outrageous!
Li Shiguang didn't care what Simone was thinking.
Because he suddenly thought of something.
Since we just talked about hoping Manchester United would investigate Real Madrid's background.
Then I'll have to call Florentino first. For something like this, the old man has to put on an act for me!
····
Although I enjoy the battle of wits with Manchester United over signing Cristiano Ronaldo, it's something that won't officially begin for another month or two.
For Li Shiguang now, the competition is still more important.
the next day.
Leeds United will host Bolton Wanderers at Elland Road.
Similar to Manchester United's opponent Derby County, Leeds United's opponent this round, Bolton, is also in the relegation zone.
However, this is quite different from Derby County, who only have 10 points. Bolton, who are third from the bottom, currently have 25 points.
They are just two points behind Sunderland and Birmingham, who are in sixteenth and seventeenth place respectively, and three points behind Reading, who are in fifteenth place.
In other words, if they can secure three points at Elland Road and one of the three teams ahead of them slips up, Bolton will temporarily escape the relegation zone!
So before this match begins.
Bolton manager Gary Megson delivered a powerful and inspiring speech in the away team's dressing room to ignite the players' fighting spirit.
Megson's motivation proved to be effective.
Even if the opponent is the number one ranked team, even if it's an away game.
After the start of the game, Bolton played very aggressively, not at all like a relegation-threatened team.
certainly.
Li Shiguang wasn't a newcomer to the Premier League. Towards the end of the season, all sorts of strange and unpredictable things happened in the Premier League, and he had seen relegation-threatened teams upset title contenders before.
Therefore, Li Shiguang also attached great importance to today's game. Before the game, he repeatedly emphasized to the players in the locker room that they should be alert and not underestimate their opponents.
But it was under these circumstances.
The game has just begun.
Leeds United suffered another blow.
Fourth minute.
Bolton launched a quick counter-attack, and Diouf received a through ball from his teammate in the backfield and beat the offside trap. Just as the Senegalese striker was about to dribble into the penalty area and create a one-on-one situation, Thiago Silva arrived in time and brought Diouf down outside the penalty area with a sliding tackle from behind.
Silva's sliding tackle wasn't aimed at the player. Although it was described as a tackle from behind, after falling to the ground, Silva used his momentum to wait until his body was parallel to Diouf before making the tackle.
But it was only 2008, and VR technology didn't exist on the football field yet.
In addition, Diouf fell to the ground in pain, rolling around on the ground. So no matter how Silva and Kompany explained to referee Clattenburg, Clattenburg eventually pulled out a Ruby card and sent Silva off the field.
Less than five minutes into the game, Leeds United were down to ten men.
After Silva left the field, Li Shiguang quickly adjusted the lineup, replacing Bale on the left with Cannavaro, and the team entered a defensive counter-attacking mode.
Fortunately, Bolton's attack was not strong, and despite having an extra man, they couldn't find many good opportunities while Leeds United were defending with all their might.
However, in the 33rd minute, Leeds United seized an opportunity, with Kaká heading the ball into the net from a corner kick to give them the lead.
After taking the lead, Li Shiguang knew when to stop.
The team made a series of adjustments, putting the players in a complete "park the bus" mode.
The game looked a bit ugly, but compared to the three points, that's not important!
final.
The 1-0 score remained until the last minute of the match.
Leeds United narrowly secured three points at Elland Road...
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