Chapter 154 Want to be the champion? Come to Porto! [Additional chapter for the snail who is watching the wind for the leader, please subscribe to the monthly ticket! ]
After beating Setubal 3-0 at home, Mourinho soon received news from Lisbon.
The Green Lions conceded a goal in the first half, but in the second half, thanks to goals from Pepe and Albertini, they reversed the game 2-1 against Guimarães and continued to keep close to Porto in the standings.
This puts Mourinho under pressure.
He believes that the players on the team feel the same way.
"This Sporting Lisbon team is really tough!"
After returning to the training base, Mourinho disbanded the team, but the coaching staff stayed for a meeting.
The second leg of the UEFA Cup semi-final will be held in the middle of the week, and Porto doesn't have much time to prepare.
Mourinho has a headache about Sporting Lisbon because this team is like a dog-skin plaster this season, sometimes close and sometimes far away, but it has always been closely following Porto, and the gap has been reduced from the original seven points to the current one point.
The pressure is really great.
Especially considering that there are only six rounds left in the Portuguese Super League.
If you are not careful, the car may overturn at any time.
"In fact, the main reason is that Guimarães didn't live up to his expectations and missed so many scoring opportunities. Nicolaj really didn't pose much threat in this game. In his current state, he still wants to compete with Su Dong for the main position?" Boas was angry and annoyed.
Guimaraes originally had a chance, but the team didn't seize it.
"The away factor is also crucial. Guimarães is currently ranked fourth in the Portuguese Super League. There is no problem with strength, but the form is not good." Faria also felt it was a pity, as it was originally a good opportunity to widen the gap.
The semi-final of the UEFA Cup is imminent. If Sporting Lisbon is left behind at this time, it will be a considerable advantage for Porto. On the contrary, it will be a heavy blow to Sporting Lisbon.
"That's why I look down on Bolonni."
Mourinho put his left hand in his pocket and pointed at the table with his right hand in a majestic and domineering manner, showing a sense of being able to point out the way forward and make people feel his inner confidence at this moment.
"Sporting Lisbon won this game very dangerously. Everyone can see its importance, but Bologna chose Nikulai instead of Sudon. This is a problem, especially when he made substitutions. He did not replace Nikulai and replaced him with Sudon. This is a bit confusing."
Mourinho snorted twice when he said this. "Just wait and see. Sporting Lisbon can still maintain superficial harmony now because the game does not leave them time to quarrel among themselves. By the end of the season, one of Sudong and Boloni must leave."
Everyone also agreed with Mourinho's point of view.
No matter who it is, no one can stand being used like this by Boloni.
Eighteen league goals and eight goals in the League Cup, this record is comparable to Jardel's last season.
But what is the result?
If Nicolaj, whom Bologna trusts, is trustworthy and performs well, then there is nothing wrong with it and he can be rotated appropriately.
But Nikulai just couldn't get up the wall.
Still trusting people unconditionally? This is nepotism!
"Jose, have you notified management?" Brito suddenly asked with a smile.
Everyone started laughing as well.
It is no secret among the Porto coaching staff that Mourinho wants to bring in Sudon, and even many players know it.
For example, Deco has said more than once that coming to Porto, Su Dong will be able to play a greater role.
There is also Carvalho, who once said that he welcomes Su Dong to Porto.
A talented player never needs to worry about not having a ball to play.
For Su Dong today, leaving Sporting Lisbon will bring them to a broader stage.
"I have told the chairman and I think it's being worked on," Mourinho said with a smile.
"You still have to talk to Mendes," Brito suggested.
Mourinho also officially switched to Mendes not long ago. The Portuguese agent will be fully responsible for Mourinho's contract negotiations and other matters. At the same time, he is also working hard to find opportunities for Mourinho to coach in the four major leagues.
Players need agents, and so do head coaches.
"He treats Su Dong like a treasure and his status is higher than ours." Mourinho was a little helpless.
Everyone was surprised, "Taller than Quaresma, Ronaldo, and even our Deco?"
Deco was also a player signed by Mendes.
In just two years, this Portuguese agent has completely demonstrated the momentum to replace Vega.
“I heard that Su Dong’s commercial value is very high.”
"How is this possible?" everyone was surprised.
How high can the commercial value of an 18-year-old boy who has just started out be? "It is said that this boy has signed eight commercial sponsorships in just one year. Without exception, all of them are multinational brands, including top brands such as Nike and Pepsi. Mendes is unwilling to disclose the specific figures, only saying that the total amount is more than 6 million euros."
"What?" Everyone was stunned.
Six million euros? This is definitely an astronomical figure, especially in the Portuguese Super League.
There are even many Portuguese Super League teams whose annual commercial sponsorship income is less than 3 million euros, which also includes jersey sponsorship and chest advertising income.
"Oh my God, this guy is quite handsome, but not that bad, right?" Boas was shocked.
"China has a population of more than one billion. Among Asian players, he is the most popular right now." Mourinho pointed out the key point.
Everyone suddenly realized.
"The chairman also attaches great importance to Su Dong. If we can dig him over, we can definitely expand our influence in Asia. Porto is not a coward like Sporting Lisbon." Mourinho sneered.
Porto aims to make a big splash in Europe and also has certain overseas expansion plans, but Sporting Lisbon is relatively conservative, which leads them to focus more on Portugal.
Mourinho still admires the player Sudong very much, and as long as Porto wants him, it will be difficult for Sporting Lisbon to refuse once they make an offer, because so far, no other team in the four major leagues has made an offer for Sudong.
This is normal because Su Dong is too young, only eighteen years old.
I guess he is unwilling to go to the mid- and lower-level teams in the four major leagues. The upper-level teams will be more cautious in recruiting players. They hope that Su Dong can play in the Portuguese Super League for another year or two and then operate when he is more mature. At that time, the transfer fee will be relatively higher, but it will be safer.
No one's money comes from the wind. Signing players is risky in itself, and the risk of introducing young players is even greater.
"Don't worry about how much money he makes, we still have to focus on the midweek games."
Mourinho raised his hand to stop his assistants from gossiping and began to pay more attention to the upcoming second leg of the League Cup.
"We still need to pay attention to Su Dong. His headers and right foot must be restricted, just like in the first round. Don't give him any chances. This kid is very aggressive. If we discourage him now, it will be easier to lead him when he really joins the team."
At the end, Mourinho couldn't help laughing.
He is determined to win the Su Dong championship, and he is also confident of reaching the UEFA Cup final.
He has made all the preparations to not only play defense as in the first leg, but also to strengthen the team's offense and score goals at the Alvalade Stadium.
One away goal could kill Sporting Lisbon!
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"Sporting Lisbon is a strong team, but I am confident that the team going to Seville will be Porto!"
Before the game, at the press conference announcing the match roster, Porto coach Mourinho said confidently.
Mourinho also highlighted the first leg home game, believing that the team's condition was not ideal at the time, but has now adjusted. The 3-0 home win over Setubal is the best evidence.
"In fact, we have been working hard to improve our offense over the past period of time. In the match against Setubal, our offense played quite well, which is a positive sign."
"Although we are playing away, we will still adopt a more aggressive strategy and hope to present a more exciting match to the fans."
"Believe me, we will show everyone the strongest Porto this season!"
Mourinho's confidence infected Porto's players, and many of them came forward to express their confidence in participating in the final.
In an interview with the media, midfielder Deco said that Sporting Lisbon is an excellent team with some excellent players, but the winning team will definitely be Porto.
"We are confident that we can score more than two goals away from home!" Deco said confidently.
As a central defender, Carvalho was the hero who froze Su Dong in the first leg. After the game, he received unanimous praise from the head coach and the media. Now that the second leg is approaching, he also expressed his anticipation.
"There is no doubt that Su Dong is a very capable and promising rookie. He once scored a few goals against Porto, but the first leg showed us that he is not omnipotent."
"We have found a way to restrain Su Dong, and in the next 90 minutes of the game, he will continue to accomplish nothing!"
Finally, Carvalho did not forget to use a joking tone to tell Su Dong, "If you want the championship, come to Porto!"
Veteran Jorge Costa was relatively cautious. He acknowledged Su Dong's threat, but he also expressed confidence.
"We won't give him any chances. He will run into obstacles everywhere just like he did in the first round."
Attacking players like Dellei and Jankauskas were full of confidence in their attempts to break through Sporting Lisbon's goal, while Ferreira and Valente wanted to block Rooney and Quaresma, as well as midfielders like Maniche and Costinha...
Before the big battle, everyone in Porto seemed very confident.
They already have the advantage in strength, and they did not have a good way to defend against Sporting Lisbon's attack in the first leg, which makes Porto's chances of winning in the second leg even more optimistic.
The domestic media in Portugal is basically divided into two camps, either supporting Sporting Lisbon, but with a smaller number of people, or supporting Porto, which is an overwhelming majority.
Mourinho's team wins because of its strength advantage and is also stable enough.
But a few media believe that Sporting Lisbon still has a chance to beat Porto and go to Seville.
I will add three chapters for the first leader of this book [The Snail Watching the Wind], and the three chapters will be sent later. To prevent me from losing too much blood, we will only update six chapters today, and save the two chapters of apology for tomorrow, okay?
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(End of this chapter)
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