Chapter 76 Pre-match situation (2)

It was not until Dave disappeared in the hotel that the reporters gave up chasing him. After they realized what was happening, they immediately turned their microphones to the players who were approaching. Compared to the cunning head coach, these young players had very few concerns, so it was much easier to dig out news from them.

"Mr. Clark, will you start in tomorrow's game? If you have the chance to play, are you confident that you can score a goal in the game?" A reporter following Harrison asked anxiously.

This was the first time that Harrison had heard someone call him Mr. Clark since he was a child, so he had a very good impression of the reporter. He smiled and stopped, "The boss hasn't announced the team's starting lineup, so I'm not sure about that. If I can play tomorrow, I will definitely try my best to score goals for the team to repay Mr. Dave's trust and the fans' support."

Hearing this answer, the reporters' eyes lit up and they immediately asked, "Then can you predict tomorrow's score?"

"I think it is... um, um..." At this time, Wang Li, who came from behind, immediately covered his mouth.

These media outlets do not care about the feelings of the parties involved when writing news releases. It is better to say less about sensitive topics such as predicting scores. If you guess correctly, it is luck, but if you guess incorrectly, it becomes arrogance. In this regard, Wang Li has more experience than Harrison.

Seeing Wang Li holding back the "big news" that was about to come, the reporters nearby were of course very dissatisfied. However, compared to the arrogant Dave, they couldn't afford to offend this black-haired boy. His recent performance in the Premier League was so outstanding that the English Football Association also paid close attention to him. It was said that the dull Swede was also considering recruiting him into the national team. If nothing unexpected happened, his future career as a professional player would definitely be smooth sailing.

"Mr. Allen, how many goals do you think it would be normal for you to lose in tomorrow's game? Is Manchester United's left winger Cristiano much stronger than you? Were you scared by the Manchester United fans on the road just now?" When a reporter next to him saw Wang Li coming over, he immediately asked arrogantly.

After hearing this question, Wang Li immediately stopped and looked up at the reporter who was talking next to him. At this time, he still had a proud look on his face. This superior look made Wang Li frown tightly. He took a closer look at the label on the reporter's chest: "Manchester Guardian", and thought to himself that it was indeed true. As a regional newspaper, just like the "Wolverhampton Post", the "Manchester Guardian" is an absolute supporter of Manchester United. Their reporters will of course have some team paranoia, only in this way can they get more support from local fans.

Wang Li was not angry, he just smiled slightly, and then answered stiffly like a textbook: "I have never played against him, and I don't know how strong he is. Moreover, a player's condition always has ups and downs, which is impossible to judge. I think you should go to Sir Alex Ferguson to consult this issue, and he will definitely give you a satisfactory answer." These reporters just want to make you angry, and then impulsively say irrational words, which will achieve their goal. Wang Li will not fall into the trap easily.

Although the Manchester reporter was very rude, most of the reporters present were still rational. Most of them were reporters from major newspapers in England, and their words had to remain neutral, so they would not bring their emotions into their work.

After answering several reporters' questions with a smile, Wang Li then humbled himself and took the still dazed Harrison directly into the hotel. They didn't have that much time to deal with the media, so the most important thing was to have a good rest and get enough energy to face tomorrow's game.

The next day, after breakfast, the players took the team bus to Old Trafford.

Old Trafford is located in Greater Manchester, west of Manchester City. It is one of the most famous football stadiums in the world. It has been the home of Manchester United since 1910. During World War II in 1941, the stadium suffered heavy bombing and was rebuilt in 1949. Its history is full of twists and turns.

Although it was only eight o'clock in the morning, a large number of fans had already gathered outside the stadium. Most of them were wearing Manchester United jerseys. Many of them were standing together, discussing today's game with each other.

The driver, Dill, did not stop the car, but drove directly into the Old Trafford Stadium. Manchester United fans are the most passionate in England, and many famous football hooligans also come from here. Dill could not guarantee that he would not be attacked by "terrorists" if he got off the car here.

The players changed into the visiting team's white uniforms and walked out of the locker room one after another, then went directly to the stadium and began warm-up exercises to adapt to the competition venue. Wang Li stood outside the penalty area and kept practicing arc free kicks towards the goal, but the effect was not very good. Almost every ball was easily saved by Oaks, which even attracted a snicker from Harrison next to him. He always thought that Wang Li was almost omnipotent, but he didn't expect that Wang Li's free kicks were not as good as his own, which made him find some comfort in his heart...

"Damn!" Another shot missed the post. Wang Li patted his head anxiously, uttering the traditional English curse. Although he knew that to kick a free kick well, it required long-term and uninterrupted practice, and that the free kicks of those superstars were kicked in their own style, which made them famous all over the world, but reason could not make him feel better. This kind of arc free kick was very depressing to kick, and it was not as refreshing as his own powerful volley.

"Alan, look over there, what is that...?" At this time, Harrison suddenly grabbed Wang Li's shirt, said excitedly, and stretched out his right hand pointing outside the court.

Wang Li looked in the direction of his finger. It was a middle-aged man in his thirties with long curly black hair and a very strong body. He was walking towards the player tunnel in the middle of the stadium. Seeing his back, Wang Li carefully recalled the game video he had watched yesterday, and suddenly realized that this was Ryan Giggs, Manchester United's king of the left!

"Giggs! That's Giggs!" Harrison said excitedly.

Staring at Giggs' back, Wang Li felt a strong anticipation in his heart, looking forward to playing against this long-established superstar in the game. A player like Giggs is obviously more powerful than Alan Smith, and it also makes Wang Li's "football hormones" secreted faster and more.

Of course, it would be great if you could use these superstars as a stepping stone on your road to fame, although this may seem a bit arrogant to others.

There was still more than an hour before the game started, but scattered fans gradually appeared in the audience. At this time, assistant coach Ops also ran over to inform the players to go back to the locker room to rest, and the head coach had to make the final detailed tactical deployment.

In the visiting team's locker room, the players sat in a circle, staring at the tactical board in the corner, listening to the head coach's explanation, nodding their heads, and everyone was very serious. This time, head coach Dave Jones took an unusually long time to explain the tactics. He had been gesturing at the tactical board for more than 20 minutes before he drank a sip of water with a feeling of unsatisfied feeling.

"In short, after you go on the court, you must first stabilize the defense line. You know, only defense can win victory. Kennedy, you should reduce the number of times you make insertions in normal times. Naylor, you must organize the defense tasks well and keep an eye on all the defenders of the team and remind them of their positions at any time, especially Lescott. I will let you start this game, but you must listen to Naylor's words more and don't make too many insertions and ignore defense." Dave pursed his lips and emphasized.

For a team like Manchester United, a small mistake can be turned into a goal. He knows his team very well. There are many loopholes in the back line, which is mostly caused by the lack of strength of the players. He has no way to deal with it. Maybe this is the sadness of small clubs.

Hearing the coach's special reminder, Lescott nodded vigorously. He had never thought that he would be able to start in this game against Manchester United! He was very excited from the moment the coach read out the starting lineup. So, he had no idea what the coach had just said, and just kept nodding his head to respond to the coach's questions.

Looking at Lescott's expression, Dave knew that the boy didn't listen at all, but he didn't pursue it further. He understood Lescott very well. Thinking back to when he was 18 or 19 years old, the coach asked him to come on as a substitute. The excitement at that time was still clearly imprinted in his mind. However, Dave felt a little sad when he thought of this. He was still a substitute in the third division league at that time, while these players of the same age were already playing in the Premier League. The gap was too big! No wonder he never mentioned the past, and some media even thought he was an academic coach. That's it!

After a short pause, Dave continued: "Many media asked me how many goals we would lose in today's game. I don't even bother to answer this kind of question. Why are they so sure that Wolverhampton will lose? Guys, do you think so too? Are you confident about the game?"

"have!"

Looking at the players' eager eyes, Dave felt it was worth it even if he didn't get even one point in this game. At least he aroused the players' enthusiasm for the game, which is also a kind of progress!

As for losing? Until now, he has not heard any questions from any media, such as "Are you confident of winning the game?" It is normal for Wolverhampton to lose!

All the players in the locker room were very unhappy about this situation. They were all professional players, so why was there such a big gap? The slightly discriminatory eyes of the media and fans made these players angry, and then their blood boiled. They were more looking forward to the game later. Maybe this mentality would be of great help to the game.

"Before the game, I hope you remember that this is Old Trafford, the world of Manchester United. For more than a year, no team in Europe has been able to win here. Look at the proud eyes of those fans, look at the ugly faces of those reporters, don't you really want to win?" Dave said again before leaving. This was the line he prepared after thinking about it all night yesterday. It is said that such words can arouse the fighting spirit of the players. I don't know if this is true...

Standing in the player tunnel, a warm atmosphere hit you. The stands of the stadium were a sea of ​​red. The fans cheered enthusiastically to welcome Manchester United's star players to the stage.

This kind of atmosphere made Wang Li a little nervous. This was definitely the game with the most spectators since he participated in the Premier League. Harrison next to him was even a little nervous and couldn't speak, but Lescott, who was the same age, was almost unaffected. It seemed that the coach was right to let Lescott start and play as a substitute.

Following the referee's signal, the players entered the field one after another, and the cheers from the stands became even louder.

"Beep..." Under the expectation of all the fans in the stadium, the referee Boll blew a long whistle, announcing the start of the game.