Chapter 765 To sell or not to sell?

The news that Southampton and Atletico Madrid both reached the Champions League final quickly swept the world after the game ended.

Especially in Europe, the media in developed countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and Italy are all hyping and paying attention to this event with an overwhelming momentum, while the media in other countries are just following in the back.

Coupled with the activities launched by major brands and merchants, the match between the Saints and the Bed Sheets has become the focus of worldwide attention.

But what many fans and media don’t know is that one of the important reasons why some heavyweight European media paid attention to this game is that they had guessed some information through various channels and knew that the two teams had a close relationship.

But these don't usually appear in the newspapers.

This is a tacit understanding between the media and the team.

Both Southampton and Atletico Madrid attach great importance to their relationship with the media. Therefore, whether it is some news about the players or some bad news about the team, they will try to downplay it or even avoid reporting it.

This time, they took this attitude towards the possible relationship between Southampton and Atletico Madrid.

In fact, it is difficult for them to obtain concrete and strong evidence.

Just as Zhao Yuanfang said, if they really want to avoid reporters, they will not be able to find any clues and can only report based on hearsay.

The British media, which are good at digging out some gossip, will not delve deeper into the matter.

Because, after defeating Bayern Munich 6-0 in the semi-finals, Southampton has become a hero in the eyes of British fans and the hope of Premier League football.

Don't believe it?

Then take a look at the match chart of this season's Champions League!

Among the four teams representing the Premier League, except for the Saints, Manchester City was eliminated in the round of 16 and was tragically eliminated by La Liga's Barcelona.

Bayern Munich was even more ruthless. They first defeated Arsenal in the round of 16, and then defeated Manchester United in the quarter-finals. They were sure to eliminate Southampton in the semi-finals, but they didn't expect...

This is the case this season and it was also the case last season.

Manchester United and Arsenal were eliminated in the round of 16, and they were eliminated by Real Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively. Both teams fell to Southampton this season.

Not only that, in the group stage, the reason why Manchester City failed to qualify was because they were in the same group with Dortmund and Real Madrid, which directly led to the North London team ranking at the bottom of the group and being shamefully eliminated.

It can be said that in the past few seasons, La Liga teams have always been the victims of Premier League teams, and the Bundesliga has also caused great harm to Premier League teams in recent years.

Therefore, Southampton was able to defeat Real Madrid and Bayern Munich this season and reach the Champions League final, which was a great honor for the Premier League teams and naturally made them heroes in the eyes of many English fans.

The reason is simple. Just for being able to defeat Bayern Munich, the strongest team in the Bundesliga, and win the battle between England and Germany, the Saints deserve the title of heroes!

On this point, the German media and the British media thought the same thing.

The difference is that after the game, the German media criticized Guardiola one-sidedly, believing that it was Guardiola's mistakes that led to Bayern Munich being defeated twice in two rounds, causing the Bundesliga team to suffer a humiliating defeat.

Even Bild asked Guardiola this question, "Why was Heynckes' team able to perfectly slaughter Barcelona, ​​but Guardiola's team is now being slaughtered by Southampton?"

Bayern Munich legend Beckenbauer also pointed out in his column that Guardiola's excessive belief in ball possession is inconsistent with Bayern Munich's current player configuration. He also believes that having ball possession is not enough, and Bayern Munich should do more in terms of pressure.

This is undoubtedly very close to Cruyff's point of view, and the Dutch legend defended his disciple in his column.

"The essence of ball control is not how long you control the ball, but how to use it effectively!"

"The reason why Guardiola's Bayern Munich suffered such a crushing defeat, I don't think it was Guardiola's fault, nor do I think it was because Bayern Munich was not suitable for ball possession tactics, but because of the team's current predicament!"

"There is no doubt that Heynckes' Champions League victory has filled Bayern Munich with great ambition, but they have forgotten one thing, that is, any team will always slide rapidly after reaching its peak, and Bayern Munich is no exception!"

"So, we see that Ribery and Robben are unwilling to invest more energy in defense in the frontcourt. When the team is in trouble, they do not bear the burden of the team's top star very well."

"On the other hand, Ibrahimovic, who used to be a weakling in the Champions League, has performed very well in the Champions League this season, playing the role of the team's top star very well. It was his outstanding performance that led Southampton all the way to the Champions League final."

"Also, there has always been a misunderstanding that Barcelona's success comes from ball possession. In fact, it is not. Or it should be said that ball possession does play an important role, but it is not the key!"

"The key to Barcelona's success lies in pressing and transitioning from attack to defense!"

"On the other hand, look at Bayern Munich now. The frontcourt cannot provide strong overall pressure, which makes it too easy for the opponent to pass through, bringing huge defensive pressure to the midfield and backcourt. Almost every goal scored by Southampton comes from a quick counterattack after stealing the ball."

"In modern football tactics, the purpose of pressure is to regain the ball, but how to use the ball after regaining it? That requires a faster transition from offense to defense!"

"But in the current Bayern Munich team, it is obvious that they are doing a very bad job in the transition between offense and defense. Schweinsteiger, in particular, is the biggest weakness in this system. His presence is more like making Bayern Munich lose the ball again and again, giving the opponent the opportunity to counterattack."

"On the other hand, Southampton's midfield, led by Modric, Toni Kroos, and even Matic, can often provide the team with more effective attack and defense transitions, while the team's frontcourt, even Ibrahimovic, Hazard and Suarez, are always pressuring the opponent's defense."

"Bielsa's team is the best team in the two key aspects of pressure and transition between offense and defense, so they deserve to win!"

"As for Bayern Munich, I think they should think carefully about whether they should step up reforms and continue to move in Guardiola's direction, giving the Spanish coach greater support, or whether they just want to stick with the current lineup and past achievements and be content with the status quo. This decision is imminent!"

"I have no intention of blaming the players and management of Bayern Munich, but I just want to say that Guardiola has a responsibility for the team's failure, but he should not bear all the responsibility."

"Finally, what I want to say is that there is nothing wrong with controlling the ball, but the person who controls the ball is wrong!"

As if in line with Cruyff's comments, several Spanish media close to Barcelona also defended Guardiola. At the same time, they also believed that Spain's era of ball control will not end and were optimistic about the performance of the Spanish national team in the Brazil World Cup.

In Germany, some media have also begun to hype Bayern Munich's signings.

Among them, what makes fans most excited is the return of Neuer and Toni Kroos.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung was the first to publish the news, releasing a photo of the Bayern Munich management meeting with Yang Huan before and after the game and having dinner together, indicating that the Bayern Munich management was determined to recall Neuer and Toni Kroos.

This piece of news immediately excited the entire German football world!

Who is Neuer?

After Kahn, Germany has another recognized world-class goalkeeper, the current German national goalkeeper!

And what about Toni Kroos?

Relying on his outstanding performance in Southampton, he has well proved his strength and level as a world-class defensive midfielder. At the same time, he is also the core of the national team's midfield chosen by Löw.

These two iconic figures of German football cannot play in Germany, which also makes German fans very disappointed.

Therefore, in Germany, there are many fans who follow Southampton's news and games, and also hope to see Bayern Munich bring these two players back to the country.

Therefore, as soon as the news came out, it immediately caused an uproar in Germany, and countless fans petitioned, hoping that Bayern Munich could recall these two national team players.

But if it was just fans and the media hyping it up, that would be fine, but soon even sponsors got involved.

Kicker magazine even reported that Adidas has said that it is willing to fully support Bayern Munich in recalling Toni Kroos and Neuer, and an Audi spokesperson also said that they would be happy to see the two international players return to the German arena.

Even in an interview with the media, German Chancellor Angela Merkel unexpectedly stated that the best German players should play in the Bundesliga, and she hopes that the Bundesliga can develop into the best top league in the world.

The support from fans, media, sponsors and the government, faced with the overwhelming voices from the outside world, not only brought pressure to Bayern Munich, but also brought huge psychological pressure to the players.

At a regular press conference in Southampton, when Neuer, as the captain, was interviewed by the media, a German reporter asked him about the widespread calls in Germany for him to return to his country to play, the Saints captain hesitated for a long time before saying that he did not rule out returning to his country to play for Bayern Munich.

When Toni Kroos was interviewed by German media after a training session, he also expressed his hope to have the opportunity to return to his country to play when the time is right.

After hearing this, the German media and fans were immediately excited. They selectively forgot that Neuer had added a sentence after that, saying that the specific situation would be subject to the negotiations between the clubs. They also forgot the ambiguity in Toni Kroos' words.

Almost immediately after these two interviews were published, Germany became even more excited.

With the help of fans, media and interested parties, a strong momentum has even been formed, as if saying that if Toni Kroos and Neuer do not return to play for their country, they will be letting down their motherland.

Under such circumstances, Bayern Munich also solemnly sent an enthusiastic offer to Southampton.

Toni Kroos, 80 million euros!

Neuer, 60 million euros!

The total price is 140 million euros, and it’s a cash transaction!

Such an offer is sincere and it can even be said that Bayern Munich has done its best.

So, at this time, the ball was kicked to Southampton's feet.

Should these two key players be sold or not?