Chapter 138: Chapter 137 Master Class, Understand Applause (Requesting Monthly Pass)
It’s already mid-June, and securing a slot in July or August seems challenging.
And after that, the schedule becomes increasingly favorable, but also more competitive.
But not riding this wave of popularity would make Americans uneasy!
How could the second-best businesspeople in the world stand to waste such a resource?
Marshall, although still uncertain about the specific fate of the movie,
had just landed in the United States when he received instructions from his boss to speed up filming while ensuring quality and to start editing immediately after it’s completed.
It seemed the boss intended to release the film before November.
If the box office performance was good at the premiere, then this movie could dominate the entire November box office market.
It could also ride the wave of popularity in the early phase of the December Christmas season.
Once that process was completed, it would be difficult for the box office to be too low.
For the sake of his own reputation, Marshall happily agreed.
On the other hand, after Deng Kai’s interview was released, many people gave him trouble.
Among them was Ronaldo.
Ronaldo was holding a grudge about Deng Kai’s interview, where he had said Ronaldo couldn’t play as a center forward.
But after Deng Kai explained, Ronaldo cooled off.
So you were planning to trick the Germans?
Sure, I can live with that, but next time you talk about how I, Ronaldo, can’t play, can you add an emoji?
So I won’t take friendly fire—I had my Italian artillery all set up.
...
The Spanish team, which also advanced to the semifinals of the U-17 European Championship, didn’t draw Portugal; their opponent was the host of the tournament, the Czech Republic.
And Portugal’s semi-final opponent was... Germany!
But the Spanish U-16 team, when analyzing internally, invited the famous national player and Barça midfield master Guardiola for support.
Guardiola pointed out to the Spanish U-16 coaches, "This kid is throwing smoke grenades, too sly!"
"He had just finished a match while accepting that interview, and they had a tough victory over the Netherlands, but instead of being exhilarated, he dug so many holes!"
The Spanish coaches were filled with question marks.
Guardiola explained, "Here, he expresses regret over Viana’s injury and the hope for Viana’s recovery—a display of emotional intelligence, which is human nature."
"But he’s definitely not just being high-minded to avoid taking credit for himself. His real goal is to feign weakness. In their words, it’s to ’play possum.’"
"He keeps emphasizing Viana’s role in the team to reduce subsequent opponents’ focus on him. On the other hand, it also makes people underestimate the Portuguese team, leading to complacency and underestimation."
"But in reality, is Viana’s role in the Portuguese team irreplaceable?"
Guardiola asked the soul-searching question.
Iniesta, who was called upon to join the discussion, had an epiphany, "Portugal has always had the tradition of playing with a single attacking midfielder. Without Viana, the double attacking midfield tactic might be short-handed, but Deng Kai is fully capable of the single attacking midfielder role, and the team would be quite accustomed to that."
"So... although it’s unbelievable, the conclusion is that Viana’s absence will not affect the core combat power of the Portuguese team. Even if it does weaken them, it’s a limited weakening."
Guardiola nodded, "Including the subsequent praise Deng Kai had for Quaresma, it is the same tactic: hiding his own threat."
"Everyone knows Quaresma is the ace of Portugal U-16, and everyone will target Quaresma. But in a single attacking midfielder system, is Quaresma really the core of that team? No... it’s Deng Kai."
"Additionally, the conclusion about whether Ronaldo is fit to play as a striker, is also a smokescreen."
"That kid can definitely play as a striker, absolutely!"
"If I could coach the team, I’d call him the moment I got the chance, even if he were thirty-six or thirty-seven. His impact, his shooting skills, especially his goal-scoring instincts."
"Regarding Ronaldo, I can only say my English is not good, not capable of describing him!"
Iniesta raised his hand, "But we’re all Spanish, why would you need English?"
Guardiola, at a loss for words, "It’s just a way of expression, showing my favorable opinion of him."
"I must admit, that kid called Ronaldo doesn’t seem to have a very high level of natural talent, and it’s hard to believe he has the potential to become a superstar. But we can’t deny his dominant performance at his current age."
"Quaresma plays a distracting role, with Deng Kai as the core attacking midfielder and Ronaldo as a striking forward. Adding a player who can pass the ball on the left, like the excellent midfielder Meireles, might reduce their numbers at the front, but not the threat."
Hiss, Hiss, Hiss!
The Spaniards all took a sharp intake of breath, making a significant contribution to global warming.
Iniesta stood agape: "Then should we expose him? Find the media and reveal what Deng Kai is doing right away."
Guardiola smiled mysteriously: "So why should we help the Germans then?"
"Regardless, Portugal’s shortage of troops is a reality. The stronger they are, the more it will cost Germany to beat them."
"Conversely, even if Portugal miraculously defeats the German team, by that point their weakened squad will only be closer to the end of their rope, and we will be able to reap the benefits no matter what."
"The advantage is mine, losing would be difficult."
"Kids, just play well in this semifinal and then wait to become the champions of Europe!"
"Understand applause!"
A round of applause!
The Spanish U16 coaching staff’s applause continued.
Impressive!
Truly, a master of the midfield.
Should Guardiola go into marketing, er... become a coach instead?
It’d be a waste for him not to play!
Only Iniesta was full of thought: "May I ask what those four-syllable words you described mean?"
Guardiola: "It is an idiom, the essence of Chinese linguistic art that embodies the wisdom of five thousand years. The idiom dictionary is something Deng Kai recommended to me; it has opened up a new world for me, allowing me to find corresponding ideas in it."
"If you have time, you could also learn idioms, which might help you become a better midfielder."
Iniesta hurriedly took note.
That very night, Iniesta asked his family to go to the bookstore and buy the book for him; it was his secret weapon to getting stronger—the Xinhua Dictionary.
...
As Guardiola mentioned.
Portugal’s semifinal opponent was Germany U16.
This team had quite a few acquaintances of Deng Kai’s.
Yes, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Hitzlsperger, and others.
But this Germany U16 team was much stronger than the Bayern U15.
Because the main structure of this team was the Bayern U17!
Plus, there was a Dortmund player and three Stuttgart players.
In Germany, if you’re not a Bayern player but still get called up for the national team, it only proves that you’re really good and that a contract from Bayern is likely on its way to you.
However, after observing this team, Deng Kai didn’t think there was anything particularly scary about them.
The only thing that made this team stronger than Bayern U15 was the addition of Kevin Kuranyi.
Kuranyi was a standard German-style forward, but his professional career never quite lived up to expectations.
His individual skills were decent, and for a time, in a nation not famous for producing excellent forwards, Kuranyi was one of the most consistent local scorers.
But his career had the misfortune of encountering Germany’s coach Loew.
Loew’s rise signaled a fundamental shift in the tactics of the German team.
Forwards like Kuranyi, who lacked delicate ball-handling skills and ground collaboration abilities, became victims of this change.
Indeed, Deng Kai believed that this German U16 team wasn’t nearly as pressure-inducing as the Netherlands U16 was for their team.
