Chapter 158: Chapter 157: Favoritism? (Fifth update, asking for a subscription)
Wu Xudong’s speed, even after arriving at the U17, was still top-notch, even going from not being as fast as Ronaldo last year to being as fast as him this year.
"Deng bro, what did you do this summer?" Ronaldo’s pronunciation of some words was still not quite accurate.
"Herding yaks." Wu Xudong was very straightforward.
He had undergone special training for his explosive power over the summer.
He used traditional nomadic training methods, wrestling with yaks and playing with horses.
When Deng Kai heard of this training method, he could not help but marvel, Wu Xudong was really using "currency capability".
After all, the cattle and horses over there were not cheap, and the cost of sparring was extremely high.
Yu Shihao, also known as Mianyang Yin Zhaji, had speed that was not slow either, close to the first-tier, and could be considered a speed-type player among his peers.
He also had a good sense of positioning, liking and willing to drill into the penalty area.
Although he didn’t have a tall and imposing physique, being rather short, his agility was very good, and he was a threat when not facing strong physical pressure from the opposition.
Hao Junmin’s speed was slightly slower than Yu Shihao’s, in the standard second-tier.
But his dribbling skills were the best among them, and his passing and shooting were both quite reliable.
Shao Jiawei’s footwork was the worst, which wasn’t just because he was a center back, but also because he used to be a basketball player.
But defeat as well as victory came from basketball; his body coordination, instant reactions, and hand-pulling actions were all very excellent. This explained why his ability to make interceptions was so outstanding.
After a day’s training ended, Yu Shihao and the other two were planning to pack up their things and head back to the dormitory.
But then they realized that Deng Kai and Ronaldo were acting as if they hadn’t heard the "end of class bell".
"Isn’t it time to finish?" Yu Shihao asked.
Wu Xudong next to him grinned, "Those two are well-known training maniacs of this base. The club even changed the closing time of the training field because of them, extending it by three hours."
"At first, the field manager, the old man, was grinding his teeth when he saw Little Deng."
"But later on, after Little Deng and Ronaldo made a name for themselves, fans and reporters often bribed the old man, he was raking it in and no longer had any complaints."
"Even we have benefited from Little Deng’s light; otherwise, do you think why Asian players aren’t discriminated against here? Is it because there’s no discrimination against Asians?"
"Live here a while and you’ll see, all of Europe has quite some discrimination against Asians. But in Lisbon, this place has really improved so much in a year."
"It’s not because of our friendly attitudes, but because of the assists, goals, and trophies Little Deng has contributed in the league, the Youth Champions League, and the Euro Youth competition!"
Yu Shihao and the others didn’t have too much emotion about it just yet, but even hearing about it was quite shocking.
"Hao bro, Wei boy, Minmin, come play football! Shall we practice positioning?" Deng Kai invited from a distance.
Yu Shihao and the others immediately ran over.
Train!
To get results on the pitch, you have to train hard off it.
As long as you don’t die from training, train till you almost die!
On the field, four Chinese youths, a Lisbon Chinese descendant, and a Madeira youngster ran wildly.
For ten consecutive days, they were the first to arrive and the last to leave, becoming a scenic view on the training field.
Some thought this was nothing more than a show.
If practice made a difference, what would be the need for talent in this world?
Some people, no matter how much they train, find it difficult to be successful.
To this, Deng Kai had no interest in rebutting.
If there is one nation that can rely on hard work to break through the barriers of talent and achieve the impossible, it is definitely the Chinese nation.
...
"Trigella resumes coaching the youth squad, superstitious about Chinese young players?"
"Do the four Chinese players in Sporting Lisbon U17 truly deserve to be in the team? Apart from Wu Xudong, the other three are simply not qualified!"
"Deng Kai plays favorites, demanding the squad to accept players like Yu Shihao, who at such a young age, has already become a ball-hog?"
"Sporting Lisbon’s first team achieves three consecutive wins in warm-up matches! Augustus: We are on the right path!"
"Behind the comeback of Lisbon’s first team, the unsung hero Maxa: The team doesn’t have, nor does it need, complex tactics—handing the football to the best players is the best tactic. Quaresma and Jia De’er should be given more ball possession!"
"Jia De’er: I don’t feel there’s any problem fitting into Sporting Lisbon, Augustus values me a lot, and I like this feeling. Maxa definitely has genuine talent, his tactical understanding is deep in his bones!"
"Quaresma: Maxa isn’t like a parent who constantly nags about every move you make; he’s more like a master who only appears when you need him!"
Recently, with the new season just around the corner, there have been more news about the team.
The buzz around the youth team is definitely not as high as that of the first team.
Some of these interviews are real, but some are specially arranged by the club chairman and the new coach to create buzz.
For instance, the interview with Quaresma is quite interesting.
He said Maxa only shows up when he needs him.
Latter, when the journalist asked Quaresma when he would need that, Quaresma replied, "Not for the time being."
In other words, that means: Maxa never shows up.
No wonder Quaresma likes Maxa so much.
Because Maxa is the only tactical coach who would not stop Quaresma from showing off meaningless technical dribbling on the field.
Jia De’er equally likes Maxa, because Maxa heavily emphasizes on handing the football to Jia De’er.
Both of these core players are beneficiaries of Maxa’s "do-nothing strategy."
Unfortunately, their fame is so great that their feelings override everyone else’s on the team.
At a certain football fan’s restaurant.
Deng Kai took Ronaldo, Wu Xudong, Yu Shihao, and others for a big meal.
Deng Kai was treating everyone.
Otherwise, do you think he got the nickname "Young Master Kai" for no reason?
"Today’s expenses will be on me, Young Master Kai!" Ronaldo never hesitates to spend Deng Kai’s money because he knows just how profitable Deng Kai’s autographed football clearance store is.
Guardiola keeps sending footballs to Deng Kai like a madman.
Ronaldo really wondered whether Guardiola was being blackmailed by Deng Kai.
However, the real reason was that, following Deng Kai’s advice, Guardiola had a detailed check-up and hired a sports medicine specialist to plan his career.
During the examination and planning, it was discovered that Guardiola had significant hidden injuries and that his physical functions were declining earlier than he had imagined.
If he couldn’t reduce his runs, he was highly likely to get injured later on.
This made Guardiola break into a cold sweat because Van Gaal’s tactical requirements involved a lot of running from the midfielders and forwards.
Without preparation, Guardiola was likely to overuse his physical condition.
Of course, having this knowledge was not entirely a good thing, because now Guardiola had to worry about how to explain to Van Gaal why he was always lagging in his runs.
