Chapter 225: Chapter 224: Loneliness is when four people are chatting, but only three understand (Please like the character card)
"But football, after all, is played by the players themselves, and no matter how capable the head coach is, some things still have to be faced by the players,"
"At Rio Ave, in a small number of difficult matches, there is also a phenomenon where players voluntarily retract after taking the lead,"
"This even became one of the reasons for their solid defense."
Deng Kai nodded, understanding what Trigella meant.
It sounded absurd, but in fact, similar examples abound in life.
Many stars or top figures in various fields say things like "Actually I’m not confident, even quite inferior" in in-depth interviews.
These are basically true.
Because as you become a top expert in a certain field, you can clearly see the seemingly weak differences between you and other experts, which might be insurmountable by effort, or might require even more effort to overcome than before.
At the same time, because you have reached a top level in one aspect, other people you work with are also top figures in their respective fields.
You understand better how amazing and irreplaceable the top experts in various industries are, and you have to rely on others for many things.
For assists, you look to Deng Kai, for goals, you rely on Ronaldo, for defense, Kilop and Feng Te, for treatment, Wohlfahrt, for picking up girls, you ask Matthaus... uh...
If you’re very ordinary, you often feel like you can do what the people around you can do, nothing special.
So, essentially, everyone understands their true level when they reach their "limit bottleneck period."
Ronaldo is still far from this period, so he can imagine without any burden that he will become the strongest player in the world in the future.
Kilop, at twenty-two, has been monitored by multiple clubs for two consecutive seasons, not just the three giants of the Portuguese league, but reportedly scouts from the Dutch league, Russian league, and French league are also interested in him; he still has a bright future.
Therefore, Kilop is very much looking forward to joining a big Italian club in the future, even becoming a mainstay of the team for years, wearing the captain’s armband, and becoming the soul of the team, bidding farewell to a whole club’s fans on the day of his retirement.
But he no longer harbors thoughts of becoming the world’s number one central defender, because he knows that’s impossible. His goal is to become irreplaceable for a specific club, world-class.
The team’s backup goalkeeper Sergio Gomez, only twenty-one, has already felt the cruelty of professional competition. He hopes to get the chance to play in less important matches for the team and then use that experience to become the starting goalkeeper for a team in a lower league.
The team’s midfielder Emerson, twenty-six, can now most wildly imagine receiving a call from an Italian club in the next two or three years, even if it’s to be a substitute.
The team’s backup central defender Orlando, twenty-nine, hopes to return to the Brazilian league, spend two or three years with a team, then smoothly join the team’s scouting department or youth department.
Altino, thirty-three, his biggest wish and dream is to experience the taste of the Portuguese league after a successful promotion, even without a single start, and then retire willingly.
And nearly all the players at Rio Ave are below Kilop’s level.
Regardless of age, they all more or less feel the limits of their abilities.
So, when the team leads, especially in very difficult or important games, they become conservative on their own, even conceding the midfield entirely to the opponent, and hunkering down on defense.
It’s not that they chose to be conservative, but that conservatism chose them.
Their abilities don’t support them taking risks.
That couldn’t help but make Deng Kai feel pensive.
His performance in the last game was poor, and it was related to the lack of self-awareness among the players.
But the conservatism problem of most Rio Ave and Moreirense players is because they are all too aware of themselves.
A coin always has two sides.
If you want Cristiano Ronaldo and Kobe’s obsessive pursuit of victory and the confidence that they can always clutch the game, you have to endure their paranoia of refusing to look at their teammates for even a moment, even when they are at rock bottom, surrounded by enemies.
"Many people don’t know what ’team limit’ means, and Rio Ave’s performance is the embodiment of reaching the team’s strength limit," Trigella said, "So although they have secured promotion to the Primeira Liga ahead of schedule, they will definitely return from the Primeira Liga next year."
"Then the head coach leaves, and the team dominates the Segunda Liga again... If they want to stay in the Primeira Liga, they must abandon almost all of the team’s current framework... Yet no one will understand this move. To most people, couldn’t you just buy three or four stars to improve the team’s strength? Why dismantle and rebuild the team?"
Trigella seemed to be speaking about Rio Ave, but Deng Kai’s pupils shrank, "Going back?"
Trigella was surprised; he hadn’t let slip a word, but how did Deng Kai know?
"Yeah," Trigella nodded.
It had been a while since the big boss behind him was released.
It seemed like there were no more chances, but in reality, a lethal tactic was being prepared.
Unexpectedly, the higher-ups at Lisbon Athletics are going to spring some big surprises this summer!
Some serious issues are going to be exposed.
By then, Trigella is planning to restructure Lisbon Athletics, because the club’s framework is only of the level that ranks third, fourth, or fifth in the league. No matter how they recruit, the team won’t be able to win the championship based on this.
"Ah? He left? But haven’t we finished our discussion?" Ronaldo asked, completely puzzled.
It was clearly a conversation among four people, so why did it suddenly seem like there was a tacit understanding between just two?
"Not all discussions have to come to a conclusion, that’s not important anymore." Jiang Yunzhu not only understood but also held quite a bit of information.
The clues in the hands of Trigella’s owner behind the scenes, some were provided by Jiang Yunzhu himself.
As for the motive... as the new era dawns, Lisbon Athletics will embark on an unprecedented collaboration with domestic efforts.
A collaboration that is different from previous styles.
This was also a new idea that Deng Kai had brought up during his discussions about domestic football with Jiang Yunzhu.
To be honest, Jiang Yunzhu initially thought that Deng Kai’s proposal was utterly preposterous.
But after careful consideration and expert validation, she realized that this might be the real development path for football in China.
This nearly overturned the entire existing strategy for football development in the country.
The Provincial Team model?
No!
The Sports School model?
No!
The Campus Football model?
No!
Spread youth training nationwide?
No!
Invest heavily in building a national football infrastructure?
No!
Naturalize foreign players?
A definitive no!
In Deng Kai’s words, "Football isn’t something that should be focused on in China, nor does it have the necessary foundational conditions and traditions to justify such importance."
"Treat it as a niche hobby for children of middle-class and above families to develop. Considering the population base in the country, that’s enough to accomplish talent selection."
"Turning it into a national sport by force will only provoke public aversion, changing it from fragrant to stinky and losing its essential supporters."
"Niche, at least it can survive, even thrive. Forcing it, on the other hand, is inviting decay and breeding corruption!"
The collaboration between Lisbon Athletics and the domestic front is going to be a trial.
If they are successful here, then the domestic consensus on football development will be established.
Well, alright.
After Jiang Yunzhu explained this, Ronaldo became even more emotional.
So, in this discussion involving four people, am I the only one who hasn’t joined your private chat group?
This... should I leave then?
