Chapter 258: Chapter 257: After Hearing Something He Shouldn’t Have, Ibrahimovic Is Afraid
Whenever Coach Kai got happy, a bit of player and tactical analysis from him was enough to sustain Maxa’s reputation as a "tactical master."
Honestly, in the half-year since leaving Coach Kai’s side, Maxa was really afraid to sleep.
He was terrified of being exposed every day.
But now, he wasn’t afraid anymore.
Having been immersed in Coach Kai’s presence, he could now wield any weapon with authenticity, loving the flexible strength of nunchakus the most, learning tactics as if following Coach Kai to Wudang Mountain...
Ibrahimovic was still confused because he didn’t understand why Trigella and Maxa were being so polite to Deng Kai.
"Jia De’er..." Deng Kai shook his head at Jia De’er, who was running laps on the training field, "I’ve calculated the average goals scored by Portuguese Superliga teams over the past few seasons, with each team scoring around a hundred goals in a season."
"A strong team might score around a hundred and thirty or even a hundred and fifty."
"But last season, Sporting Lisbon’s total goals were only around a hundred, on par with the previous three seasons."
"This implies... Jia De’er’s arrival didn’t make the team’s offense stronger; his role was to concentrate the scoring."
"Looking at Sporting Lisbon’s results last season, they were more stable when facing weaker teams, but they also lost more times against stronger teams."
"This isn’t a coincidence. I’ve watched those match videos. When Jia De’er was marked out of the game, the team struggled to score and naturally couldn’t beat the opposition."
"If he was a forward who could break through against strong opponents, then his monopolization of the ball wouldn’t matter. But if he can only dominate weaker teams, his value to Sporting Lisbon isn’t as great as everyone thinks."
Ibrahimovic was dumbfounded.
Were these the words of a substitute like Deng Kai?
Were these words meant for a newcomer like him to hear?
"Moreover, he doesn’t like to drop back to link up play, he has the ability to be a pivot but doesn’t utilize it, and I dislike pairing with such a striker. Last season, when Viana returned from injury and struggled to find his form, it was because he lacked the support of a dropping forward, often getting isolated and out of sync with the rest of the team’s offensive and defensive efforts."
"By comparison, whether it’s Drogba’s physical hold-up play or Ibrahimovic’s footwork and passing, both are more helpful to the team."
"And, I believe that against strong opponents, both of them would bring more to the table than Jia De’er, at least they have the potential, while Jia De’er has proven he does not have such an ability."
"The Brazilian national team’s delay in calling him up is mainly because of this issue."
Trigella kept nodding, but considering Ibrahimovic was still there, he refrained from expressing his opinions.
After a suitable amount of time passed, Trigella let Ibrahimovic leave, with Maxa instructing him to appear distressed, to give the impression he had been reprimanded.
After Ibrahimovic closed the door, he intentionally slowed his footsteps, then heard Trigella’s voice coming through: "So, should we sell him to Benfica or someone else?"
Deng Kai’s voice followed: "Nuno Gomes was sensational at the European Championship, Benfica will definitely build the team around him. Wouldn’t it be self-destructive for a dominant striker like Jia De’er to go there?"
"Sending him outside of the Portuguese Superliga isn’t realistic either. Jia De’er shines in the Superliga, but his influence is limited to within it. Bundesliga and Ligue 1 have shown interest, but their offers are far from ideal, and the salary they are willing to provide is low, he might not be willing to leave."
"The best move would be to send him back to Porto. Without him, they lost the league title, and both the fans and the team are more aware of Jia De’er’s importance. Only they might be willing to pay a hefty price to take him back."
"Don’t forget, after Jia De’er came to Sporting Lisbon, his salary significantly increased. Even if we send him back for slightly less than what we paid for him, this deal would already be the best way to cut our losses."
Maxa interjected: "Do we have to sell him? What about using him as a substitute? After all, his scoring efficiency is stable, and his presence could somewhat stimulate Ibrahimovic and Drogba’s potential."
Deng Kai: "No need, don’t use those you distrust nor distrust those you use. Whether it’s Ibrahimovic or Drogba, as long as they adapt to the Superliga, they absolutely won’t be bad. Just alternating between the two of them is already more than enough."
"If Jia De’er stays, he can only sit on the bench. After a season, his value will surely drop significantly; selling him now is the best opportunity..."
Ibrahimovic slowly walked out of the office building.
He didn’t even dare to look back at Trigella’s window.
He heard what he shouldn’t have, he was worried...
Looking at Ibrahimovic’s expression, everyone thought he got a lecture.
Ibrahimovic and Jia De’er entered at the same time, but while Jia De’er came out early to run laps, Ibrahimovic was scolded for half an hour.
Everyone could tell who got the lighter treatment and who bore the brunt.
Poor Ibrahimovic.
Of course, at the same time, Ibrahimovic, watching Jia De’er running laps, couldn’t quite believe that a team would sell a super striker who scored thirty-eight goals in a single season in the Portuguese league.
If he were the manager, he would definitely sell himself, the one who had a conflict with Jia De’er.
That’s just ruthless!
And it was Deng Kai who proposed it, no less.
The main reason being, "I don’t like playing football with that kind of striker."
Fallback, support, pivot... These terms kept flashing in Ibrahimovic’s mind.
He is a player who likes to play beautiful football, who used to only pursue fancy dribbling and shooting, but now... well, he could accept fancy passes too.
...
In the following days, the conflict between Ibrahimovic and Jia De’er seemed to be resolved.
But in fact, the impact had sunk deep into everyone’s mind.
Because Deng Kai backed Ibrahimovic, he not only had the support of his old teammates Ronaldo and Feng Te but also had new recruits like Barzagli, Drogba, and Pepe to bolster him.
Suddenly, this group of young players rallied around Deng Kai, forming a circle where the veterans couldn’t bully them.
While standing out among the crowd, Deng Kai also maintained good relationships with almost everyone else outside this small group.
From Matthaus to the old man watching the gate, everyone liked him.
After a warm-up match, the team beat their opponents two to nil.
Jia De’er scored both goals, with Matthaus providing an assist.
Considering the opponent was Le Mans, a newly promoted team from the French second division, the score was still acceptable to the fans.
After all, Sporting Lisbon had undergone a complete overhaul, so winning against a French second-division team was a passable outcome.
But in fact... as newcomers, Le Mans had not made any signings for the season, and on the contrary, they had lost some seemingly ordinary but key players (Drogba), so their real level was not even up to the French second division.
And Sporting Lisbon, being a powerhouse of the Portuguese league, managed only a two-goal win without dominating the game, relying solely on Quaresma’s magical dribbles and crosses on the wing; their chance creation and finishing abilities were not considered excellent.
However, a win is a win, and as a result, the team got a day off.
Deng Kai organized players in the "Kai faction" to go see a movie together.
Deng Kai also sent a text to Terry, but Terry replied that his family was coming to visit him and he couldn’t get away.
Deng Kai expressed his understanding and wished Terry and his family a happy weekend.
