Chapter 276: Chapter 275: Giving the Magical Beast a Reassuring Pill
"Are you injured?"
Deng Kai pointed to Drogba’s right ankle.
To others, it looked like Maxa was worried about Drogba being injured, so he rushed over in a hurry.
Even Drogba himself was moved by Maxa’s actions.
Love for his players is like love for his own children!
With such a coach, what more could one ask for? Willing to bow and scrape for Maxa till the end, ready to give their all!
"I’m not, I haven’t, don’t talk nonsense," the honest man Drogba denied in a triple streak, drawing the attention of the whole team.
Because even if you scolded him, it would not be easy for him to utter two or three words.
When had he ever performed a triple denial?
This was definitely a problem.
"What exactly is the situation, when did it happen?" Deng Kai didn’t doubt him and grabbed Drogba to head towards the medical room.
Drogba tried to refuse several times but didn’t dare to really challenge Deng Kai, and the two of them gradually left the training field.
Eventually, Drogba revealed the truth.
He was indeed injured.
There was a distinct pain in his right ankle, which had been kicked by an opposing player during a previous match.
Moreover, because of the pain in his right foot, he had been putting more weight on his left leg, and now there was some twitching pain in the tendon behind his left thigh.
After going to the medical room for a checkup.
Teammates indicated the situation wasn’t optimistic.
There was no problem with the right Achilles tendon, but there was some damage to the ankle.
This was an important joint and needed rest.
Also, the left thigh had a slight strain, which if not detected in time, likely would have worsened into a serious strain.
According to Drogba, this situation had been going on for quite a while.
The team doctors were conquered by Drogba’s spirit of enduring hardship.
You dumbass, to actually be able to keep up training and playing matches with these injuries.
It’s outrageous!
Not to mention whether an ordinary person could bear such pain, even if they could, the injury would have rapidly deteriorated.
It’s like taking an injection for pain relief before playing again.
Drogba not only acted as an anesthetic on his own but also did not have the strong side effects that other players had after taking injections.
No wonder he later got the nickname ’Beast.’
This body didn’t seem to hail from Ivory Coast, but rather from the Warsong clan of Orgrimmar.
"You can’t keep playing, you must rest," the team doctor insisted.
"No, please, let me keep playing, don’t tell Mr. Trigella!" Drogba begged desperately, "I really need to play, I can’t sit on the bench all the time."
"Otherwise, I’ll be eliminated, and I don’t want to be eliminated!"
"If I can’t make it at Benfica, I might not even be wanted back in Ligue 2. Then I won’t be able to afford my family’s expenses; I don’t want my wife and children to go hungry or cold."
Twenty-two-year-old Drogba knew the meaning of family all too well.
He planned to use his formidable body to carry it all.
His emotions were slightly riled up, and with his naturally intimidating look, he even managed to scare the team doctor for a moment.
In the end, it was Deng Kai who got a hold of Drogba: "Hey, brother, I think you’ve got something wrong."
Drogba didn’t understand what Deng Kai meant.
"Maybe in other places, sitting on the bench means you’re not good enough, but not here," Deng Kai took out a piece of paper and a pen, drawing some tactical diagrams on it, "This was your previous ordinary team."
"Because they have no honors or are eliminated early, their number of games is few. To save costs, they only need a fixed starting lineup."
"But we’re different, first of all, we won’t have fewer matches. The Primeira Liga, the Europa League, the Portugal Cup... As long as we keep winning, we’ll play a dozen more matches than other teams."
"Most importantly, many times we’ll have two or even three matches a week. The concept of a substitute, in a team like ours, is the starter for certain matches."
"That’s the first point, you don’t have to worry about being swept out of the team if you go to the bench. It’s not the same."
Drogba’s expression became somewhat calmer.
Deng Kai continued to write and draw: "Moreover, another point where we differ is that our team has a real top tactical master. You must have noticed by now; we have a variety of playing styles, with each player having specific runs and passing options, right? You have them too."
"That means sometimes players sit on the bench not because they’re not good enough, but because today’s main tactics are a different set, this is called specificity. It gives us more initiative when facing strong opponents, as we can adapt to them, but they’ll have a hard time adapting to us."
"That’s also why I said we’re likely to win more in some cup competitions; the two go hand in hand."
"You know we have tactics specifically designed around your movements, meaning you have a role in the team. This indicates you’re an important member of the team."
"So, while the league is just getting started and you have the chance to heal, you better take it. Otherwise, in the second half of the season, when every match is crucial, Mr. Trigella will have to field you even if you’re injured."
Drogba was not dull; he understood Deng Kai’s point—with a tactical master like Maxa in the team, the team needed Drogba for certain plays.
But Drogba had another concern: "But Ibrahimovic... what I can do, he can do, what he can do, I mostly can’t; I..."
Deng Kai shook his head: "No, no, no, what you can do, Ibrahimovic can’t. I know what you think; he’s taller, more skillful, if he’s a Rolls-Royce, then you’re just a regular pickup."
"But you must understand, there’s a reason for football styles. Ibrahimovic, no matter how he changes, would find it hard to do all the dirty and tiring work... He has his charm with the football, but he’ll never match your standard in sheer simplicity."
"Moreover, you’re actually a lot faster than him, especially once you get going. This kind of impact is rare in the world of football. It’s different from top speed; this kind of gravitational acceleration has much more potential for lateral expansion."
"In short, you have nothing to worry about. I brought you here, pah... The team brought you here, definitely not to make you a fringe player. You, Ibrahimovic, you both have very important roles and will become crucial supports on the team’s front line."
In the end, Drogba agreed to receive treatment.
And on Deng Kai’s recommendation, he even tried traditional Chinese orthopedics.
His years of rough playing had left his body in need of maintenance in many areas.
In fact, had he not come to Sporting Lisbon and instead stayed at Le Mans, Drogba would have spent the season struggling with recurrent injuries, appearing only eleven times without scoring a goal.
The injuries that season would also have an impact on his future.
