Chapter 512: Chapter 511: Arsenal’s Four Virtues Wu Xudong, Maxa’s Crafty Plan Disturbs Real Madrid
This was enough to demonstrate the dominance of the two teams this season.
Had it not been for the European competitions, the gap between them and the teams behind them would have been even greater.
At one point, what had been a three-way competition seemed likely to turn into a duel for supremacy.
Benfica was in a rather awkward position.
Intending to quietly go gray, you damn went and got a dye job, totally screwed!
Additionally, Lisbon’s Ibrahimovic and Wu Xudong also shone brightly this season.
Ibrahimovic, with eight goals and six assists, ranked third in efficiency in the entire Portuguese league, only behind Deng Kai and Deco.
Wu Xudong scored four goals and provided four assists, achieving respectable figures and performing exceptionally in key battles.
Since "four" is homophonous with "death" in Mandarin, some fans jokingly referred to Wu Xudong as the "Tongliao Grim Reaper"!
This nickname was easier to catch on than "Lisbon Chengji Sihan."
However, Deng Kai’s comment that Wu Xudong was suited for Arsenal made it unclear what he actually meant.
But considering Arsenal’s focus on speedy wing-backs, people eventually got it.
Inspired by Deng Kai, Arsenal was reportedly actually considering making a move for Wu Xudong.
...
On May 5, the Portuguese Cup final kicked off.
This was the last high-profile domestic match in Portugal.
The scene was packed with crowds.
In the twenty-fifth minute, Ronaldo skillfully dribbled and delivered a stunning cross, Drogba pulled at the front, and Ronaldo headed the ball in for a goal.
One to zero.
In the thirty-second minute, Deng Kai passed the ball laterally to Drogba, who passed it back, and Kaka helped to extend the lead with a long shot.
Two to zero.
In seventy-first minute of the second half, Porto responded with a counterattack, Deco delivered a through pass, and Jia De’er hit a sensational goal to pull one back.
But just two minutes later, Deng Kai’s exquisite lob assisted Ibrahimovic, who had just come off the bench, to score at the near post. Three to one, Porto’s chances were fading.
Mourinho, on the bench, was beating his chest and stomping his feet, clearly disappointed.
He was well aware that Porto was no match for this Lisbon team this season.
The setbacks they suffered in the league couldn’t be compensated for in the cup.
Perhaps at the start of the season, the two teams were still on par.
However, at this moment, a team reaching the final of the UEFA Europa League was definitely not on the same level as one reaching the Champions League final.
Yet unexpectedly, just when the match seemed over, a dramatic scene unfolded at the very end.
In the eighty-fourth minute, Jia De’er, amid Reina’s charge, committed a foul on Reina that earned him a red card.
Jia De’er was sent off the field.
Reina lay painfully on the ground. After a preliminary examination by the medic, it appeared he might have fractured a bone.
Reina was subsequently hospitalized for further confirmation.
He suffered three broken ribs from Jia De’er’s kick and would be out for the rest of the season and possibly the beginning of the next.
As a result, Lisbon was furious.
Trigella, usually a gentleman, rarely lashed out in front of the media, "This isn’t playing football; this is murder! Jia De’er wanted to kill Reina because Reina saved his one-on-one attempt!"
Maxa revealed a keen insight, "Previously, there were rumors that Real Madrid was dissatisfied with their current strikers and were considering a powerful forward, with a Brazilian player listed as a target."
"Now it seems, this rumor was intentionally spread for Jia De’er to hear."
"What is this? A declaration of loyalty by Jia De’er?"
"Of course, Real Madrid’s players don’t need to resort to such means; they have the confidence and ability. But we all know the club is vast, and I want to know if Florentino is aware of this."
"I hope everyone will pay attention with me to the personnel changes at Real Madrid in the coming days. I need to see someone in the management held accountable because I refuse to believe all this is just a coincidence."
"Also, I regret to inform Jia De’er. Real Madrid is indeed scouting a Brazilian striker, but it will definitely not be you."
Of course, after saying all this, Maxa didn’t actually know what his words would trigger.
But as Deng Kai had instructed, he just needed to handle it smoothly and beautifully.
A single stone stirred a thousand ripples.
Reina’s injury was a further blow to Sporting Lisbon, already not favored to perform well.
As I mentioned before, Schmeichel’s performance this season was slightly worse than last season.
In the series against Manchester United, he was recovered, but he didn’t play.
Part of the reason was his affection for Manchester United.
But more importantly, by that time, Reina’s form had completely surpassed Schmeichel, and choosing Reina to play was purely a decision based on competitive level.
This shows how important Reina was to Sporting Lisbon.
A good goalkeeper might not necessarily make spectacular things happen, but a poor goalkeeper is sure to cause trouble.
In the 2016 UEFA European Championship, goalkeeper Patricio performed excellently.
However, during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Portugal’s starting goalkeeper Diogo Costa had performances that could be described as disastrous. The goal he let in during Portugal’s elimination game even looked somewhat farcical.
Saving the goals that should be saved characterizes a good goalkeeper, but only those who save the impossible can become truly top goalkeepers because their role is different from other players.
Goalkeepers perform against the odds.
Every top goalkeeper is more miraculous than a top forward.
And this season, Reina had performed almost miraculously.
People were already comparing him to Real Madrid’s Casillas.
At the very least, his performance this season was no less impressive than that of Casillas.
Because Casillas was benched by his backup, Cesar Sanchez, midway through the season, with both the number of appearances and performances not better than Reina.
However, Reina’s injury was something that couldn’t be changed.
In the Champions League final, Sporting Lisbon’s goalkeeper could only be Schmeichel.
Jia De’er faced unanimous resistance from Portuguese fans.
This prompted him to consider leaving the Portuguese league.
The fans didn’t like him, and the coach’s tactics didn’t suit him.
Jia De’er found no reason to stay.
But this situation led directly to another question.
That is... exactly which Brazilian striker does Real Madrid fancy?
People debated this.
Indeed, most believed Florentino was targeting the extraterrestrial Ronaldo.
Figo + Zidane + Raul, three Golden Ball laureates.
And Carlos, Hierro, Maclele, Guti, Morientes, and other top stars.
If Ronaldo were to join...my goodness, what a spectacular lineup that would be?
This is a lineup fans couldn’t resist.
But for the top coaches, this lineup didn’t necessarily mean everything.
They were more concerned with the immediate reactions after the news was released.
Because they saw it as a tactical play targeting the Champions League final.
Ferguson commented on Maxa’s brilliant move, "If Trigella’s coaching ability is considered divinely strategic, then Maxa certainly plays a game of strategic brilliance that decides victory from thousands of miles away!"
"The news he broke will directly cause turbulence in Real Madrid."
"It doesn’t matter who Florentino wants to sign, what matters is why he’s signing them?"
"Obviously, he’s dissatisfied with the current front line."
"Raul just won the Golden Ball, Florentino couldn’t be dissatisfied with him. The one Florentino is dissatisfied with is now clear... Morientes, it seems this Real Madrid number nine is about to be out in the cold."
"You expect him to play in the final, yet you’re thinking of replacing him, who could guarantee Morientes’ state at that time?"
Ferguson pierced through this facade.
Reporters swarmed to Madrid.
Soon, the media captured a video of Morientes complaining at a dining table with friends.
Though it was unclear, people could see Morientes’ discontent.
He was betrayed!
Let down!
