Chapter 605: Chapter 604: Arsenal is under great pressure, the annual Oscars
The reporter was stunned; reaching the quarterfinals of the Champions League was already a remarkable achievement for a second-tier league powerhouse like Porto.
Everyone knew Deng Kai was going to praise Porto, but they didn’t expect him to go this far...
Reporter, "What do you mean by ’strike for the Champions League’? The semifinals?"
Deng Kai shook his head, "Of course, the championship! For teams from minor leagues and ordinary teams from the top five leagues, not winning the championship, the semifinals would be meaningless."
"Because once you reach the semifinals, those powerhouses will not give you a second chance to strike for the Champions League."
"Once you embark on this path, whether or not you reach the top, it will all end when the time comes."
"Sporting Lisbon is no exception, Porto will not be an exception, Mourinho, you only have one last chance! Spend the money if you have to, you know!"
Deng Kai publicly called out Porto.
Meanwhile, Porto’s coach, in an effort to steady his team’s morale, stubbornly told the media, "Don’t talk to me about championships, but we will definitely win the next match and go further!"
It seemed Mourinho wasn’t appreciative.
However, behind closed doors, Mourinho had already instructed Porto’s sports manager to go all out and search across Europe for a suitable powerhouse striker.
This "translator" even let Deco have the chance to meet with Deng Kai to discuss in detail some tactical content about defense and counterattack, including Deng Kai’s perspective on the Champions League situation and various top players.
...
March 19th, the Champions League quarterfinals second leg concluded.
Two disappointed individuals emerged.
One was Mourinho.
As expected, Porto failed to score and missed out on the Champions League semifinals.
One was Wenger.
Arsenal also suffered a defeat in European competition, only making it to the last eight of the Champions League.
The Arsenal fans’ dream of a treble—Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup—had already lost one component.
Despite Wenger defensively stating after being eliminated, "It’s not necessarily a bad thing, at least it allows us to focus more on the league and the FA Cup."
"We will still have a successful season."
But Deng Kai’s words started to linger in the heads of every Arsenal fan.
"This season’s Arsenal lacked a bit of luck!"
March 22nd, the 31st round of the Premier League.
Manchester City were guests in London again, challenging Chelsea.
Five to zero!
Manchester City was once again humiliatingly defeated by Londoners.
London fans felt immense satisfaction.
In Manchester City’s recent two visits to London, they had conceded a total of ten goals!
What use is winning the League Cup for such a team?
They were fundamentally a third-rate team.
Whether it’s my "Gunners" or my "Blues," both could easily crush them.
It’s just that Manchester United seemed to be bewitched, performing poorly against Manchester City.
It seemed like Manchester United truly could not win against London teams this season.
How many years has it been!
From Liverpool to Manchester... This time, is the Premier League finally entering the era of Great London?
Long live London!
Echo Report, "Losing doesn’t matter? After the match, Deng Kai did not return to Manchester with the team, instead he rushed to Los Angeles overnight!"
Manchester Evening, "Deng Kai is distracted, losing is normal. After all, the upcoming league matches are meaningless for Manchester City, who have nearly secured safety in advance!"
Sky Sports, "Hathaway nominated for the 75th Oscars Best Supporting Actress, Deng Kai flies to Los Angeles to join Hathaway at the awards ceremony!"
"BBC": "Deng Kai’s professionalism is once again called into question! His actions have set a bad example for many professional players!"
"Dongqiu Emperor": "Manchester City tallied up each player’s favorite movie star, and Deng Kai will bring back autographed photos of these stars for everyone! It’s the thought that counts!"
"The Sun Newspaper": "Unspoken agreement! Manchester City’s baroness Keira Knightley was unable to attend this year’s Oscars, keeping in step with Hathaway, like ships passing in the night?"
Well, then.
England’s soccer scene turned into a mess.
For the sake of the league, each team fought tooth and nail, almost working themselves to death.
However, your Manchester City had other plans.
The captain went to the Oscars, even helping his teammates to get autographs.
The team stayed overnight in London, with all expenses covered by the club chairman Mansour.
Does that mean you guys whooped Chelsea five to zero?
At the moment, no Premier League player isn’t envious of Manchester City’s treatment.
It’s just too comfortable.
The first team is fully rotated, whether you are a key player or a bench warmer, you all get plenty of chances to play without being exhausted.
The team won honors, the players got bonuses, and the results were more relaxed than any other team.
Key traffic was high too, with players’ values all increasing. Even Feng Te received some offers from ordinary teams.
Although these teams were ordinary, they casually presented the captain’s armband along with their offers.
They were after Feng Te’s locker room skills.
Feng Te: "???"
Feng Te: "I thought you were after my locker room cooking skills."
On March 23, the 75th Academy Awards ceremony was grandly held at the Hollywood Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.
Deng Kai and Hathaway walked the red carpet together.
Hathaway’s "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" swept the global cinema this year.
Global box office broke one billion!
It successfully defeated the first installment which overshadowed them, Harry Potter.
"The Lord of the Rings 2" received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Sound Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Supporting Actress, and more at this year’s awards ceremony.
Before the awards, the United States’ Entertainment Circle had predictions for the major awards at the Oscars.
Although "The Lord of the Rings 2" had a spectacular box office, due to various reasons, it was unlikely to win many major awards.
Hathaway’s chances of winning Best Supporting Actress were also very low. This time it seemed more like she was just running alongside.
Initially, Hathaway was not planning to come.
But Deng Kai said it was rare for the two to meet, so they might as well make it a date.
That’s why Hathaway personally attended.
But during the red carpet phase, a journalist from the famous American "Entertainment Weekly" made some rude remarks: "Anne, do you know that your chances of winning are very slim?"
"Aside from The Lord of the Rings series, you had almost no good works in the past year."
"Your win for Best Actress at the Oscars years ago seemed more like a miracle than a testament to your abilities."
"In the more professional US film and TV Golden Ball Awards where you won nothing, nor even got nominated, isn’t that the best proof?"
Hathaway was visibly upset at that moment.
But with so many cameras around, Hathaway acted as if she hadn’t heard.
However, unexpectedly, during the awards segment, as a special guest presenter, the editor-in-chief of "Entertainment Weekly," Harris, brought it up again, teasing Hathaway, "Hathaway, you need to prove your clout at the Golden Ball Awards."
"I hope you refine your acting skills, whether it takes five years or ten. Only by winning the Golden Ball will you be considered a truly excellent actress."
"You should be in some real movies!"
