Chapter 659: Chapter 658: The Undefeated Ed’s Match Against Undefeated Ing
Villa is only about a year and a half older than Torres.
Villa had always played for the Spanish Second Division team Sporting Gijon.
Torres, on the other hand, was the crown prince of Atletico Madrid during their time in the Second Division, playing in the matches early on.
By comparison, Torres had a much higher starting point.
He was even a player Real Madrid once wanted to sign.
But... so far, Torres hasn’t achieved anything remarkable.
Whereas Villa scored twenty goals in the Second Division last year, earning the nickname "Lone Hero."
Two months ago, Torres was officially called up to the national team.
But at the same time, he also learned of some news.
The national team was also considering Villa, who, like him, played for Manchester City.
The two of them... were rivals.
This was true for both the club and the national team!
After receiving feedback from Feng Te, Deng Kai nodded, "Your information is very timely. In this situation, Torres must be given a fair chance."
"Otherwise, if he is not selected for the national team, he’ll blame the club for not giving him enough opportunities."
"In the next League Cup match, Torres and Villa will both start!"
Feng Te left satisfied.
Without question, this was an important tactic for Feng Te to "win over" Torres.
By helping Torres with his problem, how could Torres not respect him?
The status of Feng Te as the "locker room leader" certainly wasn’t established just by a Kung Pao chicken.
Maxa: ???
Maxa: Isn’t that the case?
Feng Te had already solved problems for the players in the team multiple times.
Of course, Feng Te also knew that this was an opportunity given to him by Coach Kai.
If Coach Kai promoted him as the locker room leader, then at certain times, he had to step up and do things that would offend others.
Only this way could Coach Kai remain untainted and maintain the respect of a Saint.
...
After that afternoon’s training, Feng Te had a talk with Torres.
The latter immediately became excited.
Not just because he’d been given a chance to play in the upcoming League Cup match.
But also because Torres learned from Feng Te that the team would support him in joining the Spanish national team.
Feng Te’s exact words: "Don’t worry about who is helping you or how they are helping, just know that joining the Spanish national team won’t be a problem for you, got it? I shouldn’t say more than that."
Afterwards, he stared at the Deng Kai poster on the walkway of the field.
Torres immediately realized: "Coach Kai?"
Feng Te: "Shh! I never said that, you guessed it yourself, ha. Just keep this to yourself, if something unexpected happens later... it’ll be troublesome to... explain."
Torres nodded repeatedly, internally cheering Coach Kai YYDS!
But in reality, Deng Kai didn’t need to exert any effort.
Even if Villa was better than Torres, looking at the current situation of Spain’s front line, Torres was still the one to be selected.
Raul, Morientes, Luke.
Raul had all-round skills and could play from forward to attacking midfielder, but he lacked physicality and impact.
Morientes was a pivotal target man with a strong tactical role.
Spain currently lacked a fast, impact forward.
Therefore, among the players they were scouting lately, all were of this type.
Luke from Deportivo La Coruna and Manchester City’s Torres were among the best.
Luke performed better in the league.
Torres was on the trending team, with advantages in influence, and he came from a more prestigious background. He led the youth team to various honors, making him more competitive than Luke.
If he could put on a few more brilliant performances, that would make him even more secure.
It’s important to become famous early, which Villa learned the hard way by becoming successful later in his career.
...
On October 28th, in the third round of the English Football League Cup, Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest.
The match was kicked off at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City had the home advantage, and Nottingham Forest got a share of the ticket revenue, leaving everyone happy.
Nottingham Forest is a very famous team, although they seem to be out of the mainstream now, they were the legendary team that created the Nottingham Forest miracle of yesteryear.
In the 1976-1977 season, they were promoted to the top tier of English football.
In the 1977-1978 season, as a newly promoted team, they became champions of both the league and the League Cup, creating a miracle for promoted teams.
In the 1978-1979 season, they triumphantly secured the European Cup.
In 1979-1980, they retained their title as European Cup champions.
To this day, the record of not losing a single game in the English top-flight league still belongs to Nottingham Forest.
Forty-two games unbeaten!
The media thus found a new focal point for their news stories.
Sky Sports: "The unbeaten versus the unbeating! This is a war about invincibility!"
Manchester Evening: "The Etihad turns into a hellish stadium once more, can the terrifying Blue Moon destroy Nottingham Forest?"
The Times: "Nottingham Forest with its full strength, Manchester City fielding a purely substitute lineup, the match still holds suspense!"
Echo Report: "Last year Manchester City allowed the league to pass, focusing on the League and FA Cups. This year they prioritize the league, with European competition, giving up the League Cup is inevitable."
During the pre-match press conference, the media interviewed Deng Kai.
Reporter: "Deng Kai, why are you still starting in this match? We noticed that you are the only starting player in this lineup."
Deng Kai: "Nottingham Forest is a great team, they deserve respect. That’s also the reason I’m still in the starting lineup."
There was a burst of applause from the reporters below.
Young Master Kai is generous indeed.
The only one with a scowl was Nottingham Forest’s manager, thinking: How about you try showing us a little less respect?
Deng Kai added: "Additionally, Manchester City has many outstanding players. The starters are certainly excellent, but that doesn’t mean the substitutes and rotation players are any less capable."
"We are more about planning our squad and tactical arrangements specifically based on the characteristics of the opposing team and their tactics."
"We might have the world’s most outstanding coaching team, with Maxa, Guardiola, Deschamps, Schmeichel... They often spend half a year developing a perfect rotation scheme."
Professors at Tsinghua University would thumb up for it.
Reporter: "Adriano, who is in great form, is not playing in this match. Did Manchester City choose Torres and Villa as their strike partnership because they are worried about him getting injured?"
Deng Kai nodded: "That’s one aspect. Adriano is one of our strongest weapons, a huge threat but also a heavy burden."
"We have devised a strict fitness plan for him, and we want to make sure we have a healthy Ronaldo for the sprint phase at the end of the season!"
"Additionally, allowing Villa and Torres to cooperate more is also a contribution we are making to the Spanish national team."
"Both of them are excellent strikers; if they can create chemistry, it will provide the Spanish national team with even more options for their forward line."
The Spanish national team responded: He’s really making me cry!
Manchester City’s starting lineup for the match was:
Torres, Villa
Deng Kai, Fabregas, David Silva
Mascherano
Ashley Young, Thiago Silva, Kompany, Sun Jihai
Neuer
It really was a pure substitute lineup.
