Handsome position is not easy

Chapter 128

After a two-game losing streak, Porto went to the Vidal Pinheiro Stadium to challenge Saguiros. This team deep in the relegation zone did not cause any trouble for the Nerazzurri, even though Mourinho sent most of them as substitutes. Players in the lineup, Porto still comforted the fans in a bad mood with 3:0.

The calm Porto media no longer regarded the league championship as the goal that the team can achieve. Whether in front of his colleagues or in interviews with the outside world, Mourinho also clearly expressed his expectations for Porto in the future , Do your best to stabilize the league rankings.

Only the top two teams in the Portuguese Liga are eligible to participate in the UEFA Champions League. When the Portuguese Cup is eliminated early, Porto must at least keep the top three positions in the league if they want to get a place in the European Cup. No one wants to be qualified for the Europa League. The tedious schedule takes too much energy.

The next opponent is Lisbon City's third Portuguese Liga team, Belan Lens. They have been under the pressure of Sporting Lisbon and Benfica for a long time. Whether it is the number of fans or the size of the stadium, this club is at an absolute disadvantage, but Relying on the ordinary but solid youth training system, they were able to retain their place in the Portuguese League.

Mourinho did not use Deco, who had just returned from injury, out of caution, but Porto's performance surprised him. When the first half went on for more than 30 minutes, Paredes and Ricardo Costa The consecutive mistakes were quickly caught by Bilan Lens, and Porto fell behind by one goal at the Restello Stadium.

To make matters worse, not long after the goal was conceded, Herder Postiga received a red card for an elbow lift in the fight for the ball. The referee whistled for the foul. Mourinho was very close to the scene of the incident. , he clearly saw how the young Portuguese striker overwhelmed the opponent's players. The situation of the game was already very bad, and it would be even worse to lose another player.

The Porto coach didn't protest to the fourth official this time. The red card was justified, so he vented all his anger on Postiga. Mourinho did not make any comforting gestures at all. Instead, he glared angrily at the other party and whispered:

"Elder, do you know what you did? Porto fell behind 0:1, but you found yourself a red card out of nothing, you know? I won't use you anymore, and Porto doesn't want any players in their team. For a player like you, report to the second team when you go back tomorrow, and reflect on yourself!"

Postiga just stood there and listened quietly, without saying a word. Mourinho knew that he was an introverted and even shy player. Even if he was blamed by the coach, he would not respond. He was in a terrible mood He no longer paid attention to Postiga, saying a few more words could not change the situation on the field.

Mourinho removed the winger Candido, put Benny McCarthy on the field, and took Deco in the second half, but even so, Porto still performed very poorly in the ten-man battle. With the ball, the Restello Stadium became a sea of ​​joy, and Porto could only suffer the 0:3 defeat in silence.

In the dressing room of the visiting team, Mourinho broke the practice of never speaking to the players after the game. In his opinion, the Nerazzurri's performance is so bad that there is no need to worry about whether the players will increase the psychological burden. problem.

"You played too badly, you know?! Tell you one thing, I want to change the structure of Porto's first team, and I will never rely on those guys who may leave at any time, because if this continues, I will Will become the first Porto coach in many years not to qualify for next season's European competition.

It's a disgrace, not only for you, but for me and the whole club, let's find out what happens next!Either you drive away all this bad state and make changes immediately, or I will ask Mr. Chairman to let the young players from the youth academy play in the Portuguese League. As for you, all report to the reserve team! "

Mourinho's hand-held tactical board fell into two halves on the ground. Facing the coach's anger, all Porto players were silent. Even though the training session was over, no one dared to speak. And Faria persuaded Mourinho to leave the locker room.

In the post-match press conference, Mourinho made it very clear that some players could not make any contribution to the team. If you make a big move, maybe many people will be sold out by the club.

Pinto da Costa later expressed support for the coach's statement in the interview. Mourinho's last proposal has been passed at the board meeting, and the scouts have also spread to all parts of Portugal according to his intentions. After Porto, Mourinho submitted a list to Mr. Chairman, which lists more than a dozen players who can be used as the cornerstone of reconstruction next season. As for others, they need to continue to investigate in the next game.

Next, Porto will face Panathinaikos who came from afar at the Asantas Stadium. The situation of the second stage group stage of the UEFA Champions League is gradually becoming clear. Real Madrid ranks first with four games, three wins and one tie. Nathinaikos maintained a complete victory in both home and away games against Sparta Prague, and now ranks second with seven points. The Czech team ranks third with three points from one win and three losses. Porto has only won four games. With two draws, they are at the bottom of the group with two points.

If they want to successfully qualify in the second stage of the group stage, Porto not only needs to score six points in two games against the Greek and Czech powerhouses, but Panathinaikos cannot win Real Madrid at home.

The only positive point is that according to the rules of the UEFA Champions League group stage, when the two teams have the same points, the first priority is to compare the records of the two teams. The teams have eight points together, and the Blue and Whites can also use the relationship of one win and one tie to overwhelm the opponent and successfully qualify.

On the fourth day after losing to Bilenlens, the Asantas Stadium ushered in a heavy rain, and Porto also ushered in its own opponent. The slippery turf did not stop the determination of the Blue and Whites to win. Porto beat Panathinaikos 2-1 at home with goals from Benny McCarthy and Deco.

Although there were not many fans watching the game at the Asantas Stadium due to torrential rain and previous European results, Porto finally won their first victory in the second group stage of the UEFA Champions League. This precious point not only relieved the extremely tense atmosphere in the team, but also rekindled the hope of reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the Nerazzurri.

(PS: At that time, the second stage of the group stage consisted of sixteen teams in four groups, and the top two teams in each group were the quarterfinals.)
(End of this chapter)