Fame with a ball

In the eighth round of Serie A, Juventus played against Genoa at home. Affected by the loss against AC Milan in the sixth round of the league, Juventus's state is still in the doldrums. and.

All Juventus players and fans feel bad. Although a draw is better than a loss, it is always a pity not to win.

But there are many people who are more regretful and disappointed than them, such as Chinese fans, such as CCTV, because Lin Zhigao didn't even make the squad in this game.

Yes, there was no room for him on the bench this time. He was left at the training base by Capello for the holiday.

If it weren't for the announcement on the official website of Juventus, saying that they have not, and they are not going to give up Lin Zhigao, they have repeatedly stated that the head coach Fabio Capello also appreciates Lin Zhigao.Chinese fans all thought that Lin Zhigao would be exiled when he first joined the Bianconeri.

In fact, there are not only many people who hold this kind of thinking in China, but the group is still growing gradually.Who told Capello not to play for Lin Zhigao?This is definitely not a normal thing.

Serie A has always been an old lover of CCTV.More than [-] years of live broadcasting of matches and a luxurious lineup of commentators have not only cultivated many fans for Serie A in China, but also created a large number of fans for Serie A within CCTV.Even though Serie A has been in a downturn in recent years, it is almost overtaken by La Liga, and the Premier League has been gradually eroding the original ratings share of Serie A. However, in China, Serie A is still the leader in terms of the number of fans and influence.

It can be said that many of CCTV's host commentators are fans of Serie A clubs, among which Inter Milan, Milan and Juventus are the most.

When Lin Zhigao returned to Juventus, the commentators were the most excited. If he could comment on his favorite league matches and support his own players at the same time, there would be more players in the world. Is there anything more wonderful than this?

Therefore, whether it is Liu Jianhong or Zhang Lu (these two are CCTV's partner commentators who specialize in commenting on Serie A games), they are all eagerly looking forward to Lin Zhigao's ability to play the game, so that they can also have a good fight in front of the microphone.Because Liu Jianhong is an Inter Milan fan and Zhang Lu is a Juventus fan, the two of them can imagine what kind of sparks they can create when commenting on the Juventus and Inter Milan match with Lin Zhigao playing.

But every time they went to the Juventus game, the two walked into the commentary room excitedly, and when they came out, they would lower their heads, look at each other, and then sigh: Capello, Capello, do you know Thousands of miles away in China, there are two hosts who are eagerly expecting you to make a difficult, oh no, an important decision?

In the recent rounds of match broadcasts, when some domestic fans stayed up late to watch the game, they often heard Zhang Lu and Liu Jianhong say in unison: "Lin Zhigao did not play in this round of the league. I hope Capello can play in the next round. We have a young player on the field and I can't wait to see him play."

If it were the past, the host of CCTV was so eager for a certain player to play, even if that person was Messi and Ronaldo, there would be dissatisfied viewers who were opposed to calling and scolding them for being "too individualistic". This time, both Zhang Lu and Liu Jianhong expressed emotion that at least five league rounds had passed, but none of the fans called to express their dissatisfaction—because they were also waiting for Lin Zhigao to play!

……

Capello, who is far away in Turin, of course does not know that he has become the object of complaints from 13 billion people. What he has done recently is just an investigation, or an experiment.

When the Juventus bus drove back to the training base, Capello sat behind his desk. Not surprisingly, he saw the figure training hard on the court through the window again.

He called assistant coach Ferrari into his office and asked him: "Has he been training since we left?"

Of course Ferrari knew who he was talking about, "Yes, sir, been training."

"What about the strength?"

"More than any first-team player. I would even dare to say that there is no one in Juventus who can match him in terms of training intensity. There is no doubt that he is a very, very hard worker. I am surprised because this It doesn't seem like that kind of fighting spirit should appear in a first-team player, the youth team and the second-team players generally work harder because they want to be promoted to the first team."

"Did he complain to anyone else?"

"As far as I know, uh, no."

Capello nodded, directly opened the notebook on his desk, and began to write something.

Ferrari hesitated for a moment, opened his mouth and asked, "Fabio, there is something... I don't know if I should ask."

Capello didn't look up: "Alec (Ferrari's name), we have been old friends for many years, you don't have to hesitate when you talk to me."

"Okay, then I'll say it. Are you wary of Lin Cun? Or do you not like him?"

Capello raised his head in surprise: "Why do you say that?"

"To be honest, it's not just me, other people in the coaching staff have similar thoughts, but they didn't say it."

"What do you think."

"Lin is a hard-working player, we can all see that. Besides, he is in good form and has good skills, but why hasn't he appeared in your roster? I don't understand why you would do that. Do. I know you hate players who lie, but he is obviously honest, and he has not been much scandalized by reporters. He is obviously different from Cassano, a star who often goes to nightclubs. Don’t you still remember that the board of directors didn’t pass you If you agree to buy him?"

"Oh, Alec, my friend, you have clearly misunderstood."

"Misunderstand?"

"Of course." Capello raised the notebook in his hand: "Don't you see what I'm writing?"

Ferrari leaned closer to the desk, carefully looked at the contents of the notebook for a while, and then was taken aback: "You have been arranging this? Is that why you didn't let him play in the league?"

"I'm sorry that you didn't discover my real intention until just now."

This sentence made Ferrari feel a little blush, but Capello quickly went on to say: "Of course I found all the advantages in Lin - technology, physical strength, sense of smell in front of the door, etc., and I'm sure, I'm sure." Earlier than you found out. Alec, we have been coaches for many years. Although you have been an assistant coach, we all know that it is only because you are a good old man and cannot be cold-faced and reprimanded For the players’ sake. You’re admired by everyone, you’re on good terms with a lot of people, but you can’t… uh, put them in awe. So, you’re obviously better suited as a comforting assistant than as a head coach.”

Ferrari blushed a little at the compliment, which made his plump, round face look even more amiable. "No, Fabio, I actually..."

After complimenting his old friend, Capello immediately interrupted Ferrari's words with a wave of his hand, showing his dictatorial demeanor: "I want to say that everyone has a suitable position, such as you, suitable for a job. I am an assistant coach, and I have absolutely no way to help others. Of course, players also have their own positions on the court, and I am trying to find out what kind of position Lin Zhigao is suitable for."

"Then did you find it?"

"I found it, but something changed, so I had to start looking again."

"What changes? Something bad?"

"It's probably a good thing for the players themselves, but it's not a good thing for the club."

Ferrari understood a bit: "You mean the Chinese national team?"

"Yeah, obviously that's the case. I had planned Lin to be a regular this season, and I wanted him to play with Iaquinta at first, but now I think it's better to have him as a pure offensive lineman. However, the summoning of the Chinese national team broke all this. Lin Zhigao has to return to China almost every two months, or one month, and each time he leaves for at least a week. The wasted time during this period is enough to play two rounds of the league. You must know that it is not a good thing to change the lineup frequently, and I want Juventus to win the league championship again, so in the league, I can only give him up."

"But you plan to use him in the Champions League?" Ferrari was shocked.

"Yes, I found this is actually very suitable. I have studied the Chinese team's game schedule, which happens to be separated from the Champions League. If a player like Lin Zhigao can put all his strength into preparing for the Champions League, I believe he will let everyone People were taken aback."

"Fabio, I have to say, this is too risky. The Champions League is much more important than the league! The board of directors has met and discussed it. They think that Juventus is gradually losing influence in European football. Our reputation is on the way. Swallowed by Inter, Milan, Real Madrid, Barcelona and those Premier League teams, so we have to give more attention to the Champions League than to the league!"

"That's why I didn't include him in the big list from the very beginning. I was investigating him and testing whether he is a genuine big-game player. In the past two months, I didn't arrange for him to play any games, but He can persist in training, give himself extra meals, and even maintain a good mentality and hope. Doesn't this explain all my choices?"

Ferrari looked like he was about to be convinced: "But, he has never played in the Champions League before?"

"Experience can be cultivated, Alec. There are many players who often participate in the Champions League, and they will still be nervous after playing, right? As long as he maintains this mentality, I don't think there will be any problems."

Ferrari smiled, a look of surprise on his chubby face.

"Is there anything that makes you laugh?"

Ferrari shook his head and said: "The outside media all speculate that you are not dealing with Lin, that you are deliberately not letting him play, or using him to fight against the board of directors. They certainly did not expect that you will send Lin Zhigao to the Champions League. .”

Capello's mood is also very happy.The idea of ​​surprising the group of reporters struck him as a good one.

……

The UEFA Champions League, referred to as the UEFA Champions League, is the most prestigious event of UEFA. It is a top-level club competition held regularly in Europe every year. It has the third largest influence after the World Cup and the European Cup.

Every year, UEFA will distribute 16 places to the major European leagues to directly qualify for the group stage, and then the remaining 16 places will advance to the group stage through the qualifying round.These 32 teams will be divided into 8 groups, the top two after the group stage will advance to the knockout stage, and the No.3 in the group will go to the Europa League.

As for the grouping of 32 teams, in addition to drawing lots, there is another principle, that is, seeded teams of the same level will not meet each other in the group stage.

This means that when UEFA draws lots to determine the group stage grouping, the 32 teams will be converted into the points of each club based on the European results of the past five years, and the 32 teams will be divided into four according to the points. Divisions, and then a team is drawn from each division to form a group.

The most notable ones are of course the first tier of seeded teams. These 8 teams rank in front of all clubs in terms of points and basically represent European football.Because of the prosperity of the Premier League in the past few years and the stable record of participating in the Champions League every year, the Premier League has dominated the first four seed teams for many years.

The Serie A league is really in decline now. The "Little World Cup" at the beginning attracted outstanding players from all over the world to join. Now a club breaks into the UEFA Champions League seeding team every year, often only one team, or Either Inter Milan or AC Milan.

Compared with the grand occasion of the Premier League occupying 3-4 places in the UEFA Champions League seeding team every year, La Liga also has two teams that are shortlisted for the seeding team every year. It is also excusable.

Although Serie A is better than Ligue [-] and Bundesliga, these two countries sometimes can't even get a seed spot, but when did Serie A fall to the level of Bundesliga and Ligue [-]?

Since the "Callgate" incident, Juventus's state has been very unstable. In the past, Juventus was often classified as the second echelon of the Champions League seeds, but they have not been able to break into the Champions League knockouts every year in recent years. Even for a year or two, they couldn't even make it to the group stage.

This year's Juventus finally won a place in the group stage by virtue of last year's Serie A championship, so they don't have to go to the qualifying round.

But the good luck seemed to end here. In the draw ceremony of the UEFA Champions League group stage, Juventus was unfortunately assigned to a group with Barcelona, ​​Marseille and Plzen.

This is simply a death group.

When most people hear the word death group, they will ask: Who is in this group?Barcelona?Real Madrid?Manchester United?Or AC Milan?

No, generally speaking, the name of the death group is not given to the group with the most wealthy families, but to the group with the most stalemate.If a group has AC Milan, Real Madrid, and two weak teams, then this group cannot be called a death group, it can only be said that "the qualifying situation is extremely clear."

But if there are four teams in a group with similar strengths, no one will know which two teams will qualify before the game is over, because it seems that any team can make it to the knockout round.This kind of qualifying situation is completely invisible, and only teams that may have unexpected situations at any time are eligible to be called death teams.

In Group H where Juventus is located, Barcelona will undoubtedly occupy a qualifying spot-as long as Guardiola's head is not removed and Messi performs normally.So the remaining three teams, who is most likely to qualify?

Marseille is a traditional giant in Ligue [-], and Juventus is a traditional giant in Serie A, and the status and strength of these two teams in recent years are similar.Plzen, the overlord of the Czech First Division, is the only team in the Czech Republic that broke into the Champions League group stage. Although it is not a traditional European giant, it is also a strong team.Rabbits can bite people when they are in a hurry. Who can say that Pilsen can't perform supernormally and kill Marseille to Juventus?

Therefore, the name of the death group of Group H is worthy of the name.

……

The UEFA Champions League group stage generally starts in mid-September, using the home and away round-robin system. The teams in each group will play one game at home and one away with the other three teams. There are six games in total, about to twelve. After all the group matches in the middle of the month, the knockout matches will be held after the new year.

In the first group match, Juventus won 2:1 against Pilsen. In the second group match, they drew 1:1 against Marseille. They are currently ranked third in the group. Although they have the same points as Marseille, they are one point behind. ball.

By October 10th, three days later, Juventus will challenge Barcelona at home. It is conceivable that this is a difficult and important game.

Today is the day when Capello announced the squad for the Champions League in three days.

He doesn't have his share in the league, and Lin Zhigao doesn't want to expect extravagantly in the Champions League.After the regular training, he went to the locker room to change into a jersey, drank some drinks, and was about to go for another meal for himself.

Teammate Pepe stopped him: "The coach will come to announce the squad for the next match against Barcelona in a while, where are you going?"

"Go to training."

"Don't you care about the Champions League game?!" Pepe's expression was surprised.

Lin Zhigao shrugged helplessly: "I will be there to cheer you on. However, I don't think I may even have to sit on the bench this time."

Iaquinta disagreed: "Don't say that, what if the coach really lets you start?"

"Then I'll treat everyone to dinner." Lin Zhigao said casually.

Just as he was about to leave the locker room, Iaquinta grabbed him and said loudly to all his teammates: "Lin just said that as long as he can enter the coach's roster, he will treat us all to dinner!"

"Oh, yes!"

"Lin, we believe you will definitely enter!"

"come on!"

"Nightclub nightclub! Not only to eat, but also to go to the nightclub!"

Pepe rolled her eyes towards the sky, and quickly stopped everyone: "I said, can you keep your voice down? The coach is coming soon! Especially you, De Qie Lie, if you want to go to the nightclub, you can pay for it yourself. If we act together , if we let the reporter take pictures, we will die!"

Capello has a great reputation, and when everyone thought of his calm and cold face, they immediately shut up obediently.

And Lin Zhigao was also forced to stay in the locker room, chatting and spanking with Iaquinta and the others.

When Capello stepped into the locker room, he saw such a happy scene. He nodded in satisfaction and went straight to the point: "After discussion with the coaching staff, our squad for the match against Barcelona in three days' time has come out. , the 16 players are—”

Everyone pricked up their ears and listened carefully.

"Buffon, Chiellini, Casares, Grosso, Pepe, Marchisio...Vidal, Lichtsteiner...Iaquinta, the last one is Lin Zhigao!"

Capello closed his notebook with a "snap", and then said with a straight face: "That's it for the big list. I won't tell you the starting list until before the game. Next, the players who enter the big list should keep themselves If you are not in the squad, don’t relax, that’s all.”

Lin Zhigao couldn't recover until Capello left the locker room.

There was a sudden burst of cheers in his ears, and Pepe put his arms around his neck and shouted, "Please! Treat!"

“We are going to the best hotel in Turin!”

"That's right!"

"Order the dishes made by the best chefs, and order the most expensive wine!"

"To celebrate Lin's rebirth!"

"Champions League! Barcelona!"

"Just treat it as an early celebration banquet!"

"Maybe we can get some nice chicks..."

"Shut up! Decherie!"

Lin Zhigao's shock was quickly conveyed by his teammates as absolute joy and excitement, treat?That's a must, even if it costs him a week's salary!