Chapter 241: Chapter 241
"The UEFA Europa League final is upon us!"
"Can the Chinese player Tang Long create his own miracle?"
"Set aside your work, let’s witness it together!"
The Europa League final has ignited a wave of excitement among viewers!
Numerous domestic fans have put aside their work and studies to fly to Berlin, wanting to witness Tang Long’s moment of ascent in Europe live.
Suddenly, the prices for direct flights from major Chinese cities to Germany have skyrocketed!
Those who couldn’t get tickets have had to painfully pay several times the price to buy from scalpers.
The high costs of airfare and accommodation, and the exorbitantly priced scalped tickets, did nothing to dampen the fans’ enthusiasm to watch the game live.
Even many fans who knew they likely wouldn’t get tickets still secured their visas and traveled to Germany.
China has sent over 100 media outlets, big and small, with journalists heading to Berlin!
Several non-sports-focused media also rushed in, eager to out-report their competitors.
All the attention is focused on Inter Milan, with Tang Long at the center of it all.
Among them, China’s largest sports media, CCTV Channel 5, sent a lavish 50-member team to Germany.
As the country’s most authoritative and frontline sports media, CCTV Channel 5 is determined to lead this media race.
They have a premonition that if Inter Milan wins this match, the golden era of Tang Long is about to begin!
Chinese football hasn’t had a player with such a high popularity and remarkable skills in many years.
A nationwide idol is about to be born!
Spain, Seville City, inside the Sevilla Club.
The head coach is holding an urgent meeting with his coaching staff.
In the spacious conference room, over ten first-team coaching staff members engaged in a heated debate.
The focus of the debate was the tactics Sevilla should use to restrain Inter Milan in the upcoming UEFA Europa League final, set to start in two days.
And the focal point of restraining Inter Milan, without a doubt, lies in Tang Long.
Even an ordinary fan, just from watching one or two Inter Milan games, could easily identify who the linchpin of Inter Milan is.
"To restrain Tang, we must have at least two players pressing him throughout the match, not giving him any chance to receive the ball and turn,"
a member of the first-team coaching staff said.
"That’s ridiculous," another coach countered, "I’ve watched plenty of Inter tapes. Teams have tried targeting him this way, like AC Milan in the first Milan derby. But what happened? Double marking left wide gaps, and Tang is clever; he’s waiting for that very press to turn into an opportunity!"
Someone suggested abandoning flank defense and crowding the middle.
"Tang’s threats often come through central through balls. Let them play on the wings and cross high balls!"
"They only have Bonazzoli as a center forward, our defenders are experienced enough to withstand it."
But quickly, someone refuted, saying that giving up the flanks would only hand over possession to Inter Milan.
"We, Sevilla, are a typical La Liga team that relies primarily on passing and possession. When the ball isn’t with our players’ feet, can they even play? We can’t resort to counter-defensive tactics."
"So what, engage in a head-on attack with Inter? This is the UEFA Europa League final, caution is advisable!"
"Hey, hey, hey, the match hasn’t even played yet, why are we bolstering the opponent? We are the reigning champions of the Europa League from last year, the defending champions! Why should we fear them?"
"Inter Milan is indeed in good form recently, but they are only the third in Serie A. If they were so strong, they wouldn’t have been below Juventus!"
The conference room was filled with arguments, everyone had different opinions.
Emery sat at the head of the table, arms crossed over his chest, frowning.
It had been a while since he’d seen such a heated debate among his colleagues in the conference room.
With 38 La Liga games completed this season, Sevilla accumulated 76 points, trailing Valencia by just one point, ranking fifth in La Liga.
This also cost them a direct spot in next season’s Champions League.
There was often banter saying, does the Champions League qualification matter so much to Sevilla?
Even if you play in the Champions League after six group stage matches, you still end up third and go to play in the Europa League. Why not go directly there?
From a fan’s perspective, this statement does have some truth.
However, from the perspective of the entire Sevilla club, they still prefer to play in the Champions League!
Even just six group matches can bring a hefty bonus from the Champions League’s broadcast distribution.
This is far more cost-effective than directly playing in the UEFA Europa League.
For a second-tier La Liga team like Sevilla, whose financial resources aren’t robust, they need more broadcasting and ticket revenues.
Therefore, before the match, Sevilla’s upper management issued a strict order: win the UEFA Europa League final against Inter Milan and secure a valuable direct spot in the Champions League for next season!
In recent days, Seville’s largest newspaper, the Echo, has been continuously voicing support for the team.
"Unforgettable, in the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons, we retained the Europa League."
"Moreover, during that period, we topped the official UEFA World Club rankings for 21 consecutive months!"
"Last season, the team won its third Europa League in history."
"Calling the Europa League the Sevilla Cup might be a joke. But from the team’s historical legacy, Sevilla indeed has the strength to win the Europa League multiple times."
"We look forward to the team defeating Inter Milan this season and reaching the top of Europe once again. If that happens, the team will win the Europa League back-to-back for the second time!"
"This is not only a miracle of football but, for a relatively small club like Sevilla, a glorious Chapter in team history!"
"Years later, this sense of honor will not fade, but serve as a legacy that future generations of fans will relish."
With the curtain falling on the Serie A season, most teams have begun their vacation mode, players leaving with various feelings to enjoy a rare beach time during the year.
However, only two teams are still making their final intense preparations for the European competition finals.
Juventus is preparing for the Champions League final, and Inter Milan is preparing for the Europa League final.
Italy’s football circle is very proud, as there are Serie A teams in the final matches of both European competitions!
On this day, Inter Milan finished their last training in Milan, and in the afternoon, the whole team was set to board a plane to Berlin.
In the locker room, the third goalkeeper Berni spread out a newspaper in front of Tang Long.
"Hey, kid, take a look, making the Best XI in your first professional year, that’s something!"
Tang Long took the "Gazzetta dello Sport" and looked at it. The paper listed the UEFA’s official Best XI for the 2014-15 Serie A season.
Among them, Juventus had four selections, Lazio two, Roma one, Inter Milan two, Turin one, and Verona one.
The best coach was Juventus manager Allegri.
Goalkeeper: Buffon (Juventus);
Defenders: De Vrij (Lazio), Bonucci (Juventus), Glik (Turin);
Midfielders: Kandrewa (Lazio), Tang Long (Inter Milan), Pogba (Juventus), Nain Golan (Rome);
Forwards: Icardi (Inter Milan), Tony (Verona), Tevez (Juventus).
Tang Long looked at the forward position, seeing his teammate Icardi’s name and felt a moment of trance.
Chinese fans affectionately called the combination of Tang Long and Icardi the "Sugar Coated Bomb".
As a top-notch poacher, Icardi benefited from many assists by Tang Long and set the single-season league goal record with 40 goals in Serie A history.
Yet now, the forward selected for this season’s Best XI in Serie A would no longer fight alongside him — at least not alongside him at Inter Milan.
"Boys, are you all ready?"
Mancini pushed through the door.
Yesterday, he specially dyed all his gray hair black, looking ten years younger and full of energy.
"Don’t go far after lunch, gather promptly at 2:30 PM, head to the airport, we are off to Berlin, to win the championship!"