SWDnovel Was Chapter 14 a fluke?
Was Chapter 14 a fluke?
Simone grinned, revealing a highly aggressive smile.
"Kid, you guessed?"
Li Jing looked directly into Simone's eyes and did not back down.
He blinked in response.
Simone whirled around, waving his right arm at Burgos and yelling in a hoarse voice:
"Keep it up! Keep this pace! Give the ball to the substitutes!"
The whistle blew again.
The next forty minutes of training turned into a one-sided tactical blitzkrieg.
The substitute team tried to repeat their old trick, attempting to disrupt the main team's rhythm with a frantic tackle.
But they discovered that the previously rigid defensive line had disappeared.
Li Jing's presence turned the main team's defense into a dynamic net.
After the four defenders intercepted the ball, they stopped blindly launching long balls and instead steadily passed the ball to Li Jing.
Li Jing didn't stop the ball at all.
The moment the ball rolled towards him, he had already calculated his next route based on his off-the-ball movement and vision.
A single touch, a precise pass.
The ball rolled quickly across the grass, heading straight for Falcao or Diego in the attacking third.
There was no unnecessary dribbling, no cumbersome combing.
Minimalist and efficient.
The substitutes were running back and forth in the backfield, and their energy was quickly depleted.
Their defenses were breached time and time again.
Burgos looked at the situation on the field and swallowed hard.
He turned to look at Simone.
Simone stood on the sideline with his hands in his pockets, leaning forward, his eyes fixed on Li Jing's running route.
The head coach's lips were constantly turned up in a smile.
This time I actually found something amazing!
Simone was secretly pleased; it seemed that fate wasn't going to let him leave the job.
"Beep—!" Burgos blew the long whistle to signal the end of training.
The key players on the field stopped, put their hands on their knees, and gasped for breath.
Gabi lay down directly on the grass, his chest heaving violently.
They were exhausted, but everyone's eyes shone with an extremely bright light.
It was a long-lost feeling of exhilaration after a tactical breakthrough.
It feels a bit like having been constipated for seven days and then experiencing a gushing sensation after taking Wallace.
Li Jing walked to the sidelines and bent down to untie his shoelaces.
A tall shadow blocked the light in front of him.
Li Jing raised his head.
Radameer Falcao stood in front of him.
The Colombian striker, known for his fiery temper on the field and his tendency to roar to the sky after scoring, remained silent at this moment.
He bent down, picked up an unopened bottle of mineral water from the grass, and slapped it hard on Li Jing's chest.
The force was considerable, and Li Jing staggered back half a step.
Falcao stared at him, raised his chin, smiled, and turned to walk towards the locker room.
There were no thanks, no small talk.
But without a doubt, this is recognition!
Li Jing took the bottle of water, unscrewed it, and took a big gulp.
"Everyone, gather here!"
Simone patted the tactical board in his hand, the sound echoing in the empty training field.
The players, scattered in various places, quickly gathered together.
Several Argentine substitutes had their heads down and looked grim.
As Simeone looked at the group of players covered in sweat, the fervor on his face gradually subsided.
Instead, there was an extremely dangerous calm.
"You guys played a bit better in training today."
Simone looked around at the crowd.
"The tactics were executed thoroughly. That damned parallel positioning, someone finally knows how to cover it up."
Gabi glanced at Li Jing and grinned.
But that's not enough.
Simone abruptly changed the subject.
"Because the tests that are about to begin are far more severe than you can imagine."
Several people in the group looked at each other in bewilderment.
"You guys thought that since we're going to play a friendly match in the Middle East starting tomorrow, it'll be like a winter break vacation, right?"
Simeone tucked the tactical board under his arm.
"It's a pity. Due to disputes with our sponsors, our original opponent backed out."
"That's why we started training earlier this winter break."
Several players below breathed a sigh of relief.
I thought I wouldn't have to take a long flight and could rest for a few more days.
But Simone's next words made everyone's hearts jump into their throats.
"The club didn't want to waste the opportunity to integrate the squad during the winter transfer window. So just a week ago, the management renegotiated with the sponsors there."
Simone paused, emphasizing his words.
"The location is still the Middle East. But the opponent has changed."
"real Madrid."
The entire room fell silent.
The air instantly dropped to freezing point.
What was supposed to be a harmless commercial pre-season game has suddenly turned into a fierce Madrid derby!
For Atletico Madrid right now, the name Real Madrid carries an immense sense of pressure.
Atletico Madrid is currently ranked ninth in the league, suffering from internal turmoil and poor performance.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid, under Mourinho's leadership, is at the peak of their success, sitting atop the league table.
Go play in this kind of warm-up match?
This is no different from voluntarily offering yourself up to be beaten.
Courtois swallowed hard.
Gabi, as the captain, was not surprised; he clearly knew about the news beforehand.
No one speaks.
"What? You're scared to death just hearing the name Real Madrid?"
Simone suddenly raised his voice, the veins on his neck bulging.
"If you can't even afford to play a single warm-up match, how are you going to avoid relegation in the second half of the season? How are you going to win?"
"Have you all become so used to being the losers in this city?!"
"Damn it, seeing your cowardly behavior makes me furious!"
Simone kicked the nearby traffic cone away.
Answer me!
Gabi was completely enraged. He stepped forward, his eyes red, and roared:
"Who wants to be a loser? Let's take them down!"
"Take them down!"
Several veteran team members joined in the shout.
The atmosphere in the locker room was instantly ignited.
Li Jing stood still in the crowd, not shouting along.
But the image of that Real Madrid lineup automatically popped into his mind.
Cristiano Ronaldo.
Karim Benzema.
Angel Di Maria.
Xabi Alonso.
He had anticipated that there would be a match against Real Madrid sooner or later.
But I didn't expect them to arrive so early.
He gripped the mineral water bottle tightly in his hand, the plastic bottle making a crisp sound.
look forward to.
Extremely excited.
……
Ten minutes later, in the first team's locker room.
The atmosphere was completely different from yesterday morning.
When Li Jing opened the door yesterday, he was met with hostility and exclusion.
Today, when he walked to his locker number 24, although the main players did not show excessive enthusiasm, the obvious sense of distance had disappeared.
Li Jing took off his sweat-soaked training vest and took out a towel to wipe his body.
"Hey, Li."
A gentle voice came from the side.
Li Jing turned his head.
Falcao had already changed into a clean set of casual clothes.
On the court, he was like a raging tiger, his muscles taut and his eyes fierce.
But at this moment, he was wearing black-rimmed glasses, and his whole demeanor exuded an extremely quiet aura.
"That through ball today was fantastic."
Falcao's tone was very calm, even somewhat scholarly.
He walked up to Li Jing, extended his right hand, and quickly drew a cross on his forehead, chest, and shoulders.
"May the Lord protect your ankle," Falcao whispered.
Li Jing was stunned.
The contrast is too great.
Who would have thought that the ferocious beast who just knocked a defender away and violently pounded the wire mesh was actually an extremely devout and gentle Christian?
"Thank you," Li Jing nodded in response.
Indeed, people who wear glasses are always a contrast, aren't they?
Just as Li Jing had put the clean T-shirt over his head, he heard a burst of jarring electronic music.
Courtois stood in the middle of the locker room, holding an extremely flashy bottle of cologne, and was spraying it frantically onto his neck.
This 1.99-meter-tall Belgian man changed into a silk shirt covered in flamboyant patterns, with the neckline cut very low, revealing a large expanse of skin on his chest.
He sprayed perfume while fixing his hair in front of the mirror.
The phone rang.
Courtois pressed the hands-free button.
"Tibor, we're at the base entrance. Come out quickly."
A woman's voice came from the other end of the phone, followed by another identical voice laughing beside her.
"Coming soon, my darlings."
Courtois's voice was cloyingly sweet.
"Neither of you are allowed to wear any extra clothes to tonight's party."
The phone hangs up.
Courtois hummed a song, picked up his car keys, and walked past Li Jing.
See you tomorrow, bro.
Courtois blew Li Jing a kiss.
"I'm going to enjoy Madrid's nightlife."
Li Jing's eyes twitched as she watched his flamboyant back view.
However, Courtois's contrasting behavior did relieve him.
That's how he looked on the field, which made Li Jing feel unfamiliar.
After all, this guy is a bastard who even dares to have sex with his friend's wife.
However, the well-behaved big man who is honest and obedient on the court and always moves up his position when asked is actually a top-notch aquaman off the court.
Twin sisters? A party? Where does this guy get all his energy from?
People gradually left the locker room.
Li Jing packed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.
He walked to the door and found Captain Gabby squatting in the corner of the corridor organizing things.
Just as Li Jing was about to say hello, his gaze fell on Gabi's enormous backpack.
That was a typical pain pack.
Inside the transparent outer layer, anime merchandise was densely packed. Various badges, keychains, and miniature figures were crammed together. Li Jing looked closely and saw it was "Puella Magi Madoka Magica".
Gabby carefully adjusted a pink-haired anime character keychain to the most conspicuous position, then patted it with satisfaction.
He turned his head and met Li Jing's complicated gaze.
Gabi blushed, stood up abruptly, and hid the pain pack behind his back.
"What are you looking at!" Gabby tried to remain calm, clearing his throat. "This is a gift I bought for my niece!"
Li Jing looked at Gabi's guilty face but didn't expose him.
"Hmm, a very beautiful gift," Li Jing commented expressionlessly. "Captain, see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow!" Gabby immediately turned around and practically fled.
Li Jing walked out of the training base gate.
The cold wind of Madrid on his face completely woke him up.
What the hell is going on...?