Chapter 24 The Strongest Gold Finger
Sometimes, things in the world are really strange.
Just like what Yang Hao is experiencing now.
When Guardiola mentioned Juanma Lillo to Yang Hao, Yang Hao became very interested in this well-known Spanish head coach, especially considering that he had been unemployed for two years.
But what surprised Yang Hao was that after the game, before the team was about to return to Majadahonda, Hill Jr. gave him a list of assistant coach candidates. There were a total of seven people in the list, five of whom were watching the game at the Calderon Stadium tonight.
Interestingly, Juanma Lillo was one of them.
After looking at the list, Yang Hao found that the most familiar person was Juanma Lillo, so he called Little Hill and focused on understanding the specific situation of Juanma Lillo.
The reason is actually very simple. He has been unemployed at home for two years and has been unemployed for too long. He also needs to support his family.
But it is obvious that the league is about to end, and it is difficult to get work at this point in time.
Atletico Madrid has hired an assistant coach this time, and the contract is until the end of this season. It can be considered a short-term job, and the salary is quite high, basically according to the level of the head coach of the Spanish Second Division, and there is also a generous bonus after successfully avoiding relegation.
So, it really attracted quite a lot of people, including Juanma Lillo.
When Yang Hao heard this, he could only sigh: When things are going well, it seems like the whole world is helping you!
But he knew even more clearly that all this was achieved through hard work.
So he asked Hill Jr. to arrange for Juanma Lillo to go to Majadahonda the day after the game for a final interview.
Yang Hao also politely declined Xiao Hill's suggestion to ask him out for a drink to celebrate the victory.
"Now's not the time, man!"
"Yeah, I understand."
"Our next opponents are very, very tough. Our first opponent, Malaga, is a giant killer. It's not easy to deal with."
Yang Hao said that he would go back quickly to watch the game video and study this opponent.
From the moment the final whistle sounded, Barcelona completely turned the page.
The next test is Malaga.
A strong La Liga team coached by Atletico Madrid legend Joaquin Perrault.
…
When it comes to the La Liga season of 99/00, many young fans living in 2023 are probably not familiar with it, or even have no impression of it. Even if fans have some impression, they probably only remember Super La Coruña, or... chaos.
Yes, this is the most chaotic season in La Liga history.
How chaotic is it?
It's a complete mess, from the entire league to many teams.
It even carries a kind of end-of-the-century curse.
Real Madrid was in a mess, with a poor league ranking and a poor record in the Champions League. In the end, head coach Bosque stepped up at the critical moment and used a very conservative five-back style of play to inject stability into Real Madrid and even won the Champions League.
This kind of ups and downs may sound very exciting afterwards, but it is really chaotic during the process.
Not to mention, Real Madrid will hold a presidential election this summer.
Florentino Perez is running for election for the second time. This time he is no longer facing the legendary president Mendoza, but Mendoza's apprentice Sanz. The entire campaign situation is a mess.
This is true for Real Madrid and Barcelona as well.
Van Gaal, the Dutch gang, the local faction, the locker room conflicts...
Not to mention Atletico Madrid.
It was in this chaotic time that Deportivo La Coruña rose up in rebellion.
This is true for the league and also for individual players.
The top scorer list has always been a platform where many stars gather, but in this season's La Liga top scorer list, superstars such as Roy Makaay, Raul, Tristan, Kluivert, Rivaldo and others have been suppressed.
Who will replace it?
Hasselbaink of Atletico Madrid, Salva of Racing Santander, and Catania of Malaga.
These three players actually have one thing in common, that is, they all have strong personal abilities.
They are short, fast, strong, agile, have excellent personal abilities and superb shooting skills, which allows them to get more shooting opportunities on La Liga defenders.
Coupled with the team's tactics being in line with their performance, they immediately had an amazing outburst and scored goals like a tide.
For example, Malaga.
Joaquin Peró's team is known for its defensive ability. In last season's Spanish Second Division, Malaga beat Atletico Madrid's second team and was promoted as the La Liga champion.
Yes, Atletico Madrid's second team performed very well in the Spanish Second Division last season and almost won the championship.
But this is not necessarily a good thing for the club, and the reasons behind it are difficult to explain in a few words.
After Malaga was promoted, it introduced two very outstanding players, one was Rufete on the right, who later joined Valencia, and the other was Uruguayan international striker Dario Silva.
In addition, Joaquin Perrault also loaned Barcelona youth player Albert Luque on the left from Real Mallorca.
In the league, Malaga is known for its tough and solid defense, and its sharp counterattacks rely on Catania, Dario Silva and Rufete.
This is actually the foundation for the mid-level La Liga teams to survive.
But if it is just a new trick, it doesn’t matter. The key is that Malaga can sometimes press forward and play a counterattack with you.
Just like in the 30th round home game against Barcelona, Malaga really pressed forward and played a counter-offensive against Barcelona.
What's even more outrageous is that Malaga actually "won" Barcelona in the offensive battle.
In terms of score, Malaga lost 1-2, but everyone who watched the game, even Van Gaal himself, admitted that Barcelona lost the game.
In the 21st minute of the first half, Rufete scored against Barcelona, but it was ruled offside.
But everyone, including Van Gaal, admitted that the ball was not offside, but a misjudgment.
Catania then scored another goal.
Throughout the game, Barcelona had no good way to deal with Malaga. It was not until the 79th minute that Abelardo equalized with a corner kick.
But in the final stage of the game, the referee gave Barcelona another very controversial penalty.
In the end, Barcelona won 2-1, but it was an unfair victory .
Even the famous Cadena COPE radio station said in its commentary on the game: "If the referee also wants Barcelona to win, then no one can do anything."
Malaga has played in games like this one against Barcelona repeatedly this season.
From Real Madrid, Deportivo La Coruna to Valencia and Barcelona, they all suffered from Malaga.
And now, it's Atletico's turn.
…
When Parales arrived at Majadahonda the morning after the game, he was very surprised to find Yang Hao walking out of his office.
"You...didn't go home last night?"
The two were of similar age, and Yang Hao often ordered him around, so they got along quite well.
"I was so focused on watching the game that I didn't pay attention. It was too late and I couldn't get a taxi." Yang Hao smiled bitterly.
Atletico Madrid's training base is too remote.
Parrales laughed. He had forgotten that the head coach didn't have a car.
Looking at the red bloodshot in his eyes, as if he had just woken up, he immediately thought of something.
"Don't you have any toiletries?"
Yang Hao smiled and nodded, "These were all left by Antic."
His office has a bed and a separate bathroom, as well as a dedicated wardrobe and shower room, just like a large single room in a hotel, so there is no problem for him to live here.
"I have a brand new, unused set there. I'll get it for you."
As he turned to leave, Parales suddenly thought of something and turned back to say, "The restaurant didn't prepare anything this morning. If you want something to eat, I'll ask them to make it for you."
"It doesn't matter, as long as I can eat my fill." Yang Hao is not picky.
When Parales came back, he was holding a clean towel, a water cup, a toothbrush and other supplies.
While Yang Hao went to the bathroom to wash up, he helped clean up the office outside.
"You slept on the sofa last night, right? How long did you watch the game?" asked Parales.
"I don't know. Anyway, I fell asleep while watching."
“Is being a head coach so tiring?”
"Why do you ask?"
"No, I just feel that Antic didn't seem to have such a hard time before."
After washing his face, Yang Hao felt much more energetic.
"He's a famous coach, so of course he doesn't have to work so hard, but I can't. I'm a rookie."
"It's more comfortable to be my physical therapist." Parales laughed.
Yang Hao also thought this guy was quite interesting and had a very positive and optimistic personality. "It won't be so cool for long. In the next few years, there will be a technological explosion. The internet, mobile communications... In short, all kinds of technology will advance by leaps and bounds, and professional football will also undergo rapid changes."
"Take your physiotherapy practice, for example. In the future, all data will be connected to the internet, allowing you to control it directly with a smartphone or tablet."
"Are you kidding me? Nokia's small black and white screen can actually do these things?" Parales didn't believe it at all.
Yang Hao was stunned for a moment, and suddenly felt that, yes.
Standing in the year 2000, who would have thought that the world would undergo such great changes in the next few years?
With the advent of the era of globalization and high technology, everything will change.
He talked with Florentino and he felt that Florentino certainly did not realize that his superstar strategy would bring about a change of the times, nor did he expect that there would be any so-called eye economy, traffic economy or the like .
These were summarized by later generations.
He is just a businessman who simply feels that superstars, as a scarce commodity, especially influential ones, are greatly underestimated.
But sometimes, that's just the way things are in the world.
They are not time travelers like Yang Hao, so how can they know what will happen in the future?
But Yang Hao was different from them, he knew and was very sure.
This is his greatest advantage in this era!
Yang Hao always felt that he was an incomplete time traveler, because the time travel master did not give him the golden finger that was essential for time travelers, which made him feel quite uncomfortable.
When he traveled through time, he said he would chop a chicken to show his determination. Could it be that he was chopping off the golden finger?
But now, he suddenly understood.
Traveling back 23 years, this in itself is the strongest golden finger.
Thinking of this, Yang Hao suddenly felt a lot more relaxed, and the pressure on his shoulders was also reduced.
"Jose, I have a very special guest coming here later. Please prepare some coffee or tea for me."
The time Yang Hao agreed to meet with Juanma Lillo was in the morning, before the team training.
"Okay." Parales agreed, but then asked curiously, "Is there anything special?"
Yang Hao smiled and said, "If he is willing to stay, I won't have to be so tired in the future."
Parales said "oh".
It turned out that the assistant coach had arrived.
