“Beep!”
Looking at the score of 3 to 3 on the LED screen above the stadium, all the fans in the Etihad Stadium stood up to watch the game.
Referee John Brooks blew the whistle for the eighth time in the center circle. The time had reached 93 minutes and 44 seconds, which was very close to the theoretical 4 minutes of extra time.
De Bruyne made a powerful pass from the center circle directly to goalkeeper Ederson. Ederson was already standing at the top of his own penalty area. After receiving the ball, he kicked it forward with a big kick.
The other 10 Manchester City players all rushed forward.
They won't accept the result of being equalized!
The ball glided forward rapidly, crossed the center line and began to fall.
On the sidelines, fans, coaches and substitutes from both teams all watched the game with their fists clenched nervously, prompting Zhan Jun to once again shout out his classic quote: "How can you not love the Premier League!"
The ball flew to the left side of the ribs. B Fee failed to grab the ball from Foden, the only substitute for Manchester City, but Foden also did not head the ball correctly in the confrontation, and the ball floated to the side.
Akanji overpowered Dalot and headed the ball back. Foden received the ball, feinted and saw that there was no breakthrough, so he immediately sent a cross pass with his right foot to the right side, where De Bruyne was!
B Fee stretched out his legs to block, but missed. The ball flew half high up. Chen Xiaoliang, who was guarding the top of the arc, pounced forward and jumped!
His scalp rubbed the ball!
The ball changed direction slightly!
[Superstar Mission: 5/5]
However, just as he landed, Bellingham, who came in from the side, volleyed the ball directly, making a falling leaf shot that flew straight to the left side of Manchester United's goal!
Zhan Jun: "De Gea!"
"Last season's Premier League Golden Glove made a contribution again by blocking the ball!"
"If De Gea still has some flaws in his aerial duels, his goal-line saves proved in this game that he is still one of the best in the world!"
"Look! Manchester United actually launched a counterattack!"
"They didn't even accept the result of a draw!"
"Lima's long pass to the left!"
"Ganacho rushed forward to catch the ball and passed it horizontally to Xiaoliang!"
"Xiao Liang pushes forward! He still has plenty of energy!"
"Anthony on the right also rushed up!"
"Let's see. Ederson must be afraid of being lobbed by Xiaoliang again, so he has retreated behind the penalty spot!"
"Anthony on the right starts to move inward!"
"But Manchester City's defense was very fast this time. All the players who had not rushed forward just now retreated!"
"Xiaoliang slowed down his handling of the ball. It seems that he is planning one last wave! He raised his hands again and stretched out nine fingers!"
"It's already past 94 minutes! Manchester City fans booed. Is Ferguson time, or should we say Ten Hag time, going to happen again at the Etihad Stadium?!"
"Manchester United are all pressing forward! Only Lima is the last one to leave!"
"Bellingham stuck to Xiaoliang but couldn't steal the ball from him!"
"Haaland is also coming over to double-team!"
"Xiao Liang passes the ball!"
"Varane!!!"
"Ederson!!!"
"No chance for a follow-up shot! Cleared!"
"Wow! In the final moments, the goalkeepers of both teams made great saves to keep..."
Zhang Lu suddenly shouted and interrupted Zhan Jun: "Oh no! Manchester City is counterattacking!"
Zhan Jun: "It's the last minute! Why are you so nervous?"
"B席's clearance in the penalty area was more like a long pass to the left side of the frontcourt, and Haaland rushed up to receive the ball!"
"Lima rushed over to defend..."
"Haaland forced Lima away! Lima fell to the ground!"
"The referee didn't say anything!!!"
At this point, even Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu, who were sitting in the broadcast room to commentate, left their seats. Their palms and backs were covered in sweat from excitement. Countless fans in front of the screens didn't know how to put their hands, how to adjust their breathing, or how to control their trembling bodies from excitement!
"De Gea strikes!"
"Left penalty area line!!!"
"Haaland shakes off De Gea!"
"Haaland shoots into the empty goal!!!"
“This ball…”
Zhang Lu: "Hey! Hey! Ouch!"
Everyone: “OH! NO!”
Zhan Jun: "Xiao Liang!!!"
"Blocked the ball on the goal line!!!"
“Beep! Beep~~~~!”
"All the Manchester City players rushed to the referee, complaining that the ball had crossed the goal line!"
"But the referee John Brooks waved his hand firmly! And blew the whistle to end the game!!!"
Zhang Lu: "Where's the picture of Hawkeye?"
"Where's the picture of Hawkeye?!"
Zhan Jun: “Here comes the picture!!!”
"It was just a hair's breadth! Four-fifths of Haaland's shots had crossed the goal line! If it was 0.05 seconds later, it might have actually gone in!"
On the field, Manchester United players looked up and saw the eagle-eye picture of the goal line on the big screen, and rushed towards Chen Xiaoliang excitedly!
Not to mention 2 goals and 1 assist, he almost assisted Varane again in the final seconds, and then he quickly returned to defense and made a goal-line save!
Sun Jihai, who was in the VIP area of ​​Manchester City in the stands, also stood up and excitedly pumped his fist to celebrate! When he played for Manchester City, his famous scene was the goal line clearance after running back to defense for thousands of miles!
But after only two seconds, he realized that his identity today was a member of the Manchester City Club Hall of Fame... so he could only restrain himself and sit down...
Zhan Jun: "3-3, tonight's Manchester derby was a thrilling battle!"
"It reminds me of the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on September 20, 2009, which was voted the best game of the Premier League in 20 years!"
"The two sides were tied 3-3 at the time. In the final seconds, Michael Owen scored the winning goal to help the Red Devils defend their home court and take all three points!"
“Today, both teams actually had chances in the final seconds, but the goalkeepers of both teams, and the Red Devils’ new No.7 Chen Xiaoliang, teamed up to stage a wonderful drama that turned the tide!”
"In the second half of the season, the second round of the Manchester derby between the two sides will be moved to Old Trafford. If there are no accidents such as make-up matches, it will be held in April. By then, after the winter transfer window and further running-in of the teams, I believe that the two teams will become stronger, and there will definitely be greater sparks at that time!"
"Okay, thank you for watching the Premier League live broadcast brought to you by Penguin Sports. See you next time!"
On the sidelines, Chen Xiaoliang met Haaland again. Haaland was a little unconvinced, but his emotions were completely from football and belonged to football. There was no grudge outside of football:
"Chen, I didn't lose to you."
Chen Xiaoliang glanced at the 195cm tall giant baby and said, "It's as if I lost to you!"
Haaland: "Next time we must decide the winner!"
Chen Xiaoliang: "Then you are doomed to fail?"
The two parted ways at the fork in the road and went to their respective locker rooms. Haaland did not forget to leave a message: "I will never lose!"
De Bruyne and Casemiro, who was leaning on crutches, looked at each other and said in their minds:
"These two funny ones..."
The Manchester United players were very happy when they returned to the locker room. Although they were chasing the goal of victory before the game, Manchester City's strong control during the game made them clearly feel the huge difficulties they faced away from home.
Leading, being equalized, leading again, being equalized again, then being overtaken, and finally equalizing, with a goal-line save. Although the team only gained 1 point in the end, the performance of the team today was enough to walk out of the Etihad Stadium with their heads held high.
Ten Hag and the coaching staff were also very satisfied with the players' performance.
Weaknesses are weaknesses, and players with insufficient abilities have to rely on transfers. During the season, as long as they show their abilities and determination, they will be qualified players.
But when he saw Chen Xiaoliang giving the players a summary speech in the locker room after the game, encouraging them to challenge all strong opponents away from home, Ten Hag felt a subtle emotion in his heart.
There was no need to wait until the next day. Five minutes after the game, his wonderful shots, the scenes of him motivating his teammates on the court, including the shot of him patting Fred's butt, and the moment when he raised his hand to make tactical gestures, had already spread all over the Internet.
As the head coach, Ten Hag's time in leading the team is neither short nor long. He is not like Gerrard, who was a top player when he was a professional player and the absolute core of the team and leader in the locker room.
He is not like Mourinho, who has coached the best players and the biggest clubs in the world.
Ten Hag has never met a player like Chen Xiaoliang. He is different from Cristiano Ronaldo, B Fee and Casemiro, not to mention De Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and others whom he had coached before and are now on their own.
He also has to ask his seniors for advice.
After the game, the team returned to the Carrington base and disbanded on the spot. The next two weeks were the national team competition cycle. For the few players who were not on the national team, such as Chen Xiaoliang, De Gea, etc., Ten Hag also gave them a day off.
Since the game was in the afternoon, it was still early when he got home. Chen Xiaoliang, who never went to nightclubs to celebrate, simply stayed at home and excitedly watched the game replay with Cesco, Kva, Livakovic and others who lived nearby, while sharing their inner feelings on the court at that time.
A good game is worth revisiting.
The next day, the club sent a notice that an invitation letter from L’Equipe’s French Football magazine had been sent again:
“To the respected Manchester United and Mr. Chen Xiaoliang:
You are sincerely invited to attend the 68th Golden Globe Awards ceremony at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris at 19:00 on October 29, 2023.
EPA Group, L'Equipe's French Football
Specific itinerary arrangements and dress requirements are attached at the end.
Although we were supposed to arrive in the evening, as before, we were arranged with a separate hotel suite and a special car for pick-up.
Chen Xiaoliang, who has won the Copa Award once and finished 10th in the Ballon d'Or once, knows that being given a room to stay in is basically like winning a prize...
Because if you are the 10th or 2nd at the Golden Globe Awards, you don't have to go on stage to receive the award. In theory, not attending the ceremony will not have much impact, so as long as the itinerary and attire meet the requirements, it is okay to arrive at the scene at 7 p.m.
But it is different for the award-winning guests. The organizer will tell you that you have won one day in advance, and then assign someone to coordinate the award ceremony process, various details, seats in the audience, confirm the time of the winning speech, etc.
Therefore, a hotel room needs to be arranged for the winning trophy.
Chen Xiaoliang, who usually didn't take this matter too seriously, now began to look forward to the ceremony which was less than a week away. He specially checked online and found that the odds of him and Messi winning the award were the same, both at 1 to 1.5!
It would be a lie to say that I am not excited, but Chen Xiaoliang also took a look at another line of odds. In the "Socrates Award" which symbolizes humanity, social welfare and charity, Chen Xiaoliang's odds are 1 to 10. Although it seems much lower than the Golden Globe Award, it has occupied the first place...
This... Never mind. He didn't dwell on it anymore. The answer would be revealed soon anyway.
The next day, Chen Xiaoliang went out early in the morning and went running with his sisters, Cesco, Kva, and Livakovic. As long as the weather was not too bad, 10 kilometers in 60 minutes was an option that they would always keep in mind every day.
In fact, according to his physical strength and speed, especially since he can run in the top 30 in the full marathon in the World Athletics Championships, it is easy for him to run 10 kilometers at a pace of 3.5-4 minutes per kilometer. However, their morning jogging is to warm up for a day's training in advance, and they should not over-consume physical strength. Therefore, several people also strictly control their pace.
However, there was no training today, and they hadn't had a good walk around the city since arriving in Manchester. Unable to resist Erica's nagging, they rested at home for a while and decided to dress up, put on baseball caps and big sunglasses, and put on loose sweatshirts, and let David drive them for a walk around the center of Manchester.
Unlike the others who were heading to the city, Ten Hag was driving himself from Hale village in Cheshire to Wilmlow to visit Sir Alex Ferguson.
The two cars met on the road and stopped facing each other at a traffic light.
Kwa's car drove in front of Chen Xiaoliang's car. Cesco, who was sitting in the passenger seat, recognized that it was Ten Hag's car at a glance. He immediately called Chen Xiaoliang's cell phone and shouted, "Liangzi, look, it's the coach on the other side!"
Chen Xiaoliang was sitting in the passenger seat of his car, asking the sisters what fun places there were in the city. When he heard what Cesco said, he looked up and saw that it was true.
He immediately sent a text message to Ten Hag: "Hi, coach, it's a rare nice day, let's go into the city for a walk, see you at the training ground tomorrow, have a nice day."
They were polite and courteous, and there was nothing to hide, but there was less closeness and more unfamiliarity.
Ten Hahe didn't have a driver, so he drove by himself. When the traffic light turned red, he didn't have time to type, so he sent a voice message to Chen Xiaoliang: "Relax, be safe, see you tomorrow!"
After hearing this voice message, even Erica in the back seat said that this coach was very different from the two "uncles" before.
In her heart, of course, the most interesting one is Gerard, who lives and eats with Chen Xiaoliang, is younger, more energetic and loves to joke more.
The group entered the city and finally, under the guidance of the sisters, arrived at Manchester's largest commercial facility, the Manchester Adare shopping mall.
Since it was Sunday noon, many stores had just opened and there were not too many people. It would not be busy until the afternoon, but the group of people who were dressed like ordinary young people were not recognized.
Chen Xiaoliang specifically asked everyone to keep a low profile, and once they were recognized, they would have to leave quickly.
I ran to a square and saw more than a hundred people gathered in front of me. There was a loudspeaker playing the host's words and cheerful music to liven up the atmosphere.
Erica led everyone to join in the fun, pointed at a poster and said curiously: "I know this person, but why does he look a little strange?"
Following her finger, everyone looked and looked at each other in surprise.
You say he is Hazard, but he doesn’t seem to be. You say he is not, but he is clearly…
Cesco was also puzzled: "Is this an actor who imitated the player? But the poster clearly says it is Hazard..."
Chen Xiaoliang took a closer look and laughed, "This is Hazard's younger brother, Kylian Hazard. They look very similar, but his brother is not very good at playing football. He is currently playing in Molenbeek in the Belgian Second Division... He is also one of those players who has been on the bench for a thousand years..."
"This company is interesting...what is it doing?"
David heard their chat and squeezed in to get an advertisement. It was too noisy around and the host couldn't hear clearly. When everyone saw the advertisement, they realized that it was a "Burger King" contest. The rule was to see who could eat the most burgers within a specified time! To put it bluntly, it was a big stomach challenge.
No wonder they invited a high-end imitation of Hazard to endorse...
It was such a boring activity and everyone was about to leave. Suddenly, Chen Xiaoliang felt something. He turned around and looked at the crowd, and found that there was also someone looking at him!
Holy shit, he's 195cm tall, wearing sunglasses as big as a gas mask, and a hat with a dreadlock wig, but with this figure and posture, who else could it be?!
How come this guy is here?
Chen Xiaoliang raised his hand to say hello, and the man also raised his hand to say hello.
Who would have thought that when the two of them raised their hands, everyone around them looked over.
"Oh no! Have we been discovered?!"
Chen Xiaoliang was shocked, thinking that there were probably more than 200 people here, and he would not be able to escape if he was discovered.
However, Erica's smiling reminder made him realize that the actual situation was even more embarrassing than this:
"The host asked you to come up."
Chen Xiaoliang: "Why did you ask me to go up?!"
David, like a deadpan wit, looked around seriously to ensure Chen Xiaoliang's safety, and said coldly, "The host asked who else wanted to participate in today's competition, and you raised your hand yourself."
Chen Xiaoliang: "I..."
He was just about to say no, but "that person" actually walked onto the stage from the other side, stretched out his index finger and made a seductive gesture, provoking Chen Xiaoliang to go on stage.
"Oh shit..."
Chen Xiaoliang immediately walked through the crowd and went up.
The host introduced himself: "Good afternoon everyone, welcome to the 31st Burger King Challenge in Manchester. I am today's host, Howard Stark!"
There was sparse applause from the audience...
The host, who was inexplicably called Stark, passed the microphone to the ten contestants one by one. Chen Xiaoliang listened and realized that among the other eight, except for one or two temporary audience members, there were several professional contestants who had participated in various big eater challenges before, and he and "that person" were just brain-dead people who accidentally came in...
The two of them went up from both sides and stood on both sides of the team. The microphone was first handed to "that person":
"Excuse me, what's the name of this hip-hop guy? How old is he? Where are you from?"
The man paused and replied, "My name is Eric, I'm 22 years old, and I'm from the Netherlands."
Chen Xiaoliang thought "Fuck" again in his heart and wanted to give that person a middle finger.
This is clearly taking advantage of me, as he actually used Ten Hag's name and nationality to report his identity.
Soon, everyone finished speaking one by one, and finally it was Chen Xiaoliang's turn.
Host Stark: "Eh? This guy has black hair. Is he from Asia?"
Chen Xiaoliang quickly denied: "No, no."
He speaks English more standardly than the British, making it hard to associate him with Asians.
Host Stark: "Wow! At first glance I think you look a bit like Manchester United star Chen Xiaoliang! Are you his fan?"
Chen Xiaoliang: "Yes, yes, he is my favorite."
"That person" burst out laughing.
The audience in the audience murmured: "You know what, they really look a bit like each other."
"Ah, there are so many people imitating Chen Xiaoliang now. He is a handsome guy with both Eastern and Western aesthetics. If not imitating him, then imitating that ugly Haaland?"
"That makes sense...too bad I don't have black hair..."
The "man" who couldn't help laughing just now clenched his fists...
The host Stark then asked: "What's your name? How old are you? Where are you from?"
Chen Xiaoliang was ready: "My name is Alf Inge, I'm from Stavanger, Norway, and I'm 19 years old."
After that, he spoke in authentic Norwegian.
"That person" couldn't help but spit out: "Thank you..." and then quickly shut up, without saying the "special" at the end.
Chen Xiaoliang laughed in his heart, you pretend to be my coach, I will just treat you as my dad, let’s see who gets more advantage!
Then the host explained a bunch of rules. In short, 10 people sat down with burgers in front of them. They had to see who could eat the most in 3 minutes. There was also water and seasoning on the side to help swallowing. The top three winners of the first round would participate in the second round. In addition to a bonus of 1,000 pounds for the final champion, the top three would receive a trophy. The funny thing was that the trophy looked exactly like the Champions League trophy... except that the UEFA logo on it was changed to a big burger...
The two of them ignored each other before sitting down. There was no winner last night, so they must decide who is better today!
"Beep!" A whistle sounded and the game began!
Chen Xiaoliang grabbed the burger in front of him and put it into his mouth. He usually had an astonishing appetite. The mechanism was equivalent to two tubes of physical strength every day, which made his appetite basically twice that of other players. Faced with a handful of burgers, he just stuffed it into his mouth and swallowed it in a few bites.
Seeing him wolfing down the food, the sisters in the audience burst out laughing. Although they didn't know why Chen Xiaoliang was working so hard, this look of wanting to win was so different from his easy-going self in daily life and seemed very funny.
Only David couldn't help smiling while looking around nervously, ready to deal with any emergency at any time.
5...10...15...
As the two men were strong and tall, the way they picked up the hamburgers and put them into their mouths was simply too brutal. The audience, who had originally been in low spirits, immediately became excited after seeing them doing this.
"Eat! Eat! Faster!"
"Eat more! It's free!"
"If I had known, I would have served it too. It seems to be delicious."
“Go!”
…
“Beep!”
Three minutes passed in a flash. Chen Xiaoliang swallowed the last bite and immediately looked towards the other end of the long table.
Hamburger Hill seemed to have descended at about the same rate as myself.
After a brief communication between the host and the scoring referee, the results of the 10 people came out quickly.
Chen Xiaoliang ate 18 in 3 minutes, and "that guy" also ate 18, but they could only tie for second place. The first place contestant was a middle-aged man with a big belly, who ate 20.
The three of them advanced to the finals.
The final time is still 3 minutes, but the hamburger has changed from the "Big Meat" with two steaks to the "Hard King" with four steaks.
Chen Xiaoliang was actually a little full... Even if he had twice the physical strength and twice the appetite, eating 18 of them would still be an amount that ordinary people could hardly eat.
But he glanced at the "man" sitting on the left of the middle-aged uncle, who seemed to be eager to try and rub his hands. He gritted his teeth, rubbed his stomach, drank a sip of water, showed his confidence in winning, and shouted his most powerful slogan before the game:
Go Nimad!
Hamburger!
Hiccup
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Kva and Cesco supported each other, laughing so hard that they were almost crying, and they couldn't stop crying. Helena covered her mouth while worrying that Chen Xiaoliang would get sick.
We are professionally trained and generally don't laugh unless we really can't help it.
“Beep!”
The host Stark blew the whistle again, and the only three people left on the stage began the final battle amid the cheers of the audience!
"One more!"
“Not enough!”
"One more!"
While Chen Xiaoliang was stealing glances at "that person", he grabbed the food with both hands and kept stuffing it into his mouth.
After two minutes of eating, he could no longer eat any more. Seeing that "that person"'s hand slowed down, the two looked at each other through their sunglasses, as if saying to each other: "How about forget it?"
But the "expression" between the eyebrows did not stop the movement of the hands. Seeing that "that person" was still putting it into his mouth, Chen Xiaoliang did not dare to delay for a moment.
“Beep~~~”
A long whistle sounded and the game was finally over!
The two of them collapsed on the chairs as if relieved, burping and rubbing their stomachs.
The referee quickly counts the numbers and the host announces the results!
"From Norway... Um... Sorry, what's your name?"
Chen Xiaoliang was so angry that he forced his mouth open, fearing that if he spoke loudly, he would spit out the burger: "Hiccup~Alfinger, from Norway...Hiccup~Stavanger!"
Host Stark: "Okay! Mr. Alfinger ate 14 in the final!"
It is inevitable that the performance will decline. After all, there is no more food...
Next, the host walked up to "that person":
"Mr. Eric from the Netherlands ate... 14 in the final!"
"Shit!" Chen Xiaoliang was shocked and turned to look at "that person", and found that the other person was also looking at him.
What the two of them were thinking at the moment was, there must be overtime, I really can’t take it anymore!
Host Stark: "Finally, it's Mr. Keane from Manchester, who ate in the final..."
“22!”
"Congratulations Mr. Keane for winning this year's Burger King Contest!"
Chen Xiaoliang and "that person" looked at the uncle in the middle and thought, "What?! This middle-aged uncle can eat so much?!"
And this uncle named Keane, who was also wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap, was still wiping his mouth nonchalantly, with a look of unsatisfied expression on his face.
Later, a man in a hamburger jacket presented the uncle with a bonus and a trophy. The uncle waved to the audience gracefully. The audience was also surprised that he could beat the two young men by a large margin and gave him warm applause.
But then I got into trouble...
There is a second place trophy and a third place trophy, but the two of them tied. What should we do?
The host asked the two if anyone would mind taking the third place trophy, and they both said in unison: "NO!"
The host was stunned and asked if there wanted an overtime.
This time, the two of them answered more firmly and quickly: "NO!!!"
In the end, they had to compromise. Each of them held one side of the trophy and raised it to take a photo. Then the second and third place prize money of 300 pounds were divided equally...
Even holding the trophy was restless. They each held one side of the handle, and you used force, I used force, and just after the photo was taken, the plastic trophy actually cracked...
"WOW..."
There was an exclamation from the audience.
In the end, he didn't take the £300 prize, saying he would donate it to charity, and then the two of them followed the satisfied uncle off the stage.
Just as they were about to leave, the uncle stopped them and said, "Don't leave. If you leave, I will call out who you two are."
"Um?!"
Chen Xiaoliang and "that person" were shocked. If their true identities were revealed here, they would be in big trouble. They had a stomach full of hamburgers and could not even run fast.
Chen Xiaoliang quickly looked at David, signaling him to take measures to deal with the intruder, but David just smiled and followed behind indifferently.
Chen Xiaoliang looked at the sisters and others again, and he didn't feel nervous at all.
Walking to an empty corner, the uncle took off his glasses, and then Chen Xiaoliang and "that person" suddenly realized what was going on.
"Fuck! Reese! It's you! How the hell can you eat so much?!"
Riise laughed: "I didn't expect you two to go up. Erling, how come you have time to hang out? Aren't you going to the national team?"
"That person" took off his sunglasses, and the sisters and others understood why Chen Xiaoliang was working so hard, it turned out to be Haaland!
Haaland: "Hiccup... There are too many games. The national team didn't call me up for the friendly match. I was allowed to practice with other people and rest well in Manchester. I came out to hang out, but I didn't expect... Chen would even raise his hand to participate in this kind of game... I absolutely can't watch him get the trophy!"
Riise is not only Chen Xiaoliang's agent, but also Haaland's predecessor in the national team. Haaland Sr. and Solskjaer are Riise's predecessors in the national team, so Riise has a good relationship with Haaland's family.
Haaland: "Chen, I didn't lose to you."
Chen Xiaoliang: "Are you fucking sick? Did I lose?!"
Both of them: "Hiccup~"
Everyone: “Hahahaha!”
The two sighed, even though they were tired, this particular contest was also very interesting.
Erica asked mischievously, "Uncle Reese, what are you going to do with the 1,000 pounds?"
Reese smiled and patted his belly: "How about treating you guys to a meal?"
Erica: "Okay, okay, we are still hungry! What should we eat?"
Riise looked at Chen Xiaoliang and Haaland and put on his sunglasses again: "What to eat? A hamburger!"
Chen Xiaoliang and Haaland: "Don't mention the word hamburger... I can't take it anymore..."
On the other side, in the manor in Wimlows, Sir Alex Ferguson was chatting with Ten Hag. A bottle of treasured red wine was opened on the table in front of them. Collecting red wine and buying racehorses are Ferguson's two major hobbies.
Ferguson: "So, after all I've said, you should be relieved, right? Eric."
Ten Hahe nodded.
Apart from routine board meetings, Ferguson has rarely taken the initiative to communicate with incumbent head coaches since his retirement, especially those like Mourinho and Van Gaal, who are famous coaches themselves and have their own distinctive coaching styles.
This is completely contrary to the rumor that she was ruling from behind the scenes.
When Moyes was coaching, the players in the team found it difficult to accept many of the things he did, which led to inevitable chaos.
For example, before the start of the season, the Manchester United team played a summer warm-up match at the famous Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. At that time, Moyes asked the players to jog on the beach, and the players immediately expressed different opinions.
Given Manchester United's popularity, training in public like this would quickly attract fans and lead to chaos.
The security guard accompanying the team expressed the same view and told Moyes, "You are no longer in Everton, this is a wealthy club."
Moyes did not listen to everyone's advice and insisted on jogging on the beach. As expected, just after 5 minutes, when the team was still stretching, dozens of fans rushed over after hearing the news, and called their friends to invite more people to come and watch and take pictures.
For safety reasons, security immediately cancelled the training. This incident also made the players feel that they could not adapt to the top club from the very beginning after Moyes took over.
Evra, the boss of the team, called Ferguson specifically to ask him to help Moyes, but Ferguson's original words were:
"I will consider your suggestion and try to talk to him. But he is the candidate I personally chose. This is the biggest opportunity of his life. I don't think I should give him too much advice on his work. I will keep a proper distance, which is fair to him."
After that, except for work within the scope of his director duties, he rarely participated directly in the team's affairs. Coupled with the issues of the Glazer family and his own health, as a non-equity and non-executive director appointed by the board of directors, his power was actually very small. He was more like Sir Bobby Charlton before he suffered from Alzheimer's disease, playing the role of connecting fans and maintaining relations between all walks of life in British football.
This is the second time that the Dutchman has taken the initiative to find Sir Alex Ferguson since Ten Hag came to Manchester United. The last time was on the eve of the League Cup final last season. He explained to Ferguson in detail the events before and after the Ronaldo incident and asked about some details of participating in the final. He also received the full support of the old Sir Alex.
Ten Hag: "I understand, but I hope that when the time comes, I mean if it happens, you can support me."
Ferguson: "I will, Eric, I will, if there is someone above the club, I will as long as I live."
"But please believe me, this kid is still young, but the leadership he has shown is absolutely unprecedented. I told you a lot about Roy Keane. Believe me, you also know that players, especially core players, should be given considerable freedom on the court to control the game themselves."
"I've called Keane the best employee ever and I've said he was the commander on the pitch.
"This kid in front of you will naturally make others submit to him. He is only 19 years old. You should try to trust him. He is helping you."
"Children today are different. In the last five or six years that I have been teaching, I have stopped using hair dryers. These children born in the 1990s and 2000s are very sensitive and have strong self-esteem. The educational and growth environments they have grown up in are also different."
"I am a descendant of the working class. I grew up in an environment full of swearing and alcohol by my father. So when the head coach treated me in the same way, I later treated the players in the same way. Everyone accepted it and didn't think there was anything wrong."
"But try it now? If you try to say something slightly racist or insulting to a player's family, it is very likely that they will apply for a transfer the next day and then ask you to apologize publicly in the media."
"Eric, you have to think about it. This kid helped you do all the things that were inconvenient for you in the locker room. He is helping you, both on and off the court. Believe me."
"At Manchester United, the word BOSS means controlling everything, not just tactics. You can't be so detailed that you can't even limit a 19-year-old kid on the field whether a long pass is 20 meters or 40 meters. Let them trust your judgment, and also trust theirs."
"Really, I can assure you from all my years of coaching experience that you have met the best employee, who is a hundred times better than Roy Keane."
Ten Hag nodded. He had difficulty understanding Ferguson's Scottish-accented English, but he understood the meaning.
Soon, Ten Hah drove away, thanking him repeatedly.
Ferguson, who was standing at the door waving goodbye, heard his wife Cathy's question:
"What do you think of him?"
Ferguson hesitated for a moment: "It's hard to say, but he is a very smart person, willing to learn, willing to think, and has a way of dealing with people. He was able to minimize the damage in all aspects of Ronaldo's case, which is very difficult."
"But he lacks something, and that something is what Guardiola, Mourinho, Klopp and others have firmly attached to their souls after years of hard work. This can only be obtained by him."
"Yes, he can only rely on himself."