Chapter 50: The Wise Old Man
"Recently, your Atletico Madrid team has caused a lot of discussion in our Spanish Coaches Association."
After the game, in Aragones' office at the Carlos Tartier Stadium in Real Oviedo, the Spanish wise man who had just been fighting fiercely on the court sat down with Yang Hao, each of them with a glass of red wine in front of them.
There was an empty wine bottle and a decanter in the middle of the desk.
Before the game, Aragones asked Yang Hao to have a drink after the game.
This is the norm in European football.
Of course, your opponents must also respect you.
Just like Van Gaal and Cooper, they didn't invite Yang Hao to drink.
The Spanish Coaches Association is very authoritative. Even if they make a move, the Spanish coaches will follow suit and go on strike.
"What do I have to discuss?" Yang Hao asked with a smile.
"Very mysterious. Some say it's as if you suddenly popped out of a stone."
Although Aragones' team has a tough style, he is actually a very nice person, especially when he wears a pair of glasses, which gives people a very wise feeling, so his nickname is Wise Old Man.
"My resume is actually very simple." Yang Hao was not willing to talk more about this issue.
Aragones noticed it and said, "Then tell me about your football."
Feeling the eyes of the Spanish wise man, Yang Hao felt uncomfortable. He immediately took the initiative and asked, "Seriously, Mr. Aragones..."
"Louis, my friends call me Louis."
"Well, Louis, you don't seem to be worried about your team at all. You are now in the relegation zone." Yang Hao asked back with a smile.
Aragones also laughed. "Should I give you a painful expression of deep hatred and bitterness to satisfy your vanity and sense of accomplishment as a victor ?"
Yang Hao had to admit that this old man was quite good at talking.
"In fact, I know how strong Real Oviedo is, and so does the management. When they came to me, they told me that their goal was to avoid relegation, which meant that they had no confidence in avoiding relegation at all."
After a pause, Aragonés laughed and shook his head, saying, "The day after I agreed to join Real Oviedo, before I'd even met the players, they sold last season's starting center back, Cesar Martín, a current Spanish international, to Deportivo La Coruna for €7.5 million."
"I went to many people but no one could tell me where the money had gone. Finally the chairman told me that without it, Oviedo would probably go bankrupt. Then we didn't spend a penny in the transfer market that summer."
Last season, Oviedo narrowly avoided relegation, and if it continues to do so this season, it is clear that it is going to the Spanish Second Division.
Judging from Aragones' tone, it was obvious that he didn't intend to stay in Oviedo.
This is not surprising.
Over the past five years, Real Oviedo has changed its head coach every season, and it has always been like this.
Among them is Yang Hao’s current assistant coach, Juanma Lillo.
Yes, he coached Real Oviedo but was sacked midway through.
"Don't worry, I'm confident in the last two rounds." Aragones said confidently.
For the first time, Yang Hao felt the strong self-confidence of the Spanish coach. This was not only due to his confidence in his own coaching ability, but also his familiarity and understanding of the entire La Liga and every team.
This suddenly reminded him of Ferguson.
Many people are wondering why Ferguson was able to win the championship with that group of players in the later period of his coaching career?
The answer is simple . He knows every team in the Premier League too well, knows their weaknesses and loopholes, and knows how to play against them.
Of course, Ferguson's strong tactical understanding and coaching ability are indispensable behind this.
"Tell me about yourself. You've reached the shore this round. How do you feel?" Aragones asked Yang Hao with a smile.
"It's okay." Yang Hao was also happy, "But I still feel uneasy and insecure. I don't like this feeling."
"That's normal. Atletico Madrid shouldn't be in a place like this, right?"
The place he was referring to was the position in the standings.
"I have a question. When Atletico Madrid approached you, why were you unwilling to take over?"
Aragones smiled at first, then thought for a moment and replied, "Too familiar."
After a pause, the wise old man continued, "When I was playing football, I made my debut at Getafe and played for Real Madrid in the 1950s. Real Madrid was so strong then, but they didn't pay much attention to me and rented me out. I drifted around like that for about three or four years before I went to Real Betis."
"I played for Real Betis for three years and then went to Atletico Madrid, where I played for ten years until I retired in the summer of 1974. But in November, I took over the team midway through and became the head coach of Atletico Madrid."
Aragones frowned when he said this, and thought for a moment before continuing: "I remember that I should have coached Atletico Madrid six times until now."
Yang Hao has never carefully counted this number. He only knows that Aragones is a famous player of Atletico Madrid.
Whether it's players or coaches, both.
"It's interesting to say that there were four or five times, all of which were taken over mid-way, but if you add it all up, it was many years until Jesus became the club's president. At that time, he was very ambitious and looked down on me, so he chose the famous Argentine coach Menotti."
Menotti not only had a huge influence on Argentine football, but also on world football, especially Maradona.
"Don't think that my relationship with Jesus has deteriorated because of this. In fact, our relationship is still good. In 1991, the team had problems and asked me to return to coach, and I did go back. But I know Jesus very well and I know what kind of person he is."
At this point, Aragones looked at Yang Hao with a smile, "Everyone in the Coaches Association said that when you first went to Calderón for an interview, you told Jesus face that he was Atletico Madrid's biggest cancer. Is that true?"
Yang Hao smiled and shook his head, "It's not that serious."
That's what I meant, but I didn't say it so harshly.
"Actually, we all know, but no one says it." Aragones smiled bitterly.
It can be seen that he has a very deep affection for Atletico Madrid, but when this affection extends to Hill's team, it becomes a little complicated.
Because before that, the team was a membership-based team, a team for all Atletico Madrid members and fans.
But now, he is the Hill family's team.
From Aragones's perspective, he certainly knew that this was the result of changing times, but how could he not have any other thoughts emotionally?
In Yang Hao's previous life, when Atletico Madrid was stuck in the relegation zone of the Spanish Second Division and was struggling to get promoted, it was Aragones who stepped forward, took over the team, and brought this team to La Liga, where they successfully avoided relegation and gained a firm foothold.
After that, Aragones passed away and later coached the Spanish national team, becoming a legend in one battle!
"To be honest, I don't understand your football. It seems very confusing." Aragones brought the subject back.
Yang Hao immediately understood that after drinking his wine, he couldn't avoid this topic.
"Just tell me, I'll try my best to answer you." Yang Hao took the risk.
Aragones suddenly laughed again.
"I've watched all of your games since you took over as Atletico Madrid manager. From the very first game against Barcelona, you've shown a strong desire to press high up the pitch. This is definitely not influenced by Juanma Lillo. It must be a perfect opportunity for you to hire him as your assistant, right?"
Yang Hao nodded.
"But your philosophy is different from his. I don't know if my feeling is right. I feel that you want to minimize Belleron's ball-handling and playmaking role. Why do I feel this way?"
"Whether it's a video or a game, I found that you passed the ball very quickly and played at a very fast pace, but when it came to Belleron, it was obviously a bit stuck and slowed down. This is related to his playing habits."
"So, I guess you want to move the organizing role back to the number four position like Barcelona, but you use two defensive midfielders. Now, you only have Hugo Leal, and I guess you don't trust him. So, your midfield is playing awkwardly and sometimes quite chaotic."
Yang Hao had to admit that the Wise Old Man was the Wise Old Man, and his guess was almost right.
"You don't think the number ten position is promising?"
"Of course, considering the current mainstream double defensive midfielder system, it's hard for me to be optimistic about it."
When Yang Hao said this, he suddenly chuckled again, "Haven't you heard that Real Madrid is going to sign three or four defensive midfielders at once this summer?"
Aragones immediately laughed too. This was a very lavish move, but it was enough for Real Madrid.
The defensive midfielders currently linked with Real Madrid include Makelele, Flavio, Celades and Valencia's Gerard.
Yang Hao speculated that Barcelona spent a huge sum of money to buy back Gerard in the previous life in order to snipe Real Madrid.
"But don't you think this is an opportunity? When the best defensive midfielders in La Liga have been snatched up by Real Madrid, won't there be space for the attacking midfielders?" Aragones asked back.
From the perspective of team strategy, this is indeed the case.
"You can think that way in the short term, but I personally always look at the long term. I prefer a fast-paced style of play. The player in the No. 10 position must be able to pass, shoot, control, and dribble, and the tempo must be fast."
Aragones thought to himself that if what Yang Hao said was true, Atletico Madrid's pressing ability in the frontcourt would definitely be taken to the next level. Even if both wingers were fully equipped, the overall competitiveness would increase dramatically.
"But are there such players?" Aragones asked with a frown.
Yang Hao grinned and said, "Don't try to trick me. You'll know once I sign it."
"So you have already found a candidate." Aragones showed a hint of surprise.
At his age, not many things can surprise him.
"But such a player is not cheap and must be very popular. Are you sure Atletico can sign him?"
Yang Hao pointed at Aragones and laughed. He picked up the wine glass again and handed it to him with a clang. "Come on, don't try to trick me. Just drink."
Aragones was speechless.
Is there any head coach who doesn’t control team building?
When it comes to your itchy spot, you deliberately hide it. Is that okay?
"Don't look at me like that. It was you who insisted on asking, and I told you, but you didn't want to. Anyway, when I succeed in forming a team, you won't just lose two goals." Yang Hao said confidently.
Believe it or not, Aragones actually believed it.
