"Number twenty-six, Facundo Quiroga."
"Number 28, Cristiano Ronaldo."
…
When head coach Boloni called out the name, everyone in the locker room looked at Ronnie.
Sitting in front of the wardrobe, the Madeira boy was shocked.
Although he had been struggling for a chance to play in the first team, and even pestered the coaching staff again and again, and thought he had made all the preparations, when the moment really came, he was still very shocked.
This will undoubtedly become a historic moment in his career!
Ronnie nodded excitedly to the head coach, turned to look at Su Dong, opened his arms, leaned over, and hugged Su Dong. His slightly trembling body showed his inner excitement and excitement at the moment.
Su Dong was also happy for him, but he was also somewhat disappointed.
Ronnie finally made it into the 18-man roster, what about me?
…
The first team roster consists of eleven starters and seven substitutes, a total of eighteen.
This is what is often referred to as the 18-man roster.
Since Su Dong had never expected to be on the big list before, he never paid attention to it.
I just didn't expect that the head coach would suddenly announce that Ronnie was included in the roster today.
Just when Su Dong thought the list had been read out, head coach Boloni continued to announce the list.
"Number twenty-nine, Cesar Pratt."
This is the replacement for right back Beto Cefaro, who is also a regular on the roster.
Unlike Ronnie's excitement, Pratt was used to it.
He has always been a member of the roster and even often starts.
For such a player, being included in the 18-man roster is as common as eating and drinking. It would be strange if he didn't make it.
Just like just now, he was surprised that Rodrigo Tello, number 11, didn't score.
The Chilean left winger was brought in by Sporting Lisbon last summer for 6.3 million euros, which is definitely a high price. He is also one of the team's most valuable and paid players.
But his performance this season has been unsatisfactory. Not only has he not scored any goals so far, he has also only made one assist, which was against Benfica. Apart from that, he has hardly had any performance.
His market value and annual salary force Sporting Lisbon to use him, because the team is unwilling to let their investment in Rodrigo Tello go to waste, so they can only continue to give him trust and hope that he can adjust as soon as possible and show his strength.
This should be the first time he has not been included in the roster since the winter break.
Su Dong thought a lot, but Boloni did not stop, but directly announced the next name.
"Number 36, Su Dong!"
As soon as Boloni finished speaking, everyone in the locker room gasped.
Obviously, everyone was very surprised.
Originally they all thought that the next person to be announced would be number 45, Ugo Viana.
But unexpectedly, it was Su Dong, number 36.
Su Dong himself was somewhat caught off guard. He opened his eyes wide and looked at Boloni in disbelief.
The head coach nodded affirmatively at him and smiled.
"Great, buddy, you're on the roster too." Ronnie was so excited that he almost jumped up.
Su Dong was also very excited. He had been eagerly waiting for this day to come.
…
"Everyone."
After announcing the 18-man roster, Boloni closed the notebook in his hand and walked to the middle of the locker room.
"As I said before, I will observe every player in the first team and give everyone a chance to show themselves, so this time, Ronnie and Su Dong are both included in the squad. I believe everyone has seen their performance in the second team's games and daily training."
Everyone nodded.
After training with the first team for almost three months, the two have been making continuous progress.
Everyone was mentally prepared that it was only a matter of time before Su Dong and Ronnie were included in the roster.
"Now, although we are making progress in both the Portuguese Super League and the Portuguese Cup, the pressure of the game is still very high, especially in the Portuguese Super League, Boavista and Porto are chasing closely behind us. I believe everyone is very clear about the strength of these two teams. As long as we make a mistake, we may be overtaken at any time."
"Next, we have to face Boavista away and a derby against Benfica. Among the strong teams, there is also Maritimo. These are all very tough opponents. If we are not careful, we may lose points at any time and ruin our top position in the league."
Boloni said this very seriously.
It’s almost April and the league is gradually coming to an end, but the pressure will only increase.
As long as the outcome is not decided, Sporting Lisbon cannot let down its guard.
“I also hope that the two players who are included in the squad for the first time can show their performance in the second team games and daily training, and make contributions to the team to the best of their ability.”
Su Dong and Ronnie both nodded.
…
…
The afternoon training session is over.
As soon as Bologna announced its disbandment, many teammates came over to congratulate Su Dong and Ronnie for making the starting lineup for the first time.
But there were also some players who were very unhappy because they were squeezed out of the roster and left in a hurry.
Su Dong and Ronnie looked at each other and saw the disbelief in each other's eyes.
Their long-awaited roster is finally here, and although it is not known whether they will play, it is a huge step forward.
But despite being excited and encouraged, both of them felt a little nervous.
Ronnie appears to be proud and confident on the surface, but in fact, he is very inferior in his heart. He just hides this inferiority very deeply and covers it up with arrogance.
Su Dong did not try to hide it because he came from a country that was weak in football.
Inferiority complex will become the driving force that motivates him to work hard.
He was eager to prove to everyone that he, who came from a football-poor country, could also play good football.
…
After entering the first-team roster, many things have changed dramatically.
For example, both of them will receive a thick stack of intelligence and information about the opponent, including a video file, which is all intelligence about the opponent's players. This is to make them more familiar with their opponents.
In fact, both of them have participated in the team's targeted training in the past two or three days.
Setubal is a balanced team. Their offense is not outstanding, but their biggest feature is their good counterattack. Defense is their advantage. They have conceded only two more goals this season than Bellerenses, which ranks fifth in the league.
It can be seen from this that this team is a typical defensive counterattack team and a tough one.
What Su Dong needs to pay attention to are their two main central defenders.
The 22-year-old Brazilian central defender Hugo is 1.9 meters tall, slightly shorter than Su Dong, but weighs 85 kilograms, one weight class higher than Su Dong. Like all Brazilian players, his footwork skills are pretty good.
The coaching staff's information also emphasizes that Hugo is a left-footed player.
Another one is the 28-year-old Portuguese central defender Hugo Costa, who is 1.84 meters tall and weighs 83 kilograms. He once played for Stoke City in the Championship for half a year, but was unable to adapt to the atmosphere in England and finally returned to the Portuguese Super League.
The two central defenders are the most classic central defender combination, one tall and one agile.
Su Dong needs to study these two opponents carefully before the game.
Unlike Su Dong, Ronnie focused on the opponent 's two full-backs.
On the right is the 23-year-old Paulo Ferreira, the most stable right-back in the Portuguese Super League this season. He is said to have been targeted by giants including Porto, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon.
On the left is Rui Andre, a player who has come all the way from the lower leagues and has good ability.
In addition to the defense line, Setubal also needs to pay attention to the double defensive midfielders, captain Elio Sousa and defensive midfielder Sandro Mendes. These two players are the team's midfield core and the team's defensive barrier.
Ever since Valencia swept the European football scene with its double defensive midfielders and reached the Champions League final twice, although they failed to win the championship, the double defensive midfielder tactics became popular throughout the Iberian Peninsula, and Setubal coach Luis Campos was a follower.
It is worth mentioning that Sandro Mendes once played for Hercules in the Spanish Second Division and Villarreal in La Liga, but because he did not get a chance in Villarreal, he returned to the Portuguese Super League.
It can be said that these six players form Setubal's most solid defensive formation.
For Sporting Lisbon, the real challenge lies in attacking when facing Setubal away from home.
The test is how to break through the opponent's defense and create offensive threats while ensuring that one's own defense does not make mistakes.
As strong as Boavista and Benfica were, they failed to get three points away from home. Only Porto, which has a strong offense, beat Setubal 3-0 away from home.
To some extent, this is also a dead end for Sporting Lisbon.
…
“What a tough opponent.”
After reading the information, Su Dong did not dare to be careless at all.
Just with the information in his hand, he could already feel the strength of his opponent and the difficulty of the game.
"This is only the twelfth-ranked team in the Portuguese Super League." Ronnie said with a wry smile.
Su Dong kept nodding his head. Who said it wasn't?
The team ranked twelfth in the Portuguese Super League is so difficult to deal with, what about the other teams?
What about Boavista, Porto and Benfica?
If the gap between strong and weak teams in the Portuguese First Division is huge, and there are even some reserve teams that have no ambitions, then in the Portuguese Super League, every team is strong and they try their best in every game.
If you are not careful, you may be downgraded at any time.
This is the cruel competition in the Portuguese Super League.
And this is just the Portuguese Super League.
What about the four major leagues, or even the UEFA Cup and the European Champions League?
"Are you afraid?" Ronnie suddenly looked at Su Dong seriously and asked.
Su Dong nodded, "I am afraid, but I am more afraid of not being able to play in the game, and I am even more afraid of missing the opportunity I have been waiting for."
Ronnie laughed.
Anyone who says they are not afraid is absolutely hypocritical.
It's like a war, no one is not afraid.
But in this world, there are some things that are scarier than fear.
"As long as Boloni lets me play, I will definitely turn Setubal's defense upside down!"
Ronnie made a bold statement.