Chapter 82: Will Su Dong be sold?
The Portuguese Super League has finally come to an end.
In the last round, on the afternoon of the day after Porto defeated Ferreira 2-1 away, Mourinho, the head coach of Porto, called together all the members of the coaching staff to discuss the gains and losses of the past half season.
This season, the situation in the Portuguese Super League has been relatively clear.
Sporting Lisbon, Boavista and Porto were the first group and led from the start, but Porto fell behind halfway through and then the situation evolved into Sporting Lisbon and Boavista moving forward in lockstep.
The real turning point was from the end of March to April.
At that time, Sporting Lisbon had already shown signs of decline. Coupled with the serious injuries of key players such as Nicolaj and Sa Pinto, the team's combat effectiveness was greatly damaged. New players such as Narizis also performed poorly. Everyone was pessimistic about the prospects .
But unexpectedly, two young players, Su Dong and Ronnie, emerged out of nowhere.
Su Dong, in particular, came on as a substitute in all four games and put up eye-catching statistics of four goals and two assists. He can be said to be one of the most dazzling rookies in the Portuguese Super League this season. If it weren't for his short playing time, many people even think that he has the qualifications to compete for the best rookie of the season.
But what is most eye-catching about Su Dong is not his goals and assists, but his playing style on the court.
He is over 1.9 meters tall, has amazing speed, delicate footwork, can pass, shoot, control and dribble, and is very good at catching the ball with his back to the basket and turning around. Such a player can be said to be a perfect center forward.
His biggest weakness now is probably his strength confrontation and competition experience.
It was precisely because of Su Dong's outstanding performance that Sporting Lisbon was able to score points continuously during its low period, and won all three points in the focus match against Boavista, winning the championship one round in advance.
In the last round, Boavista, who missed the championship, lost at home to Wazim, Sporting Lisbon drew with Benfica, and finally won the league .
Porto is two points behind Boavista and ranks third in the league.
…
"According to the statistics, Sporting Lisbon has scored a total of 75 league goals this season, 43 of which came from Jardel. Although they are the team with the strongest offensive firepower in the Portuguese Super League, without Jardel, their offensive strength will be greatly reduced, which is unhealthy."
The person in charge of the analysis was the scout and analyst in Mourinho's coaching team, Villas-Boas, who was only 24 years old.
He once studied with Mourinho, following the famous coach Robson, and later coached the Porto youth team. After Mourinho came to Porto to save the situation, the first thing he did was to promote Villas-Boas to his side as his deputy.
"Everyone can see that Jardel's enthusiasm and form have obviously declined a lot in the final stage of the season. Coupled with his physical injuries, I doubt whether he can continue this form in the new season."
Boas' analysis was also recognized by everyone present.
The concerns about Jardel are not just Boas' personal opinion, but a general consensus.
Almost everyone believes that it is difficult for a top scorer who has no further aspirations in the Portuguese Super League to maintain a very high goal efficiency for two consecutive seasons, especially a player like Jardel.
"In terms of defense, Sporting Lisbon conceded 25 goals, five more than second-placed Boavista. But there are reports that veteran Andre Cruz will leave the team after the season. He is the backbone of Sporting Lisbon's defense. Without him, Sporting Lisbon's defense will inevitably be in turmoil in the new season."
"In addition, according to reliable intelligence we have received, Sporting Lisbon may find it difficult to invest in the transfer market this summer. The two major expenses of the training base and the new stadium have already made them exhausted. On the contrary, several players in the team, including Phil Babb and Ugo Viana, have been favored by the four major league teams."
When Mourinho heard this, he tapped the table with his fingers, attracting everyone's attention. Then he smiled and said, "That means Sporting Lisbon can only gamble on young players in the new season."
After hearing this, everyone started laughing.
The competition in the Portuguese Super League is very fierce. Even a team like Boavista may fall into the middle of the table at any minute. Teams with strong foundations such as Porto, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon are slightly better, but if they want to challenge for the championship, they still have to rely on strength.
Without Jardel, without Nicolaj and without Andre Cruz, how could Sporting Lisbon win the championship this season?
Sporting Lisbon has no money to invest in the transfer market, but Porto has a considerable transfer budget.
"Marco and Paulo Ferreira from Setubal, Bruno from Maritimo, Thiago from Leiria, Valente and Dellei, Maniche and Edgaras Jankauskas from Benfica, Pedro Emanuel from Boavista..."
Mourinho read out the names one by one, all of whom were targets he had been observing for a long time.
Only a wealthy and powerful club like Porto can support his huge ambition and purchasing desire.
"By the way, we should also keep a close eye on Pepe, the young Brazilian central defender of Maritimo. Andrade is likely to transfer after the end of the season."
With his outstanding performance this season, Andrade has attracted attention from teams in the four major leagues, especially Deportivo La Coruna.
Although Porto is wealthy in the Portuguese Super League, in European football, their business philosophy is still to train players.
After hearing this, everyone in the coaching staff looked at each other in bewilderment. How much would it cost to have such a long acquisition list?
Mourinho also saw the doubts in everyone's eyes and smiled confidently: "Don't worry, I have already discussed it with the chairman."
It was precisely because of the support of Porto's chairman that Mourinho was determined to make a big splash in Porto.
"Let's talk about the Portuguese Cup final."
Mourinho changed the subject and looked at Boas again. "In the last derby, Bologna kept young player Su Dong on the bench. Quaresma performed well after coming on as a substitute. Cristiano Ronaldo was included in the squad but did not play. What do you think?"
"I think it's a smokescreen," Boas said without hesitation.
"Obviously, even though the last round is a derby, it doesn't really matter. Boloni is definitely asking us to guess. If Nalizis performs well, maybe we will still hold back, but in reality..."
The Greek center's performance in the last game still did not improve, which greatly reduced the effect of Boloni's smoke bomb.
It can even be said that it failed.
"Sudon will definitely play, which will be troublesome because our central defender combination of Andrade and Carvalho are both short."
A short central defender is really at a disadvantage when facing a tall center, especially a center like Su Dong who can hold the ball.
He just needs to lean his body against you and hold the ball, and you can't snatch it away.
"It would be much better if Jorge Costa was here," sighed assistant coach Baltemar Brito.
Jorge Costa is a veteran of Porto and also a Portuguese international central defender. He is 1.88 meters tall, which can just make up for the height problem of Porto's back line. However, he was at a disadvantage in the competition with Andrade and Carvalho in the first half, and transferred to Charlton in the Premier League during the winter break.
Facing Sporting Lisbon, defending against high defense will be a major test for Porto's defense.
Because not only is Su Dong over 1.9 meters tall, Jardel is also 1.88 meters tall, and the Brazilian center is very good at heading. On the contrary, Su Dong's header is not very threatening, which is mainly related to his weak physical confrontation.
"The next defensive focus is to practice restricting Jardel. It would be best to force him out of the penalty area and reduce his possession of the ball in dangerous areas. As for the two wings, if Quaresma and Ronaldo are on the field, let them lead the way. Just don't let them leave the wing."
These two geniuses of Sporting Lisbon have one thing in common, that is, they are sticky to the ball and fancy. The actual effect on the court is not ideal. As long as they are not allowed to rush into the hinterland with the ball, they are not very threatening.
For example, Benfica let Quaresma dribble into the penalty area, and Quaresma dribbled past two people and earned a penalty.
"What about Su Dong?" Brito asked with concern.
Mourinho frowned, and the young man following Mendes emerged in his mind.
The first time he met Su Dong was at Benfica's home stadium when he was still coaching Leiria. He never imagined that half a year later, this kid would become his biggest concern.
Times have really changed!
"Bologna will probably not let Su Dong start. After all, he is only 17 years old and will probably be a substitute. So we have to try to establish an advantage early and then respond accordingly."
After Su Dong came on the court, Sporting Lisbon's offensive tactics changed a lot.
From being dominated by the wing to being dominated by the center.
The more obvious cooperation routine is that Su Dong retreats to support, then turns around and passes the ball to the empty space on the wing, especially behind the defense line, bringing out the speed of Ronaldo and Quaresma, as well as the one-on-one advantage on the wing.
Strictly speaking, this tactic is really difficult to defend, especially against Porto, who have problems defending on both wings.
But the biggest problem is that Sudong has just emerged and is very young, as is Ronaldo. Quaresma's performance has been quite up and down. Does Bologna dare to arrange them to play in such an important game as the Portuguese Cup final?
As a surprise player, it would be most reasonable for him to come on the field and turn the situation around at the critical moment.
"By the way, Andre, let the club try to find out whether Sporting Lisbon is willing to sell Su Dong?" Mourinho instructed with interest.
"Psychological warfare?" asked physical coach Rui Faria with a smile.
Mourinho shook his head.
"Are you serious?" Boas was a little surprised.
Not only him, but everyone was surprised.
Mourinho nodded seriously and said: "I regret now that I didn't snatch him away in time."
At that time, Mourinho would never have thought that Su Dong's progress would be so amazing.
