Football: A late bloomer, starting with Leicester City

Chapter 356 Calderon Stadium! Why is the scene so harmonious? (asking for monthly ticket)

On April 4, there was one day left before the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.

All Leicester City players boarded a chartered flight to Madrid, Spain.

Generally speaking, if you are competing domestically, you don’t need to prepare too much, and it doesn’t matter if you start early on the day of the competition.

However, cross-border competitions in the Champions League still need to be paid more attention to, prepare for on-field training in advance, and adapt to the local temperature and climate.

The small price paid is nothing compared to the increase in tournament prize money and popularity.

At noon that day, the entire Leicester City team landed in Madrid, and it was their first time to experience the elegance of this football city.

As the capital of Spain, Madrid is a very beautiful city. Although its buildings are not as neat and harmonious as Barcelona, ​​they can still be considered to have a unique flavor.

Huge palaces, brightly lit churches, and European-style low-rise buildings that generally only have a few floors all show the city's deep cultural heritage.

After a brief rest at the hotel.

The entire Leicester City squad traveled by bus to Atlético Madrid's Estadio Calderon, one of the best stadiums in the world.

"Next, as long as we get past Atletico Madrid and enter the semi-finals."

After the training, Mr. Ranieri gathered everyone together, and Mr. Vichai also stood beside him.

"Atletico Madrid is the last obstacle. Tomorrow we will meet them at Calderon, the grass below our feet. Come on everyone!!"

"It's actually the same for me. Everything during this period feels like I'm in a dream. The feeling at the end of last season is back."

Mahrez was sitting next to Chen Yufeng. He held his chin with his left hand and opened the window with his right hand. "It's really strange. It's swaying. Every time I close my eyes and then open them again, I'm surprised." "

Seeing the players nodding, Ranieri advanced the tactical board a little. In the away game, he did not dare to make too many adjustments, nor did he dare to send too many young people.

The old lineup... many young players were suddenly disappointed. They were actually ready to face Atletico Madrid.

"This is a good thing. Everyone has to make it as sensational as if they are acting in a movie. We should have more passion."

"Atletico Madrid's defense is unique. I am not saying this to discourage everyone, but just to make you more aware of what you should do."

On the way, every Leicester City player lay on the window, admiring this famous football city.

"When we qualified for the Champions League last year, did we think we could stand in the quarter-finals?"

"Goalkeeper Schmeichel, centre-backs Morgan and Huth, Danny Simpson and Fox on both sides, defensive midfielder, Kante and Drinkwater, wide midfielder, Chen Yufeng and Mahrez."

Simeone stood on the sidelines with his chin in his hands, his expression very heavy, but his straight back told the reporters next to him that he seemed confident.

"Okay, let me say a few words."

Vichai clenched his fists. He was not tall, but he showed great energy.

A somewhat reluctant lineup was launched.

"To put it simply, when you face a team as strong, passionate and stylish as Atletico Madrid in the cup, you must be prepared to face all difficulties."

They have to train here first and prepare for the game.

"Center, Vardy partners with Shinji Okazaki."

"Although Madrid is most famous for Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid is also a team that is deeply rooted in people's hearts. They can be remembered when this city is mentioned."

Even though the action may seem simple, everyone present was paying full attention and did not dare to lose any thought.

"Forget about being unstoppable in the Premier League, forget about the big wins before."

…………

Shortly after Leicester City left Calderon, Atletico Madrid players also came to the scene to stamp on the field.

The others were silent, and everyone arrived at the training ground later to conduct some simple passing and receiving training.

"Be fully prepared, even prepare desperately, so that you can score goals and win at the Calderon Stadium. Do you understand?"

They must remember everything here, remember every pass, every kick on the ground when sprinting, so that they can play a better game tomorrow.

"But even I can tell that it's really great that everyone has gotten here, and we have accomplished something we couldn't even imagine before."

Morgan looked out longingly, "I couldn't imagine playing against such a team in the Champions League quarterfinals before."

What he said really touched the hearts of the players. For a while, many Leicester City players breathed heavier.

Ranieri stood up first. He asked Steve Walsh to roll out a tactical board, pointed at the opponent's half and said: "First point, we must be prepared to accept frustration on the offensive line."

"Get to the semi-finals and fight for the championship together!"

"Then we will have the most amazing fighting spirit and the most urgent desire to win in the world, and we will really have the courage to hold our heads high and attack against any team!"

Atletico Madrid is not insurmountable, I guess you still have to dream... Chen Yufeng next to him said secretly, and then smiled: "Get ready for training, don't sigh here."

"This is really not the FA Cup or the League Cup...but the Champions League??"

Young people are more creative, but prone to mistakes.

Even if they lose in the away game, they will still have the opportunity to fight with a young lineup when they return to the home court.

But at this critical juncture, Ranieri still seems to trust the elders in the team more. He may feel that experience is very important in such a high-standard arena.

The current Premier League is not yet a super hegemon, and the influence of Spain's giant teams is still there. For players like Morgan, Atletico Madrid is indeed a big mountain.

Ranieri had long expected the faces of everyone. He didn't know if he was doing the right thing, so he could only wait and try it out first.

Vichai walked up at this time. He was very approachable in private, but in multi-person situations, he would still maintain a certain degree of dignity. "I am a businessman. I don't know much about tactics and sports psychology."

"Tomorrow, I will inform the Spanish journalists who will come to the scene in advance not to ask stupid questions when interviewing Leicester City and to retain their dignity as Spanish journalists."

Simeone turned to look at the assistant coach beside him and said: "Don't anger the Leicester City coaches and players, don't disrespect them."

"I hope to leave a good impression on our opponents, and I hope we can beat them with dignity."

"We don't want to use dirty tricks, and we don't want to hurt our opponents off the court."

"Hmm..." The assistant coach nodded aside, but secretly said to himself that he was probably trying to leave a good impression on Chen Yufeng.

This purpose is a bit too clear.

Although Simeone is not a heinous bad guy in his coaching career, he is definitely not a soft-tempered guy.

The reason that drove him to do this must not only be the righteousness in his heart.

Who would believe this?

"Chen Yufeng has just completed a hat-trick in the Premier League. I am very worried that he will suddenly show up at a superstar level and disrupt all our plans."

Simone looked a little worried when talking about Chen Yufeng.

"Don't worry, boss. The players' condition and desire to compete are at their peak. They will not let you down."

The assistant coach on the side consoled him: "Chen Yufeng is also a god in many cases, and an ordinary one... Ah, I mean he will also score goals, but he only scores one goal."

"He won't be able to score hat tricks all the time, so don't worry, boss. Since we have prepared a targeted strategy, we don't have to worry about him performing beyond the double-double level."

"At the Calderon Stadium, we will not make it easy for any opponent." His comfort had some effect, and Simeone felt much better after taking a few quick breaths.

Before leaving the field, he turned around and added, "You must remember to have nothing but the game. Don't embarrass Leicester City's players and coaches tomorrow, especially Chen Yufeng and Ranieri."

After saying that, he left the scene.

…………

The next day, from one o'clock in the afternoon, everything was already lively.

Atletico Madrid fans wearing red and white striped jerseys inside and outside the stadium began to enter the stadium, and Leicester City's Champions League expeditionary force also walked among the Atletico Madrid fans.

The fans of both teams somehow showed a friendly nature from before the game.

"Come on, let's take a photo together. How many years have you supported Leicester City?"

"After we're done, we can go have a drink together. Don't look at the palaces and churches everywhere in Madrid. The nightlife here is rich. Otherwise, why would those stars always say that they are lost in Madrid, hahahaha..."

"It's okay, Madrid and Leicester City are a family!"

"We don't have any conflicts. If we do, it's just a misunderstanding. In fact, I like Madrid and I also like Leicester City."

"Then let me ask you a question, where does the ma knife come from?"

"Of course the ma knife is British."

"Tsk, I just said we are a family!"

"But having said that, relationships are relationships. I hope your team will not hinder us from advancing to the semi-finals! At Atletico Madrid, we want to win the Champions League!"

"We at Leicester City are the same, hahaha!"

"..."

On the street, Atletico Madrid fans and Leicester City fans took photos together, and some even arranged a drinking trip arm in arm.

English and Spanish sound completely different, but they are similar languages. It is very simple to know one and learn the other.

Therefore, there are still quite a lot of fans who can communicate without any barriers.

They entered the venue surrounded by each other, laughing and laughing, but with different stances.

In a sense, this kind of moment in football can be regarded as a moment that proves the charm of this sport.

Healthy competition has always been a rational and beautiful football ecology that everyone has fantasized about.

This is of course a precious state.

On the other side, Leicester City players got off the bus at the side entrance.

"Click, click, click, click..." The cameras on both sides flashed their shutters wildly, and many Leicester City fans living in Spain cheered loudly.

Since Simeone had asked someone to say hello in advance, the scene today was quite harmonious.

When entering the stadium, there were cheers from both sides, and the media did not ask anything from the crowd.

All the way to the passage inside the stadium, every staff member is also full of enthusiasm and diligently guides the players and coaches into the locker room.

There are even people in the locker room wiping the seats that have become very tidy and mopping the reflective floor.

This situation lasted until they came on stage to warm up.

The Leicester City players couldn't help but wonder, why is something wrong?

Why didn't you get this kind of treatment before?

Let's just talk about the Premier League. There is no match that is not tense and tense, let alone such a high-standard quarter-final of the Champions League.

By the end of the pre-match press conference, when no local Spanish media asked them difficult questions, Chen Yufeng finally couldn't help his doubts and started chatting with Ranieri.

"Are all Madrid good people?" Chen Yufeng, who was still in the dark, said something very inexplicable.

"Probably not."

Ranieri smiled and said: "I can only say that someone should have said hello in advance, either a senior member of the Spanish royal family who likes Leicester City, or an important government official."

"In other words, it is Atletico Madrid himself, Simeone himself."

"As for the purpose of the greeting, there are many possibilities."

"That's all." Chen Yufeng nodded slightly.

"As for the purpose, think on the bright side, this is a kind of respect from the heart. Then when we go back to the King Power Stadium, we should also respect them. This is mutual." Chen Yufeng added.

"Of course, we will not treat anyone who respects us badly." Ranieri said.

The two of them stopped talking after that. Just keep these off-site things in mind.

But don't look timid because of respect, just don't play like a man on the court.

"Kick Barcelona...Kick Barcelona...Kick Bayern Munich...!!"

"I'll wipe it...!!"

“Oh————!!”

Not long after, the Champions League theme song sounded, and the fans in the audience cheered fiercely.

Because they saw that their favorite players had walked out of the tunnel and onto the court.

The war is about to be triggered, and this game may directly determine the situation of the semi-finals.

You know, defeat in the first round and reversal in the second round are rare after all.

Although it can make everyone's impression deeper, remember it longer, and even create the illusion of a lot of reversal in the second round.

But the fact is that in most two-round games, the suspense ends in the first round.

Even if there is no end, the team that wins the first round will have at least a 7% probability of qualifying.

How can there be so many reversals?

Are the people on the other side really a bunch of fools, rushing you to reverse course every day?

This is a big illusion.

"Beep!!"

As time passed by two o'clock in the afternoon, the famous Danish whistler Kostlu blew the whistle to start the game.

The first leg of this Champions League quarter-final officially started at the Calderon Stadium.

…………

ps: I’ll finish writing the game tomorrow. I’m sorry for the past two days. I’m visiting relatives during the Chinese New Year. I’ve tried my best to avoid some things, but there are always some family matters. I’ll finish writing the first round tomorrow, trust me.

(End of this chapter)