The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 214 Joining is far less effective than defeating

Kanté's time in Bastia was not long, and he had no recollection of the Corsican derby.

The derby that left the deepest impression on him in all of France was the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille.

Gaio was very aware of the madness of the Corsican derby.

He had already felt it slightly after just participating in a Corsican youth derby.

"There have been some bad things in the past, and some fans have even lost their lives in the chaos. As for injuries, those are commonplace."

Chatham drove while reminiscing about the old Corsican derby.

In fact.

The Corsican derby is so intense largely because of the deep-seated animosity between the two teams, stemming from the rivalry between northern and southern Corsica.

In addition, neither team is a traditional Ligue 1 team, unlike other famous derbies such as Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, ​​the Milan derby, the Ruhr derby, etc., where the teams are guaranteed to meet at least twice a season.

Bastia and Ajaccio may not meet even once for several seasons.

And most of the time they meet in Ligue 2.

Previously.

The two teams have only met four times in the history of Ligue 1.

This is the fifth time.

The previous four instances all occurred during the two seasons of 2003-2005.

Both teams played in Ligue 1 for the past two seasons.

Therefore, they faced each other a total of four times in the league.

At other times, either Ajaccio or Bastia were relegated.

The Ajaccio currently referred to is actually called "AC Ajaccio".

Corsica also has a third team, GFC Ajaccio, commonly known as Ajaccio Gazelec.

This team is a fierce rival of Ajaccio in the same city, and also a fierce rival of Bastia in the north and south of Corsica.

The colors of the traditional home team jerseys of the three teams are also quite interesting.

Bastia is blue.

Ajaccio is red and white striped.

GFC Ajaccio features red and blue stripes.

The main focus is on a bond.

Similarly, the three teams share two common features in their team logo designs.

The team emblem features a shield and a Moorish head.

This is related to the independent spirit of Corsica; the three teams are bitter rivals within their own ranks.

But to outsiders, they're good brothers.

Although France occupied Corsica for over 200 years and Napoleon emerged from there.

but,

The conflict between the French central government and Corsica has never disappeared.

Throughout history, the Corsicans have never ceased to be dissatisfied with Genoa and French colonial rule.

This is why Gaio was able to see the Corsican islanders maintaining their national characteristics, language, and culture on the streets of Bastia.

Gaio has now learned a few words of Corsican.

After World War II, with the independence of many French colonies, Corsicans also began to pursue autonomy or even independence.

However, for France, Corsica was different from other colonies; the island of Corsica was of great importance to maintaining France's presence and influence in the Mediterranean.

Corsica's independence must never be allowed.

In an effort to improve the situation in Corsica, France took a hard line against the separatists.

On the other hand, efforts were made to quell Corsican discontent by continuously developing the local economy, recognizing the status of the Corsican language, and granting it greater autonomy.

The French government is building infrastructure such as railways and highways, opening up sea and air routes, and focusing on developing the tourism industry here.

Football can never exist in isolation from politics and economics.

It is precisely because of the background mentioned above.

Only after the overall economy of Corsica improved was this isolated island able to support two French Ligue 1 football teams.

That's how we ended up with the fifth Corsican derby in Ligue 1.

"We were founded five years earlier than them. There have been too many grudges between us, but ultimately, the stadium's affairs should be left to the stadium. It's just that I'm going to have another headache. I hope that guy Modoso doesn't cause any trouble in Ajaccio."

Chatham sighed as he talked about the history of the two teams.

He continued, "Modoso's father, back when we were still in Ligue 2, went to Ajaccio. He single-handedly took down four Ajaccio fans and chased after them, but then got beaten up by a group of them. If others hadn't arrived in time, things might have gotten much worse."

It wasn't until they arrived at the training base that Chatham stopped talking and said to the two, "Get some rest. The national team players who are back won't start training until tomorrow. If you need any treatment, you can go to the team doctor."

Gaio and Kanté both nodded.

Go back to dorms.

Gaio was still thinking about the stories between Bastia and Ajaccio.

Football is never just about football.

It is an extension of economics and politics.

For example, the Ruhr derby, a rivalry between coal mining and steelmaking.

For example, the Spanish El Clásico, and the conflict between the Spanish and Catalan governments.

For example, Maradona's "Hand of God" makes him a national hero in Argentina.

and many more.

People who grow up in regions where football culture is not deeply rooted often find it difficult to understand the fans' fanaticism for football.

perhaps,

Football is the only sport in the world where a single match cannot determine a champion or runner-up, yet it still gets people's blood pumping.

Knowing that Gaio had returned to Bastia, Fabricu called to inquire about Gaio's condition. After Gaio replied that he felt fine, Fabricu scheduled a full-scale test for him the next day.

National team matches are the most nerve-wracking time for clubs.

Long journeys and intense competitions make people more susceptible to injury.

Therefore,
FIFA launched a "Benefits Program" in 2008, in which they reached an agreement with clubs on compensation for injuries during international match days and subsidies for clubs during major tournaments.

The "Benefit Plan" covers players within two years prior to the day after their team is eliminated.

Based on the current situation, Bastia will also be able to receive a share of the money because of Gaio.

After Fabreto.

Pierre also called Gaio, mainly to tell him that he had run into Marotta after the match between Spain and France yesterday.

I only found out then that Marotta had also watched the entire game live.

The two exchanged contact information, but it was clear that Marotta already had Pierre's contact information, although previously it had been someone else contacting Pierre on behalf of Juventus.

Now Marotta is taking matters into his own hands.

After hanging up the phone, Gaio pondered for a moment everything about Juventus.

It seems that going to Juventus at this time is not a bad decision.

Since escaping a handball at the San Siro and winning the Serie A title last season (2011/2012), Juventus' dominance of the Italian peninsula will continue for nine years.

In the early stages, they had an absolute dominance, but in the later stages, it was a complete collapse of their Serie A opponents.

This can be seen from Juventus' performance in the Champions League.

in the afternoon.

Instead of taking a break, Gaio went to the training field and continued training.

By the time his training ended, De Bruyne and Lukaku had also returned to Bastia.

The three greeted each other.

De Bruyne and Lukaku are both in good spirits, and Belgium has won both of their matches in this window.

They defeated Serbia 3-0 away and Scotland 2-0 at home.

Both were shutouts.

In this group, Belgium's only real opponent is Croatia.

Croatia's record is the same as Belgium's, winning all four of their other matches.

Last month, the direct confrontation between Belgium and Croatia ended in a 1-1 draw.

De Bruyne expressed some regret over the goal-line injustice involving Gaio's French team, saying, "That goal could very well have affected your chances of advancing."

Gaio, however, had already come to terms with it. "Everyone says that misjudgments are part of football, so what can we do? There's no way to change the result now. If we can win when we return to our home ground next time, it'll be the same."

Lukaku chimed in, "We're pretty much the same as you, it'll just be a matter of how we handle Croatia in the second leg."

De Bruyne thought of Croatia and said, "Their midfielder is very good."

"Modric?" Gaio asked knowingly.

“Yes, no wonder Real Madrid made things so tense, yet still wanted to bring him from Tottenham to the Bernabéu. Mourinho, such an arrogant person, even went to negotiate with Levy for him. That’s quite impressive,” De Bruyne said.

After he arrived at Chelsea, he heard some rumors about Modric.

The previous summer, Modric had planned to transfer to Chelsea. He was eager to leave Tottenham and even refused to participate in preseason training and submitted a transfer request, but was blocked by Levy.

Gaio had finished training and was walking and chatting with De Bruyne and Lukaku, mainly about the game and football.

The lives of football players are often very impoverished.

It's a continuous cycle of training and competition.

This is why, once self-discipline is lacking, it is easy to let oneself go—engaging in all kinds of indulgent activities such as alcohol, women, and games.

That's why people in Gaio's previous life said that there are many Ronaldo and Messi at seventeen or eighteen years old, but there are absolutely none at thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old.

the next day.

At breakfast, Gaio and his teammates, as usual, checked the daily sports news.

Because of Gaio, the Bastia media also reprinted updates on the match between France and Spain.

Above are some comments from legends from both sides regarding that controversial ruling.

Gaio doesn't like watching these verbal battles.

What he saw was "unlucky Real Madrid," with Arbeloa injured in the second half of the Spain-France match.

As Real Madrid's left-back, he is positioned with Marcelo and Coenlongte ahead of him.

Marcelo and Coentrao are both world-class left-backs, and Arbeloa is also considered top-class.

The possibility of all three being injured at the same time is extremely low.

But this scene actually happened!
The first to fall was Coentrao. In Portugal's 0-1 defeat to Russia last weekend, Coentrao was substituted after only 19 minutes due to a thigh muscle strain, and he will be out for a month.

The second to fall was Marcelo.

Marcelo sprained his right ankle during Brazil's training session last weekend, and the examination revealed a shocking fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot. He will undergo surgery in Amsterdam, Netherlands this week, and will be sidelined for three months.

The third is Arbeloa, who has a hamstring strain in his right leg and will be out for about a month.

This media outlet says Mourinho has no suitable left-backs available and will either have to change other players' positions or look to develop his youth academy players.

The reporter who wrote this article also criticized Mourinho, saying, "Obviously, discovering new talent has never been an option for Mourinho; the second choice can be ruled out."

The reporter offered his opinion: "In Real Madrid's squad, there's also Nacho. However, this player, who was promoted to the first team this summer, is a versatile player in the defense. Nacho can play as a left or right full-back and a center-back, but his performance in any position is not outstanding enough."

Gaio read another article, in which his own name was written.

"In the match between Spain and France, Gaião performed outstandingly, causing chaos in the defense on several occasions. Real Madrid is interested in signing Gaião, and Mourinho has already given the transfer department positive instructions."

Seeing the news in Gaio's hand, De Bruyne sat down with his breakfast and casually remarked, "This is Real Madrid, one of the world's strongest clubs. Seriously, don't you want to consider it?"

"Besides, with your French legend Zidane to look after you, it's a pretty good choice."

Gaio shook his head, put the newspaper away, and looked at De Bruyne. "If it were you, would you make the same choice?"

De Bruyne paused for a moment, then exchanged a smile with Gaio.

De Bruyne laughed and said, "Okay, then I guess I know what kind of team you'll be going to."

Gaio remained noncommittal, replying, "Beating him is far more exciting than joining a top club."

De Bruyne gave a thumbs up.

After breakfast, the players went to the rest area to relax. After half an hour of rest, they began today's training.

Gaio and De Bruyne walked together.

He was chatting and laughing with his teammates.

Suddenly,
De Bruyne stopped and whispered to Gaio, "Count me in."

Gaio laughed.

De Bruyne smiled too. Being with like-minded people, whether on or off the field, is just so pleasant.

"it is good."

In that instant, Gaio suddenly realized where he should go.

Arrive at the training ground.

Hagi Begic greeted everyone and, before the upcoming derby, laughed and said, "As long as we play normally, there won't be any problems in this game."

"Ajaccio's attacking capabilities are limited, and they will definitely choose to defend to the death, so we've mainly been training how to break through their tight defense these past two days."

Breaking through a secret defense is generally a global challenge, but this only exists when the strength difference between the two sides is not significant.

If the gap in strength is too large, like Barcelona in the previous two or three seasons.

No matter who you play against, no matter what tactics you use, you won't touch the ball the entire game.

It's unimaginable that some teams playing against Barcelona might have players who touch the ball less than ten times throughout the entire match.

Other teams mostly rely on crosses to head the ball from high points;

Long-range shooting;

Alternatively, they can rely on the space to the left and right to constantly stretch the opponent's formation and seek space to attack.

When Hagi Begic made tactical arrangements, he simply gave up on headers, without explaining why.

But Lukaku, standing in the crowd, was too embarrassed to touch his head.

He watched his teammates chuckle.

Then look at your feet, look at the birds flying in the sky, and the clouds.

These clouds are so white.
(End of this chapter)