The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 240 Birthday Night, Top of the List Night?
November 24th, 8:30 PM.

Blue flags fluttered at the Cesarí stadium as the match had been going on for over an hour, with Viktoria Plzeň and Bastia tied 0-0 away from home.

The broadcast cameras occasionally panned across Bastia's bench, where Gaio, De Bruyne, Kante, and Lukaku were all present.

Having already secured qualification, Bastia did not succumb to the Europa League group stage win bonuses, but instead decisively opted for a significant rotation of their squad.

Two consecutive league defeats have already sounded the alarm for Bastia.

As for the last two rounds of the European group stage, which fans have been criticizing, sometimes they can be quite boring, but Hagi Begic has no say in that.

He always tells reporters that the team needs to avoid relegation, but if it's really about avoiding relegation, then that's not right.

Hagi Begic remained relatively calm on the sidelines, but Jerónimi in the stands looked worried.

He said to Chatham next to him, "Will there be any problems with us being so aggressive this season?"

He had no choice but to worry, after all, he was the boss.

Once the team runs into financial trouble, Bastia will basically say goodbye to him, and there will be no other way but to sell the team at a low price and find someone to take over.

Chatham remained relatively calm. "The season is long, and it's too early to talk about these things now. Besides, Mr. Chairman, you need to understand that whether Bastia wins the championship or not has little to do with our financial situation."

Jeronimi was blinded by concern, but after Chatham's remark, he instantly understood.

He replied, "Indeed, I was too nervous. After all, having reached this position, who wouldn't want to be the leader? Losing two games in a row has made me a little uneasy."

Neither of them explicitly stated what was most relevant to their financial situation, but they both knew the answer.

Gaio.

Whether they win the championship or not, only Gaio's transfer can allow Bastia to get rid of its long-standing financial problems.

"Fight, Bastia!!"

The stadium roared with cheers, and even the Bastia "second team" received no less support from the fans.

On the field, Mane made Viktoria Plzeň's wing defense quite shaky in the attacking third.

Cheers from the players could be heard from the bench from time to time.

Two consecutive losses.

It had an impact on Bastia, but not a huge one. The main problems in these two matches came from the defense.

On the contrary, in these two league matches, left-back Sidibé has increasingly demonstrated his ability, becoming the most stable and outstanding player in the defense.

Sidibé continued to provide solid defense on the flanks in this match.

Gaião told De Bruyne, "If we beat Marseille in a few days, we'll be in first place for now. Losing two games isn't that serious. We don't need to strive for a perfect record. As long as we're stronger than our opponents, that's enough. Even if we only have 80 points in the end, as long as we're in first place, we're champions. Otherwise, even if we have 98 points and are second, we'll always be second. As long as we're stronger than our opponents, that's enough."

“Of course I understand that. I’m not actually worried about Marseille; they’re getting weaker and weaker. I’m worried about PSG,” De Bruyne responded.

Gaio nodded slightly.

Indeed, Paris is competing on multiple fronts and is currently on a roll. Before we knew it, they were only one point behind Bastia in the league.

According to Gaio's vague memory, in his previous life, Paris Saint-Germain should have started their reign of consecutive Ligue 1 titles after their unexpected collapse last season, which allowed Montpellier to win the championship.

Therefore, in Ligue 1, their only opponent this season is Paris Saint-Germain.

Paris Saint-Germain is still very strong, but they have been failing in the Champions League. When Gaio traveled through time, Paris Saint-Germain was still struggling to win the Champions League title and couldn't even keep Mbappe. I wonder if Paris Saint-Germain finally realized their dream and won their first Champions League trophy in club history?

It seems that without Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain will be even further away from the Champions League title, right?
Lukaku sighed, "I used to think the game was too simple. I thought that as long as I wanted to, I could win. It was just a matter of running more. But when I was actually on the field, after a series of games, my legs just wouldn't obey me."

His performance in these two rounds has also been poor. He was a bit soft in terms of confrontation, and only his signature explosive push was still somewhat threatening.

However, as the season progressed, Lukaku's characteristics were figured out, and now Ligue 1 defenders know how to deal with his attacks.

Kant listened silently without complaint.

No matter how tired he was, as long as the coach told him to run, he would grit his teeth and defend.

Playing football is better than going hungry.

The group chatted casually, and Gaio added at the end, "I wonder who we'll draw in the knockout stage."

He vaguely remembered that this season's Europa League was a victory for Chelsea after they were eliminated from the Champions League group stage, when they ultimately lifted the trophy by overwhelming force.

Follow the rules.

The knockout stage draw included 24 teams that qualified from the Europa League group stage and 8 third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage.

The 12 Europa League group stage winners and 4 of the better Champions League group stage third-placed teams were placed in Pot 1, while the 12 Europa League group stage runners-up and 4 of the worse Champions League group stage third-placed teams were placed in Pot 2.

Bastia is now a top-tier team, but Gaio doesn't know whether Chelsea is in the top four or bottom four of their Champions League group, or in the third-placed group.

If Chelsea were to finish in the bottom four and then be drawn against Bastia, that would be truly unlucky.

"Hopefully it's a team outside the top four leagues," De Bruyne said.

Lukaku, on the other hand, declared with great confidence, "Once we've rested, we're not afraid of anyone!"

Wow!

While they were chatting, Darida, the striker for Viktoria Plzeň, sent the ball into the net.

0-1.

Although the Bastia fans were somewhat disappointed, they continued to sing.

"Fight, Bastia!"

On the sidelines, Viktoria Plzeň's head coach, Vrba, didn't seem particularly excited about the goal.

Viktoria Plzeň had one win, one draw, and two losses, accumulating 4 points and ranking third in the group, only slightly better than Hapoel Tel Aviv, who had three losses and one draw in four matches. Plzeň's path to second place and qualification remains difficult; their next match against Atlético Madrid will be the decisive factor.

Flba also owes some credit to Bastia; if it weren't for Bastia's rotations that "gifted" points, they wouldn't even have had a chance to win the deciding game.

Time flies.

The referee finally blew the final whistle, and the score of 0-1 seemed to satisfy both sides.

Bastia got a valuable rest, while Viktoria Plzeň secured a final showdown with Atlético Madrid for a chance to qualify as the second-placed team in the group.

After the game.

Vrba shook hands with Hajibejic and said "thank you".

They're all from Eastern Europe, so there's some understanding between them.

This match is irrelevant.

There wasn't much discussion among fans after the match; they saw the increasingly dire situation in the league and were more concerned about the league itself.

And the fans are discussing player signings more often.

"We must bring in new players during the winter transfer window, otherwise we really can't hold on. We don't need anything too fancy, just enough to bring in substitutes like Joplin. Otherwise, for every goal we score in the attacking third, we'll give away just as many in the defense."

"Indeed, PSG's form is getting better and better. Although I know winning the title feels unrealistic, when you're actually in that position, who can stop thinking about it?"

"I don't know how the match against Marseille will go. If we lose this match, we may really not be able to stay in the top tier anymore."

"It's tough. For a team with a thin bench, the mid-to-late season is the hardest, especially since we're competing on two fronts. The only good news right now is that we've already qualified for the Europa League knockout stage as group winners, so we can take a break and conserve our energy for the league before the winter break."

The Bastia Daily News featured Bastia's current situation as its headline story the day after the match.

Bastia's Winter: A Three-Front Collapse, Hidden Worries Emerge Beneath the Halo of Glory

"The chill of early winter is blowing fiercely through the hearts of Bastia fans along with the Mediterranean winds. Just two weeks ago, we were proudly second in the league, attracting the attention of the entire Ligue 1. However, the past two weeks have become the coldest slump of the season for the team, with a bitter three-game losing streak causing our lead in the standings to evaporate rapidly."
While the team struggled in the mire, only Gaio continued to fight desperately to hold up hope. In these two league defeats, he single-handedly scored all three of the team's goals.
However, the brighter Gaio's performance, the more it highlighted the team's overall sluggishness. His valiant efforts ultimately became a heartbreaking "empty goal"—the goal could not be converted into a victory, adding to the hero's tragic fate.

The precipitous decline after the glory was by no means accidental.
The defense is shaky: in the past two league matches, the team has conceded eight goals! Poor marking, chaotic support, and fatal errors in key areas have left this once-proud defense riddled with holes under relentless pressure, repeatedly thwarting the efforts of players like Gaião.
The limited number of substitutes makes tactical adjustments very difficult.
Physical reserves were running low, and the players were visibly fatigued. Sprints were no longer powerful, defensive retreats were no longer timely, and technical movements were severely distorted under high-intensity competition. Insufficient physical reserves became the final straw that broke the camel's back.
Despite the looming uncertainty and numerous concerns, Bastia's foundation remains unshaken. The experience and fighting spirit they've built up in the first 11 rounds prove that we possess the true strength to rank among the league's top teams.

Hagi Bejic said, "The players need rest and to conserve their energy to respond," and the direct confrontation with league leaders Marseille at the end of the month will be particularly important.

It's worth mentioning that November 29th is also Gaio's birthday night.

Birthday night, top spot night?
It remains to be seen, but the season is long, and one setback is not enough to determine the outcome. Bastia's immediate priority is to address the wounds exposed by the three-game losing streak, especially the disarray in their defense and the lack of squad depth.

Whether it's seeing media reports or fans' comments on social media, the Bastia players feel the same way.

Beating Marseille has been a source of frustration for the players during these past few days of training.

Three consecutive losses, we absolutely cannot continue!

They need a victory, even a resounding one.

During the rally, Chatham gave a morale-boosting speech, clearly stating, "Hang in there for another month. After Christmas, the winter transfer window will open, and the team will definitely make signings. I can tell you with certainty that we will be making at least two signings! Both will be for key positions!"

Upon hearing this, the players present reacted in various ways; most were expectant, but some frowned.

After all, there are only 11 starting positions, so who will the newcomer replace?

Norvis, in particular, had a bad feeling. Both the media and fans had been criticizing his performance. He knew this himself, so he trained very hard, but talent is talent, and it cannot be changed by hard work.

Time flies, and we are gradually heading towards the 29th. The closer we get, the more noisy the seabirds on the Mediterranean coast become.

Fans are eagerly awaiting it.

Unfortunately, this was an away game, and many people couldn't travel to Marseille—Marseille only offered 1,500 away tickets.

On the morning of the 28th, Bastia held a pre-match press conference.

Hagi Begic smiled and said, "This is a very important game, everyone knows that, but the more important it is, the calmer Bastia needs to be. Anything can happen. We haven't done well in the last three games, but that's just the past. Every game is a new beginning."

“We rested players in the last game, and now everyone is available to play. Of course, Gaio is still our core player. As you yourselves said, the only tactic on my playbook is to find Gaio.”

At this point, not only Haji Begitch, but even the reporters laughed.

Haji Begitch didn't care about the initial obvious mockery at all; when he himself said it, the sentence became a joke.

When asked about winning this match and thus securing the top spot, Hagi Begic shook his head.

"As long as the season is not over, any ranking is meaningless. Just like half a month ago, no one would have thought we would suffer three consecutive losses. As I said before, we need to play with the mindset of fighting to avoid relegation. In this regard, I agree with what Ancelotti said."

Hagi Bejić steered the conversation toward Paris Saint-Germain, saying, "While everyone is focused on whether Bastia or Marseille will be number one, haven't you noticed that PSG has been on a winning streak and is only one point behind us? Perhaps just one more game is all it takes for PSG to reach the top."

In short, Haji Begitch was trying to steer the conversation away from Bastia.

After the morning press conference, the Bastia team assembled and set off for Marseille to prepare for tomorrow night's 14th round league match.

at the same time.

Jean Pierre, meanwhile, was in Manchester, England, having dinner with a man named David Gill.

Pierre followed Gaio's instructions and operated in England, establishing his own brokerage firm.

This inevitably led to connections with some English teams.

David Gill is a prime example.

Pierre knew he had other motives, such as coming for Gaio's transfer, but Pierre himself only saw it as a dinner party.

When Gaio learned that David Gill had extended an invitation to him, he refused decisively, saying, "If Sir Alex doesn't retire at the end of the season, there's still room for discussion, but if he retires, there's absolutely no room for discussion."

(End of this chapter)