Chapter 140: The Sorrow of a Small Team (Second Update!) )
After the draw with Iran, the news that the national football team regained the initiative to qualify once again dominated the screen, becoming the focus of attention and heated discussions in the entire Chinese sports world, and even Xinhua News Agency and "People's Daily" praised the national team. From once on the verge of despair to now regaining control of their own destiny, the national football team has finally delivered positive energy.
The ridicule on the Internet that "the national football team is awesome, what reason do you have not to work hard" has become a golden sentence for countless parents to educate their children. Unexpectedly, the effect is surprisingly good, and many parents gradually realize one thing.
Football is not just a sport, it can also be an education.
Wen Zhihao received a lot of media interview requests after the game, but he was in a hurry to rush back to the Netherlands to prepare for the club's game, and only took time to accept an exclusive interview with "Football Weekly" in the afternoon of the next day.
In the interview, Wen Zhihao disclosed many unknown details in the preparation of the national team, and intentionally or unintentionally mentioned that he and Liang Xin were very happy to cooperate on the field. quietly helped Liang Xin attract a large number of fans.
What Wen Zhihao said was also the truth, Liang Xin was the same age as himself, and his performance was also good, the media was still a little favoritism, and Wen Zhihao felt a little unfair for his buddies.
The three Eredivisie stars flew to Amsterdam on the same flight and then went their separate ways, with Wen Zhihao and Zhang Yuning taking the train back to Arnhem and Liang Xin rushing back to Eindhoven to prepare for the next tournament.
Vitesse have been drawn from half of his squad in the last two international breaks, but the biggest news for Frasse is that there are no new injuries in the squad and Vitesse can use his full squad to enter the final stage of the sprint.
At the end of March and the beginning of April, the Eredivisie entered a two-week double match for two consecutive weeks, making way for the Dutch Cup, which is about to enter the crucial stage of the knockout rounds.
Vitesse and Feyenoord are tied on 64 points, and under normal circumstances, after the international break, in the face of a dense schedule, it should be the more inexperienced Vitesse who should be the first to make mistakes, but the reality is the opposite, and the more well-established Feyenoord has dropped the chain. The 1-2 defeat away to arch-rivals Ajax not only lost the traditional top three direct conversations, but also made Vitesse climb to the top of the standings with a one-point advantage with two wins and one draw. Before the penultimate round of direct talks, Vitesse was already half a position ahead.
Wen Zhihao scored the crucial equaliser away to Almeiro Hercules to reach the top of the table, while refreshing his own goal account to 12 goals, firmly occupying the top three scorers. It's unrealistic to catch up with Van Xiaowolf and Jorgensen in front, but it can't be ignored that Wen Zhihao's position is not a striker, and his 12 goals in 25 appearances this season are enough to make him stand out from the crowd. At the same time, he contributed 12 assists, ranking first on the assist list. According to this momentum, Wen Zhihao has a good chance to win two individual honors at the same time, the Eredivisie bronze boot and the assist king.
Of course, what Wen Zhihao longs for most is the league championship trophy, which symbolizes the highest honor of the collective.
……
Vitesse general manager Yordania watched the team get closer and closer to the championship, but the contradiction in his heart became more and more serious.
The Eredivisie is fertile ground for developing future stars, and with Vitesse's record on the red end, he has received more and more transfer inquiries about key players such as Van Xiaowolf and Miazga.
The highest offer for Van Xiaowolf is Swiss Superliga overlord Basel, and the €5 million offer can already allow Vitesse to recoup the cost from him and make a small profit. Miazga was offered 4.5 million euros by Bournemouth in the Premier League, which also greatly exceeded psychological expectations.
In addition, Rashka's contract is about to expire this summer, and his agent is also pressuring the club to renew his contract? Yes, the salary will be increased by at least 50%, otherwise you will find another home.
The main players of the team have been in question one after another, and Yordania feels a little annoyed. These players are all main players, although they are definitely not for sale compared to Wen Zhihao, but if so many people are to be cleaned at once, head coach Frase will definitely not agree.
But the thought of the potential benefits of these transfers makes Yordania blush. No one will get along with money, like Vitesse, a small team that has always been unknown, the annual transfer income of players is a very important financial input for the club, and the players of the iron-clad team have always been the supreme survival rule of small and medium-sized teams.
After discussions with several of the club's top brass, Jordania summoned Fraser to his office on Monday afternoon during the team's regular break to get a dose of the vaccine in advance.
As expected, when Fraser learned that the club was ready to accept the transfer of several key players, he looked at Yordania angrily and said in a deep voice: "Merab, do you know what you are doing? ”
With a very calm expression, Yordania fiddled with the cigar in his hand and said, "Oh, Henk, don't get excited. You should know the survival mode of our club, which happens every year......"
"But this year is different!" Fraser suddenly shouted loudly, startling the secretary who had just knocked on the door and walked further, so he could only retreat cautiously outside the door, not daring to disturb.
Flase raised his hands and asked, "Merab, there is a good chance that this year will create an unprecedented historical peak. These players are gone, what are you going to ask me to do next season? Do you want to die if you want to be cool? ”
Yordania stood up and shook his hand, "No, no, no. Henk, how can you think so. I still have a bottom line in doing things, isn't the most important Wen still in the team? I assure you that Wen will never let go of the club during the contract period. You can hurry up and find the right replacement and next year we're ready to build a stronger team around Win. ”
……
Coming out of the club's building, Fraser was a little disheartened, but he still couldn't change Jordania's mind. In other words, after this season, he is destined to lose a number of good players. The best golden generation in the history of Vitesse is on the verge of falling apart.
Fraser doesn't blame the players, people go to high places, water flows low. There is nothing wrong with pursuing a higher career stage, but Vitesse still can't get rid of the limitations of strength and platform after all. You can't give players more space.
can produce a group of excellent seedlings and become dark horses in one or two seasons, but they are only short-lived, and in the end they are still poached by better teams and go their separate ways. That's the embarrassment and sadness of a small team.
The survival and development of the club and the team's results can only be a single choice question.
Despite the club's tight lockdown, there are no impermeable walls. The news of the departure of several of Vitesse's key players at the end of the season caused quite a stir in Arnhem.
At the end of the first practice of the return training, Wen Zhihao called Fan Xiaowolf and Rashka together, took a morning newspaper bought at the newsstand, and asked with a very bad face: "What, do you all have to leave?" ”