Date: January 1, 2015

Where: Liverpool, Anfield

In the loud song of "You Will Never Walk Alone", the whole stadium turned bright red.

And the score displayed on the big screen is a bright 3-0!

The home team is in the front, the away team is in the back.

"Wow!"

"Coutinho's long-range shot helped Liverpool extend the score again!"

"Eighty minutes into the game, Liverpool are three goals ahead of Leicester at home"

"Leicester City didn't organise too much of an attacking force in this game. They're definitely missing that creative Seven."

With the narration of the commentator, the live camera was very timely aimed at Ling Feng, who was sitting in the stands behind the away team's bench.

Ling Feng, who was wearing a beanie hat and a black windbreaker, had a calm face.

Seeing the team being defeated, he couldn't help but raise his hand and pull the collar of the sweater knitted by his mother, wanting to let the cold wind blow in and cool down the restlessness in his heart.

After spending Chinese New Year's Eve with their families, on the first day of the new year, they came to Liverpool non-stop for the twentieth round of the league!

However, due to a muscle strain, Ling Feng needed to rest for a week.

Therefore, he and Vardy and Schmeichel, who were already injured, did not enter the squad, and could only watch from the stands.

At the beginning, the three of them were still chatting with laughter, and from time to time they signed autographs for the fans next to them and took group photos.

However, as the game began, the ease on the faces of the three suddenly disappeared, and they were replaced by solemn expressions.

None of them.

It's just that after the lack of Ling Feng, Vardy and Schmeichel Jr., the three absolute main forces, Leicester City is almost powerless in the face of the Red Army's offensive!

The whole audience was almost pressed to the ground by Liverpool and rubbed wildly!

In the end, they lost a 3-0 at Anfield!

After the game, Ling Feng also came to the away team's locker room and shook hands and hugged his teammates one by one.

This loss, albeit frustrating.

However, the three main players were unable to play, making the difference in strength between the two teams even more obvious, and the loss was also a predictable result.

When greeted with a hug from Cambiaso, the former Argentine superstar was also very direct:

"Ling, if you and Jamie were here in this game, we probably wouldn't have lost!"

This sentence is enough to prove the trust of his teammates in him, and it also shows Leicester City's dependence on him.

Truly.

Leicester City, with Ling Feng and without Ling Feng, are completely two teams.

Without Ling Feng on the field, they didn't have a backbone at all, and they didn't even know who to pass the ball to.

In this game, Riyad Mahrez is the most dangerous point in this Leicester City squad.

However, under Rodgers' special tactical arrangement, he was heavily targeted, and both the ball and the pass were caught by two people.

Mahrez is not like Ling Feng, who has the burst and speed that accelerates in an instant.

In addition, Nick Powell, who replaced Ling Feng, couldn't give him much support at all.

So he was on the field, and he seemed to be alone.

However, with the bench and a prestigious away game like Anfield, losing is not something to accept.

In Ling Feng's view, Leicester City does not have to worry about relegation at all because of its own existence this season.

However, from the analysis of the strength and thickness of the squad, it is still very difficult to compete for a European ticket.

With Leicester City's current squad, if they only focus on the league or the Europa League, they have a chance to rush to the top six of the league or the quarterfinals of the Europa League.

The point is that they intend to fight on two fronts!

Even if Pearson didn't say it explicitly.

However, Ling Feng can also guess what he and the club's hierarchy are focusing on the Premier League and Europa League.

Anyway, with Leicester City's current record and points, it is unlikely that they will be relegated.

Staying in the Premier League means they can continue to enjoy the Premier League's high broadcast share next year.

However, European wars don't happen every year!

Participating in a European competition will certainly be more appreciated by the owners and management of the club as a great opportunity to expand the club's brand presence and promote their own tourism group in Europe.

The revenue and influence brought by the Europa League is intuitive!

For every game you win, and every time you advance to the next round, you can get how much prize money and broadcast share you can get.

From the club's point of view, the further the team goes in the Europa League, the more it will help the share price of its own travel group to rise, and the more money it will be able to make.

From Pearson's point of view, it may be more realistic to go further in the Europa League.

The league season is too long.

It's a big test for the depth of the squad and the consistency of the squad.

After all, even a giant team like Arsenal, which has been in the Premier League for many years, will repeatedly drop the chain at the critical moment of the race for the top four because of the depth of the squad.

How easy is it for their Leicester City team to compete with Arsenal, Tottenham, West Ham, Liverpool, Southampton and other teams for European qualification?!

So, if Leicester finish in the top eight at the end of the season, it's already a champagne-worthy achievement.

Compared with the long league season, the cup competition is more fortuitous and the likelihood of an upset is higher.

If he can lead Leicester City to the quarterfinals, or even the semi-finals, Pearson, as the head coach, will definitely have a reputation throughout Europe!

As a player, I don't think so much.

Most of these players know how many pounds and taels they have.

Premier League champions? Champions League places?

In fact, it has nothing to do with their promotion horses.

In the hearts of most players, they want to take one step at a time and play every game first.

Then make your worth go up, or sign a contract with the club that pays better.

As for the final league standings, it will be revealed at the end of the season, so it's useless to think about it so much.

And this is also Ling Feng's idea.

However, whether the team is focused on league or cup competitions, or both, they will have to strengthen this winter window!

。。。

With the winter transfer window officially opening, managers and scouts of major European leagues, as well as agents, are busy.

Leicester City manager Pearson is no exception.

The day after the defeat to Liverpool, he immediately convened the football director, coaching staff and scouts for the first recruitment meeting.

Everyone sat in the conference room and first reviewed the team's statistics in the past half season.

Goals, goals conceded, chances created per game, distance run per game, tackles, saves, etc.

And through intuitive data, throughout the past half season, Leicester City's advantage in offensive firepower is visible to the naked eye.

However, scoring more goals and conceding more goals is also the biggest problem for their team.

Obviously, their attacking firepower in the front court is already one of the best in the entire Premier League.

However, they still have a lot of shortcomings on the defensive end, and there is a lot of room for improvement.

How can you improve your team's poor defense and reduce the number of goals conceded?

There are two ways!

One is to build a defensive system; The other is to buy stronger defenders!

And these two can complement each other.

You can buy stronger defenders and build a defensive system at the same time, so as to achieve the goal of reducing the number of goals conceded.

And in the defensive position, of course, the central defenders are in urgent need of reinforcement!

Considering that the central defender Moore is more impatient, and Vasilewski and Upson are too old and slow, in addition to the captain Morgan, who is still stable and reliable in the central defender position, the people who can use it are really stretched.

Moreover, in the second half of the season, they are about to face a two-front battle in the league and Europa League, and the rotation of personnel will definitely be more frequent.

Whether it's Morgan and Moore's partner, or Morgan's partner with Vasilewski, it doesn't work well.

Their immediate priority is to find a suitable partner for Morgan!

Pearson immediately looked at his old buddy, bringing the team Vardy, Mahrez, Morgan and other core chief scouts, known as "Hawkeye" Steve Walsh:

"Steve, what are the right candidates for the centre-back position?"

Walsh, who was wearing reading glasses, took out his little brown notebook and said:

"After scouting and analyzing by the scouting department, we selected several candidates."

As soon as the words ended, a young scout pointed at the projection screen and pressed the remote control.

With a "bang", a detailed scouting report appeared in front of everyone's eyes:

"Number one, Stoke City's German centre-back, Robert Hutter!"

"At the age of Chinese New Year's Eve, he was selected for the German national team for the 2006 World Cup."

"With a height of 1.9 meters and a weight of 80 kilograms, the advantages are physical strength, strong frontal interception capabilities, and excellent air defense"

"The downside is"

After a detailed introduction, Pearson looked at the scouting report in his hand and asked:

"This is our first choice?"

"That's right."

"But he seems to have just recovered from injury, will he be troubled by injury?"

"This shouldn't be a big deal. As long as he can pass the medical examination, he will be able to play for us. With no playing time at Stoke City, he also wants to leave Stoke City for a new environment. Now is the perfect time for us to take him! ”

"We can put him on loan for half a season, see how well we play with Morgan, and then decide whether to buy him out or not."

Hearing Walsh's words, Pearson nodded, "Well, that sounds like a very affordable deal."

"Ask Stoke City for their opinion first, and if they're willing to go on loan, that's the best. If not, then see how much money we need to take him! ”

"Understood."

"Next!"

"Hull City's homegrown centre-back, Harry Maguire!"

"Maguire?"

Hearing this name and seeing the bust of Maguire on the projection screen, Pearson suddenly remembered something and suddenly asked:

"Is he the tall guy Ling talking to him in the players' tunnel?"

"That's him!"

"Ling and he seem to be friends."

'Yes, they seem to have known each other in the FA Cup last season'

"Maguire's style of play is a bit like Morgan's. And his foot technique. No offense, obviously better than Morgan."

'He was impressive against Sheffield United last season'

As he spoke, the projector played some of Maguire's game footage and highlights.

"Of course, he's still young and has a lot of shortcomings, such as lack of experience, slow turnaround and so on. However, this is definitely a good seedling. ”

'The second half of the season is a bit more packed and as the opposition studies us, there will inevitably be more pressure at the back. So we have to strengthen our backline! ”

"So, what is your suggestion?"

'We can take the same strategy as Hut, go on loan for half a season and see how he goes. If it's good, it's not too late for us to buy him."

"Well, then send an email to Hull and ask them!"

"Next."

The whole recruitment meeting was carried out in an orderly manner.

At Leicester City, the owner, Vichai, is basically a hands-off manager, but he asks about the team's tactics and transfers.

And the excellent results in the past half season have allowed Pearson to get the full support of his boss Vichai.

The position in the club is almost rock solid.

As the director of football, Rudkin also has some decision-making power.

Therefore, the transfer power of the team is basically in the hands of Pearson, Walsh and Rudkin.

Who to buy and who to sell, after the three of them basically discussed, handed it over to the boss for a look, and then it can be decided.

In the world of football, there is a huge difference between a coach and a manager.

The former is to watch the food and eat.

What players the club gives or brings in is none of his business.

His task is to develop tactics according to these players;

The latter is a handful.

Be able to recruit and develop your own lineup system according to your own will!

Strictly speaking, Pearson is the only manager in the entire Premier League who can participate in transfer decisions other than Arsene Wenger

In addition to the crucial centre-back position, the scouting department also offered a number of options for the head coach in addition to the key centre-back position.

For example, in the forward line, they took a fancy to Kramaric, who was exiled to Rijeka for rebelling against the Croatian demon king Mamic.

The Croatian international has been in excellent form for Croatian side Rijeka, scoring a staggering 27 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions last season!

And more than halfway through this season, he also scored 14 goals in 20 games, and the goal efficiency is very efficient!

Of course, the Croatian Bundesliga and the Premier League are two completely different leagues.

Just because he has scored in the Croatian league doesn't mean he can score goals in the Premier League.

And Kramaric is worth five million euros.

If you want to get this Croatian international who is on the rise and is the team's leading scorer in the winter window, the transfer fee they have to pay is definitely not less than 7 million!

Seven million euros for a rotating striker?

This is not in line with their Leicester City's transfer strategy of doing big things with little money.

As for the goalkeeper position, they also have their eye on Chelsea's veteran goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, intending to bring the Australian legend, who has made more than 500 Premier League appearances, to come over for a short-term job to enhance his experience in the goalkeeper position.

After the meeting, head coach Pearson, chief scout Walsh and football director Rudkin also met with Ayawat, the son of the team's owner, Vichai, and the club's vice-president.

Ayawatt was delighted with Pearson's plan and gave them the good news:

This winter window, they have a transfer budget of £10 million to operate!

(End of chapter)