N-A-A Chapter 253
Chapter 253
The best thing is to be together.
Chapter 253 What I want is not money, but your attitude!
This season, Leicester City’s offensive football has swept the entire Premier League and even the Europa League.
The strong offensive firepower is the foundation for them to finally get the fifth place in the league and reach the quarterfinals of the Europa League.
In the 38 rounds of the Premier League, the Blue Fox scored an amazing 75 goals, second only to Manchester City, which scored 82 goals!
The outstanding performance of the frontcourt players is closely related to the team’s excellent record.
As the absolute core of the team, Ling Feng is undoubtedly the most dazzling star in the Blue Fox lineup.
It is no exaggeration to say that Leicester City’s offensive system is completely dependent on the performance of the Blue Fox No. 7.
In almost every game, his post-match score is the highest in the team.
As an offensive midfielder, Ling Feng ranks first in the league in key data, such as average chances created per game, average key passes per game, and cross success rate!
Even his one-on-one dribbling success rate is second only to Hazard in the league!
As the most creative player in the Premier League, he can not only serve as a frontcourt commander, organize the team’s offense in an orderly manner, and continuously supply ammunition to his teammates.
But he can also open up the situation with his outstanding personal ability when he is needed.
What is even more valuable is that the core value of his being praised by most media as the “cornerstone of team building” is that as long as he is on the court, he can make his teammates better and contribute more outstanding performances!
This season, the Blue Foxes’ three musketeers are still the offensive combination that Leicester City relies on the most:
Ling Feng, played 34 times in the league, contributed 14 goals and 24 assists;
Vardy, played 30 times in the league, contributed 18 goals and 6 assists;
Mahrez, played 31 times in the league, contributed 8 goals and 10 assists!
The three of them have scored 40 goals together, which is the offensive combination second only to Manchester City’s Aguero, Silva and Toure in the entire Premier League!
In addition, multi-point blossoming is also a highlight of the Blue Foxes on the offensive end.
Thanks to Ling Feng’s unpredictable passing, Lingard, Ulloa, Albrighton, Drinkwater, Cambiasso, Morgan and others outside the Blue Foxes’ three musketeers have scored more than three goals.
And the team has a total of twelve players who have scored league goals!
Of course, the full firepower on the offensive end did not cover up the team’s problems on the defensive end.
In the 38th round of the league, Leicester City lost a total of 48 goals, ranking only in the middle of the league.
Compared with the top four teams, they lost ten more goals!
Especially when Ling Feng was absent from the game, the team was like a headless fly, like a lost soul, unable to play an effective attack.
Unable to suppress the opponent through offense, thus magnifying the shortcomings of defense.
Among them, with the deepening of the league and the research of opponents, the team’s central defense has become the most frequently used breakthrough point by opponents.
When Ling Feng pressed on the attack, there would be a huge gap in the midfield.
Although he has rich experience in defensive positioning and awareness.
But physical functions don’t lie.
Cambiasso, who is about to turn 35, has a significant decline in physical function. His running and coverage area cannot adapt to the high-intensity rhythm of the Premier League, nor is he enough to serve as the first barrier in front of the back line.
Moreover, when switching from defense to offense, neither Brother Drinking Water nor Cambiasso can quickly launch an attack with the ball, so that the team’s counterattack cannot be played at speed.
Therefore, in the eyes of many people, the defensive midfielder is the most urgent position to be improved in Leicester City’s lineup.
The Blue Foxes need a defensive midfielder with stronger defense, not only to protect the space left behind Ling Feng, but also the slightly bulky back line behind!
Of course, there is not only this “flaw” in the Blue Foxes’ lineup
In addition to the defensive midfielder position, Schlupp, who is the main left back this season, also has many problems.
Compared with the right back Danny Simpson, who is balanced in offense and defense, this Ghanaian international player produced by the team’s youth training has a burst of physical fitness and excellent ability to go back and forth.
However, his defensive awareness and positioning are very average.
Especially the desire to attack, which is very strong.
Compared with a full-back, his playing style is more like a winger!
In Leicester City’s tactical system, Lingard will not hold the wing in the left winger position, but will flexibly intersperse and run to attack the gap.
In this way, Schlupp behind him can make full use of the huge space on the left side to make assists.
Full-back
, which is also one of the reasons why Leicester City’s offense is rich in layers.
However, the key is that after he assists, he basically can’t come back.
And the large space left behind will become a sea for the opponent’s counterattack!
Many goals lost this season occurred on the left side where he guarded.
Therefore, instead of continuing to put him in the position of full-back, it is better to let him replace Lingard who returned to Manchester United and become the starting candidate for left winger.
Of course, these are all personal analysis and ideas of the media and football commentators to check for deficiencies in the Leicester City lineup.
It is worth mentioning that at the end of the season summary reports of major media, these football experts and commentators will point out that before recruiting reinforcements, Leicester City must first face the severe situation of personnel loss!
Professional football is a cruel world where big fish eat small fish.
Many small teams, after performing well in the season and rushing to the league ranking beyond expectations, will be dismembered by other clubs in the subsequent transfer window.
Parma in the 9899 season and Monaco in the 0304 season
Southampton, which performed well last season, is a bloody example that is vivid in our minds!
Not only did almost all the core and main players in the team leave, but even the head coach Pochettino was poached by Tottenham!
If it weren’t for the excellent management of Southampton’s management, finding the Dutch coach Ronald Koeman, and making reasonable and targeted signings in the transfer market, buying strong players such as Mane, Pelle, and Alderweireld, Southampton would probably have been forced into the relegation quagmire this season.
Therefore, this summer is a very critical transfer window for Leicester City.
If Leicester City doesn’t want to become a blue fox supermarket with a big sale of players like Southampton, they must retain the core players and retain the team’s main structure!
Fortunately, Leicester City’s excellent performance in the Europa League and the Premier League this season has made a lot of money.
According to the team’s preliminary financial statements, the Foxes, who made it to the quarterfinals, earned a total of 3 million euros from the Europa League, including all the bonuses from the group stage and the knockout stage.
3 million euros is not much.
Compared with the bonuses of the Premier League, it is nothing.
Because, in terms of the league, the league ranking bonuses and broadcasting fees added up to a total of 80 million pounds!
In addition, due to the team’s excellent record, the sales of the team’s star jerseys and peripherals are also in the middle of the league.
Especially Ling Feng’s jersey sales, which made them a lot of money!
This Fox and the new No. 7 of the Three Lions is not only the player with the most jersey sales in the entire Leicester City team, but also one of the three players with the best jersey sales among all Premier League players!
Second only to the best player of the season Hazard and the Red Army legend Gerrard!
Behind him are Arsenal thigh Sanchez, Tottenham striker Kane, Red Devils captain Rooney and other big and small stars.
Considering that he is in a small city and a small club like Leicester, such amazing sales are even more valuable.
The huge income makes Leicester City more confident to deal with the poaching and dismemberment of its core players by major clubs.
After all, it takes money to increase the salary and renew the contract with the team’s main players, or to buy new players.
. . .
In fact, as early as the end of April, many transfer rumors began to linger around Leicester City’s players.
Among the starting eleven, except for the older Morgan and Schmeichel, and the loaned Lingard and Huth, almost all the main players have had scandals with other clubs.
Among them, the most popular are naturally the “Blue Fox Three Musketeers” who are in their prime years.
The attention of major Premier League giants and teams from other leagues has followed one after another.
“Liverpool is keeping an eye on Mahrez and plans to improve the offensive firepower of the front line”
“Manchester City has set its sights on Ling Feng and is ready to pay 60 million pounds to trigger Ling Feng’s termination clause.”
“Arsenal is disappointed with Welbeck and plans to replace him with Vardy”
In just a few days, transfer rumors on the Internet and in the media are flying all over the place!
And for Ling Feng, all kinds of transfer rumors have nothing to do with him.
Because he has made a decision long ago.
However, except for Mendes, no one else knows his inner thoughts.
Almost all media and football commentators believe that Leicester City cannot keep a talented star of Ling Feng’s level.
This British star must also go to a bigger club and stage to further develop his career!
So, looking at the rumors that are spread one by one,
The Foxes fans were like “pig heads” who saw “Swallow” about to get on a taxi and leave. They all went to Ling Feng’s social media account and posted messages calling on him not to leave.
Such dramas have happened in every transfer window since Ling Feng came out of nowhere.
There is no way, who made Ling Feng too outstanding?
In fact, at the club dinner on the night of the end of the season, the club owner Vichai took the initiative to find Ling Feng privately, hoping that the best player in the team’s youth training history would stay in his loyal Leicester City.
At that time, Ling Feng, who had already made a decision in his heart, did not promise to stay, but claimed that he would consider it.
Of course, this is just the art of negotiation that Mendes taught him.
This ambiguous answer can give him a greater advantage in the subsequent contract renewal negotiations with the club.
Although he does not plan to leave Leicester City.
But as the absolute thigh of the team’s great progress and success this season, weekly salary and bonuses should also increase, right?
The Premier League’s best new player of the year, FWA England Footballer of the Year, and the record-breaking Premier League assist king, only gets 70,000 a week. It’s too cheap and too shameful!
You know, the player with the highest weekly salary in the entire Premier League is Rooney, the Red Devils of Manchester United and England’s top player.
The weekly salary is as high as 300,000 pounds!
And Fabregas, who is second only to him in the number of assists in the league, also has a weekly salary of 200,000.
These players are all top-paid in their respective teams.
Of course, they are a wealthy club and Leicester City is a small club. Their income and salary structure cannot be compared.
However, the club is the club and the players are the players.
No matter how much money the club makes, it can’t go into the pockets of the players.
It is natural for the players to get a certain salary based on their contribution to the club’s performance.
Moreover, this is not a matter of money, but a matter of attitude!
The salary that matches his position in the club can fully reflect the club’s attitude towards him.
It’s the same reason why many girls let their boyfriends spend money on them.
What I want is not money, but your attitude!
So, after handing over the renewal to Mendes, Ling Feng took his parents away from the troubled British Isles on the third day after the end of the season and started his own vacation trip.
Because he had to go to St. George’s Park to meet up with his England U21 teammates a week later, and then prepare for the European Youth Championship in mid-June.
So, all in all, Ling Feng could only enjoy about a week of vacation.
So, they first came to Budapest, Hungary.
Under the guidance of Barbara, the local tour guide, the family visited almost all the famous attractions in Budapest.
What Heroes Square, Petofi Bridge, National Opera House, etc.
Then, after spending a few days leisurely in Hungary, Ling Feng took a private plane with his parents and girlfriend to Berlin, Germany.
The reason for coming here is very simple:
This season’s Champions League final will be held at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin!
And the day of the game, June 8, happened to be his 20th birthday!
It is worth mentioning that the birthday gift Ling Feng gave himself was not a luxury car or watch, nor was it a valuable item, but a VIP ticket to this season’s Champions League final!
These final tickets, which were bought two months in advance, were obtained by Toméndez.
It was to watch this exciting battle at the highest level of competition in the European League!
On one side was Barcelona, which had scored a terrifying 120 goals in all competitions, and on the other side was Juventus, which was dominating the Serie A and had a solid defense.
From the first second of the game to the last second, Ling Feng’s sight never left the court.
The process and result of the game were no different from what he remembered.
He witnessed the historical trident MSN combination sweeping like a tornado, easily destroying the chain defense that the Italians were proud of.
He also witnessed the last dance of the two midfield masters Pirlo and Xavi, and the regret of the young player Buffon’s bitter defeat in the Champions League final.
Finally, watching this Dream Three Barcelona team reach the top of Europe, and the scene of Xavi holding the Big Ear Cup high, made Ling Feng in the stands feel very excited and couldn’t calm down for a long time.
Soon, he also made up his mind:
One day, he will also stand on the highest stage of the top of Europe and compete with the strongest team!
(End of this chapter)