I am the king of football

Chapter 395: La Liga Newcomer Malaga

The new star of La Liga, Malaga, this name was called out by fans last season. The reason is very simple. The Qatari consortium from the Middle East announced the news of its acquisition of Malaga.

Since the announcement, Malaga's appeal has grown with the injection of money. In the 11-12 season, this previously unknown team reached the fourth place in the league with a number of strong players.

Malaga was in its heyday at that time, and the team was full of stars. Ruud van Nistelrooy, the "king of the penalty area", chose this as his last stop at the end of his career. Although he was old, he was still able to work. After joining the team, he played the role of a big brother on the front line, urging his younger brothers to fight bravely and recreating his peak performance when he came on the field.

In addition, young talents such as Mathijsen and Cazorla also gathered here. Isco, who won the 2012 Golden Boy Award and was named the world's best young player of the year, also became famous in this team this season.

At that time, for this team, their glorious era had arrived.

However, in the summer of 2012, everything suddenly dissipated like fireworks. Van Nistelrooy announced his retirement, Cazorla transferred to Arsenal, and the team's backbone players scattered. Except for the young Isco and several players who had a certain affection for the team, Malaga was seriously damaged.

However, even so, Malaga, which still had some strength to spare, still burst out with amazing power at the beginning of the 12-13 season, winning the Champions League qualifiers and entering the main competition. In the Champions League group stage, they miraculously defeated AC Milan with an unbeaten record and secured the top spot in the group. Then they also broke out of the siege in the first stage of the knockout stage.

It was not until 13 that the genius of Malaga fans finally collapsed. With the intervention of UEFA and the Spanish Football Association, they were determined to start with Malaga, which had no foundation, to make an example and began to put pressure on this La Liga dark horse's money-driven football.

After several fruitless negotiations, the Qatari consortium announced its withdrawal of investment and then disappeared without a trace. The title of Malaga's new rich man came to an abrupt end before it even got a name. The team's finances plummeted and UEFA's financial fair play penalty was imminent.

The team's high salary expenditure seems difficult to meet, which directly leads to panic within the team. A number of players who choose to stay have begun to consider their future. As the season enters the final stage, the team has suffered several consecutive defeats in La Liga.

If it weren't for their head coach Schuster this season who tried his best to support the team, the morale of the team might have been dispersed. This coach, who has coached many teams and led the team to win the La Liga and Super Cup titles during his short tenure as Real Madrid coach, is best at boosting the morale of the team through speeches and constant stimulation.

Someone once commented that fortunately Pellegrini left Malaga in the summer of 12, otherwise, with the unyielding and calm character of this repairman, Malaga would have collapsed by now. Although Schuster has not shown any more tactical abilities except for the excitement, he has really maintained the last dignity of Malaga by this point.

Now the La Liga ranking is meaningless. After reaching the quarterfinals of the Champions League, the quarter-final showdown against Premier League champions Manchester United is the last hope for all Malaga fans.

From top to bottom, the Malaga people have put all their spirit and energy into preparing for this Champions League battle.

Ferguson and the Manchester United players were not aware of this when the draw was just over. It was not until more and more news came back from the assistant coaches sent out by Ferguson that Sir Alex Ferguson's brows gradually furrowed.

"The opponents we are about to challenge are not as weak as their reputation suggests. We must all take them seriously."

After all other competitions were over, Ferguson returned to the training ground and spoke solemnly in front of the players. "Whether it is offense or defense, this team has its own unique features. Every step in the Champions League is a life-and-death battle. I think most of you are very clear about this."

Looking at the players in front of him, there are many veterans in the team, many of whom have experienced the era of reaching the finals three times in four years. Not to mention anything else, just the two losses in the finals are enough for these players to remember vividly.

"Understood, Boss!"

Scholes took the lead in responding loudly, and Vidic and others nodded repeatedly. Seeing that the team's seniors attached so much importance, the young players who originally had a little contemptuous attitude also corrected their attitude.

"Next, I will explain the analysis of the key players in each position. Those who are playing against them must listen carefully."

After taking out the materials, Ferguson said no more and started to review the main players in each position of Malaga this season from beginning to end.

This season, Malaga mainly uses a 4231 formation. The team's tactical play is mainly stable. Unless any position is blown up, the goal difference in their winning and losing games will not exceed two.

First of all, on the front line, veteran Baptista, who made a lot of progress in partnership with Van Nistelrooy last season, is leading the way.

This is a man with a name similar to Batistuta and a similar playing style, but he does not have the explosive shooting skills of the God of War. Instead, he has a tough pushing style and excellent performance in hand-to-hand combat. Due to his outstanding offensiveness and aggressive ability, people also gave him the title of a beast, but it is a La Liga beast.

Behind Batistuta, of course, is Isco, who rose to fame last season and won the 2012 Golden Boy Award.

His excellent ball-handling ability allows him to frequently dribble past opponents and create opportunities on the court, and his strong team awareness also allows him to pass the ball very decisively and provide assists to many teammates. This talented player has now attracted the attention of the Galacticos, and it is said that Real Madrid has begun negotiations with Malaga.

In addition, Malaga's midfield also has Spain's ageless winger Joaquin. Although this player is over 30 years old, he is still famous for his amazing speed and ability to break through on the wing. However, as he grows older, his ability to organize the ball on the wing is also excellent. This season, he helped the team score two key goals in the Champions League.

In the defense, Malaga also has Demichelis. This veteran is very strong in one-on-one situations, has excellent heading skills and a high passing success rate. He is a powerful weapon against speed-type forwards on the defense line. I don't know how many La Liga stars have failed in front of him.

In short, although Malaga's current ranking and overall strength are not as good as Manchester United's quarter-final opponent Real Madrid, if the Red Devils dare to take it lightly, this opponent will definitely take advantage of the situation and trample them underfoot.

The first chapter is here! Thank you all for your support!!!



(End of this chapter)