If you are a brother, come and play football

Chapter 223 Savings Over Half a Year (Please Subscribe)

Although his life was quite good.

If he could do it all over again, Keegan would rather live through those three years playing in Germany.

The most painful thing in life is to have once stood at the peak and watched yourself decline little by little.

Even if you can make peace with yourself and accept your decline.

There will still be some regrets.

If there were just one more Globe Award, a three-peat would be historic.

Even if Platini catches up a few years later, it will still be a tie for first place, instead of both he and Rummenigge winning it twice in a row as they are now.

Thinking about it this way, I actually feel a little sorry for Lu Deyang.

In the first year, I was unable to participate in the election because I am not a non-EU citizen.

He won the Globe of Champions the following year.

With his ability, he should break Platini's record of three consecutive Ballon d'Or awards soon.

However, he rested in his hospital bed for a period of time during that period.

Otherwise, including this year's Golden Globe Award, it would be four consecutive years.

Keegan doesn't believe anyone can beat Manchester United's number 7 in the awards ceremony early January.

Rob Lee, watching the celebrating Manchester United players, quipped, "Why don't we give them a good beating? We're going to lose anyway."

"There's a big difference between losing a game and getting beaten up."

Lee Clark said, "I don't want to get beaten up, and that guy Keane will definitely find a chance to get revenge."

Rob Lee couldn't help but shudder at the thought of Keane's mad dog-like actions.

Sometimes it's good to have fierce teammates; it can also be a deterrent to opponents.

Newcastle's two Lees were just talking.

Even without Keane, those fans would still cause them trouble.

A large number of Lu Deyang's admirers are minors; anyone who has lived in the UK would know what those people are capable of.

Neither being simply bad nor simply stupid is scary.

Those people, who have clearly received an education, act as if their thinking abilities are not sound.

This is the scariest thing.

Let alone sports stars, even a prime minister would have a headache dealing with a group of minors.

Ferdinand kicked off again and passed the ball across to Beardsley, who immediately passed it back.

Ferdinand passed the ball to Beardsley again.

Just as Beardsley was about to send the message back, Lu Deyang rushed forward.

Otherwise, these two could have played together for a while longer.

Beardsley instinctively wanted to pass to the side, but seeing that Gillespie had chosen to pass back to the middle, he realized that Gillespie was the one who passed back to the middle.

Gillespie's performance today makes him untrustworthy.

Lee Clark continued to pass the ball back, and Steve Howe distributed it to the left wing, once again looking for his usual Belsford.

"Today's match was a bit exaggerated. Newcastle, who are ranked first, didn't put as much pressure on Manchester United as Arsenal did."

"Saying that we put pressure on Manchester United is already being very kind to them. This was a completely one-sided game. Manchester United could find opportunities with just a few passes, and their counter-attacks were incredibly accurate. Newcastle, on the other hand, couldn't get the ball into Manchester United's dangerous areas after passing it around, and that was the biggest problem."

Keegan also noticed this.

Newcastle's tactics didn't work against Manchester United.

It may seem like the difference in ability between the midfielders, but the biggest difference between the two teams is actually on the wings.

Lu Deyang appeared on the front line today, but he often drifted to the left wing when playing.

Manchester United's strong attacks down the flanks will suppress Newcastle's attacks down the flanks.

Their passes, barely reaching Manchester United's half, immediately become Manchester United's attack.

This left him with no solution.

How do we address the issue of offensive quality?

Ginola was already very active on the field.

However, they are far inferior to Manchester United's players.

Fortunately, after his reminder, the players held on for a while and prevented Manchester United from scoring again.

The match lasted for more than 30 minutes.

The Newcastle fans in the away stands had fallen silent.

Falling behind isn't scary; what's scary is having no chance to score at all, leaving them with no hope.

This title race, under Manchester United's overwhelming dominance, looked like an FA Cup match between a Premier League team and a League One team.

A few minutes later, Ginola tried to launch another attack down the left flank.

Beckham simply couldn't stop him.

Gary Neville and Keane went over to help defend almost simultaneously.

Seeing an opportunity in the middle, Ginola immediately passed the ball, but Lee Clark's first touch was a little too heavy, and Redondo rushed forward.

In a panic, Clark quickly struck horizontally.

This kind of "knife-like" shot is indeed difficult for an English central midfielder to stop.

Rob Lee stretched out his foot on the field, and the ball bounced right in front of him.

Giggs made a quick start; he rushed behind the ball, took a quick look, and then kicked the ball hard into the opponent's half.

Cantona wasn't as fast as Lu Deyang, so he simply waited at the landing point.

The ball landed right on the right flank of the attacking third. With three players around him, Cantona dribbled down the flank, bounced the ball, and immediately unleashed a high cross with his right foot, sending the ball high into the penalty area.

There weren't many people in front of the penalty area.

Lu Deyang ran ahead of Darren Peacock, with Steve Howe following behind.

These two center-backs could barely avoid being completely outmaneuvered.

Peacock saw the ball's trajectory and felt his chance had come.

If Lu Deyang stops the ball even slightly, he can gain position and block Lu Deyang.

However, facing the ball rapidly descending through the air, Lu Deyang showed no intention of stopping it. As soon as he stepped into the penalty area, he raised his right foot and volleyed the ball directly under the ball.

boom--

This kick didn't seem particularly impressive.

When Lu Deyang kicked the ball, he first pressed his foot down to deflect the force and then flicked it upward.

Therefore, when a ball comes from high altitude and floats directly in the air, it doesn't make much noise.

Srnicek was positioned slightly ahead of the penalty area line, but he became the backdrop again as the ball flew over his head and fell directly into the goal.

boom--

"Deyang!"

"Deyang!"

"Deyang!"

"Just as the first half was about to end, Dejan scored his fourth goal of the day!"

"Manchester United's counter-attacking ability is still incredibly impressive, completely overwhelming Newcastle. From the long pass after winning the ball in their own half, to Cantona's pass, and finally Dejan's volley. This pattern is too similar to their previous goals."

"Now we can be quite certain that Manchester United is a team capable of getting the ball from their own half into the opponent's penalty area in seconds, whether with a long pass or a short pass."

"Yes, Cantona certainly hasn't forgotten how many solo assists Dejan provided for him before, and McClair also benefited from this model. So when Manchester United's strikers score, they're always happy to go over and celebrate with them. Because they know that Dejan didn't steal their chances; if there's a real opportunity, Dejan will definitely pass it to them."

Srnišek simply sat down in the penalty area with his arms wrapped around his knees.

Lu Deyang scored four goals today, and he encountered this once.

On the one occasion he encountered the goal, he managed to slip away, but the rest of the time the goal was lobbed, leaving him no chance to make a save and turning him into a mere background figure.

Having to turn around and retrieve the ball for the fourth time in just the first half, the Czech goalkeeper's mentality was somewhat on the verge of collapse.

It was a cool afternoon in Manchester in December.

But it was far less cold than his heart.

Even in the national team, he had never experienced such an embarrassing moment.

Keegan had clearly noticed the situation of his disciples as well.

He wished he could go straight to halftime and let his players calm down.

I wanted to offer some advice, but then I felt like I was talking too much.

He could only pace anxiously on the sidelines.

With the restart of the game and stoppage time about to begin, Keegan exploded when he saw the fourth official preparing to raise the stoppage time board.

The former Ballon d'Or winner rushed to the sidelines and shouted, "Damn it, I don't want stoppage time! I don't want stoppage time, you hear me! Don't mess with me, you hear me! I don't want stoppage time! I don't want it!"

The fourth official was terrified.

Both teams' players couldn't help but look towards the sidelines.

The referee quickly went to the sidelines to persuade Keegan.

He's a legend of England, after all; we have to give him some face.

As a result of this little incident, neither side launched any significant attacks in the final minutes.

As the whistle blew to signal the end of the first half, the game ended.

Lu Deyang walked to the sidelines.

Keegan's face was dark and stern, as if he wanted to devour someone.

Upon seeing this, Lu Deyang knew that Keegan had lost this psychological battle.

Both Ferguson and Wenger had a purpose when they got angry.

Even Mourinho is the same.

The most common scenario is putting pressure on the referee.

But Keegan was clearly venting his emotions.

This alone sets him far from being a top-tier coach.

As a coach, the gap between him and Ferguson is even greater than when they were players.

This approach only puts pressure on the players and does nothing to benefit the team.

"How is it, Deyang?"

Ferguson smiled and put his arm around Lu Deyang's shoulder, asking a question.

His back teeth were showing.

He was clearly in a good mood.

"It's alright. Newcastle doesn't really play well when they're behind; their tactics are far inferior," Lu Deyang said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Ferguson's smile widened as he said, "Keegan was never really capable."

Lu Deyang didn't respond, wiped his sweat, and followed his teammates back to the locker room.

With a large lead in the first half, the whole team was in good spirits.

As soon as I entered the locker room, I heard Gary Neville say, "The Majesta I picked out for you is pretty good, isn't it? It should be their best car, a luxury sedan."

He was referring to the Toyota Cup MVP key that Lu Deyang had previously given to Neville.

"Yes, yes, thank you, Gary."

Philip Neville said irritably, "You've been driving ever since you made the choice. I always feel like you chose it for yourself."

"Did Gary ask you to fill up the gas tank?"

Beckham asked.

Gary Neville immediately covered his brother's mouth, but his action betrayed him.

A burst of laughter erupted in the locker room.

“We brothers don’t care about that little bit of money at all,” Gary Neville said.

“Then why don’t you just talk to me sometime? Last time you took a taxi back, you even took £20 from my wallet,” Philip Neville complained.

"Damn it, you heartless brother."

Gary Neville said irritably, "If I hadn't taught you to play football, you'd probably be working as a car mechanic by now."

Neville Jr. simply gave the middle finger.

They come from a family of athletes; the father was a cricketer.

Cricket is quite popular in the Commonwealth, so it's impossible for him to do manual labor.

"Dejan, how about I get the MVP key for next year's Toyota Cup?"

Gary Neville leaned closer and asked.

"Maybe they won't give you a car next year, how about they give you a toilet seat instead? Japanese toilets are pretty good too," Schmeichel joked.

"It would be fine if it could be used as a car."

Gary Neville said.

"Anyway, we're just sitting up there."

"Bruce said. Ferguson listened for a while before clapping and saying, "You played well today, but don't give them a chance to score in the second half, or Peter won't let you off the hook."

The laughter in the locker room grew even louder.

When Ferguson isn't angry, he's quite easy to get along with.

And it won't put constant pressure on the players.

During halftime, they ate and drank in the locker room. When it was almost time, Kidd reminded the players that it was time to go on the field.

When the players returned to the field, Newcastle's morale showed little improvement.

Falling so far behind isn't something you can recover from just by taking a break.

Manchester United slowly controlled possession after kickoff, while Newcastle's pressing was not aggressive at all, as if they were not behind.

Seeing this, Ferguson knew that there would be no surprises in today's match.

He also harbored some disdain for Keegan's coaching abilities.

This team has absolutely no spirit.

Rio Ferdinand, watching on television, was equally disappointed.

He currently plays as a striker for West Ham's youth team. He studied ballet in his early years, but switched to football because he grew too fast and his ligaments and bones were no longer suitable.

His uncle gave them some help, which enabled him, who came from a poor background, to study art.

The uncle and nephew have a very good relationship.

Rice Ferdinand had a great influence on him.

But today's match left him utterly disappointed.

Newcastle, ranked first, had no chance against Manchester United.

Les Ferdinand also didn't make any significant impact.

On the contrary, Manchester United's strength left a deep impression on him.

When Ginola finally got the ball again, Rio Ferdinand clenched his fist.

The Frenchman's handsome looks and elegant playing style made Ferdinand have a good impression of him.

Unfortunately, he could only complete half of his dribbling move.

Every time he gets past Beckham, he can't create any opportunities in front of the penalty area.

This time, Ginola used a change of pace to get past Beckham again. After failing to find an opportunity several times, the French winger decided to use his old trick.

He dribbled the ball towards the middle, and then chipped it over Keane as he pressed forward.

A cold smile crept across Keane's lips.

Quickly turn around and block the position.

He knew very well that his opponents liked to lob the ball over the defenders and then volley it.

Once they secure the position, Ginola has no chance.

However, as the ball dipped, Ginola bumped into Keane from behind, causing Keane to stumble and head the ball towards the right side of the penalty area.

Gillespie got to the ball first and sent it into the penalty area. Beardsley received the ball, hesitated for a moment, and then chose to pass it across. Rice Ferdinand's shot in front of the goal was blocked by Schmeichel.

Gary Neville's long clearance was blocked by Ginobili's outstretched foot, and the ball bounced to the left wing.

Lu Deyang was pushed by Lee Clark while they were vying for the ball, causing him to poke it out of bounds.

"Throw-ins and set pieces are also good opportunities."

"Newcastle should have capitalized on their throw-ins today. They couldn't find any scoring opportunities in positional play, and if they don't make good use of set pieces, they probably won't even score a single goal."

"Yes, I really didn't expect Newcastle, who are ranked first, to play like this."

Jim Beglin complained.

Even Blackburn Rovers back then, at least when they were competing for the title against Manchester United, they could put on a decent attacking performance.

Newcastle's players were clearly aware of this, and almost the entire team crowded into Manchester United's penalty area.

Lee Clark stood outside the sideline and threw the ball hard into the penalty area.

Forward!

Bruce and Ferdinand charged forward almost simultaneously.

Steve Bruce jumped earlier, but Ferdinand's physical attributes were quite impressive, and he managed to get a touch on the ball from below, sending it bouncing into the six-yard box.

Rob Lee attempted to head the ball across the penalty area from the top corner, but it was headed away by Pallister before it even went far enough.

Irwin in front of the goal and Ginola on the flank of the penalty area rushed towards the byline almost simultaneously.

The two people had different ideas.

Facing repeated attacks in front of the goal can cause players to panic.

Irwin just wanted to make sure the ball went out of bounds; he didn't mind giving the opponent a corner kick.

But Ginola rushed up, clearly intending to save the ball, which meant he wanted to continue organizing the attack, something Irwin couldn't accept.

The full-back sprinted forward, but he was a step too slow on the flank.

However, he jumped and swung his left foot, kicking the ball directly back onto the field.

Keane and Gillespie chased after them at the same time, with Keane taking the advantageous position and gaining half a body length advantage.

Players from both sides rushed towards Newcastle's half almost simultaneously.

At the very front were only Lu Deyang and Cantona, with three defenders chasing behind them.

And in front of Lu Deyang was Warren Brown.

Don't go offside!
After receiving the ball, Keane didn't pass it immediately. Instead, he took two steps to adjust, slowed down, and then sent a through ball with his right foot.

The pass was a little too slow, forcing Lu Deyang, who was running, to slow down to receive the ball.

Taking advantage of this moment, Darren Peacock rushed ahead of Cantona.

Lu Deyang continued to dribble the ball down the left flank, while Cantona on the other side kept gesturing with his hand.

This is a good opportunity; he might be able to get in.

However, Lu Deyang did not rush. Instead, he slowed down, turned sideways, and pretended to go to the middle to cut inside. This move inevitably attracted more defensive attention.

Steve Howe quickly stepped in front of Lu Deyang and ran back sideways with him.

Lu Deyang suddenly flicked the ball in the opposite direction to create an angle.

boom--

He then lifted his right foot and flicked the ball, sending it flying quickly to the right side of the arc.

No one is defending!

Cantona was surrounded by no defenders.

Warren Brown quickly ran to the right.

At that moment, Cantona had already raised his right foot.

Brown instinctively stretched out his leg to block, but the ball hit his shin and changed direction. Srnicek rushed out in the wrong position, and the ball went into the Newcastle goal again.

"Goal!"

"Cantona scored his first goal of the day, and Manchester United's fifth goal."

"Dejan made a long run, dribbling the ball for more than 70 meters, and once again provided an assist for Cantona. This is the second consecutive game in which Dejan has provided a similar assist for Cantona."

"Yes, Dejan dribbled forward and drew the defenders' attention, making it as easy as possible for Cantona to shoot. It's really easy to partner with Dejan."

"Ferguson is about to make another substitution. McClair has appeared on the sidelines, and Andy Cole is warming up. Is he planning to make two substitutions at once?"

Lu Deyang was replaced by McClair.

A few minutes later, Ferguson substituted Cole for Cantona.

The players wanted to continue scoring, but Ferguson stopped them, telling them to conserve their energy for the upcoming matches.

Ultimately, the title race ended with Manchester United defeating Newcastle United 5-0.

Although Newcastle still had a one-point advantage after this match, neither the fans nor the commentators believed that Keegan's team could win the championship in the end.

"Dejan, let's go, let's see what Keegan has to say."

As soon as the whistle blew, Ferguson immediately said with schadenfreude.

They'd been exchanging insults for days before the match, so he wasn't going to pretend to be magnanimous at this point.

Lu Deyang got up and followed Ferguson to the press conference.

Keegan sat there forlornly, without any players with him.

This match was a significant blow to him.

As Lu Deyang and Ferguson took their seats, the reporters eagerly began asking questions.

"Kevin, you said before that you liked beating Manchester United, but why didn't you win?"

"Today's bloodbath, where did the biggest problem lie? Isn't it your fault, Mr. Keegan?"

"Mr. Keegan, do you think the loss was because you weren't as good a coach as Mr. Ferguson?"

"Before this match, a Newcastle fan posted that he used six months' worth of savings to buy a bottle of whiskey, just to be there for Newcastle to win. Dejan, don't you think his behavior is ridiculous?"

"Alex, is there anything you want to say?"

Most of the reporters' questions were directed at Keegan.

They won't let this opportunity slip by.

"That's enough, we lost. Is this the happiest night of my career? I'm very happy. Wilson didn't train before the game and had some minor physical issues. He took painkillers, played, and played a decisive role. This is just one of many instances where we have players injured and we miss them like bread. It's an incomplete Newcastle team that lost the game."

Keegan pulled the microphone over and spoke.

"Is it because of the gap in player quality that you have no room for resistance?"

The reporter pressed for an answer.

Keegan said, "I can't say we were anything special, I can only say we gave it our all. But we couldn't do it. In football, someone always has to lose, right?"

"But you said you like beating Manchester United."

The reporter reminded.

He boasted before the match, and now he's pretending to have amnesia?
Keegan said with a dark face, "We're all adults, we should be more rational. I see a lot of young people like the Spice Girls, right? But there are only a few of them. It's not like every young person who likes them can get a Spice Girl as their girlfriend. Is there anything wrong with what I said?"

"So you wanted to win, but you couldn't. Kevin, where did the biggest problem lie?"

The reporter continued to ask.

Kevin Keegan said, "The difference between the players is that Dejan is the best player. Even with a lot of injuries, we wouldn't have lost so badly without Dejan. So stop asking me about the difference in coaching ability. This is the difference in player ability. My players don't think they can compare to Dejan. Okay, I need to go back to the locker room to comfort the players. That's all for today's press conference."

After saying that, Keegan stood up.

He knew very well that Ferguson wouldn't have anything nice to say.

Ferguson quickly pulled the microphone over and said, "There are always people in this world who say they just want to buy those numbers, that they almost won the lottery, but they don't do it. When Dejan was injured and released, every team had a chance, but you saw it, I signed Dejan, while the Frenchman and Keegan were saying that Dejan was better than their players, but they didn't try to sign the injured Dejan."

"Mr. Ferguson, so was signing Dejan a risky move?"

The reporter pressed for an answer.

Ferguson nodded and said, "Of course it was a gamble, but I believed that even if Dejan couldn't return to his best form, he would still be the best player in the world, so I didn't hesitate at all. At that time, I only had one thought: we have discovered a gold mine and we must seize it before others do."

"That's a great idea. Where do you think the biggest difference lies between the two sides today?"

the reporter asked.

"Tactical level!"

Ferguson said, "If you've watched Wenger's teams play, you'll understand what I mean. Arsenal didn't have Dejan either, and Arsenal also played a 4-4-2, but Arsenal put a lot of pressure on us. I don't want to rank other managers, but Wenger is a tougher opponent than Keegan."

Lu Deyang: ...

He suspected that the old Scottish man was trying to sow discord between the professor and Keegan.

He really is a psychological warfare expert.

In terms of words alone, Ten Hag is capable of inheriting Ferguson's mantle.

Unfortunately, his coaching ability was far too poor.

"Does winning this match mean you've already won the championship?"

the reporter asked.

Ferguson said irritably, "Don't say such nonsense, and especially don't tell my players that we're still in second place, so it's too early to say such things. If the newspapers are full of this kind of talk, it will affect the players' mentality."

Seeing Ferguson's displeasure, the reporters finally turned to Lu Deyang and asked, "Deyang, what are your thoughts on that fan's behavior?"

"No idea."

Lu Deyang said, "I only saw a fan who loves the team, and I don't think there was anything wrong with his behavior. If it were me, I would be very sad to see a game like this after saving up for half a year to buy a bottle of good wine. Both the Newcastle players and the coach should apologize to the fans."

boom--

The reporters finally perked up.

"You mean there's something wrong with them?"

The reporter pressed for an answer.

"Is losing okay?" Lu Deyang retorted. "Every game is for the supporters. When you disappoint the fans, you should apologize. Besides, your questions are a bit off. Stop asking such pointless questions. There's nothing wrong with supporting your team."

"If you were in that situation, what would you do after such a crushing defeat?"

The reporter pressed for an answer.

Lu Deyang rolled his eyes and said, "First of all, we can't possibly suffer a crushing defeat. If that really happens, I'll pay for that fan's drinks and invite him to the Theatre of Dreams. Let him know the players' attitude, that we're ashamed of losing, and beg him to continue supporting us..."

(End of this chapter)