Football: Starting from the Ronaldinho template

Chapter 24 A new yardstick for measuring the strength of Premier League teams: Everton!

September 14, 2014, the sun was shining.

Liverpool, a port city in northwest England, is also one of the eight core cities in England.

It has many stories, such as the first dock in the UK, the highest unemployment rate in the UK, the Beatles, etc.

But nowadays it is more about two excellent teams.

Liverpool and Everton.

Red and blue.

The matches between them are known as the Merseyside Derby.

It is also called by fans: the most popular derby.

In the 49 Premier League encounters between the two teams, the referee has shown a total of 21 red cards.

This included the match in September 1999, when Liverpool goalkeeper Westerveld and opposing player Jeffs were both sent off with red cards due to a conflict, and Gerrard was also directly sent off with a red card for stepping on his opponent.

But on the way to Goodison Park, all Qin Ming could see was countless blue.

"Qin, this is your first time playing in a European competition, don't be nervous, just treat it as a normal game."

Seeing that Qin Ming didn't say anything, Malanda thought he was too nervous.

"Thank you."

Qin Ming didn't explain, but suddenly he saw a man in a green and white jersey appear on the street, and he looked Asian.

"Chinese?"

He smiled, opened the window and asked in Chinese.

"Chinese!"

One of the young men was very surprised. He quickly swallowed the fries in his mouth and waved to Qin Ming enthusiastically.

Compared with Germany, there are more Chinese students in England, after all, English is more widely spoken there.

Therefore, under the strong football atmosphere in England, many Chinese students have also become loyal fans.

But today they no longer support Liverpool or Everton, but Wolfsburg who came from far away.

"Qin Ming, come on today! Try to score a goal!"

Amid the cheers of the crowd, Qin Ming smiled and nodded, "Just watch my performance!"

Malanda next to him was very envious. He had never had a similar experience either in Wilshire or Wolfsburg.

Being recognized on the street and given a warm cheer should be every player's dream.

"Don't look at it, Qin has many compatriots in every country, and they are all Qin's fans."

Olic can understand it.

Because he received similar treatment when he was in Croatia.

The pre-match press conference was held when players from both teams entered the field for warm-up.

"In previous seasons, our attitude towards the Europa League may have had some slight deviations, but this season we are aiming for the Europa League title."

Roberto Martinez still has a lot of hair.

In the Premier League, clubs that regularly participate in the Europa League, such as Tottenham and Everton, are among the wealthiest clubs that consistently rank in the top 20 of the Deloitte Football Club Wealth List.

Therefore, the small profits from the Europa League have not piqued their interest.

Moreover, the tight schedule of the Premier League is also an important factor in their unwillingness to be distracted.

"Playing a Europa League game on Thursday night and then a Premier League game at the weekend is too much to handle."

These are the exact words of Tottenham Hotspur head coach Pochettino.

But with UEFA's reforms and the adjustment of the scoring weights of the Champions League and the Europa League, no one will underestimate the Europa League anymore.

Moreover, for Martinez personally, last season he loaned Lukaku, Barry and others, leading Everton to 21 wins, 9 draws and 8 losses, with 72 points, breaking the club's highest points record in the Premier League.

But he still lacks a significant trophy to completely consolidate his position as head coach.

"Qin? I don't know much about Chinese players, but he's probably never experienced the intensity of the Premier League. I think today he'll rediscover the sport of football."

Roberto Martinez exudes confidence. In another meeting room.

The reporter relayed the opponent's coach's remarks to Dieter Hecking, who simply adjusted his black-framed glasses and said:

"It is undeniable that the intensity of the Premier League is indeed higher, but our players are not glass that will break at the slightest touch. They are also the best players in the top leagues."

"As for Qin, he won't be defeated so easily. Perhaps today isn't his chance to rediscover football, but for Premier League fans to get to know him for the first time."

When people get older, they don’t like to talk big, but prefer to speak with results and facts.

After half an hour.

In the players tunnel.

The players from both teams stood opposite each other. Qin Ming stood at the back, looking at De Bruyne with an impatient look on his face, as if he didn't want to talk to the player opposite him.

"Kevin, in the last national team game, the ball you passed to me was absolutely amazing. I feel like we have more chemistry than twins!"

Lukaku's thick lips kept moving.

Although he knew Courtois earlier, to be honest, he didn't like Courtois very much.

why?
Who would like someone who cheats on his teammates?

In comparison, De Bruyne, who can feed himself the ball, is definitely a thigh that must be held on to.

Not long after, the referee called out and led the players out of the tunnel.

De Bruyne also breathed a sigh of relief.

Lukaku is a chatterbox, but he is an introvert, and the two of them can't get along at all.

The most important thing is that Lukaku often spits up the ball. Even if you put it in his throat, he will spit it out inexplicably.

What midfielders hate most is the forward who spits out the ball.

The moment he walked out of the player tunnel, a deafening noise came over him, slightly stinging Qin Ming's eardrums.

He looked up subconsciously.

The deep blue all over the mountains is like a vast ocean, constantly surging.

"PPTV! PPTV!"

"Good evening, viewers!"

"Welcome to the first round of the Group H group stage of the 2014-15 Europa League!"

“Everton vs. Wolfsburg at home!”

"I'm Zhan Jun, the commentator for this game. Next to me is the renowned commentator Zhang Lu, Coach Zhang!"

Zhan Jun spoke the opening words familiarly.

He just joined PPTV in August this year, and PPTV happened to buy the broadcasting rights for the Europa League.

So he was lucky enough to commentate on Qin Ming's game.

You know, he used to envy Liu Jiayuan for being able to commentate on Wolfsburg's games in the Bundesliga.

He feels quite proud to use his professional knowledge to explain Qin Ming to fans across the country.

After all, Qin Ming's performance in the first two games has impressed most people in the Chinese football world.

"Coach Zhang, who do you think has a better chance of winning this match?"

Zhan Jun asked.

"Hehe. From a rational point of view, I think Everton has a high chance of winning, to use a recent saying in the Premier League."

"Goodison Park has become the new benchmark for measuring the quality of Premier League teams. If your team is good enough, you have to do your best to get three points to prove yourself. If you are not ready, then expect to be beaten."

Zhang Lu has a deep understanding of football.

"Haha, then I'll support Wolfsburg. If Qin Ming can maintain his previous form, then the problem of their declining offensive intensity will be solved, and maybe they can escape from Goodison Park unscathed."

Zhan Jun laughed.

(End of this chapter)