Team Spirit

Chapter 255 The Three Musketeers of the Kremlin, the Irish Demon Blade Joins the Fray
Sky Sports: "The Green Penguin Stadium was expanded just one year after its completion; the initial ambitious steps have turned into small ones!"

The Times: "The Green Penguin Stadium has become a must-see tourist attraction in London, but its 47,000-seat capacity is not enough! After expansion, it will have a capacity of 62,000 people!"

BBC: "Tourism is only temporary. Dartford's poor league performance means their season ticket sales are far lower than those of big clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea. The expansion has resulted in too many empty seats during regular matches, potentially leading to a poor home atmosphere!"

The expansion of the Green Penguin Stadium is a major move by the Green Gunners this summer.

It has been met with some controversy.

Many people think the green gun is too overpowered.

Two years in the Premier League, one year in relegation, one year in mid-table – why expand to a 60,000-seat stadium?

Do you really think the Green Gun will never fall?
Zinedine Zidane, who had just joined Green Gunners, also expressed his doubts.

Alfred's explanation to him was: "Xiao Qi, you're still young. Just because people say it's an expansion project doesn't mean it really is."

Zidane: ? ? ?

Southgate, who is more knowledgeable about non-tactical matters, explained: "Actually, the 60,000-seat stadium was Lu Kai's original idea."

"But back then, Green Gun would have been heavily criticized even if they had said they were going to build a 40,000-seat stadium, let alone a 60,000-seat stadium."

"Many voices can melt metal. If too many bad things are said, the resistance to building the stadium will be too great, and the project may really not be approved."

"That's why the project was divided into three phases."

"The first phase was to build the main structure of the new stadium. The second phase was to renovate the main structure of the old stadium to make them a unified whole. The third phase is the current addition of high-rise stands."

"Not all upper-level stands are open to the public."

Jiang Mengyun provided the answer from a data perspective: "We have found from the past few seasons that Premier League giants and some distinctive teams are in short supply of stadium seats."

"Chelsea averaged 41,000 people at each home game last season, and even in the worst League Cup game, they still averaged 35,000. Their stadium capacity is only 42,000, with a maximum of 46,000."

"Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium has a capacity of 68,000 and an average attendance of 49,000."

"Arsenal's loan of Wembley Stadium has resulted in an average attendance of 46,000 people."

"Our stadium has a maximum capacity of 45,000, and last season the average attendance was 44,000, which was the best performance, just like Chelsea's. However, we have a significant loss in terms of potential."

“We anticipate that some exciting matches may draw up to 60,000 fans. But a stadium with a capacity of 60,000 will inevitably have more than 10,000 empty seats.”

"Therefore, adding stands is actually better than the original stands."

“Classic matches will be used directly to create a formidable home ground, satisfying fans’ desire to watch the games and increasing ticket revenue.”

"For regular matches, we close the stands, put up giant advertisements and tifos of star players, and while covering the gaps, we also make this kind of publicity a feature of our stadium."

Zidane nodded repeatedly.

Whether as a fan, a player, or an advertiser, he was full of hope for this plan.

The giant tifo is still there, it's so cool!

While everyone was chatting, Lu Kai and Guardiola and other staff members also arrived.

The meeting then officially began.

Content related to major team signings.

Guardiola hosted the event, pulling up a picture of a player along with relevant training and match statistics: "Everyone should recognize this player, Dong Fangzhuo, the striker who was loaned out by Manchester United."

"His ability is good, and Ferguson especially praised his physical talent. Training data also shows that he is a powerful striker with both speed and strength, and his playing style is quite English."

"But Manchester United haven't had many opportunities in the forward line in the past few years, with Van Nistelrooy, Rooney and Eastwood consistently holding the top spots."

“Dong Fangzhuo only managed to get a few appearances during Forlán’s worst period. But as Ronaldo’s performance improved significantly and his tendency to cut inside became more pronounced, all center forwards were affected. As a result, Dong Fangzhuo completely lost his place.”

"Last season he was loaned to Royal Antwerp in Belgium, but unfortunately his performance was not good. He only made 15 appearances and scored 6 goals. Antwerp has already returned him."

The big screen then played a video showcasing Dong Fangzhuo's performance in recent years: "This player's weakness is that he has always had problems integrating into the Manchester United team."

"Positioning awareness and tactical execution capabilities are substandard."

"The former can be resolved through the atmosphere at Dartford."

Ashley Young explained to Zidane, who was standing next to him, "Most of our players can speak Chinese, and some are even fluent in Mandarin. Dong will feel right at home when he arrives."

Guardiola: "The table cleaners, keep quiet and don't whisper to each other."

"The latter can be addressed through Green Gun's training system. We are the best club in the world for developing young players, bar none."

"Including but not limited to the player's physical fitness, tactical understanding, on-field performance, and mental health."

Everyone turned to look at Alfred.

This is a well-known fact, but no one knows how the old man did it, including the old man himself.

Alfred smiled slightly at Lu Kai.

This was mainly due to Lu Kai's various "tactical training auras," such as wing attacks, triangle attacks, offside trap defense, 20-zone runs, tikitaka, Klopp aura, Guardiola aura, and so on.

The players who came to Dartford all seemed to have suddenly found their way.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will all grow to the limit of their talents.

In other teams, few players can reach their full potential. If someone has a talent score of 100, achieving 90% is considered a success.

Southgate then reported on the specific progress of the deal: "Manchester United wanted to sell Dong Fangzhuo as soon as possible. They no longer wanted to pay Dong Fangzhuo's salary, and the price they offered was not cheap."

"Our offer of 500,000 euros has been approved, and the transaction is complete."

This deal was actually completed during a phone call between Lu Kai and Dong Fangzhuo. Green Gun was Dong Fangzhuo's last chance, otherwise he would have to return to the Chinese Super League.

An Qi's experience has made Dong Fangzhuo lose the idea of ​​playing football in the country.

It's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death. Who knows who you might offend in the country?
Of course, Dong Fangzhuo will definitely have to take a significant pay cut.

In terms of team role, he is mainly a substitute striker.

However, Dartford's starting lineup has always favored a mix of players, and Dong Fangzhuo has spent a considerable amount of time playing alongside the key players.

Establishing a firm foothold first, then pursuing a starting position, is something Dong Fangzhuo can accept.

After watching Dong Fangzhuo's video footage, Zidane nodded and said, "He is indeed a good addition. Among the team's mature strikers, there is a lack of someone who has speed, height, strength, and shooting ability."

Currently, only Lu Kai possesses these traits within the team.

The team consists of more functional players with unique characteristics, such as speedsters, technical pivots, and explosive players.

If Lu Kai stops playing center forward, there will be a shortage of truly powerful strikers and pillar center forwards capable of scoring goals.

As expected, Modric was introduced as the second target for Green Gunners.

As a player, Modric can be described as the "discipline monitor," which makes his relationship with his teammates delicate. They are only superficially harmonious, but deep down they still see him as the "teacher's informant," lacking brotherly affection.

But Modric has high emotional intelligence and strong execution skills. He doesn't need people to treat him like a brother; he simply wants to unite everyone as a team and ensure the tasks assigned from above are completed efficiently and effectively. As a result, he quickly rose to a "management position" and secured a seat in the conference room.

Vice GOAT Ashley Young only got a standing ticket in the conference room.

“This player is my compatriot, 20 years old, 1.9 meters tall, relatively strong, and a pillar striker reserve for the team,” Modric said. “He is low-key, dedicated, and has a strong team spirit; he is a natural pivot.”

"Previously playing for NK Zagreb, we have now caught the attention of Croatian powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb, but luckily we acted quickly."

"His transaction price was 300,000 euros."

Everyone nodded.

I am very satisfied with this player named Mario Mandzukic.

The team currently only has Giroud as its focal point, so it's essential to bring him in.

After all, you can't expect me to go and act as a support for everyone.

Although Lu Kai has such ability, if he gets injured in the intense competition, wouldn't the team suffer a heavy loss?

A pivot center is an essential consumable in tactics.

Lu Kai can play for fun occasionally, but if the team wants to achieve good results, they still need to provide a dedicated target man to free up Lu Kai.

Dartford's goals this season are quite different from last season's.

“The third player, also Croatian, is Ivan Perisic.” Modric was delighted, guessing that Lu had noticed his awkward position among the players.

Therefore, a special "Croatian faction," or simply the Croatian faction, was created to protect Modric and prevent him from becoming isolated.

It's important to understand that a prolonged lack of mental integration will ultimately affect a player's physical and mental health, as well as their performance on the field.

Dong Fangzhuo: Waaaaah!
"This player is a winger, only seventeen years old, and 1.86 meters tall, which is tall for a winger, but relatively thin." Modric. "He plays for the youth academy of Hajduk Football Club in Croatia."

"We signed him before the French football club Sochaux; he was a member of their youth academy."

"Transfer fee of 200,000 euros."

giggle!
Zidane noticed the sound of bones clattering nearby and asked in confusion, "Yang, why do you look like you're constipated?"

Ashley Young's smile looked more like a grimace.

Of course, it's because Modric actually influenced the team's transfer decisions, forming a "Cleric" faction within the Green Gunners.

Ashley Young's team, on the contrary, fell apart and never managed to form a "fighting force".

Ashley Young muttered under his breath, "Modric, Mandzukic, Perisic, I'll kill you three-shot wonders!"

However, these two trades were not actually influenced by Modric, but rather because these two players truly fit Celtics' tactical and reserve requirements.

Players from the Klopp system share a common advantage: they are very active in their running and make sufficient contributions on the defensive end.

This is the foundation of the Green Gun tactic.

The deal also became known to the outside world, and the Croatian media were overjoyed, calling them the "Croatian version of The Three Musketeers"!
A French version of the Three Musketeers, comparable to the Red Guns Arsenal of yesteryear.

Domestic fans mostly refer to them as the "Three Amazing Things" trio, hoping that they can truly bring surprises to Green Gun in the future.

This also demonstrates Ashley Young's proficiency in Chinese; he even managed to predict the correct pairing names.

However, these transactions were generally small.

The big deal that Zidane was hoping for never materialized.

"Doesn't Lu hope to get stronger help and challenge for the championship?" Zidane asked Ashley Young in a low voice.

Ashley Young laughed: "Zidane, aren't you being silly? Do you think our Green Gunners are lacking in championships?"

"Compared to hiring a bunch of old men to play football at high prices, Green Gunners has always preferred to develop its own players."

"This feeling is different."

"And as you can see, our Green Gun team's budget isn't high; we're operating on a small scale. Even if those superstars really want to team up with Lu Kai, no one would take a significant pay cut to join Green Gun."

Zidane nodded, "That's true."

Theoretically speaking, with Lu Kai as the core and the team's tactics mature, if some important players with greater ability than reputation are brought in, Green Guns could be a championship contender... although their competitiveness would be very weak.

"Hmm, Duff?"

Zidane finally raised his eyebrows.

A player he knew a little about had arrived.

Southgate stood up again, beaming as he introduced, "Damien Duff, Ireland's key international player and a renowned Chelsea winger."

"His strength needs no further explanation."

"If we can bring him in, it would be an excellent choice whether he forms a formidable wing partnership with Ribery or serves as a substitute for each other to bolster the team's depth."

"The downside is that he has a lot of injuries. The serious injury at the end of last season caused Chelsea a lot of trouble, so Mourinho could no longer entrust him with important responsibilities."

"Chelsea has no shortage of wingers, having brought in several top wingers at high prices for three consecutive years, leaving Duff with no choice but to transfer."

“He currently has two options: Newcastle United or us. Although we are both currently qualified for the UEFA Cup, we are much more competitive.”

"This deal is not a problem, and the transfer fee will not be too high. The main focus of the negotiations is on Duff's salary. We need him to make some compromises."

Lu Kai nodded.

This deal was his personal arrangement.

This summer, Ribery's French magic weapon has reached its peak. If he were to pair it with an Irish magic weapon, the Green Gun would be ready to unleash its full potential.

Lu Kai also hopes that Duff will make the right choice, because Duff suffered two serious injuries in one season after joining Newcastle United. The second injury directly caused him to be bedridden for eight months, after which Duff's career plummeted.

This can be considered one of the most important turning points in his career.

The deal was quickly brought to the forefront.

Abramovich and Lu Kai are old friends, so Abramovich didn't set any limits for Green Gunners. Even though Newcastle United offered eight million euros, he allowed Green Gunners, who only offered five million euros, to contact Duff at the same time.

Ultimately, Duff chose the green gun, which had a higher flow rate.

His time at Chelsea started strong but ended weakly. Although he was a key player, he could hardly be called a success, at least not reaching the level he envisioned.

At Green Gunners, he can stay in London and look forward to a spectacular comeback!

Sky Sports: "The Green Guns welcome the second Duff! After Michael Duff, can Damian Duff help the Green Guns take off? Let's wait and see!"

BBC: "Duff is already injury-prone, and it's not wise for Dartford to bet on him."

Mundo Deportivo: "The Chinese national team's habit of saving money is terrible. Green Gunners clearly have money, but they are unwilling to spend high prices to bring in real strong players. Instead, they pick up scraps that others don't want!"

(End of this chapter)