"Coach O'Neal, you are so polite. In fact, you can just arrange for us to train at the outdoor training ground. There is no need for us to train in the stadium."
"Coach Li, after all, Mr. Michael and our chairman have just signed a cooperative club agreement. You have come all the way. It is what we should do to provide a suitable training venue."
George Lee was fighting with a middle-aged man wearing glasses on the sidelines of the pitch. The team emblem on the chest of the training uniform worn by this middle-aged man was not the Leeds United team emblem.
On the court, Leeds United players are practicing passing, receiving and running under the leadership of assistant coach Brian Kidd, while several other coaches, such as Chris Kasper, Peter Schmeichel, Colin -McGee was discussing something in a low voice.
Jordi Cruyff and Alfinger Haaland were not present, as they were left in Portugal to watch the ongoing European Cup semi-final against the Netherlands.
After watching the European Cup group matches, Lee George and several others flew to Glasgow, Scotland, to join Kidd, McGee and the team's players to start pre-season training.
For example, Edgar Davis, who is still participating in the European Cup, and several Danish players who were just eliminated by the Czech Republic 3-0 in the quarter-finals, Thomas Gravesen, Denis Romedal, Jess Per-Grenchar will return to China to rest for a week before joining the team.
Under the advice of Lee George, Leeds United signed cooperation projects with several clubs in nearby countries this summer, including scout sharing, priority purchase and other matters. Among them is Scotland's old and powerful team, Celtic.
After Leeds United arrived in Glasgow, they just arrived at the hotel where they checked in and had a short rest. The next day, the host Celtic Club arranged for them to train at their Excelsior Stadium, which is located 15 kilometers east of Glasgow. The place is the home stadium of Celtic Second Division, Celtic Women, Airdrie and Glasgow University FC. It has more than 10,000 seats. It was built in 1998 and the equipment and facilities are relatively new.
The person chatting with George Lee was the head coach of the Celtics, Martin O'Neal.
"Coach O'Neill, your former opponent, the Portuguese Jose Mourinho, is about to land in the Premier League. Do you also have the idea of returning to England to develop?"
After the two people exchanged polite greetings, Li George found a topic in order to prevent the chat from becoming silent, and Mourinho, who was about to become the head coach of Chelsea, was undoubtedly a good topic.
In the 2002-03 season, under the leadership of Martin O'Neill, Celtic made rapid progress in the European arena. For this reason, they also gave up domestic competition. The team defeated Liverpool, Stuttgart and other strong teams in the Europa League, and Murry Porto led by Neo met in the UEFA Cup final. During the game, the Celtics showed great resilience. The team fell behind twice and equalized twice, but in the end the Portuguese made a superior move and eventually led Porto to win the game 3-2.
That season, Celtic lost all four major players. The only consolation was the Fair Play Award issued by FIFA and UEFA that year.
"You can't compare with others. They won the Europa League and the Champions League in two years. There is still a gap between me and him." O'Neal said.
"If, I mean if, it was your Celtics who won the Europa League that year, will it be you who dominate the Champions League the next year?"
"What a pity. Henrik left with regrets. He will always regret not helping Celtic win the UEFA Cup." O'Neal still expressed regret for Larson's departure.
"Speaking of Larsson, he is really an amazing player. I watched the game between Sweden and Bulgaria, and the level of Henrik's performance made it impossible to tell that he is already in his thirties." Li George did not He kept praising O'Neal's disciple.
Henrik Larsson, who played for Celtic for 7 years, moved to Barcelona this summer.
"It's impossible for me to go back to the Premier League. I will resign as Celtic head coach after this season." O'Neal sighed.
"No, Celtic can definitely make great achievements in the Scottish League under your leadership, and they can even achieve results in the European competition. Unlike us, Leeds United, who have to fight to avoid relegation."
"Coach Li, you are too modest to say that. Look at your signings this year. They don't look like a relegation team at all. Although they don't make big moves like Chelsea's tens of millions, every day Every penny is spent wisely, you will definitely be a dark horse in the Premier League next season."
"So, are you really not trying to come to the Premier League again?"
"No, it's a private matter." O'Neal told the truth, "My wife has been in poor health, and I want to spend time with her after this season ends. You may not know clearly when you first start your career as a head coach. Whether you do well or poorly as a head coach, you lose a lot of other things in life."
"Thank you very much. I think it's really a pleasure to chat with you." George Li turned around and said goodbye to O'Neill. He was going to prepare for the friendly match against Motherwell in the evening.
O'Neill stretched out his hand and shook it with George Li, then thought for a moment and told him.
"That Australian from Motherwell, Macdonald, watch out for his shot."
"Okay, thank you."
On the court, James Milner from the right made a pass. Robin Van Persie near the penalty spot did not stop the ball and directly volleyed the ball with his left foot and the ball flew into the goal.
^^^
On the court, James Milner from the right made a pass. Robin Van Persie near the penalty spot did not stop the ball and directly volleyed the ball with his left foot. The ball flew past the goal.
"Oh!" "What a pity!" "Didn't you score?" The Leeds United bench hugged their heads and exclaimed.
This is Motherwell's home ground, Fell Park.
The friendly match between Leeds United and Motherwell lasted for 80 minutes, and the score on the field was 2-0. The goals were scored by Alan Smith and Morten Pedersen.
In this game, Lee's lineup is Paul Robinson as goalkeeper, and the defense consists of Juris Matteisson, Dominic Mateo, Martin Albchesson and Danny Mills. In the morning training, because Ian Hart had some calf strain, he was not allowed to play as a precaution.
Alan Smith's midfield partners are two Norwegians, Eric Buck, who stayed on the team last season, and newly transferred Morten Pedersen.
The front three are Robin van Persie, James Milner and Ori Oscarsson. In the first half, Van Persie played the same position as he did at Feyenoord, left winger.
The first goal came in the 13th minute of the first half. Van Persie held the ball on the left and stopped it near the baseline. Unable to break through Motherwell's defense, he returned the ball to the left corner of the penalty area. Pedersen. Because the starting left back in this game was Matteisson, he did not follow very far forward, so Pedersen went from the center to the left to receive Van Persie's pass. After getting the ball, the Norwegian swung his left foot and passed the ball with a 45-degree arc. The ball flew towards the penalty area.
The tall Icelandic striker named Oscarsson fought for the first point, and then rubbed the ball to the back point. Alan Smith immediately rushed to shoot after the ball hit the ground and bounced, and the ball flew in with a roar. goal.
Because the team's two main wingers, Glenchard and Romedal, have not returned to the team yet, although the two wingers that Li George deployed today are not slow, they are not good at breakthroughs. So before the game, Lee asked Pederson to use long passes to find Oscarson's high point, or directly behind the opponent's defender.
The first goal was initiated by Pedersen in the backcourt. Central defender Albchesson deflected the opponent's cross in defense. After receiving the ball, Buck passed it to the Norwegian fellow next to him. Pedersen Dessen made a long pass. Since the opponent had just attacked, the right back stepped in to assist. Van Persie appeared directly behind him and ran all the way. Unfortunately, he did not stop when he finally got the ball. The center was covered by the opponent near the baseline. The defender forced a stop.
After this goal, Pedersen frequently threatened the opponent's defense with long passes.
Therefore, he was taken care of by Motherwell in the second half, and his white jersey was covered with grass marks.
In the 74th minute of the game, Pedersen was brought down in front of the penalty area and took a free kick.
Pedersen took the penalty himself, and with his left foot, a full-moon scimitar hit the dead center. Motherwell's goalkeeper had no reaction.
"Where did you find it? He is simply a left-footed Beckham." Kidd asked about George Lee after celebrating.
"I have good news and bad news." George Li did not answer directly, but said to Kidd.
"What?"
"The good news is that next season, besides Ian, there will be another good set-piece player."
"What about the bad news?"
"They're both left-footed, a little bit monotonous."
"..."
