long live football

The German Cup was originally the most anticipated event for the fans of Munich 1860 this season. Compared with the league, the competition in the cup is much smaller. The other three teams that entered the semi-finals were Bayern Munich, St. Pauli, and Bielefeld—— There is nothing to be afraid of except Bayern, the Lions fans think: 'We beat Bayern once last season, and now it will not be difficult to repeat that process. Haha, it's ours! '

Regardless of whether the fans are too naive or not, now they only know that their dreams are shattered. Munich 1860 was eliminated from the German Cup by Bayern. They have lost forever the chance to touch the championship trophy this season. .

The reality of being forced to die while only one step away from the final filled the hearts of a small number of extreme fans with disappointment and dissatisfaction, and they desperately needed an outlet.

Many people will not frankly admit that they are inferior to others when they fail. They will find all kinds of excuses for themselves to prove that the failure is just "an accident".The same goes for the fans, in the world of football, which is full of male hormones and popular comparisons, no fan of any team will say: "Hey, buddy, our strength is far behind yours, so it's okay to abuse it a little bit during the game." What?" They would just yell frantically: "Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!" Even if their home team is a weakling, and their opponent is a giant.

Now, some disgruntled 1860 Munich fans believe that the team lost to Bayern Munich because someone was not at their best in the game, and they blame Hoffmann for the defeat.

"If it weren't for Hoffman, we wouldn't have conceded so many goals against Bayern."

"Three were poured in in the first half! Could it be that he is guarding the goal with his eyes?"

"Hoffman's strength doesn't match the current team's league ranking at all. He should be the main force of those relegated teams..."

It was amid such public opinion that Hoffman couldn't stand it first, so he approached Karl.

Hoffman came to take the initiative to resign from his captaincy.

As the captain, he was not loved by the fans, and he didn't have many good teammates in the locker room. He was in a stable position before, only because he was appointed by Karl himself, and that was the team's progress. His performance It can also be called a pass, and no one is stupid enough to raise the banner to play rebellion.

But now, the team's performance has fluctuated, and the main fault lies with him as the captain... Hoffman has played professional football for so many years, he is not stupid, he knows that he has no support from fans and teammates, and wants to be stable again. The captain is unlikely. Although if he keeps pretending to be stupid, the head coach will not directly erase his status as captain and main force for the sake of stability in the locker room, but such ignorant behavior will undoubtedly leave a bad impression on the boss. During the summer transfer season, in order to clean up and avoid future troubles, the boss may sell him directly.

Hoffman, on the other hand, would rather not have the title of captain nor the identity of the main player, and he would rather not be sold - he knows very well that with his current age, strength and injury situation, no top league team will accept him anymore. He is afraid that he will be sold to a low-level team. The low-level club can give him very little salary, and he will not even get as much as the substitute of Munich 1860.

So Hoffman is going to take the initiative to "know the current affairs" once.

He thought that he would take the initiative to ask the boss to resign and agree to abdicate. The boss should be impressed by his wit and wouldn't consider selling him, right?

With such determination, Hoffman knocked on the door of the head coach's office, and under Karl's slightly surprised expression, he explained his purpose.

Carl took a few minutes to digest the incident.Hoffman's actions were completely unexpected. After careful consideration, Karl originally planned to use the strategy of hitting him with a stick and then giving him a sweet date to make him submit... He didn't expect that he would encounter a pillow just after falling asleep. Before Bian could act, God's favor had arrived ahead of schedule.

"You take the overall situation into consideration, and your spirit of self-sacrifice is very touching." After a moment of silence, Karl nodded towards Hoffman: "I will never forget the sacrifice you made for the team."

Hearing the latter sentence, Hoffman looked relieved. He stood up from the chair, straightened his spine and said, "It's all for the team. Boss, if you have nothing else to do, I'll go back to training first."

"and many more."

Hoffman turned around and saw Carl browsing a document: "Boss?"

"Bob told me this morning that the club's U17 youth team seems to lack a goalkeeper coach. Would you like to work part-time first?" Carl raised his head and smiled at him: "He proposed hiring a full-time coach, but you know, I'm so busy at the end of the season that I don't have time to interview those candidates."

"Extremely happy, Boss." A bright color suddenly appeared in Hoffman's dull expression: "Extremely happy."

……

When Koch heard that Hoffman went to the head coach's office for a walk and came back, and the title of captain became a part-time coach of the youth team, he was a little uncertain: Hoffman, was he promoted or was he punished? Decentralized?

He brought Lars, Sven, Ozil and others together and asked them to give him advice.

Yankel shrugged and said, "I'm not even the captain anymore, I must have been sent down."

"But he became a coach! Coach!" Ogo retorted: "Although it's only a part-time job for the U17 youth team, it's also a coach!"

"It's a bit similar to Mr. Hassler's experience..." Lars judged: "Hassler was also the captain last season, didn't he become a coach after retiring at the end of the season? Is this the boss's preference? They stay as coaches or something."

Sven looked forward to it: "If only I could be the captain and coach in the future, Sheng's mother is always worried that we won't be able to find a job to support ourselves after we retire."

"If you want me to say, don't beat around the bush here and try to find excuses, just go to the boss." Ozil chewed a piece of gum, and said heartlessly: "Just tell him 'Hey, boss , Let me start the next game!’ Isn’t that okay?”

Without Koch's reaction, the others looked at Ozil together and said: "This idea is too stupid!"

Lars also gave him a look of contempt: "Don't you dare to say that to the boss?"

Ozil turned his head away and continued chewing gum.

At this moment, Koch's cell phone rang suddenly.

The moment he saw the number on the screen, he couldn't help standing up straight: "Yes, boss, I'll go there right away!"

Several teammates cast encouraging and cheering glances at him.

"Don't forget what I said!" Ozil yelled at him. "Sometimes the simple is the most effective!"

Koch turned and gestured to him with the middle finger.

"Boss." Koch pushed open the door of the head coach's office and got a head in: "Here I am."

Carl slipped his hand, and the pen drew a dark blue mark on the notepad: "You didn't knock on the door, you scared me."

"Ah, sorry!" Koch retracted his head and closed the door with a "bang".

"Bang bang bang!" The sound of knuckles tapping on the wooden door.

"……Come in."

Koch politely opened the door, closed it, raised his head and walked to Karl's desk with fixed-length steps... His etiquette was almost perfect, except for the few steps where he walked with his hands and feet at the same time.

Carl closed the notepad, clasped his hands, and looked at Koch: "Originally, it is okay to inform you of this matter on the phone, but I think you would prefer me to tell you in person."

Koch waited excitedly.

"Because of being a part-time goalkeeper coach for the youth team, Hoffman no longer serves as the captain of the team. He also needs someone to help him share the pressure during the game. From the next round of the league, I plan to arrange you to start. In addition, You're willing to help me balance and change—"

"I will try my best not to concede a goal!" Koch's heart was pounding like a deer: "I can do whatever you ask!"

Carl smiled at him: "I want you to help me balance the interpersonal relationship in the locker room. There are only six rounds left before the end of the league, and I hope the rest of the days will be spent peacefully." What kind of status does He have in the hearts of the group of young players in the locker room.

"I can do it!" Koch replied ambitiously, but felt that such a rhetoric would make him appear too complacent, so he revised: "I will do my best!"

"Very good." Carl nodded in satisfaction, stood up from behind the desk, and went to the bookshelf to search for information.

Koch thought that the other party had something to say to him, so he stayed where he was.

A few minutes later, Carl took out a book, turned around, and looked at Koch rather strangely: "Do you have something to tell me?"

Only then did Koch realize that he had misunderstood. He was about to leave the office when a sentence flashed through his mind. Impulsively, he opened his mouth and said, "I—" He wanted to ask the boss, in the team, in his Between Portillo and Portillo, who does the opponent value more?Did the boss assign the same task to Portillo?

Carl looked at him: "You?"

"I..." Koch scratched his head and changed his words in a flash of inspiration: "I, I want to ask you if I can keep a goal in the whole game, how will you reward me?"

Carl looked at the other party's expression and suddenly thought of Koch's family background. He pondered for a moment and said, "You want a bonus for not conceding a goal? That's no problem, but the money I can apply for is limited now. , how about 1000 euros?"

Koch hated himself for being dizzy and how he said such ambiguous words, and was surprised that the boss actually responded to his unreasonable request. "Okay, okay." He stammered, "Actually, I was just joking, boss..."

Carl smiled, approached Koch, and rubbed his white hair.

The platinum hair, under the light, really looks like another little sun.

Koch avoided Carl's hand, and he said reluctantly: "Boss, I am taller and stronger than you. I am a grown man, you can't keep touching my head!"

Carl smiled and said, "Okay." After a pause, he half-jokingly said, "Who made them look too bright in the sun."

"You like my hair?" Koch stood a little closer to his boss, a pleasant smell of aftershave mixed with the heat of Carl's body rushed into his head, making him a little dizzy.

It's only April, and Koch thought, if it was June or July, he might still be able to smell some sweat.That must be fascinating.

"I love all things beautiful."

Koch hesitated: "You once stipulated that first-team players are not allowed to have long hair..."

Carl blinked. "Yeah, that's why I feel sorry for your hair."

Koch left the head coach's office with a sweet and sore heart, thinking he would get an exception.

……

The appearance of Aragones at the Allianz Stadium caused a big earthquake in Spanish football. When he returned to Madrid, he was frantically chased by the national media. People were eager to know why he went to Munich. Have you gained something, and will those things bring changes to the Spanish national team...

Aragones did not continue to keep secrets about the questions from the media and fans. He replied directly in an interview with reporters: "Yes, I went to Munich to inspect Portillo. In fact, I have already observed him. It's been half a year."

"Would you consider calling Portillo to the national team?" asked the "Marca" reporter.

Aragones nodded and said: "I can only say that the top scorer in the Bundesliga is fully qualified to have a seat in the Spanish national team."

Three months ago, when the Spanish media asked Aragones about the World Cup squad, the other party was still hesitating, but now he is so frank, which may have a lot to do with the World Cup.After all, in mid-May, FIFA will require the national teams that entered the World Cup finals to submit a roster of 23 people. Now there is only less than a month left before that time, so there is no need to keep it too secret.

With Aragones' clear answer, a large wave of Spanish journalists rushed to Munich again, waiting at the door of the Munich 1860 Club to interview Portillo.

After learning from reporters from his home country that the coach of the national team really liked him, Portillo was also very happy. He said to the microphone of the reporter of "Aspen": "From now on, my mobile phone will not be turned off 24 hours a day. , whenever Mr. Aragones wants to call, he can find me."

The reporter of "Aspen" asked Portillo to talk about his current mood, because as we all know, two years ago he was still a bleak shooting star, almost disappearing from the public eye, but now he seems to be suddenly filled. Not to mention rising in the sky again, it also threatened the status of other Spanish forwards, such as Raul, Torres, Reyes and Villa, in the national team.

The reporter's words somehow touched Portillo's heart. He stood at the gate of the club, facing the microphone, and said a lot of words tirelessly, most of which were used to thank his parents for their unremitting support for him, and thank the fans The attention to him, especially thanks to the current head coach of the team...he said that without Karl Alston, there would be no Javier Portillo now.

It wasn't until later that the reporter from "Aspen" couldn't stand it anymore and pointed him to say something about the national team. Portillo grinned and said: "Yes, I would like to thank Mr. Aragones for his kindness to me. Follow, thank you."

When these interviews were published in the newspapers, some fans laughed at Portillo, saying that the person he should please most now is the Spanish coach, but he spent almost all of the interview time there to be grateful.

But more people say that it is this kind of Portillo that is more likable. The honest and simple side of his character is very, very rare in today's football.

……

"I know what many of you are thinking."

In the 29th round of the league, before the start of Bielefeld's home game against Munich 1860, Karl faced his players in the visiting team's locker room and nodded his head with his hand.

"You're thinking, 'We're lost in the German Cup, and it's definitely useless to win the league. We're going to get nothing this season. Since we've got nothing, why don't we just deal with the rest of the game? Anyway, the top ten we promised before the season The promise has been fulfilled.'" After a pause, after confirming that all the players had listened to the words in their hearts, he continued: "Is my guess right?"

Many players showed aggrieved expressions because of Carl's words, but a considerable number of people felt uncomfortable as if their minds had been punctured.

Looking at the expressions of all the players, Carl said lightly: "Do you want to avenge Bayern? After we lost to them 2:4?"

Almost everyone responded immediately: "Of course!"

Carl showed a smile: "Then tell me, what is the definition of revenge?"

Ozil clenched his fists: "Meet them in the game and beat them hard!"

"Treat them another 3:0!" Sven then shouted.

Carl nodded, then shook his head again: "Yes, and no."

Ozil and Sven looked at each other, not understanding what Karl was implying.

"The way to get revenge." Carl said slowly, "It's not just about defeating your opponent in a game."

Koch's head was bright, and he understood instantly: "The boss wants us to stop Bayern's league championship?"

"There are still six games before the end of the league. The gap between us and Bayern is 5 points, and Hamburg is even less." Karl shrugged: "Who said Bayern will definitely be the league champion?"

The words are so clear, people who can't figure it out must have a problem with IQ.Some Lions players hesitated, while others boldly said: "As long as we win two more games than Bayern, the situation can be completely reversed... We can become the number one in the league!"

"Hey buddy, don't forget about Hamburg." Someone reminded him: "Hamburg must not win as much as us, so that we can successfully counterattack."

But once the floodgates of inspiration were opened, new ideas kept coming: "Don't forget we have a completely different schedule! Bayern have Werder Bremen, Borussia Dortmund and a DFB-Pokal final in the next six rounds. And our opponents are much weaker than them!"

"I don't expect you to win the cup in the end." Karl clapped his hands, attracting everyone's attention: "But I hope you can cause enough trouble for Bayern and Hamburg to prevent them from winning the championship early. I want you to be a team Branch—" He showed a sly smile: "The team that makes all the opponents have a headache and call God."

"It's like the script of the big villain boss! It's very touching, I like it!"

"That's right! Make them a lot of—trouble!"

"What if they prefer to call Satan instead of God?"

The players chattered about all kinds of nonsensical discussions, accompanied by a few sharp whistles from time to time.

In the past, Carl would have frowned at the whistler, but now, he didn't even pay attention to who whistled, because he was enjoying the sound like a whistle at the moment.

That seems to say: Warning!warn!Munich 1860 strikes!