bookbashuk Chapter 61 Differential Treatment
Chapter 61 Differential Treatment
Injuries in the first half of the season gave Jardim a warning sign of crisis.
With some time still remaining in the winter transfer window, he and sporting director Campos studied the team's potential reinforcements.
The original intention was to negotiate with Chelsea to terminate the loan contract early and recall Falcao, who had not performed well in the first half of the season.
After all, he only made 11 appearances in half a season, and only scored a diving header in the game against Crystal Palace.
For the rest of the time, Falcao was either recovering from his injury or lying down.
After much deliberation, Jardim decided that rather than letting him rot in England, it would be better to try sending him back to Ligue 1, which might have some unexpected benefits.
But Chelsea didn't want to let him go.
Interim manager Guus Hiddink believes that Atletico Madrid's star striker is only affected by some injuries, coupled with some culture shock in England.
I'm thinking of keeping Falcao to see if I can salvage the situation.
Therefore, this loan deal will not end until the summer transfer window.
Jardim had no choice but to spend money to bring in more players since Falcao couldn't come back.
So they spent 150 million euros to buy striker Wagner Löw from Corinthians in the Brazilian league.
It is said that he studied in a mysterious Eastern country a couple of years ago.
He should be fine as a substitute striker to fill in for injured players.
After finishing this transfer, Jardim finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, I found two gems: Jiang Ming and Mbappe.
Otherwise, with this wave of injuries, I really don't know how we'll get through this season.
……
The two days of training flew by.
Before we knew it, it was time for the round of 32 matches in the French Cup.
Monaco will travel to face Evian in Ligue 2.
This team, which was just relegated from Ligue 1 last season, has also had a lukewarm season in Ligue 2 this season, with mediocre results.
Jardim didn't take this half-baked Ligue 2 team seriously at all and made a major rotation.
Only Jiang Ming, Mbappe, and Fabinho remained from the first team.
The rest are all long-time substitutes or kids pulled up from the youth teams.
In the locker room, the youth team players were all secretly observing Jiang Ming.
Just two months ago, this Chinese kid was the water dispenser attendant who sat on the bench with them in the U19 team.
Who would have thought that in just two months, he would become a key player for the first team?
When Jiang Ming was first transferred to the first team, they were all stunned.
It's not this Chinese kid's turn no matter how you look at it!
At that time, many people thought it was already dark.
They whispered among themselves, saying that there might be some "invisible Chinese hand" pulling the strings behind the scenes.
As a result, Jiang Ming's performance became increasingly impressive, with each game more amazing than the last.
What do you mean by punching Tottenham Hotspur and kicking Marcelo and Lyon?
They've now become indispensable core members of the first team.
They then realized that Jiang Ming was actually quite capable.
Therefore, these youth team players surrounded the match before it started, all trying to get closer.
They kept calling him "Brother Jiang," without caring who was actually older.
"Brother Jiang! Do you remember the last time you took a shower, you forgot your shampoo, and I lent you that bottle? Can I have your jersey after the game? I'll hang it by my bed!"
"Give me a break! You think you can just trade a bottle of shampoo? Brother Jiang! We used to live in the same dorm! Remember how I used to wake you up every day for early training? We went through those tough times together! Give it to me!"
……
"Hello, can you hear me? This is Zhan Jun."
After adjusting the microphone, Zhan Jun's hoarse voice reached the ears of the fans.
Because the French Cup does not have exclusive rights in China.
In China, not having copyright is equivalent to "everything being copyrighted".
Anyone can find an overseas signal and start a live broadcast to provide commentary.
During his free time when he wasn't on official commentary assignments, Zhan Jun opened a temporary live stream room on Dange Live.
Within two minutes of the broadcast starting, the number of viewers online had surged to 80,000.
"Let me provide commentary for this French Cup match between Evian and Monaco today," Zhan Jun said with a smile, his signature lighthearted tone.
"I believe that 99% of the people watching this are here for Jiang Ming."
"Then let's see what surprises this Chinese genius has in store for us today..."
……
The match has just begun.
Monaco's two rising stars delivered a stunning counterattack to Evian.
Mbappe kicked off and immediately passed the ball back to Jiang Ming, then sprinted forward at a speed as fast as a high-speed train.
The Evian players were stunned.
It's only just started, is it really necessary to be so aggressive?
They immediately rushed to double-team Mbappe.
But how could they keep up with their speed?
In the blink of an eye, Mbappe had created two spaces in front of him, not even managing to touch the hem of his shirt.
Jiang Ming, standing in the center circle, effortlessly delivered a long pass.
"Here we go again! Jiang Ming and Mbappe's dog-catching frisbee kick!" Zhan Jun exclaimed.
"Mbappe made a quick stop and then dribbled past!"
"They've reached the edge of the penalty area!"
"A shot!"
"Wow! What a pity! The ball wasn't controlled properly, it went just over the crossbar..."
Zhan Jun took a breath and exclaimed, "It's only just started! Monaco has already launched such a threatening attack! Can Evian's defense hold up?"
……
In the blink of an eye, it was the 8th minute of the match.
Monaco executed a series of passes in the attacking third.
Jiang Ming, still in his leisurely manner, dribbled the ball into the opponent's territory.
Evian's defensive midfielder came up to press.
He then performed a sidestep and a quick pull, gently hooking his ankle to create half a body distance between the player and the opponent.
He created space for the ball to pass out, and then immediately played a through ball forward.
19-year-old youth team striker Chabi partnered with Mbappe as a striker in this match.
He caught the ball steadily at the edge of the penalty area, spread his arms to hold the defender behind him, and looked around to find the ball's path.
Mbappe on the left wing was marked by two players, leaving him little room to shoot.
Just as Chabi was having a headache, he suddenly saw Jiang Ming, who had been passing him the ball, jogging up to him.
Without even thinking, he passed the ball back.
Jiang Ming met the incoming ball without making any extra adjustments, and took a shot before the defender could close in and block it.
"Jiang Ming! Open the door!"
"Wow! Goal!!"
"The score is now 1-0!!"
"In the 8th minute of the match! Jiang Ming scored a deft shot, breaching Evian's goal!"
"That was easy! He dribbled past his opponent to initiate the play, then made a through pass to his teammate, followed by a clever run to receive the ball and tap it in!"
"He orchestrates plays, positions himself, and shoots—he's got it all! How much more well-rounded could our young Chinese player be?"
……
Jardim stood on the sidelines with a calm and composed expression.
He strolled leisurely to his coach's seat and sat down.
I grabbed the thermos next to me and unscrewed the lid.
He pretended to blow on the steam rising from the cup, looking like a retired cadre enjoying tea.
Honestly, if he wasn't afraid of being accused of looking down on his opponents, he would have preferred to bring in the assistant coach to lead the team.
It's too easy, there's no difficulty at all.
The Evian coach on the opposite side saw this and was furious.
Yaldin, that old bastard, has even started drinking tea?
Is this some kind of pretentious act?
……
The Monaco players on the field gathered around and high-fived each other in celebration.
The praise from the young players in the youth team never stopped.
"Nice! Great shot!"
"Brother Jiang is amazing! It feels like we didn't do anything and the ball went in."
"Watching Brother Jiang play from my spot is such a treat! It's even more worthwhile than a VIP seat in the stands!"
Seeing Jiang Ming being praised by a group of people, Mbappe's competitive spirit was immediately ignited.
He immediately became highly motivated, determined to score at least one goal and experience the feeling of being praised by these youth team players.
He leaned over and patted Jiang Ming's arm: "Little Jiang! Pass the ball to me more often later!"
……
In the blink of an eye, it was the 26th minute of the match.
Monaco dominated Evian for a long time, but instead gave their opponents an opportunity to counterattack.
After intercepting the ball in midfield, Evian launched a quick counter-attack, with the winger dribbling the ball forward.
Before Fabinho could pounce and steal the ball, they sent it into the penalty area first.
Evian midfielder Morgan Cumming made a forward run and received the ball in the penalty area.
Facing Monaco's substitute goalkeeper, Nardi.
Without hesitation, he made a slight adjustment and unleashed a powerful shot that sent the ball flying into the far corner.
"Goal!"
"Evian has equalized!" Zhan Jun said with a hint of regret.
"After being dominated by Monaco for over twenty minutes, they finally seized this opportunity to counterattack!"
"Camin receives the ball in the penalty area and slots it into the far corner!"
"By the way, Morgan Cumming, who scored this goal, is also a product of Monaco's youth academy. This is a real blow to his former club!"
"To be honest, there's nothing we can do about this goal; Monaco didn't field many of their key players in this match."
"On the offensive end, we can still put up a fight with Jiang Ming and Mbappe."
"But defensively, Fabinho is the only starter left; the rest are young players from the youth teams, lacking experience, so they really can't withstand the opponent's counter-attacks!"
……
Live stream chat:
"Yardin is still too arrogant."
"The other team is a Ligue 2 team, they were just relegated from Ligue 1 last season, they're not some pushover."
"Although Monaco is very strong right now, they don't think they can beat their opponents with just three starters and a bunch of young substitutes, do they?"
"It's possible that Jardim didn't take this cup match seriously at all."
"After all, competing on multiple fronts is too tiring. Giving up the cup competition as soon as possible to focus on the league is the right solution."
"He probably didn't want people to say he gave up, so he brought on Jiang Ming, meaning 'I didn't hold back, I played as a key player.'"
"This fellow is absolutely right!"
……
The 36th minute of the match.
Everton have been playing with increasing confidence since they equalized.
Monaco's major squad rotation was seen by them as blatant disrespect.
Fueled by anger, they began to press forward and launch a counterattack.
Evian's striker Keita charged forward with the ball.
He was thinking of using his footwork to get past Fabinho in front of him.
I rode a bicycle and was just about to swerve to create some space.
Suddenly, I felt a third leg between my two legs.
Fabinho doesn't care about any fancy moves or anything like that.
He simply stretched out his leg and poked the ball away, a clean and decisive steal.
Possession of the ball has changed hands!
"Fabinho intercepted the ball and dribbled forward!" Zhan Jun was stunned for a moment. "Oh? This is the first time he hasn't passed the ball to Jiang Ming to orchestrate the attack!"
"That's right. Jiang Ming is currently surrounded by two defenders. If we pass the ball to him, it'll be a dangerous shot. We can't just pass it to him recklessly!"
"Look at this goal! Fabinho charges all the way to the edge of the penalty area and takes a shot!"
"Whoa! Goal!!"
"My God! Fabinho is like a dump truck, charging recklessly, and he actually unleashed a powerful long-range shot from the edge of the penalty area!"
"That ball was like a cannonball, the goalkeeper couldn't react at all! Absolutely brilliant! The score is now 2-1!!"
……
Over at the corner flag, the youth team players surrounded Fabinho again.
"Fabinho is amazing! He intercepted the ball in his own half, dribbled forward, and then unleashed a stunning long-range shot!"
"No wonder he's a man the boss specifically converted from a full-back to a defensive midfielder, he's amazing!"
"That steal and that long-range shot, it's just like Yaya Toure!"
Mbappe listened from the sidelines, his desire growing stronger with each passing moment.
He muttered to himself: No, no, I have to hurry, or I'll steal all the limelight.
……
The 45th minute of the match.
The fourth official held up the sign indicating first-half injury time.
Mbappe was sighing and lamenting as the first half was about to end and he still hadn't scored.
Suddenly, Fabinho made a short pass to Jiang Ming from the backfield.
"They're here!" Mbappe's eyes lit up immediately.
He's going to seize this opportunity to show off his skills in front of others!
"Fabinho makes a short pass, Jiang Ming gets the ball!" Zhan Jun's voice rose.
"The defender is pressing..."
"Wow! Did you all see that? A cow's tail dribble!"
"Jiang Ming completely threw him off balance!"
"He hadn't even taken two steps when he encountered another player rushing to cover..."
"Another skillful step-over and pull-back change of direction! He's beaten two players in a row! That move is so artistic!"
"The ball is passed straight to Mbappe! Mbappe uses a stepover to adjust his position and then shoots!"
"Goal!!"
"The score was 3-1 before the end of the first half!!"
……
Mbappe slid down to his knees in the corner flag area.
He could barely suppress the smile on his face.
The image of the youth team players surrounding him and praising him had already flashed into his mind.
Mbappe glanced back briefly; the group was heading this way.
So he immediately put on a fighting expression.
Listen carefully to how they praise you.
As they drew closer, the sounds drifted over intermittently.
"That was an incredible shot...it was pure genius..."
"I've never seen anything like it... How did they do that...?"
"I'll have to watch the recording several times when I get back..."
Mbappe was about to stand up to accept the cheers when the next sentence drifted into his ears.
"It has to be Brother Jiang! He beat two people in a row, so artistic!"
"That cow's tail is just like a mini Robben!"
"Let me make this clear first, I reserved Jiang's jersey before the game! Nobody can take it from me!"
Mbappe's smile froze on his face.
So after all that praise, not a single line was his.
Is this such differential treatment?
Jiang Ming was surrounded and almost burst out laughing when he saw Mbappe's resentful expression.
He could only pat Mbappe on the shoulder and say, "Mbappe, you'll get used to it."
Mugo didn't say anything.
Muge didn't want to pay attention.
Brother Mu is trying to find a way to invite you to karaoke.
The first half of the game has ended.
3-1.
Monaco went into the locker room with a two-goal lead.
They made another round of player substitutions in the second half.
Bernardo Silva and José Moutinho replaced Jiang Ming and Fabinho.
The rotation of key players has made Monaco's attack more flexible.
Evian was completely overwhelmed.
Yaldin: I have prepared two lineups.
"Beep~ Beep~ Beep—"
With the referee's whistle, the match ended with a score of 5-2.
Monaco have successfully advanced to the round of 16 in the French Cup.