GOAT: All Football Talents Are Mine

187. Son of Fear (2)

If you ask soccer fans which club is the best in Serie, AC Milan, Juventus, and Inter will come out evenly.

However, if you ask which club is the strongest, the story is different.

Nine times out of ten, people will definitely say Inter without even asking.

Official name: FC Internazionale Milano (Football Club Internazionale Milano).

Although the team name is very long, they can be summed up in one word.

'Strong.'

From 2005-06 to last year, they achieved the feat of three consecutive wins in the Italian first division (Serie A), proving that they are the strongest club in Italy.

In the background was Italian director Roberto Mancini.

However, being strong only in Italy was a fatal problem.

He failed to quench the thirst of the board with poor results in the Champions League.

My best result was reaching the quarterfinals three years ago.

Then, despite Mancini's achievement of winning three consecutive league titles, he eventually resigned from his position as manager according to the wishes of the club owner.

If you don't perform well in the European Champions League, which determines the strongest clubs in Europe, you are no different from a bright dog.

That was why the shoulders of successor manager Jose Mourinho were heavy.

However, since taking the helm at Inter, he has made the team even stronger and clearly proven why he is The Special One.

He continued his reputation by winning not only the league but also the League Cup competition.

And not long ago, they signaled success by repeatedly sounding victory in the Champions League round of 16, and their momentum continued in the quarterfinals.

And a few days ago.

Once the semi-final matchup was announced, Inter's technical team became busy collecting data on Real Madrid.

In fact, no team was easy, but the prevailing opinion was that Manchester United and Barcelona were the strongest.

Some experts said this about this Champions League.

[The 2008/2009 Champions League is more exciting than ever. They are so competitive that it wouldn't be surprising if any of the teams that made it to the quarterfinals won. However, among these, there are clearly strong and weak teams.

When looking at mere power, Barcelona, with its fearsome midfield and attack line, is by far the best. Additionally, their tiki-taka tactics are artistic.

Second, we can choose Ferguson's Manchester United, which has the world's best defense, midfield, and attack.

Real Madrid and Inter are below that.]

"That's stupid."

Mourinho, who was reading the article, sighed and burst into laughter.

His thoughts were completely different.

'That damn power, full power. 'I don't know what they're talking about when they say it's full power.'

Has everyone forgotten that Real Madrid defeated Barcelona, whom they so admire, last December?

I couldn't understand what those so-called experts were looking at and saying things like that.

It is true that Real Madrid's recent form has not been as good as it was at the end of last year, but the important thing is that they beat Barcelona 'completely'.

'Football is not a game. Just because you have better players and tactics doesn't mean you win.'

Of course, the more players with good technical skills on a team, the more likely it is to win.

However, if there is no significant difference in power, the team that prepared more thoroughly for the game will win.

Mourinho thought so.

'Real Madrid is not an opponent to be taken lightly.'

Mourinho has been watching Real Madrid's games from time to time.

They knew their true worth and they also understood that they were stronger against strong teams.

Therefore, we planned to prepare more thoroughly than just dealing with Barcelona.

However, there was something else that had to be done before that.

Sigh!

Press conference room at Angelo Moratti Sports Center.

Mourinho did not hesitate to receive a flood of interview requests as soon as the semifinal matchup was announced.

They were called into the press conference room at the training center and held a press conference.

The first person to ask a question was a reporter with a soft voice.

"Inter won 4-0 in the second leg of the round of 16 on the 11th of last month and advanced to the quarterfinals with an overall score of 7-1. And with that momentum, we succeeded in advancing to the semifinals. "I think it's because Daejinun is easy. What do you think about this?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Isn't that true? "All the opponents I've faced so far have been relatively weak."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Hey, I'm not that short. "No matter who the opponent is, I have no intention of belittling them and my only goal is to help Inter win the title."

As befits a man with a straightforward personality, Mourinho revealed his inner thoughts without hesitation.

Reporters tended to take aim at this and ask Mourinho particularly mischievous questions.

Today was no different.

"Schuster has already won two consecutive league titles. You have already won two consecutive EPL titles with Chelsea. So I'm more interested in who will win. However, Inter has been on a downward trend lately, with 1 draw and 1 loss in the league. I think Inter's recent form is not very good. "I'm worried about whether I can defeat Coach Schuster in this situation."

Mourinho snorted at those words and made an absurd gesture.

"I don't know who I'm talking to. "Is this really the place where soccer reporters gather?"

Mourinho glared at the reporter with sharp eyes.

After a while, he answered in a calm voice.

"Don't you know? I have achieved titles that many coaches have not achieved. He achieved feats that even leaders with 18 or 19 years of experience could not dream of, in just three years of becoming a coach. "I think it's contradictory to put me and Schuster on the same level. What do you think about this?"

When the reporter could not say anything, Mourinho straightened his clothes and spoke elegantly.

"That's how comparison begins. Do you understand?"

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Let's get to the next question right away."

This was precisely the reason why Mourinho responded to the press conference.

This is because you can get what you want through an interview that is usually gentle but sometimes extreme and unreasonable.

It was a press play that I learned from Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

And indeed.

Mourinho delivered the decisive blow as he had prepared.

It was an answer to the question, 'Then can you beat Real Madrid?'

"Real Madrid is a historic club with the most experience in winning the Champions League. But except for their commanders. If you don't have experience, it will be difficult to advance to the finals, let alone win. "I don't know if I had any experience winning even when I was a player."

Unconventional remarks.

As if they had been waiting for this, the reporters were frantically tapping their laptop keyboards.

His words were covered in various media outlets the next morning and became a hot topic.

Valdebebas Training Center, Madrid, Spain.

Schuster, nicknamed 'the blonde angel' (der blonde Engel), was furious from the morning.

"Such an arrogant bastard!"

The kindness and calmness he usually displayed was nowhere to be found.

There was a good reason for that.

Schuster played for Barcelona for 8 years, Real Madrid for 2 years, AT Madrid for 3 years, and Leverkusen for 3 years, but he has never won the Champions League trophy.

In other words, Mourinho touched his private parts in the interview last night.

As a result, the filthy nature of his days as a player came out in anger.

So he immediately requested a press conference.

This is because I judged that if I held on here, the team's morale would drop.

As soon as the interview began, Schuster opened his mouth with a solemn expression.

It was unconventional from the first word.

"José Mourinho is a disgrace to a manager."

Murmur.

The press conference room was filled with excitement.

Schuster waved the prepared materials without stopping.

It was an A4 sheet containing Mourinho's biography.

"Rio Ave FC CF Belenenses Sesimbra Comerico Industria. These are the clubs that a great man named Mourinho played for when he was a player. Do you think any of these teams have reached the Champions League tournament even once? No, never. But do you think he has the right to discuss my career as a player?"

Direct hit.

Schuster was reacting so sensitively that it seemed excessive.

And the result went in a completely different direction from his thoughts.

Most media outlets chose Schuster as the loser of the fight between the two.

[Schuster came to the press conference holding an A4 sheet of paper and introduced Mourinho's biography in detail, and was caught in Mourinho's provocation]

[Schuster… the height of childishness… the predominant reaction was that he was disgusting]

It was Schuster who was caught in the provocation. .

I realized it only after I calmed down my anger, but by then it was already too late.

The team's momentum, which should have risen, literally plummeted.

It was as if the captain had been beaten by the enemy while safely on his way to his destination.

If this issue was dragged out for a long time, it was bound to have a small negative impact on the economy.

There was a player who took action quickly.

It was Hoyoung.

He immediately gathered reporters he knew and interviewed them.

"We trust Coach Schuster even when natural disasters occur. If the director said that, then it is true. If it is not, then it is not true. Nothing can break the trust of our team. What could be demoralizing? Even in strong storms, a ship with extensive sailing experience will arrive at its destination. And the game is just around the corner. It is time for all of us to stop the pointless scheming and focus on training. "We need to present the best performance to soccer fans around the world who are waiting for the big match."

Hoyoung's interview once again caused a stir.

His words, which had such a strong impact, were enough to divert the media's attention and turned the criticism directed at Schuster into praise for Hoyoung.

With the addition of Raul and Zidane Casillas, the team was able to escape the media's slander.

Inter office in Milan.

Mourinho, who was watching the situation in real time, rested his chin and twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Look at this guy."

Demoralizing the enemy through press play was Mourinho's specialty.

And it was Woo Ho-young's quick response that made it useless.

"Schuster has a strong disciple."

I thought he was just a kid who was good at soccer, but it turns out that wasn't the case.

It seemed like my rivalry with him would continue throughout my time in football.

'It'll be fun. 'What a war of nerves with this pale young guy.'

Mourinho chuckled and stood up.

Requests for re-interviews were pouring in, but I didn't push myself any further.

This is because if you make a mistake, you could face backlash.

What needed to be done from now on was thorough tactical preparation to take down Real Madrid.

Eventually, he gathered the players together and pointed out one person.

"Patrick."

"yes."

"Woo Ho-young is in charge of you. "We are punishing them so cruelly that they will never be allowed to come out for an interview again."

Then Patrick asked again.

"You mean Woo Ho-young?"

"okay. "Can you do it?"

Patrick Vieira.

Won the World Cup twice, won the European Championship once, won the EPL three times, won the Serie A once, won the Confederations Cup, etc.

A legend for France and Arsenal, he was only 32 years old, but his fighting spirit and competitive spirit were still there.

And he answered Mourinho's question without any hesitation.

"Are you saying that?"

Of course he was confident.

Because there has never been a time in my life when I wasn't confident.

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