From the man behind the football king to the football king

After everyone returned to the locker room, head coach Guidolin began his speech: "Antonio's injury was an accident. I don't want this to affect your mood."

Then he looked at Muriel and continued: "Ruiz, you are starting this game instead of Antonio. In addition to scoring as many goals as possible, your task is to actively return to defense when necessary."

Muriel nodded.

Guidolin looked around at everyone in the locker room and spoke again: "Next, let's talk about the goal of this game - not losing. Not losing is our goal, and it would be better if we can win. , but if you press out and attack, the opponent may seize the opportunity, so defense is the first priority in this game, Bruno, you have to do more in defense.”

"Yes, sir," Bruno replied.

"First make sure we don't lose, and then score away goals." Guidolin continued, "Although we won the first leg at home, we also gave Alkmaar an away goal, so we must also strive for it. Away goal, otherwise we will be eliminated as long as we lose 0:1. Therefore, on the basis of solid defense, we still have to attack. Don't hear me say that if we don't lose, we won't attack. of."

Udinese kicked off first in the first half and they were able to have the football at their feet from the start. Bruno needs to carefully plan how to use this ball possession opportunity.

Then Bruno didn't bother to care about this kid. It was a good thing that this kid's personality became more lively. He turned around and shouted to the other teammates: "Okay, brothers, it's time for us to go out!"

In my memory, when I traveled back in time, I had already replaced Maguire as the captain of Manchester United, but now I have worn the captain's armband at Udinese nine years in advance. It is really a strange feeling.

"I can't say anything else that's easy to say." Di Natale finally said, "Anyway, do a good job, Bruno."

Di Natale made a gesture for Bruno to come over.

Facing Bruno's complaints, he had no way to defend himself and could only make an apologetic gesture.

This is the first time Bruno has stood at the front of the team and led his teammates on the field. He still doesn't know what the captain's armband has brought to him, but it feels pretty good.

Some teams like to pass the football to the wing as soon as the ball kicks off, to the wing players who have already rushed forward.

Di Natale looked at Bruno and warned: "This is your first time playing as captain. There are some things you need to know, Bruno. If there is a conflict between our people and the other party's people, what you need to do is not for yourself." Instead of seeking revenge from your teammates, we should persuade you and appeal to the referee. If you have any objections to the referee's decision, you should communicate with the referee on behalf of the team, but you must maintain a certain degree of control. Some referees do not want it. When players question his decisions, just express their attitude, don't just keep nagging."

As a captain, you are very busy before the game, exchanging team flags, picking sides, taking photos...

After Bruno passed by, he took out the captain's armband and said, "I forgot to give it to you just now."

Bruno nodded: "I understand, sir."

He gestured to Danilo: "You should pass the ball to me!"

This will be the first time he has given orders in the locker room. In the past, these tasks were done by vice-captain Basta or captain Di Natale, but today, it will be him who will do this kind of thing.

Danilo hesitated, but still passed the football to Mahrez who was moving on the wing. As a result, Mahrez, who was familiar with Bruno passing the ball to him and mastering the rhythm, did not expect that Udinese would make a long pass to him so quickly after the kickoff and failed to catch the ball.

"I will," Bruno replied.

It's a good result for Bruno and Udinese. Anyway, the field conditions in both halves are the same. It is night again, and there is no "yin and yang field" situation. Gaining possession of the ball at the beginning of the game can actually be used as an opportunity to launch an attack.

………………

Everyone said they knew, and Guidolin turned his attention to Bruno again: "Bruno, I decided to make you the third captain of the team. In the absence of Antonio and Dusan, you will be the captain."

Sure enough, when the referee blew the whistle, the football only passed by two feet and then obediently reached his feet.

Bruno did not tell his teammates what he thought. Anyway, the football would be passed to him immediately after the kickoff. There was no need to worry about someone kicking directly to the wing.

So, Bruno decided to kick a few shots in behind after the kickoff.

Seeing Bruno glaring at him, Cancelo smiled even brighter, pretending to be concerned and said: "Are you okay, Bruno? Is your throat okay?"

In the side challenge, Bruno lost, so Udinese was eligible to kick off in the first half.

Guidolin nodded when he saw this scene on the court. Unexpectedly, Bruno was quite conscious of being the captain. Although his performance in the locker room was a bit immature, once he got on the court, he quickly fell into his role. Even veterans like Danilo dared to criticize him if he did something wrong.

Moreover, compressing the opponent's defense as soon as the ball kicks off does no good to your own offense. It is better to pull out all the opponent's players so that there are opportunities between the opponent's three lines.

This is the first time in Bruno's career that he has worn the captain's armband. The elastic band-style armband is tightly wrapped around his arm, giving him such a feeling - his arm is heavy, as if he is carrying something heavy on his shoulders. .

Bruno cleared his throat and heard Cancelo laugh. He turned back and glared at his little brother. This boy didn't cooperate with him, but wanted to see his jokes!

Today, Cancelo seems to have changed in his personality and memory. He remembered that in the time and space before he traveled, Cancelo was famous for being introverted and eccentric, but now that the two of them have been interacting, this kid doesn't look introverted at all.

………………

If it were Bruno in the past, he might have liked to make such risky attempts, but now Bruno doesn't like to do this kind of thing. He thinks that such a pass is too reckless and it is easy to lose possession of the ball in an instant.

The Brazilian center back is ten years older than him and is considered a veteran player in Udinese, so even though he is complaining, Bruno pays attention to his tone.

Cancelo laughed, but as his brother, this kid was the first to stand up and cooperate with him.

"Thank you for your concern, I'm fine!" Bruno replied angrily.

Bruno originally wanted to take it, but unexpectedly Di Natale said to him: "Let me put it on for you."

It was really a smart choice for me to make him the third captain of the team.

But it is a pity that Bruno and his teammates have seen big scenes and did not pay attention to the battles caused by Alkmaar fans.

Di Natale put the captain's armband on Bruno's arm and carefully arranged it to make sure that the sleeves were pressed under the captain's armband and would not run around. Then he patted the armband and said with a satisfied smile: "Okay. ”

In the past, after the kick-off, the football would always spin around Bruno's feet and around him for several times before transitioning to him. Therefore, Mahrez did not pay attention to the football at all before. He was still observing the opponent's defense and planning. I'll figure out how to break through later.

Bruno was a little annoyed. He is the commander of the team and he should have the final say on how the entire team attacks. Danilo's self-initiated approach caused the team to lose possession of the ball.

………………

At this time, there are still more than ten minutes before the start of the game. It is too early to go out and wait in line.

AFAS Stadium is a small stadium that can only accommodate 17,000 spectators. It is nothing compared to the Old Trafford Stadium in my memory. It is even compared to Udinese’s home stadium which can accommodate more than 40,000 spectators. The Friuli Stadium is just a small place, but more than 10,000 home team fans still stir up the atmosphere at the scene and put as much pressure on the visiting team as possible.

Bruno turned around and passed the ball to the central defender Danilo behind him, then ran and gestured for Danilo to pass the ball to him.

When Guidolin had finished saying what needed to be said, he left time for the team members themselves.

Bruno, who had already changed his jersey, knelt down on one knee and gave his left arm to Di Natale.

The other teammates also stood up from their seats and walked out with smiles on their faces.

………………

After following the referee out, huge cheers erupted from the AFAS Stadium, most of which were for the home team Alkmaar.

After chatting with Di Natale for a few words, Bruno looked at the time and it was almost time to go out and wait for admission.

Kante and Mahrez gave Bruno a thumbs up as a sign of encouragement when they passed by him.

These three boys are all players under Mendes now, and they all know that they came to Udinese because of Bruno's recommendation, so they are grateful to Bruno.

As he spoke, Bruno nodded. These are all words of experience.

Danilo originally wanted to catch AZ Alkmaar off guard, because Udinese always had to kick a few times in the backcourt before passing forward before kicking off. He thought that this time he would directly pass the long ball, which would definitely be more threatening. Unexpectedly, it backfired.

After Alkmaar regained the ball, he launched an offensive, but ultimately failed, and the ball finally returned to Udinese.

This time Bruno specifically warned his teammates in the backcourt: "Don't pass long passes with big feet. The Dutch are tall and generally good at heading the ball. We have no advantage in long passes, especially when they have established a defensive position." They are tall, but they turn slowly and are heavy on their feet. They are not as flexible as ours and they need more coordination on the ground.”