After finishing the warm-up and returning to the locker room, head coach Tony Clark and other players had changed their clothes. After nothing happened, he stepped forward to do the final "pre-war mobilization" for the team.
"This is the Europa League final. It's our first time, but for us, many things are the first time. So the first time is the first time. I don't have any special feelings anyway."
When Clark said this, everyone thought of their experiences in the past two seasons. There were indeed too many firsts.
The first time to win the Premier League, the first time to participate in the Community Shield, the first time to participate in the Champions League, the first time to win in the Champions League, the first time to participate in the Europa League, the first time to win in the Europa League... just Along the way, it seems natural to participate in the Europa League final for the first time.
The psychological impact on the players is not great.
"We are creating the history of this team and this club, so we will encounter many firsts that have not been experienced before. We have no experience in this area, which is normal. After all, the first team on this planet The team that won the Europa League has never won the Europa League before. So I don’t agree with the statements in the media..."
Before the game, media from all over the world analyzed the game and were generally more optimistic about Sevilla Navigator.
Even if we put aside the fact that they are the team with the most championships in the history of this competition, if other teams meet Leeds City in the Europa League, as long as this team has participated in the Europa League final, they will all More promising than Leeds City.
Because they are more experienced.
The experience of playing in the Europa League, the experience of playing in the Europa League final.
Sevilla Navigators also have the experience of winning the Europa League trophy - the last time Sevilla Navigators won the Europa League was in the 2023-2024 season, and there are still many players in this team. Participated in that final.
So not only have they won the Europa League in club history, but their players have also personally won the championship trophy.
Therefore, it is natural that the media is more optimistic about Sevilla Navigator.
But in fact, putting aside these historical theories and empirical theories, Leeds City's strength is not much worse than Sevilla Navigator.
As the Premier League champion last season, although it ranks poorly in the Premier League this season, it is also the result of choosing to abandon the league due to the constraints of multi-front operations.
In fact, when Leeds City talks with strong teams, as long as they don't give up voluntarily, they will never fall behind.
Take London Bridge in the semi-finals as an example. In the league, they gave up on their own initiative, so they faced London Bridge with a win and a draw. When they got to the Europa League, they could beat their opponents home and away.
Can we say that Leeds City is weaker than London Bridge?
"...The Europa League final is a single game, and past experience and history are of little help. The most important thing is the performance in this game. We are confident that we can perform to our best level in one game. ?"
Clark asked.
His players all responded without hesitation: "Of course!"
Clark nodded with satisfaction: "Very good, very good. I also hope everyone will remember that our Leeds City team, from a team that was barely able to avoid relegation two seasons ago, to being able to reach the Europa League final now, is absolutely dependent on it."
It's not luck, it's our own strength. So we are qualified to stand here and compete with the overlord of this event! Use the way we are best at to compete with Seville Navigator. Since we
If we can win the Premier League title, then we can face any team in the world!"
For Leeds City, the Premier League championship is truly their eternal source of strength.
The football world believes in actual results, not those analytical reports.
So as long as you win the championship, you are a championship-level team.
Especially since you won this championship recently.
This is the source of a team's confidence and confidence.
Clark repeatedly mentioned this point and hoped that everyone would be aware of this and not be intimidated by the name of the "Sevilla Navigator Cup".
"From the beginning of this game, we have to attack. Don't think about the mess. We are good at attacking, so we attack. As for how the opponent responds, that is not within our scope. Remember, in this game
During the game, no matter what the situation, we stick to our football! Do you hear me?"
Everyone responded in unison: "I heard it!"
Clark raised his voice and asked: "What is our football?!"
"Go-attack!" everyone shouted at the top of their lungs.
"very good!"
※※ ※
"Leeds City will definitely attack after the game starts. This is what they are best at and the only thing they can do."
In the dressing room of Sevilla Navigator, head coach Pierre Brunt is exhorting his players.
"So don't be anxious after the game starts. We should be stable first. After we withstand Leeds City's fiercest offensive, we can take advantage of their offensive exhaustion and lack of follow-up to attack quickly! When they transition from offense to defense, they have two flanks.
There will be loopholes because Jay Adams, one of their defensive midfielders, will go up to help Pete Williams organize the offense during the attack. There is only one Japanese behind him. He is not enough to cover the entire width of the court and will definitely lose sight of one thing.
.We have to use diagonal passes to quickly change the direction of attack and hit their weak side!"
"Whether it is strength or experience, we are better than them. As long as we can perform normally and make no mistakes, victory will definitely belong to us! You must have such consciousness and confidence. We come to Paris to do only one thing!"
Brent raised his right index finger.
"Champion! Champion! Still fucking...champion!"
※※ ※
The shiny silver Europa League trophy is placed on an exquisite special stand, just at the exit of the players' tunnel. Players from both teams will pass by the trophy when they walk out of the tunnel.
And now, even if they are in the passage and have not yet appeared, they can still see the trophies placed outside.
Ten minutes ago the trophy had just been brought to the table by Juan Ramirez, the captain of the last Europa League champion Madrid Pirates.
This is the real Europa League - every team that wins the Europa League does not actually get this silver and brass trophy permanently, they just get a replica.
When the Europa League finals come next season, there will be a handover ceremony, and the previous champion will bring the real trophy to the finals and hand it to the new champion.
UEFA once stipulated that any team that wins the Europa League three times in a row, or wins five Europa League championships in total, can keep this trophy forever. However, no team has ever succeeded in winning three consecutive European Cups, or a team that has won five Europa League championships in total.
It was a total of five championships.
This rule was revised by UEFA twenty years ago. The current rule is that no matter how many championships you win, even three consecutive championships, you will not be able to obtain this trophy permanently. You will only receive a special commemorative edition——
There will be a special mark on the trophy to highlight the team's glory of winning three consecutive championships or five championships.
The actual trophy, produced in 1972, will forever belong to UEFA.
Here’s a useless trivia: How to tell the difference between a genuine article and a replica?
The authentic cup is densely engraved with the names of the teams that have won the Europa League and the year they won the cup.
The replica only has the name of the team that won the championship and the year.
The TV broadcast camera shot from the front of the trophy. In the player tunnel behind the trophy, you can see some players from both sides staring in the direction of the trophy. They should be looking at the trophy.
Their eyes were full of longing.
Even the players of Sevilla Navigator, who are not short of Europa League champions, are no exception.
No one can complain about too many championship trophies.
※※ ※
"That's the Europa League... Hey, do you think the base is gold?"
"No, it's made of copper."
"It's not gold? Doesn't it mean that the Europa League contains no gold at all?"
Although everyone is staring at the trophy, the performances of the players from the two teams are still slightly different.
The players of Sevilla Navigator were just staring at the trophy, while the players of Leeds City were not only staring but also talking about it.
He behaves like a country bumpkin who has never seen the world...
However, it is true that they have never seen the world, which is not something they are embarrassed to admit.
After they won the Premier League championship, the media used cartoons to ridicule that they could only use a Premier League championship trophy to show their glory...
I don’t know if I drew inspiration from this caricature, or if Leeds City Club itself had that idea——
In the Leeds City Hall of Honor, there is a special area that allows every fan who visits the Leeds City Hall of Honor to take a photo with the Premier League Championship Trophy.
The trophy is placed on the stage without a glass cover, but no one is allowed to touch it. Fans can stand next to the trophy and pose in the pose they want, and Leeds City Club staff will capture the scene with a camera.
Finally, fans can get a photo of themselves with the Premier League trophy.
Once this project was launched, it was well received. In the first few days, Leeds City fans lined up in long lines and waited for dozens of minutes just to take a photo with this trophy.
Now that everyone's novelty is over, there are much fewer people, and you basically don't have to queue, you can just go and take pictures. In addition to local Leeds fans, there are even Chinese students from all over the UK who come here to take photos with the trophy.
Many of them are not Leeds City fans. They all supported their own home teams before. They chose to take photos here to express their support and love for Hu Lai. After all, this is the first championship won by Chinese players.
Premier League championship trophy.
Of all the teams that have won the championship trophy in the Premier League, Leeds City is the only club that does this. Other clubs put their trophies in glass cabinets and display them quietly under bright lights. They are absolutely not allowed to be left without protection.
Close contact.
This is also because people have many championship trophies and there is no need to treat one championship trophy as a treasure.
For example, how can a wealthy club like Stan Park Rangers, which has won six Premier League championships, get everyone to take a photo with the trophy? Is it to take a photo with six Premier League championship trophies from different periods at the same time?
It can't be realized at all...
Only Leeds City, the only Premier League champion, has the possibility of doing this.
"The Europa League... I really want to touch it..." Lasky couldn't help but murmured as he looked at the silver trophy.
Jay Adams next to him glanced at him: "I advise you not to, Dominic."
Lasky grinned: "Of course I won't, Jay. I just said it casually..."
"I'm not superstitious, Dominic. I just don't want you to be influenced by that statement." Jay Adams explained.
Lasky nodded and thanked Adams for his kindness. But his eyes still stayed on the trophy, as if it had some magic power, clinging to his eyes and thoughts.
There are many weird superstitions in the football world.
Some superstitious behaviors are personal. For example, some players must step with their left or right foot before taking the field, as if doing so will bring them good luck.
If some coaches wear a red tie when they win, they will keep wearing it in subsequent games. No matter how dirty or smelly they are, they will not change it, unless... he is wearing this red tie.
The tie lost the ball.
Some superstitions belong to the "universal standards" of the football world.
In the early years, the football world rejected women. Women were not allowed to board the team bus before the game, nor were women allowed to enter the team locker room. Because it was generally believed that women would bring bad luck. If they appeared on the bus or the locker room, they would
It will make the team lose.
Later, with the promotion of the affirmative movement, this kind of superstitious behavior about gender has become much less. After all, there are even female referees or female linesmen in football games. But it is only a reduction in the public level. Everyone is privately concerned about this matter.
What is the view on the matter? Who knows?
Touching the championship trophy before the game is another "universal superstition" - the team that touches the trophy before the game will eventually lose the trophy.
And because this universal superstition does not involve gender, it has not been eliminated, but still exists stubbornly.
It was hard to say whether the players believed this "curse" at first, but after being hyped over and over again by the boring media, the players couldn't help but not believe it.
Superstition is actually a huge act of blind obedience. When everyone firmly believes in it, you'd better believe it too, otherwise it will bring you huge psychological pressure - how many people dare to fight against the whole world?
Woolen cloth?
But in fact, there have been examples in history of getting the championship trophy after touching the trophy in advance. However, these things are slightly less compared to the examples of losing the championship. The media will not hype it up, so naturally fewer people know about it.
And those players who touched the trophy in advance and lost the championship became what people talk about as "victims of the curse."
Of course, even if this curse is so widely spread and there are many lessons learned, there are still players who do not believe in evil and cannot help but touch the championship trophy before the game.
After all, being stubborn is also part of human nature.
Hu Lai, who had just used the system to use [Lingxi Card] on his teammates one by one, heard the emotionless voice of the system:
"Mission: Break the superstition. Touch the trophy when you play, and then win the Europa League. Mission reward: points × 500,000, [World Wave Experience Card] × 1, [Sneakers that don't fit well] × 1."