On the morning after returning to Barcelona from Liverpool, after a recovery training session, the coaching staff summoned everyone to the conference room for a meeting. This was obviously not an ordinary post-match summary meeting.
Sure enough, with club president Laporta, vice president Soriano in charge of finance, Alfonso Godard in charge of daily operations, and senior director Sarah Martin in charge of business development, the high-level lineup attending the meeting was unprecedentedly large.
This also made all the players feel that this meeting was extraordinary.
Just kidding, returning to the Champions League final after an absence of eleven years is regarded by everyone at the club as an outstanding achievement, especially Laporta's position as chairman is not very stable.
It is worth noting that Russell, the vice president in charge of competitive affairs, was absent from this meeting, and only technical director Begiristain attended. This shows that the rumors are true, and Russell's resignation has become a foregone conclusion.
Laporta and others obviously didn't even want to save their last dignity for Russell. They couldn't wait to tell everyone that Russell was finished and that Laporta and his team would take charge of the club next.
Su Dong took a special look at Ronaldinho and other Brazilian players and found that the expressions on their faces were not very good.
This is normal, they were all introduced by Russell.
As the saying goes, there is an emperor and a minister. Now that Barcelona has changed power, who knows what strategy Laporta and others will adopt?
Will there be a large-scale purge of Brazilian players as Cruyff said?
Su Dong had nothing to do with this matter, as if he had not been worried that Russell would come to power before.
If Laporta and others are smart enough, they should stabilize people's hearts and consolidate the results at this time, rather than cleanse.
…
As Su Dong expected, Chairman Laporta first expressed his gratitude to the players in his speech.
He was full of praise for the players' performance this season, and also mentioned some games in the league and the Champions League. Su Dong's name appeared the most often, followed by Ronaldinho, Deco, Xavi and Puyol.
The best core players this season.
Laporta said that the team has drafted a set of reward plans and hopes that everyone on the team can continue to work hard.
During the conversation, the chairman of Barcelona also made no secret that the club's management was about to undergo a major change, but he promised everyone that the change of management would never affect the team's operation and the future of the players. He hoped that everyone could
Play and compete with peace of mind, and at the same time promise to start a new round of contract renewal.
Soriano is the club's vice president in charge of finance. He does not belong to any faction and is considered a technical talent. He also gave a preliminary introduction to the club's financial situation to the players and said that there will be no major transfers this summer, but there will be no major transfers this summer.
Unless they find suitable players, the club will make signings, mainly on the back line.
As for the bonus, Soriano said it is being worked out intensively and will be announced within three days.
"I can guarantee that this will be the most generous reward in Barcelona's history!"
"As long as we can win the Champions League and achieve a double crown, I can guarantee that every player will receive a very generous bonus income. We will never be stingy in this matter."
Alfonso Godard mainly talked about the arrangements for the Champions League final, which is also a technical job.
This year's Champions League final is held in Istanbul, Turkey, which is not peaceful and requires a long journey.
According to the negotiation between the club and the coaching staff, the team has basically decided to give up the 37th and 38th rounds because the team has already won the championship in advance.
But one trouble is that the thirty-seventh round is the last home game of the season. Barcelona will participate in the La Liga awards ceremony at Camp Nou and strive to receive the La Liga championship trophy. This is also a very memorable moment.
Although they have reached the finals of the Champions League, it is hard to say whether they can win the championship. Even according to outside evaluations, Barcelona's odds are far lower than those of the powerful AC Milan, especially the frighteningly fragile defense.
Therefore, no matter what happens in the Champions League final, it is more serious to win the La Liga championship first.
The itinerary arranged by the club is that after winning the La Liga championship at home, they will charter a flight directly to Turkey the next day.
The trip was a little rushed, but there was nothing we could do about it.
AC Milan, like Barcelona, has to participate in Serie A, and the Rossoneri currently have the same points as Juventus. The two teams are fighting for the Serie A championship.
According to Italian media, Serie A will usher in the Battle of Heavenly Kings this weekend. AC Milan will face Juventus at home. If they win, Ancelotti will probably guarantee the league first, but if they lose, AC Milan will probably give up.
League, bet on the Champions League.
However, Italy is much closer to Türkiye.
On the contrary, the Premier League ended all its schedule early in mid-May.
When Su Dong was at Liverpool, he had heard from Jestedam that Benitez had even planned the trip to the Champions League final, and planned to go directly to a small island in the Mediterranean for a week of closed training after finishing the league.
Unexpectedly, Su Dong's wishful thinking was ruined.
Relatively speaking, the Barcelona itinerary has advantages and disadvantages.
…
Subsequently, Sarah Martin and Begiristain successively made some speeches, mainly within their respective terms of reference.
This also makes people see that after Russell steps down, it is likely that Begiristain will be in charge of competitive affairs.
Head coach Rijkaard analyzed the situation faced by the team this season, studied the crises and advantages of the Champions League finals, and said that the team's focus will be preparation and adjustment next, hoping that every player will participate in the Champions League finals
All the time, they are in their best condition.
Not only that, Rijkaard also said that he has reached a contract extension with the club and will automatically renew his contract for two years.
With the war imminent, the club and coaching staff announced the contract extension at this time, undoubtedly to stabilize the morale of the military.
After the meeting, Su Dong, Ronaldinho, Puyol, and Xavi were specially left to have a small meeting.
The content of the small meeting was mainly about the unity and cohesion within the team. Laporta once again reiterated that he has absolutely no prejudice against Brazilian players and foreign players. He has the same attitude as Rijkaard, both are Barcelona players.
In the past two years, the situation in Catalonia has not been very stable. Political conflicts have become more and more intense, and there is even a vague trend of independence.
Someone had previously disclosed in newspapers that Laporta wanted to use the platform of Barcelona chairman to enter politics, but Laporta reiterated this time that he has no plans in this regard and will also create a calm and relaxed environment for all players.
external environment.
Finally, Laporta communicated with Su Dong and others individually, mainly to hear their thoughts and opinions.
Laporta was quite satisfied with Su Dong. In a private communication, he told Su Dong that he had asked the financial department to formulate a new salary structure, and the team would officially start working with Su Dong after the end of this season.
Dong’s contract renewal negotiations.
"When the time comes, you will become Barcelona's highest-paid, unique superstar!"
Su Dong was not surprised by this and expressed his gratitude calmly. At the same time, he promised that he would do his best to help the team win the Champions League. However, he also put forward his opinions, hoping that the team could strengthen its defense and increase its efforts in cultivating young players.
"Messi and Iniesta are both very good players, and they should receive more attention. Marcos Senna is not young, but his strength is beyond doubt, and he should also receive more recognition."
These three players all have a close relationship with Su Dong. Naturally, Su Dong takes care of his younger brothers whenever he can, just as a reward for being there all the time.
Laporta had no doubt about him, and he even wished that the [Su Dong Gang] would appear in the locker room.
Rijkaard and Begiristain both spoke highly of Su Dong's vision.
No one knows what Su Dong relies on to evaluate players. They can only understand that the genius has a unique understanding of football, and his vision of people is naturally very vicious.
However, when Laporta jokingly expressed that he hoped Su Dong would recommend a defender he admired, Su Dong said that he had no candidates in this field and that the club should study the specific person to be introduced.
Knowing how to advance and retreat makes Laporta even more satisfied.
…………
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In the 35th round of La Liga, Barcelona challenged Valencia away.
This is the first time Su Dong has returned after leaving Mestania.
The Valencia fans at the scene greeted him with extremely warm applause. The Bat Legion fans in the stands used a huge poster of Su Dong wearing a Valencia jersey to express their thoughts and gratitude to Su Dong.
Barcelona's most important task now is to adjust their state and reserve their physical fitness, so they did not give their best in this game.
But in the 13th minute of the first half, Sudong, Iniesta, Xavi, and Belletti made consecutive passes on the right, tearing apart Valencia's left defense. Finally, Sudong made a pass on the right.
On the right side of the penalty spot, he stopped the ball, turned around, and volleyed directly into Valencia's goal.
But after scoring the goal, Su Dong did not celebrate to show his gratitude to Valencia.
This also earned him warm applause from the Valencia fans at the scene.
After that, Ronaldinho scored another victory for Barcelona.
In the end, Barcelona defeated Valencia 2-0 in the away game and scored three points.
For Barcelona, which has already won the championship in advance, this victory does not mean much.
…
On the same day, in Milan, Italy.
AC Milan lost 0-1 to Juventus coached by Capello at their home court.
This defeat caused the Rossoneri to lose the opportunity to hit the league championship, falling three points behind the Bianconeri.
With three rounds left in the league, these three points are quite fatal.
You know, Capello's team is ridiculously stable.
After losing to Juventus, Ancelotti publicly stated that the team will do its best to win the Champions League, and at the same time, it will continue to maintain pressure on Juventus in the league.
This also expresses an obvious signal that AC Milan has adjusted its season strategy and set its sights on the Champions League.
Even if necessary, AC Milan is likely to give up the last three games and make every effort to prepare for the Champions League.
