Red Rebels

Speaking of the Papal Curse, it dates back to 1978.

That year was a year when AC Milan lost all four majors. They lost the league championship to Juventus and the Champions League. The archrival Inter Milan won the Italian Cup. AC Milan was empty-handed and was ridiculed by countless fans.

And that year, the former Pope Paul I passed away!

This originally had nothing to do with this year's Champions League final, but coincidentally, in 2005, Pope John Paul II passed away, which made many reporters get wind of the situation and linked the two things together, which became the so-called The Papal Curse.

But coincidentally, Juventus won the league championship ahead of schedule this year, and they also established their championship advantage at AC Milan's home court. The Rossoneri can be said to have watched their opponents show off their power in front of them; and in the competition for the Italian Cup , rival Inter Milan once again entered the final, and their opponent was Roma.

If the death of the Pope is not enough to confirm the reappearance of the curse, but with Juventus winning the championship and Inter Milan reaching the Italian Cup final, all of this seems to push AC Milan to the opposite side of the curse.

Therefore, when a reporter from an English media posed this question to Galliani who had just stepped off the plane, Galliani, who was originally in a good mood, immediately darkened his face and scolded angrily: "Don't confuse the two things. !”

However, according to the habits of the English media, the angrier the opponent is, the happier they are, because angry people can always be unearthed for more hype stunts.

So the reporter from this media immediately caught up with him, followed Galliani, put the recorder in his hand, and asked: "Then what do you think about the fact that in football matches, the team wearing red has a higher winning rate?"

This is data researched by a British university before the game. According to their statistics of a series of competitions such as the Olympic Games, World Cup, and European Cup, they finally found that in a football match, the winning rate of wearing red clothes is higher than that of wearing other colors. The team with the jersey has the advantage.

Looking at the European Champions Cup finals, although Real Madrid wearing white jerseys has won the most 10 Champions Leagues, overall, the team wearing red jerseys still has a greater chance of winning.

In this game, red clothes were worn, while AC Milan wore white jerseys. This caused many media to combine the jersey rules and the Pope's Curse, and finally came to the conclusion that this Champions League final , win for sure!

Galliani couldn't stand being pestered by this reporter. He stopped, paused, and said in a deep voice: "I never believe in any magic spells or rules. I only believe that on the football field, the outcome depends on the outcome. The coach and the players decide!”

After saying that, he quickened his pace and left the airport.

... As soon as he got into the car arranged by the club, Galliani immediately took out his mobile phone, called the club's head coach Mauro Tassotti, and arranged for the two parties to meet in the hotel.

About 15 minutes later, Galliani appeared in the hotel room, where Tassotti was already waiting.

Although he is a legendary star of AC Milan, Tassotti clearly knows the traditional characteristics of AC Milan, that is, the Emperor Galliani and the wife Emperor Berlusconi. Someone once said that it was Berlusco who won the championship for AC Milan in 2003. Ni's starting lineup arranged before the game.

Could it be that at this time, Prime Minister Bei also wants to repeat the drama of that year?

Or is Jia Balzi trying to warn himself before the game that if he loses the Champions League final, he will be fired?

Tassotti is not a madman like Mourinho, nor is he a tough guy like Ferguson. He is a bit similar to Ancelotti. His personality is more submissive, which has also been pointed out by many of his critics. The shortcoming is that he lacks the strength and initiative that a head coach should have.

But for a head coach who can take AC Milan to the Champions League final, no one can doubt his strength.

Seeing Galliani push the door in, Tassotti was already mentally prepared for any response.

Even if Galliani suddenly announced his dismissal at this time, he would choose to obey because he has deep feelings for the Rossoneri that no one can understand.

As long as it is for AC Milan, he can risk everything!

Galliani greeted Tassotti politely, and then the two sat down in the room. The expression on Galliani's face did not look happy, and could even be said to be a bit serious, which made Tassotti feel... After thinking about it, could it be that Jia Baozi made a special trip back to Milan just to finalize his firing with Prime Minister Bei?

Soon, Tassotti discovered that he was not right either.

When Galliani returned to Milan, he did finalize the matter of Tassotti with Berlusconi, but it was not to fire him, but to offer him a brand new contract, which would be extended for 2 years and the salary would be higher than The last contract was a big improvement.

"Renew the contract?" Tassotti felt a little unbelievable. Staring at the contract in front of him, he could clearly see that his hands were trembling.

"Yes, Mauro, I have discussed it with the Prime Minister. You are undoubtedly the most ideal head coach of AC Milan. You have done a good job here and we hope you can continue to stay in this position."

Mauro Tassotti suddenly felt a sore nose. He knew clearly that this was a move to stabilize himself. At the same time, he also told himself that no matter what the final result was, everyone in the club trusted him.

Before the game, many media said that Tassotti was under tremendous pressure in coaching AC Milan, especially from Galliani and Berlusconi. This coach, who was known as a temporary fire-fighting coach, was judged by countless media. , will not coach AC Milan for more than one year, but now that a season has passed, Tassotti's future has been put on the agenda again, especially after losing to Juventus in the league competition.

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself, Mauro, we believe in you from the beginning to the end, starting from the day we decided that you would be the team's head coach!" Galliani smiled and reassured.

Tassotti can tell how much of this is true and how false. As a red black man, he knows very well that it is difficult for a head coach to ask for too much in the transfer market. Galliani and Berlusconi will undoubtedly have this aspect. The greatest power, and what he can do is provide suggestions, obey unconditionally, and configure team tactics according to the existing personnel.

As for trust, indeed, when Tassotti does a good job, AC Milan chooses to continue to trust, which is normal, but once the results are bad, I believe Tassotti's dismissal is also inevitable.

"In addition to your contract extension, we have also finalized a transfer agreement. Their Brazilian center back Thiago Silva, who is on loan at Benfica, will move to AC Milan next season for a price of 15 million euros. This is The defensive addition you've always wanted!" Galliani surprised Tassotti again.

Thiago Silva can be said to be Benfica's best player this season, helping the Portuguese team reach the UEFA Cup final and win the UEFA Cup championship in one fell swoop. Although the best player was right back Daniel Al. Weiss, but Thiago Silva also attracts attention.

Originally, AC Milan's idea was to package these two players, but they attached great importance to Alves, and while AC Milan purchased Thiago Silva, they could not raise enough transfer fees to acquire Alves.

From the current point of view, AC Milan’s most urgent need is undoubtedly a central defender. Although Costacurta has performed well this season, he is not young after all. He lost Stam before the season, forcing AC Milan to give Ness as soon as possible. Find a partner.

Tassotti was very moved when he learned that the club had met his request. He constantly assured Galliani that he would go all out to help the team win another Champions League.

Galliani also encouraged Tassotti and signed a contract extension with him.

……………………While the news that Tassotti successfully renewed his contract with AC Milan appeared on the front page of the newspaper, something happened inside Istanbul when the large forces arrived.

Right back Kolo Toure submitted a written transfer application to the club, hoping that the club would allow him to transfer.

The Ivorian has been the main right back in the past few seasons, but with Maicon's outstanding performance on the right this season, both offense and defense have made full progress, forcing Kolo Tout, who is known for his defensive ability. Ray had to be relegated to the bench.

Originally, there was nothing wrong with the Ivorian. After all, competition is a habit. Kolo Toure snatched the main position from Bosingwa, but the blame lies with his agent and Yaya Toure. transfer.

After young Toure moved to Manchester City, he became an indispensable main force in Manchester City's defensive midfielder. His salary more than tripled, and he was also entrusted with important tasks by Van Gaal. This led to Kolo Toure's contract renewal issue. It's been hard to make a decision.

The Toure brothers have the same agent. When Toure became popular after moving to Manchester City, the agent also hopes to recommend Kolo Toure to Manchester City. Van Gaal has also been worried about the central defender recently. , Kolo Toure has proven his strength in the Premier League, and although he plays right back, Van Gaal is convinced that center back is his best position.

This coincides with Kolo Toure himself. He once hoped that he could perform at the center back, but he had no choice. The center back position included the local combination of Terry and Curtis, as well as Victoria. Titans like Dickey and Chiellini make it difficult for Kolo Toure to get a chance.

By moving to Manchester City, firstly, he can join his younger brother, secondly, his salary can be greatly increased, and thirdly, he can establish his position as the core of the defense. This series of temptations makes it impossible for Kolo Toure not to be tempted. In addition, his agent is following him. Due to the obstruction on the issue of contract renewal, the two parties have been unable to reach a consensus.

Finally, after a confidential discussion between Xiao Yu, Mourinho and Kolo Toure, and after the two parties had a frank discussion, Kolo Toure officially submitted a written transfer application to the club and decided to let him invest in the transfer market. ／~半♣福*生：.*No pop-ups? @++

As the chief right back of the United States, Kolo Toure has already proven his strength in various competitions. He is a treasure for teams such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City who are eager to strengthen their defense, so When Kolo Toure appeared in the transfer market, he immediately attracted the pursuit of these teams.

In addition to these teams, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Barcelona and other giant teams are all coveting Kolo Toure, but the Ivorian made it clear that he prefers to stay in the Premier League, and everyone can see that he prefers it. It's Manchester City.

But the transfer fee has become the biggest obstacle preventing him from going to Manchester City, because he still has 2 years of contract.

For a time, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City were all scrambling to send transfer faxes. Everyone knew how difficult it was to poach players. Even if the players desperately wanted to leave, no one would deny that once both parties Seeing that the situation was not right, we reached an agreement again and Kolo Toure will stay on the team.

In today's football transfer market where defenders are so tight, the emergence of Kolo Toure has undoubtedly injected a new blood into the silent European football transfer market. Everyone speculates that he wants to get from this club by means of Poaching people will inevitably cost you blood.

Mourinho never paid attention to the team's transfer and left it to the Ministry of Commerce to negotiate. He did not bring Kolo Toure into the squad. After talking with the Ivorian, he led the team the next day. The team traveled to Istanbul, Turkey.

In addition to club players and youth academy players, there are also some stars on loan who follow the team to the away game. This has also been a tradition in the past few seasons. This has been done in the two UEFA Cup finals. This tradition still exists today. Will continue until the Champions League final!