My light shines on Arsenal

Chapter 109 Return of the Ice Prince

"Come back, Dennis." Chen Yao sincerely begged, "We need you. Your skills, your character, and your football philosophy all match Arsenal."

"We don't need you to fly with the team - it would be great if you can drive yourself. We need you to make an impact off the field, you will be a bridge."

Bergkamp remained silent. Even after retiring, he often misses his days at Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger's football, in Bergkamp's mind, is the closest to his understanding of football.

As Wenger once said, he is pursuing a kind of "perfect football".

A fan wakes up at the weekend and the first thing he thinks is, "Wow, there's Arsenal playing this weekend, it's going to be a fantastic game."

This is the effect Wenger wants Arsenal's games to have.He worked hard to live up to this throughout his career.

While Bergkamp was in it, he also enjoyed it very much.Wenger will not mechanically ask the team to possess the ball or give up the ball, he will not even rigidly ask the players to run out of routines.

Within the established tactical framework, he encouraged players to move forward, rotate, change positions, create space, find opportunities, and then use their talents to kill the game without hesitation.

Bergkamp swayed his talents to the fullest, and it was his time with the Gunners that made the elegant "Ice Prince" famous.

And now, someone told him, we're going to bring back the football you love, in this day and age, use it to win something.

And talented young people are waiting for your help.

Bergkamp's last hesitation was finally strangled. The 43-year-old "Ice Prince", who was a bit fat, did not look like a cold-blooded killer on the court at this time, but an amiable neighbor uncle.

He nodded and said, "Chen, you convinced me. I don't guarantee how long I will stay at Arsenal, but I think I will be willing to accept this challenge."

Chen Yao happily stretched out his hand to shake Bergkamp's hand, but the Dutchman retracted his hand.

"Dennis, why..."

"Oh, let's talk about it first." Bergkamp said seriously, "I don't fly."

After getting the promise from Bergkamp, ​​Chen Yao happily ended his one-day trip in Ajax.

Before leaving, he was still interested in trying to see what good seedlings the Ajax youth team could dig, but was severely rejected by the loyal Bergkamp.

"They are the seeds of Ajax!" Bergkamp said sadly, "I said, why is your habit so similar to Arsene's?"

……

The first piece of the puzzle for the coaching staff has been put together.

Chen Yao is very satisfied with this result, Bergkamp's arrival is very meaningful to him.

The status and prestige of the "Ice Prince" can make up for his own disadvantages in this regard.

Moreover, Bergkamp has his own understanding of football and has absorbed Ajax's unique training methods. He is also known for his outstanding skills, which can greatly help players grow in daily training.

The most important thing is that Chen Yao admires Bergkamp's style of play, which is elegant, agile, and concise, and every touch of the ball is master-level.

How wonderful it would be if Bergkamp could inject such technical creativity into the minds of young talents.

However, although all this looked beautiful, Chen Yao also maintained some caution.

It is not always a good thing to turn talented players into coaches, because their extraordinary talents make them unable to understand the bottlenecks encountered by ordinary players.

In other words, Bergkamp will think that operations such as turning the century or passing the ball are completely actions that can be done when inspiration comes, but for other players, they cannot do it even if they are inspired a hundred times. Such actions.

Despite this, Chen Yao had no choice. His qualifications destined the coaching staff to need a big shot to control the situation. Henry was originally a good choice, but he is still making money in the major leagues, and Chen Yao's attitude toward Henry The coaching talent and attitude are also reserved.

In contrast, the low-key Bergkamp may have a greater role.

After leaving Ajax, Chen Yao hurried to the airport. His time was precious. Tim Lewis was probably already waiting for him in London.

But before returning to London, he has to find a second piece of the puzzle for the coaching staff.

And this piece of the puzzle will be his arm in tactical design.

……

Spain, Almeria.

In the southern port city near the Mediterranean Sea, the sea breeze is warm. At a table on the coast, a man about 50 years old is hiding under the pergola, overlooking the Almeria Bay.

"Manuel, man." The Spanish uncle who sold beer walked up to the man with two cans of beer and threw one to him. "I've been here for so long and no team has come to you yet?"

"Shut up, Garcia." The man raised his head, looked at Uncle Beer expressionlessly, and took a bottle of wine rudely.

Garcia was not angry. The half-old man in front of him with curly hair, a high nose bridge, and deep eye sockets was his regular visitor. Since about half a year ago, he often sat here for an afternoon, blowing the Mediterranean wind.

Sometimes he would bring a pile of books and scratch paper and read and write by himself under the pergola. Sometimes he would gather with tourists and watch the football match on the bar TV.

From the beginning, Garcia noticed him and felt that he looked familiar. Until one day, when Garcia was watching the Almeria game with the man, he suddenly remembered.

"Are you Mr. Coach?! You damn guy, why are you still here?!"

That day, Garcia couldn't hold back and scolded out, because in the 2011 season, the Almeria team was relegated. In that season, they were bloodbathed by Guardiola's Barcelona 8:0 and fell to the second division tragically.

And this man was the head coach of Almeria at the time, Juan Manuel Lillo, a 46-year-old middle-aged Spanish man.

"Shut up, bring the wine, I'll leave without the wine." Lillo was not angry because of Garcia's rude words, he was always calm and expressionless, as if all the harshness and humiliation had nothing to do with him.

Garcia kept cursing, but his heart was still kind.

He knew that Almeria had no choice but to lose to Barcelona, ​​and this small team was used to the ups and downs.

After venting a few words, Garcia took a few cans of beer and had a few drinks with Lillo. After going back and forth, the two of them became familiar with each other.

Lillo did not leave Almeria immediately either.

He tried to submit his resume, but because he really didn't have any impressive record, no mainstream league team was willing to give him a chance.

Lillo, who had no place to go for a while, simply settled down in Almeria. He felt good about the atmosphere of the Mediterranean and would often come to the coast to sit with Garcia, watch games, or ponder his own football theories.

"Manuel, I don't blame you anymore. But you should find a new challenge."

Garcia wiped off his sweat and tapped the paper notebook in front of Lilio. The beads of sweat soaked the pages, making the corners of Lilio's mouth twitch twice.

"It's the first time I've been this close to a football coach and I can tell you're a smart guy. I don't know why you haven't been successful..."

The corners of Liliu's mouth twitched a few more times, this guy really can't speak, he can't lift which pot he can't open, right?

"But you should be successful, you should be in the Champions League with your kit."

Garcia gulped down a few gulps of beer, "Is there a possibility, Manuel, it's not that your idea is not good, but that you have never had the opportunity to test your theory with players like Messi?"

(End of this chapter)