Chapter 234 New Season, New Red Devils, New Numbers

Without much hesitation, for the sake of readers' curiosity and the fearless spirit of sacrifice, Ricardo decided to go to the meeting alone. Oh no, he went alone.

The host and the guest sat down in a luxurious western restaurant, clinked glasses of soda, and steak was served. Everyone started chatting, and Ronaldo's topic was also very simple...

It turns out that before the start of the season, that is, two days ago, Ronaldo and Sir Alex Ferguson made a bet. It was not a big deal, but Ronaldo had to score at least 20 goals in the new season's league. If Ronaldo achieved this goal, Ferguson would have his head shaved bald, otherwise, the beauty-loving Portuguese would become a bald man.

Ronaldo wants to persuade all his teammates to pass the ball to him to increase the success rate of reaching the KPI target. Ricardo, who knows that there will be something interesting to watch whether Ronaldo wins or loses, naturally agreed without any hesitation. What's so difficult about this? If there is a chance, just pass it to him! If there is no chance, there is nothing we can do.

However, the competition for the Premier League Golden Boot this season is a bit fierce. Although the King Henry of Highbury has left, the golden boy Torres, who joined the team with the highest price in the Premier League, as well as the new strikers Darren Bent and Yakubu, and Drogba and Ronaldo's teammate Rooney who are eyeing the Golden Boot honor...

(⊙o⊙)Oh! Thinking of Rooney, Ricardo was suddenly mistaken. The scheming frog kept touching your belly! I didn't expect that Ronaldo, this man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, was so scheming. It turned out that what he really wanted to rob, no, to defend against was his teammates!

Damn, it turns out that none of the people in the Premier League are easy to deal with...

After some bargaining and extreme tug-of-war, Ricardo finally agreed to give Ronaldo unlimited firepower support in the new season in exchange for 10 autographed photos for one assist and a luxurious buffet at the Hilton Hotel for every 20 assists accumulated.

After sending Ronaldo away, Ricardo was thinking about whether he should raise the conditions for Ronaldo a little bit and also send an invitation to Rooney and Tevez?

Ricardo had learned a lot from Old Li Qi about the cunning business nature of these guys. In short, he would not suffer any loss anyway...

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Back in the apartment, Ricardo continued to turn on his computer to study the transfer market situation this summer.

First, let's take a look at Sevilla, where he was last season. After winning the treble, they seemed to have become more generous. Unlike the careful budgeting in the previous seasons, they spent 3850 million euros on signings this summer, including 1200 million euros to bring in striker Kone from PSV Eindhoven and 900 million euros to bring in striker Chevanton from Monaco, to fill the offensive power gap left by the departure of Ricardo Richie.

Ricardo's former club Barcelona, ​​after a season of silence, once again made big signings, spending 2400 million euros to bring Henry from Arsenal, 2050 million euros to bring Milito from Zaragoza, 1580 million euros to bring Abidal from Lyon and 900 million euros to bring Yaya Toure from Monaco.

However, Barcelona's summer transfer expenditure of 6930 million euros can only rank third in La Liga. The second place in La Liga is Atletico Madrid, which transferred Torres, Petrov and others in the summer and earned 4950 million euros.

The Colchoneros spent 8150 million euros to strengthen their squad this summer, including 2100 million euros to transfer Diego Forlan from Villarreal, 2000 million euros to transfer Simao from Benfica, 1300 million euros to transfer Raul Garcia from Osasuna and 1200 million euros to intercept Reyes from Arsenal from Real Madrid.

The undisputed number one in La Liga is still Real Madrid. The Galacticos once again spent 1.17 million euros to recruit stars this summer, including 3600 million euros to bring Robben from Chelsea, 3000 million euros to bring Pepe from Porto, 2550 million euros to bring Snyder from Ajax, 1300 million euros to bring Drenthe from Feyenoord and 1200 million euros to bring Heinze from Manchester United.

In addition, Real Madrid also signed Metzelder from Dortmund and Saviola from Barcelona for free. Including Soldado and Baptista who returned from loan, Real Madrid has introduced a total of 12 first-line players this summer.

However, with so many people coming, Real Madrid naturally cleaned out a group of players. 17 people including Cicinho and Woodgate left the team in exchange for 4430 million euros in revenue.

Compared with the wealth and hot transfer markets of the Premier League and La Liga, the Serie A where Ricardo made his debut is no longer as prosperous as it was during the Seven Sisters period.

Ricciardo's youth team Inter Milan only had two major transfers this summer, namely 1600 million euros to bring in Chivu from Roma and 1400 million euros to bring in Suazo from Cagliari. However, Inter Milan's lineup, which has won two consecutive championships in Serie A, is still unique in Serie A and is expected to continue to dominate Serie A for several more seasons.

The Nerazzurri's city rivals AC Milan, without much manipulation, won the Serie A's top bid this summer, spending 2200 million euros to transfer the future TJ fully healthy veteran Brazilian striker Pato from Internacional!

Juventus, the traditional Serie A powerhouse that returned to Serie A last season, is still reorganizing the team and is still in the blood transfusion stage this season. There are also 5 major deals in this summer window.

The most expensive was the 1500 million euro transfer of former Chelsea midfielder Thiago from Lyon, followed by 1130 million euros for Acuna from Udinese, 1000 million euros for Andrade from Deportivo La Coruna, 900 million euros for Almiron from Empoli, and finally Salihamidzic was signed for free from Bayern Munich.

Finally, before closing the browser, Ricardo still checked the transfer situation of the Bundesliga through the related link. As expected, except for Bayern, all of them revealed the Germans' rigor and shrewdness. They would never spend a penny more. Basically, they were either free transfers or young players promoted from the second team. There were almost no transfers exceeding 500 million euros.

In addition to selling Hargreaves to Manchester United for 2500 million euros, Bayern also made four major signings, namely, Scar Ribery from Marseille for 4 million euros, Klose from Bremen for 2500 million euros, Luca Toni from Fiorentina for 1200 million euros, and Ze Roberto from Santos for free...

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After a thorough study, there should be no doubt that Manchester United will replace Chelsea as the biggest spender in Europe this summer: the combined value of Hargreaves, Ricardo Richie and Anderson exceeds 5200 million pounds. In addition, there is Tevez, whose transfer fee has not been announced. Even if his transfer fee is calculated based on the most conservative 2000 million pounds, Manchester United's total expenditure this summer has reached 7550 million pounds, which is 1.2 million euros based on the exchange rate, exceeding Real Madrid's spending of 1.17 million euros.

So before the season, Mourinho complained bitterly that people used to say Chelsea won the championship with money, and he was curious about what the public opinion would say about Manchester United and Liverpool now. (Note: Liverpool's signings this summer also cost more than 5500 million pounds, while Chelsea only spent 1725 million pounds this summer and transferred out 3150 million pounds in the same period.)

However, the media generally believes that despite the huge cost, Ferguson's thinking in the transfer market is very clear. While maintaining the overall framework of last season's championship, he has strengthened individual positions, while also reserving talents for the future, and has not wasted money.

The first step is to introduce Anderson, which is to provide rotation players for the main lineup and at the same time an investment in reserving talents for the future.

Then came the arrival of Hargreaves, who enriched the types of Manchester United's midfield. His wide range of movement and defensive toughness were what Carrick and Scholes lacked, and Hargreaves also had certain passing and ball control skills, and his experience was richer than Fletcher, O'Shea and others.

The most important intention is that Manchester United's performance against strong teams last season was not ideal, including two draws with Chelsea and two losses to Arsenal. The defeat to Milan was unforgettable for Ferguson. The lack of toughness in Manchester United's midfield confrontation was an important factor. Ferguson brought in the English midfielder, most likely to prepare for the tough battles in the Champions League and the league. Of course, there is also an implicit meaning that the introduction of the 2-year-old Hargreaves is to prepare for the aging Scholes to fade out.

However, the most anticipated signing is Manchester United's third signing this summer. It is said that Sir Alex Ferguson had chosen to recruit Italian talent Ricardo Licci to join the team as soon as possible at the beginning of last season.

Li Qi is a versatile player with a high football IQ, and can play in many positions besides goalkeeper. In the national team, Li Qi mainly plays in the middle of the midfield. Last season, he played more as an organizing winger and forward in Sevilla, and more as an attacking full-back in Barcelona, ​​and even played as a central defender on many occasions...

Therefore, Li Qi brought the most tactical changes to Manchester United. First, he could strengthen Manchester United's attacking lineup, build a two-wing strategy with Ronaldo, or form different styles of forward tactics with Rooney; secondly, he could increase the depth of Manchester United's midfield. Li Qi's midfield organization and defensive efficiency were first-class in La Liga last season; finally, with Manchester United's extremely strong central defender lineup, Li Qi can be used as a surprise weapon in the full-back position, especially on the right side.

The arrival of Leeds is also to back up another veteran, Giggs. After all, the Welsh left-wing star is one year older than Scholes and can no longer charge down the wing. Leeds, who is skilled with both feet, is the most suitable candidate to form a devil's double wing with Ronaldo. According to Sir Alex Ferguson's pre-season arrangements, Leeds should be the first choice as the main winger for the new season.

The most unpredictable is Tevez. Sir Alex Ferguson may have three ideas for Tevez: one is to let Rooney play as a center forward and Tevez as a shadow striker; the second is to let the Argentine go to the wing when playing 433; the third is to put Tevez in the center position. Which one is better depends on the on-site test.

At least Tevez, who was already a big hit in the Hammers last season, has no problem adapting to the Premier League, but how he will fit into Manchester United's current midfield and frontcourt lineup is still unknown. At present, there are two possibilities. One is that Tevez and Manchester United's original frontcourt combination of Rooney, Ronaldo and Giggs form the top four terrors in the Premier League; the other is that the new aid Tevez and Li Qi will play together, forming a younger and more energetic new devil quartet with Rooney and Ronaldo.

As for the players who left Manchester United this summer, Richardson and Rossi have always been fringe players of the first team. Sir Alex Ferguson judged that their potential has been exhausted, or at least there is no way to realize their talents at Manchester United in the short term.

Although Alan Smith's departure is regrettable, it has little impact on Manchester United's lineup. With Tevez joining the team and Lizzie and Anderson also joining the team, Manchester United does not have to worry about the depth of the attacking lineup, and Saha will also return in a month or two.

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Now that the transfer dust has settled, naturally various experts have begun to analyze and comment on the current level and strength of Manchester United's three fronts, and predict the Red Devils' results and performance in the new season.

The first thing everyone discussed was Manchester United's goalkeeper position. Due to Foster's serious injury, Manchester United's goal line position has been weakened to a certain extent. Currently, the only first-team goalkeepers available are Van der Sar and Kuszczak. In case of problems, they can only transfer players from the youth team. In addition, Van der Sar, who will turn 37, was criticized for his performance in the second half of last season. Although he saved a penalty in the Community Shield, it remains to be seen whether he can maintain stability in the new season.

Next is the strongest and most stable of the three lines of Manchester United's defense. The central defenders of Vidic and Ferdinand are stable and excellent. Although Gary Neville, the main right-wing player, is recovering from injury, Wes Brown is also effective in replacing him. Evra is on the left. If there is an emergency, Sylvester, Brown, O'Shea and others can play in the middle or on the wing, and Pique and Li Qi can also be substitutes.

In the midfield, the two central midfield positions will be occupied by five players. Scholes, Carrick and Hargreaves are the top three players, while O'Shea and Fletcher are the reserve players. Ronaldo will definitely be the main player on both wings, while the other position will be shared between Giggs and Li Qi, and Park Ji-sung will not be able to recover from injury until the second half of the season. The most uncertain factor in the midfield is the Brazilian new player Anderson. He has a comprehensive playing style and can try to play as an attacking central midfielder, a winger and a second striker.

On the striker line, Rooney is almost certain to play as a center forward, while Tevez, the injured Saha, and even Ronaldo and Li Qi may compete for another position. Of course, Ferguson's players are never bound by fixed positions. Evraa moved to the left wing, Giggs or Li Qi played as the second striker, and Rooney retreated to the left wing. These situations are likely to occur frequently as the season progresses.

In general, Manchester United retained the championship framework of last season. The backcourt did not change much. The midfield was strengthened by the addition of Hargreaves. The frontcourt was updated with the quality of personnel while maintaining the depth. Tevez, Li Qi, Anderson and others replaced Smith, Richardson and others. The overall strength of Manchester United's lineup has been steadily rising, and it is pregnant with new changes, and it has begun to prepare for the replacement of the old and the new.

Manchester United mainly used a 4-4-1-1 formation in pre-season warm-ups and the Community Shield, but from the perspective of the main division of labor among the players, Sir Alex Ferguson arranged it more like a 4-2-4, with offense as its purpose. The four defenders and two central midfielders are responsible for defense, organization and control, while the two wings and two forwards are free to participate in the offense, with wonderful cross-position exchanges.

Facing opponents of average strength in the Premier League, Manchester United's six players in the midfield and backcourt are enough to cope with the defense, so the four players in the front can ignore their positions and switch positions at will. Sometimes it is even difficult to tell who is playing as a striker and who is playing as a winger. This free off-ball running and position switching, and the resulting pervasive penetrating offense, is Manchester United's magic weapon to conquer the Premier League.

Because of this, Manchester United has an easier time facing the iron bucket formation of weak teams than Arsenal, Chelsea and other teams. It is very difficult to defend against the Red Devils; therefore, Manchester United's style of play has a surprisingly high winning rate against mid- and lower-level teams.

In addition, due to the abundance of offensive players and their diverse types, Sir Alex Ferguson may arrange more positional changes this year. For example, Giggs or Ronaldo playing as the second striker, Evra as the left winger, and other local changes will bring more novelty to Manchester United. With the addition of talented all-round attackers such as Tevez and Li Qi, it can be predicted that the Red Devils, whose offense is already in their blood, will have a more terrifying dominance in the new Premier League season.

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As the new Premier League season is about to start, Sir Alex Ferguson told Ricardo to confirm his jersey number as soon as possible. During the summer warm-up matches, Ricardo wore the numbers 7, 8, 11 and 17...

In the Premier League registration, although Sir Alex Ferguson did not give Ricardo the status of team leader to freely choose numbers, he also gave Ricardo several numbers for priority selection, including No. 8, No. 14, No. 17, No. 20 and No. 25.

Ricardo thought about it for a while, thinking that since he was a newcomer, he should keep a low profile, so he chose number 17!

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