Chapter 297: Banished to the Cold Palace

Returning to Amsterdam, Ye Qiu felt like he was back home.

He had been here for four years. He took the first step in his career here, won his first victory, won his first championship, and got his first honor in his career. Almost all of his first times were given to Ajax and this city.

Didn't someone say that a woman's first time is always memorable? Ye Qiu now thinks that men are the same!

The fans here are as enthusiastic as ever. When Chelsea arrived in Amsterdam, many people went to the airport to pick them up. They still went to greet Ye Qiu like they did in the past, just like welcoming a triumphant team.

When Ye Qiu arrived at the hotel, thousands of Ajax fans blocked the door of the hotel just to see Ye Qiu. Perhaps their thoughts were simple, just wanting to see whether Ye Qiu had become better or worse.

When Ye Qiu got off the bus, he saw Ajax fans pulled out a long banner in front of him, which read, "Welcome home, Ye Qiu!"

The characters were ugly, crooked Chinese characters, but the emotions contained in these characters moved him very much. Not only him, but almost all Chelsea players at the scene were moved by this scene, and they looked at their head coach with more respect.

Ye Qiu was calm and composed as always, and just waved to the fans as always. The fans seemed to be used to Ye Qiu's implicitness, and they still shouted Ye Qiu's name enthusiastically.

Sometimes, people's emotions will continue to settle with the accumulation of years and stand the test.

When Ye Qiu led the team into the Arena Stadium, which he was very familiar with, the applause was thunderous. All the Ajax fans in the stadium stood up and gave the warmest applause to Ye Qiu who returned to the Arena Stadium. The club's senior management, head coach and coaching staff also stood in the Arena Stadium to welcome Ye Qiu.

The match between Chelsea and River Plate is the opening match of the Amsterdam Cup. After this match, the match between Ajax and Panathinaikos will follow.

The number of teams invited to this year's Amsterdam Cup has actually declined compared to previous years, because the top teams in the four major European leagues are now developing markets such as Asia, North America, South America and Africa. For example, teams such as Manchester United are playing in the Champions Tour in the United States, while Real Madrid went to Asia.

And it must be said that although only one year has passed, Ajax's reputation has declined significantly compared to Ye Qiu's period. This is caused by the overall decline of the Dutch League, and Ajax has also suffered serious talent loss in the summer of the past two years.

Van der Vaart, Sneijder and Robben all went to Real Madrid, Ibrahimovic went to Juventus, Van der Meyde went to Inter Milan, Kivu went to Roma, Abidal went to Barcelona, ​​and Arteta is currently receiving attention from many top league teams, and the possibility of leaving the team is also very high.

In just two years, the Ajax team of Ye Qiu's era has fallen apart. The current young guards have no problem dominating the Eredivisie, but it will be difficult to make a difference in the European arena.

Mascherano, Yaya Toure, Heitinga, Arteta, De Jong, Maduro, Huntelaar, Hleb, Stekelenburg, these young players under Ye Qiu's command have now begun to take charge of their own affairs. After Lucio and Abidal left the team, Eliza's agency recruited two young players with good strength, Thiago Silva and Marcelo.

These players were present when Chelsea arrived at the Arena Stadium. Heitinga, who served as the team captain this season, led his teammates to welcome Ye Qiu, and Ye Qiu also took advantage of the team's training and warm-up to meet and chat with each of them.

"Only when we see them again do we realize how fast time flies!" After meeting the players, Ye Qiu stood on the sidelines with Ajax head coach Van Basten, Bobby Hams, Ricklink and others. Roland and others were also chatting with Ajax's coaching staff and players.

Ye Qiu's coaching staff came from Ajax, and the two teams can be said to have a deep connection.

Bobby Hams laughed after hearing this. He is most sensitive to age, "Yes, unknowingly, another year has passed!"

"So, you have to take care of your body. Anyway, you have earned enough, just retire!" Ye Qiu suggested with a smile. He went to De Tokmost to visit Van Dude yesterday. The latter is not only Ye Qiu's good friend, but also a person respected by his wife Huang Chu. In the chat yesterday, Van Dude said that he wanted to retire.

"Can't let it go!" Bobby Hams looked at the court and laughed.

It was a simple sentence, but it made Ye Qiu deeply touched. It is also impossible for him to let it go now.

"The team's lineup this year is still very strong, and there should be no problem in winning the championship again!" Ye Qiu smiled and looked at Van Basten. Although Ajax coached by Van Basten received mixed reviews, Ye Qiu felt that it was pretty good.

After Ye Qiu led the team to its peak, no matter who took over next, there would be mixed reviews.

"Mascherano is very strong. He is in the midfield. Together with Arteta, there is absolutely no problem with his strength. Yaya Toure has made great progress in the past year. I think he should turn to Davis' style now. He is also working hard. With the three of them, the team's midfield strength is guaranteed!" Van Basten introduced.

The strength of the midfield determines how high a team can reach. From Van Basten's words, Ye Qiu also feels that this Ajax is still very strong.

In fact, many people have missed the treasure. At least in Ye Qiu's opinion, Mascherano's strength has improved by leaps and bounds in the past year. There is no problem playing in the top European leagues, but because he is a defensive midfielder, it seems that no team is interested in him.

But it's no wonder. Look at Makelele's unpopularity in Real Madrid. Whether it is the media or the fans, their eyes are always on the attackers, not the defenders. Is this an unconscious prejudice?

"How are Thiago Silva and Marcelo?" Ye Qiu asked the two young players from Brazil with concern.

Bobby Hames laughed after hearing this. Of course, he knew that these two people were Eliza's players. Their ownership was in the hands of Eliza's agency, but no one outside knew about it.

"They have great potential, but they still need to be polished!" After Bobby Hames finished speaking, he patted Ye Qiu on the shoulder tacitly, "Don't worry, I'll help you look after them, and the team also needs their outstanding performance in the new season."

Ye Qiu's ability to polish young players was learned from Bobby Hames, so he had no doubts about the training ability of this senior who was both a teacher and a friend. Yaya Toure and Mascherano learned a lot of valuable things from Bobby Hames in the past year.

Let Yaya Toure turn to Davis from now on. Ye Qiu thinks this is indeed a very visionary thing, because Yaya Toure has many things similar to Davis, even if he is taller, but the challenge is also great, that is, how to let Yaya Toure cultivate Davis's sense of integration with the team.

This kind of thing has to be done slowly. Didn't Xavi also wake up and become a master of passing after playing and gaining experience? It is impossible to cultivate young players in one fell swoop. You have to invest time and energy!

"By the way, I received a call from Eliza two days ago. She recommended two players to the team. Do you know?" Van Basten looked at Ye Qiu meaningfully.

The latter shook his head, "I don't know, who?"

"You know, with the departure of Robben and Van der Vaart, we lack important attackers on the front wing, and Huntelaar is the kind of center who needs someone to pass and assist, so Eliza recommended two South American players to us, one is Alexis Sanchez, a 16-year-old young player from Chile, and the other is Di Maria, a 16-year-old young player from Argentina."

After listening to it, Ye Qiu shook his head, "I haven't heard her say that. Have you read the report?"

"Well, very good, I agree!" Van Basten seemed to let go of something and smiled.

Ye Qiu said calmly, without giving a reply. In fact, he knew about this matter. Elisa even called to ask for his opinion. These two players were recommended to her by Elisa's partner in South America. There were also several other players, such as Aguero and Tevez, but because Ajax needed wingers, they chose Di Maria and Sanchez.

However, Elisa had already bought the ownership of Aguero at a low price, but let him continue to play in Argentina. As for Tevez, this player is too popular at present, and a lot of agents are scrambling for him, so Elisa did not participate in the competition, but took Di Maria and Sanchez and let them come to Ajax to play.

Ye Qiu himself is the head coach. He knows very well that no head coach can accept others pointing fingers at him, and Van Basten is a person with a very strong personality. Ye Qiu recommended Thiago Silva and Marcelo to him. For the sake of friendship, he tolerated them, but it does not mean that he can tolerate endlessly.

This is why Ye Qiu said that he didn't know, which can save a lot of trouble.

Because of this, Ye Qiu did not continue to delve into this topic, but turned to talk about some daily trivial matters.

This is just a warm-up match. For Chelsea, observing the team is more important than anything else, so Ye Qiu does not attach much importance to the results of these two cup matches. The most important thing is to let the team play its own things.

The current River Plate team did not impress Ye Qiu with any players. Because it was a warm-up match, he did not study the team very seriously, but when he got the pre-match list, he noticed one person, Higuain.

This childish boy will sit on the bench in this game and is not yet capable of starting.

With the return of Ronaldinho, Maicon and Deco, Ye Qiu fielded his strongest lineup for this game.

The goalkeeper is Van der Sar, the back line is Evra, Cannavaro, Terry and Maicon, the double defensive midfielders are Deco and Makelele, the front court is Ronaldinho, Lampard and Rooney, and the single striker is Drogba.

The start of the game was somewhat uneventful, and Chelsea's mentality was also very relaxed. They had no intention of launching a large-scale attack, but were patiently looking for their own rhythm. Because the team's tactics have changed this season, many players need to readapt.

At the 14th minute, Chelsea suddenly exerted their strength.

Rooney's performance in the previous three warm-up matches was relatively average, and he did not play to his level. But this time, facing the technically sophisticated Argentine, the English boy dared to dribble past the opponent and made several breakthroughs on the right, but the subsequent crosses and passes were obviously not done well, resulting in the team's offense not being effective.

On the contrary, in the 31st minute, Ronaldinho, who had just participated in the America's Cup and was physically tired and had a poor performance in the first half an hour, showed his strength as a top superstar. After breaking through on the left, he cut inside with the ball and passed it diagonally to the right rib. Rooney quickly rushed into the penalty area from the right rib, facing Ronaldinho's diagonal pass, followed up with his right foot and shot, seizing the best scoring opportunity since the start of the game, opening the record for Chelsea!

This is also Rooney's first goal since joining Chelsea, even if it was just a goal in a warm-up match!

The second half of the game was not very exciting. Ye Qiu also realized that Ronaldinho, Maicon and Deco were tired, so he made continuous substitutions. Then River Plate wanted to reverse the situation and caused a lot of trouble for Chelsea, but Chelsea's defense was superior to Europe, and River Plate could not create a threat for a while.

In the 85th minute, Terry made a long pass, Van Persie stopped the ball on the right and passed the opponent's left back inside, and passed it directly behind him. Gudjohnsen stopped the ball and shot, scoring the second goal for Chelsea, which was also the last goal of the game.

In the end, Chelsea defeated the long-distance Argentine powerhouse River Plate 2:0!

After the game, Ajax fans once again stood up and cheered, bidding farewell to Ye Qiu with applause and cheers.

Throughout the whole process, from beginning to end, Ajax fans made people feel their friendliness and love for Ye Qiu.

After the game, the Amsterdam Evening Post made a special report on this, saying that in the fickle football world, many people do not believe in so-called feelings, and believe that the feelings of professional football cannot compete with fame and fortune, but Ajax fans have proved that no matter how long it has been, they still cannot forget the team's former heroes.

"Just like the banners that Ajax fans pulled out at the Arena Stadium, Ye Qiu, this is your eternal home, and you are always welcome to come back!"

Ye Qiu was also very moved by the love of Ajax fans. When he was interviewed by the media after the game, he said that he felt a bit like returning to his mother's home. He was still very nervous, but after seeing the fans, he was relieved.

"After coming to Amsterdam, I really believe more and more that as long as you give sincerely, the fans will definitely understand!"

After the match between Chelsea and River Plate, Ajax and Panathinaikos played a warm-up match. In the end, with a goal from Huntelaar, Ajax defeated the Greek champion 1:0.

Two days later, still at the Arena Stadium, River Plate beat Panathinaikos 1:0, and then Chelsea tied with Ajax 2:2.

The two sides shook hands and made peace, and the scene was joyful, and Ye Qiu was also satisfied with this.

It’s not that Chelsea deliberately held back, but after seeing that Ronaldinho and Deco were too tired, Ye Qiu simply let them rest. After the rotation, Chelsea faced Ajax, although they had an advantage, they failed to defeat the opponent. Among them, Thiago Silva’s performance on the back line was indeed outstanding.

Although they got a draw, Chelsea won the Amsterdam Cup this year with one win and one draw, 4 points, 4 goals, and a total of 8 points, while Ajax won the second place.

Chelsea's performance in the training camp outside is outstanding, with 4 wins and 1 draw in 5 warm-up matches. Arsenal and Manchester United are both training outside, but Arsenal played 6 warm-up matches, 4 of which were draws, and the recent state of the main defensive midfielder Vieira can be said to have reached a low point.

Throughout the summer, Vieira was linked with Real Madrid. After the La Liga giants took over the three stars of Ajax at a price that was not announced to the public but everyone guessed that it would exceed 100 million, they launched an offensive against Vieira again. Florentino's ambition is also very obvious. He wants to use the money storm to revive Real Madrid's reputation in the shortest time.

Arsenal's current financial situation is in trouble. Wenger insists on the strategy of signing a one-year contract after the age of 30. The main stars in the team can be said to have more or less become alienated. Vieira's desire to leave Arsenal can also be said to be obvious. The difference is just the price.

In this tug-of-war, Arsenal's morale was more or less affected, and Henry's state was also affected. The best player in the warm-up match was young player Reyes.

In August, Chelsea welcomed Zaragoza at Stamford Bridge.

This was Chelsea's first warm-up match in London this season. Because of the fan protests that had been making a lot of noise before, this warm-up match became extraordinary, but Abramovich's appearance and rare sitting on the bench, talking and laughing with Ye Qiu, completely broke the rumors that the two were not in harmony.

And a very interesting signal is that Pini Zahavi did not appear at Stamford Bridge. Some media broke the news that the Israeli had privately revealed it to the media before the season, which made Abramovich furious and completely put the Israeli into the cold palace.

During the interview, Abramovich also hinted that all the unfavorable rumors about the team before the game were false, and that someone was maliciously affecting the team's preparations. He would hold them accountable, and he once again reiterated that he hoped Ye Qiu could coach at Stamford Bridge for life.

"He is a great coach. He brought us the Champions League and league championship trophies in his first season with the team. I can't imagine anyone better than him in the world. If possible, I am willing to write forever on the contract period!"

When Chelsea returned to the folks, they were unambiguous and defeated Zaragoza 3:0, completing the six pre-season warm-up matches with an unbeaten record.