Chapter 974 Don’t Give Up

Due to Ferguson's objections and Pogba's unwillingness to lower his demands, the signing of Manchester United's first professional contract with Pogba was shelved indefinitely.

In fact, Pogba is unwilling to lower his requirements, not because he is arrogant, but because he has the initiative in signing negotiations.

Pogba only has a youth team contract with Manchester United, and even this contract only has one year left. This also means that any other team that wants to get Pogba will have to spend almost no money except for a little training fee. In this case , it is normal for Pogba to ask for a higher annual salary.

Manchester United is very passive, because if they do not accept Pogba's salary request, it means losing a talented young man with great potential. This will not only lose a lot of money, but also lose their much-needed midfield backup force.

Of course, there is still time. The two sides are just playing games. A wealthy club like Manchester United is definitely not as attractive to players as ordinary teams. Moreover, Pogba is a youth training player of Manchester United and is very familiar with Manchester United. If Pogba If Gerba stays at Manchester United, neither his teammates nor his technical and tactical play will need to adapt and can be seamlessly connected. Therefore, Manchester United maintains a tough attitude in the hope that Pogba can lower his salary requirements instead of giving up on Pogba.

Pogba has the initiative and is not afraid that Manchester United will not sign with him. After Zhang Qi released the news that Manchester United refused to sign with him, many clubs have contacted Pogba and Zhang Qi, including Manchester City and Chelsea. , Inter Milan and Juventus.

Not only did Manchester United shelve the signing negotiations with Pogba, but before the weekend's Premier League match with Newcastle, Ferguson also did not call up Pogba, who was highly popular among fans, as if he had really been thrown into the cold palace.

Although Pogba refused to compromise, he still loved Manchester United very much from the bottom of his heart. Seeing that Sir Alex Ferguson had not called him into the league squad, he was still a little uneasy. He called his agent Zhang Qi and asked what he should do. ?

Zhang Qi had a premonition of this. With Ferguson's domineering character and tough tactics, if Pogba did not obey his arrangements, he would definitely throw Pogba back to the youth team.

But Zhang Qi didn't care. He calmly told Pogba that either Pogba would sign according to Ferguson's wishes, or he would continue to have a cold war with Manchester United until Manchester United compromised.

Pogba asked worriedly, what if Manchester United doesn't compromise?

Zhang Qi said with a smile: "It depends on what you want. If you want to stay at Manchester United, then lower your salary requirements. If you are unwilling to lower your requirements, just go to another club."

Pogba does not want to lower his salary requirements or go to other clubs, so he can only continue to confront Manchester United.

The match against Newcastle in the 33rd round was relatively easy for Manchester United. They are now 8 points ahead of second-placed Chelsea in the standings, and there are five league rounds ahead. Even if they lose this game, Manchester United still firmly controls the initiative.

But in the game against Newcastle, Ferguson did not rest all the main players. He only gave veterans Giggs, Scholes, Berbatov and Ferdinand a rest. The other main players still started.

Although not all the main players, Manchester United's combat effectiveness should not be underestimated. With Rooney's volley, Manchester United narrowly defeated the Magpies by 1 goal in the away game and continued to maintain an 8-point lead over the second place.

After this round, there are only five rounds left in the league. As long as Manchester United can win three of them, they will win the championship two rounds in advance. If Chelsea and Arsenal do not work hard, Manchester United can win three or more rounds in advance. possible.

After winning Newcastle in the away game, the overall situation of the league has been decided, and Manchester United's focus has completely shifted from the league to the Champions League.

Manchester United will face Schalke 04 in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals in midweek.

Manchester United defeated Schalke 04 5:2 at home in the first round. In this away game, as long as Manchester United does not lose by three goals, they will advance to the semi-finals and compete with the winner of Chelsea VS Bayern for a spot in the final.

Manchester United is obviously stronger than Schalke 04, and has a 3-goal advantage. It is unlikely that they will be upset in the away game, but facing the German team, Manchester United does not dare to be careless at all.

In world football, the German team has always been known for its tenacity. After losing to the German team many times, British star Lineker said this classic saying: Football is a game where 11 people from both sides are sent to play, and in the end the Germans win.

It is conceivable that the Germans will never surrender when they return to their home court. They will definitely do their best to defend their honor and dignity at home.

Because they had played against each other before, Manchester United had studied Schalke 04 very thoroughly before the last match and had practiced offensive tactics many times. In this away game, Ferguson conducted more defensive training.

Before setting off to Gelsenkirchen in the West German state of Germany, veteran Scholes warned his teammates.

"Although we gained a big advantage in the first round, we are not 100% safe. We must be down-to-earth and give our opponents enough respect. After all, Schalke 04 has Raul, Farfan and Neuer in the team. Waiting for many players who have seen big scenes, "They will definitely perform. We have to show the same level as in the first round to ensure we get tickets to the semi-finals."

Scholes' caution is not exaggerated. The British media also reminded Manchester United not to underestimate Schalke 04's combat effectiveness. If Schalke 04 scores a goal in the first half, Manchester United will become very troublesome. Manchester United is the most important. The key is to ensure that they don't concede a goal in the first half. As long as they don't concede a goal in the first half, Manchester United is basically guaranteed to advance.

When analyzing the Champions League quarter-final between Manchester United and Schalke 04, the German media also said that whether a goal can be scored in the first half is the key to determining the fate of Schalke 04. However, the German media are very pessimistic and believe that as long as Manchester United Without making mistakes, Schalke 04 can only rely on a miracle to advance.

However, the Schalke 04 players did not lose confidence in advancing. Before the game, Raul, Neuer, Edu and other players had promised to give Schalke 04 fans a surprise.

Since his transfer to Schalke 04 last summer, the possibility of Raul returning to the Bernabeu as an enemy has been a hot topic. After the draw of the Champions League group stage, Real Madrid and Schalke 04 were placed in different groups. It is believed that Raul has no hope of returning to the Bernabeu because Schalke is not strong enough to qualify from the group.

But I never thought that Schalke 04 would not only qualify from the group, but also reach the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, Schalke 04 and Real Madrid are in different halves. If Raul wants to play against Real Madrid, Real Madrid and Schalke 04 must be able to Both reached the Champions League final.

This is almost the first and perhaps the last opportunity for Raul to become Real Madrid's opponent in his career.

Raul said before the game: "I hope Schalke 04 and Real Madrid can reach the final. Although it is very difficult, Wembley is our goal. We will work hard to play our own football. Manchester United The advantage is huge, but this is not a game without suspense. In fact, as long as we don’t give up, the game will be full of suspense.”

Schalke 04 goalkeeper Neuer also expressed confidence that the task of scoring goals will be left to his teammates and he will keep Manchester United clean. Schalke 04 will give Manchester United a "surprise" at home.

Schalke 04 head coach Rangnick also hopes that fans will not lose confidence and come to support the team. He believes that Raul is very eager to enter the finals. A great player like Raul, if he breaks out to his full potential, can definitely create Any miracle.