The strongest blade in football

Chapter 149 Lend a Helping Hand (4500 words chapter)
Wang Nuo stayed at Emilia Clarke's country house for almost two days, enjoying a nearly perfect two-person world.

He has never been so relaxed in recent months, and his body and mind have been well rested and adjusted.

On the afternoon of the 26th, he and Emilia Clarke drove their separate ways, returning to their busy lives and work.

Before departure, Wang Nuo called Mancini, saying that he had fully recovered and could participate in the home game on the 28th.

Mancini's voice was dry, and his reply was, "We'll see the situation tomorrow."

To be honest, Wang Nuo thinks that the boss is very good in many aspects, but sometimes he is too indifferent to the players.

If it was Coach Boloni, he would definitely care about the players on the phone and make people feel a little warm.

Of course, the difference in style between the two is one aspect, and the occurrence of this situation has a lot to do with the attributes of the club.

Standard Liege relies more on its own youth training to produce blood. Many players have grown up little by little, while the owner of Manchester City has a lot of money in his hand, and almost all of them are bought with strong immediate combat power.

Every position in Manchester City reserves strong talents, and the huge competition makes Wang Nuo cherish every opportunity.

Wang Nuo also enjoys this kind of competition. The football here is more exciting. Playing in the Premier League has made him addicted. The games here are very intensive and occupy his life.

Apart from sleeping 24 hours a day, what Wang Nuo thinks most about is football.

Wang Nuo can't live without football. Sometimes he hangs out at home and dribbles the ball as he walks from one room to another.

When he was talking on the phone or sitting in a chair, he couldn't stop, always juggling the ball with his feet.

Wang Nuo has a wish, that is, like many teammates, to have a small private court of his own.

Wang Nuo still has a lot of expectations and fantasies, such as helping Manchester City win the next game, winning the Premier League or cup championship, and even playing here for a long time, and being forever remembered like Manchester City legend Colin Bell.

Therefore, for the team's home game against Aston Villa on December 12, Wang Nuo didn't want to be excluded from the squad because he missed his return due to illness.

Two days with Emilia Clarke was already the limit, he couldn't "disappear" for too long, otherwise the media might make up some shocking news.

Even so, when he drove back to his home in Manchester, he was confronted by several hunkered down journalists.

These guys are really too dedicated, shouldn't they go shopping in major shopping malls during a crazy shopping festival like the Ritual Festival?
Or go to the stadium to report on the "Festival Game"!

Wang Nuo stepped on the brake lightly and rolled down the window.

"Happy holidays, Wang, you haven't been at home these two days, have you? Is there anything you can share with you?"

"Will you play against Aston Villa in the 20th round of the league?"

"..."

Although they seemed annoying sometimes, Wang Nuo dealt with them politely for 2 minutes before parking the car in the garage.

This is a practice. In the UK, there are always only two ways to deal with tabloid reporters. One is to leave room for each other, and the other is to confront each other.

In the UK, the top five best-selling newspapers are all dominated by "low-taste" tabloids, and the vast majority of the paparazzi who provide information are freelance "independent journalists".

It is no exaggeration to say that if you find 8 people on Manchester Street and ask them what they do, at least one will say that they are in the media.

Entertainment news is very popular here, and there are various methods behind their digging out "big news".

So Wang Nuo simply stopped and had a brief chat with them, lest these guys become angry and do something else after squatting to no avail. After all, their behavior is often questioned.

The few people squatting around Wang Nuo's house also looked pitiful, only one person was different.

His name is Branson, and he has dealt with Wang Nuo many times. He is a reporter for the local "Extreme Evening News" in Manchester. He has been hanging around Wang Nuo for the past few months.

He's an amazing guy who goes to great lengths to get interviews, but never goes out of his way.

Once, Wang Nuo went to play an away game, and when he came back, he found that the flower garden had been trimmed beautifully, and the ground around the room had also been swept.

Just as he was wondering who did it, Branson showed up with a broom in hand and a small bag.

Also, the last time Wang Nuo brought his teammates to eat at home, Branson got the news from nowhere and delivered a box of non-alcoholic fruit wine that was said to be from his hometown, and then left after taking two photos.

He does his best to get closer to his goals, but he seems to be principled and not offensive.

It was only later that Wang Nuo found out that he was well-known in Manchester. He was an outlier among journalists, and he was very principled in his work.

Branson is the kind of person Wang Nuo is willing to exchange views with. He left Branson's phone number. He feels that Branson has his own clear views on the football industry, not just staring at lace news.

Sometimes Wang Nuo would talk to him a few more words, talk about his views on life and games, and occasionally open his heart.

But his and Emilia Clarke's affairs were completely kept secret, and even Emilia Clarke's family and friends were kept in the dark.

Every little thing that happened to the two of them could make tabloid headlines, and Wang Nuo didn't want to be remembered by the paparazzi every day.

But today, Branson was a little weird, with a mysterious expression on his face, and he slipped a note to Wang Nuo.

After Wang Nuo got home, he opened it and saw that it read——

"Something went wrong with Balotelli's party, hope you're okay."

Balotelli's Christmas party yesterday morning?What's wrong?

Wang Nuo did not expect such content on the note, he was a little curious, it seems that Branson knew something.

Wang Nuo thought to himself, this guy hasn't seen me for the past two days, so he must think that I also attended the party. In fact, I didn't go, so what's so scary?

Therefore, Wang Nuo didn't take it seriously at all.

He found something to eat in the refrigerator to fill his stomach, and then responded to a series of messages.

His other phone was so full of holiday texts and missed calls that it was about to explode.

After finishing the matter, Wang Nuo stayed at home and watched the team's game video this afternoon while riding a bicycle.

Newcastle United used to be a strong team, but they have just been promoted from the British Championship and they are obviously not Manchester City's opponents now.

Without Wang Nuo, Manchester City played very well, leading 5-2 in the first 0 minutes, scored by Barry and Carlos Tevez.

Although Carroll of Newcastle United scored a goal in the 72nd minute, Tevez scored another goal nine minutes before the end to help Manchester City seal the victory.

In the end, Manchester City beat Newcastle United 3-1.

At the same time, Manchester City has also successfully consolidated its top position.

This game was completely Tevez's personal show. After a quiet game against Everton, he surrendered 2 goals and 1 assist. What a scary guy!

Wang Nuo was so envious, he could only click his tongue.

In the Premier League alone, Carlos Tevez scored 19 goals in 12 rounds, not including two rests!
Wang Nuo remembers that after the match against Everton, Carlos Tevez complained in the locker room that he did not get enough midfield support, and that he had to score at least one goal to win the Premier League's top scorer of the year.

Unexpectedly, in a blink of an eye, he scored two directly, leaving Drogba and Rooney far away.

Now Tevez should rest assured, right?It's impossible to play again the day after tomorrow.

Tevez's rest also means that Wang Nuo has more opportunities.

Wang Nuo also paid special attention to Balotelli, who came off the bench in 85 minutes. The Italian on the field seemed absent-minded. He touched the ball less than twice in seven to eight minutes, and made one tackle foul.

After the game, "Sky Sports" scored 8 points for Carlos Tevez, and the evaluation was: hard work and outstanding performance.

Balotelli only has the lowest 6 points in the team. His evaluation is: the time is very short and he has no sense of presence.

Maybe something happened to Balotelli.

The next morning, there was no training session scheduled, but Mancini didn't let the players idle. He gathered everyone for a theoretical and tactical lesson.

曼奇尼在磁吸战术板上，以433对442、433对433阵型为例，讲了四10分钟左右。

He explained it in Italian, and then David Pratt translated it. The content was mainly about the offensive changes of Mancini's new research on the 433 formation.

The players present are all veterans. Everyone can understand some of Mancini's ideas of forming a local numerical advantage, so they are not so serious.

The 451 used by Mancini in the league is actually the 433 that emphasizes midfield control. Today's tactical class, Wang Nuo guessed that it should have something to do with the winter transfer striker reinforcement.

If the high center Dzeko comes, the tactical system will definitely change, and Mancini may learn from Wolfsburg's striker combination last year.

After all, the Wolfsburg double-forward team composed of Dzeko and Grafitt was brilliant in the first half of last year, breaking the Bundesliga striker record of 53 goals held by the predecessors Muller and Hoeness in a single season.

If the boss puts more emphasis on offense in the future, it will be good news for Wang Nuo, and also for Balotelli.

They won't have to just share playing time with Carlos Tevez and the future Dzeko.

Wang Nuo turned his head and glanced at Balotelli by the way. He seemed to be staring at the tactical board in a daze without blinking his eyes.

Finally, the boring tactics class is over.

Wang Nuo was going to find Mancini, but a hand grabbed his arm. Balotelli, who was still in a daze just now, pulled him to a hidden corner.

"What's the matter, man?"

Wang Nuo pretended not to know anything.

"I'm in trouble." The heartless Italian rarely showed a distressed expression.

"Oh? Really? What's the matter?"

Balotelli looked around twice, and after making sure there was no one there, he pulled Wang Nuo into the corner again, "Do you still remember the Christmas party I told you about?"

"Of course, what happened?" Wang Nuo asked.

"You guessed it! A lot of beautiful girls came to the party yesterday, the most beautiful girls in Manchester came, we had a good time, then, I met a girl, she said her name was Esmeralda, we saw it right Look, there is a big bedroom upstairs, we had two drinks and then went up." Balotelli started rambling.

"Get to the point!" Wang Nuo interrupted some detailed descriptions.

"Okay... We were upstairs in the bedroom. After a while, we heard noise on the stairs, and then a man broke into the door!"

"and then?"

"The man said he was Esmeralda's brother, and he had a mobile phone in his hand and took several photos!"

Balotte patted his forehead heavily with his palm, looking very remorseful.

"I didn't know she was only 16, she looked more like 26! Now, his brother is asking me for 30 pounds, or I will give the photo to the media!"

Balotelli looked bewildered.

Wang Nuo was speechless when he heard this. It turned out that Balotelli took the initiative to tell him about such a bloody thing, and he must want to give him an idea.

After all, Wang Nuo is almost his best friend.

"What do you think I should do? 30! Not a small amount, I can change to a Ferrari." Balotelli said.

If it was placed on someone else, Wang Nuo would definitely shake his head and leave, but for Balotelli, Wang Nuo could only sigh and put forward some ideas of his own.

"Want to hear my opinion?" Wang Nuo asked.

Balotelli stared at the big innocent eyes and nodded repeatedly.

"Well, I don't know what the situation is like, so I can only suggest a few things that I don't think are quite right based on your description," Wang Nuo said.

I have to say that there are a lot of slots in Balotelli's story.

Wang Nuo sorted out his thoughts, looked at Balotelli who was staring at him eagerly, and said——

"First of all, all of this should have been planned in advance, otherwise her brother wouldn't have appeared right away, taking pictures with his mobile phone in his hand, you would have guessed that, right?"

Balotelli nodded thoughtfully.

"Secondly, that man doesn't have to be her brother, otherwise you wouldn't have such a clean face today, at least you would have received a few punches, right?"

Balotelli suddenly realized, and nodded again.

"Third, I don't know what she looks like, but since you said she looks more like 26 years old, then be confident, your judgment is correct, the age is also fake, including the name, Esmeralda? Ha, you Haven't seen "Notre Dame de Paris"?"

Balotelli grows his mouth and looks incredible.

"Also, the biggest doubt! Why didn't they ask you to pay on the spot?" Wang Nuo asked.

"I don't know, maybe it's because they want to give me some time to raise money?" Balotelli said uncertainly.

"No, they didn't make a big fuss at the scene. Obviously, an important reason is that once they make a big fuss, they are suspected of fraud. Not only can they not get money, but they have to go to jail instead." IQ regrets.

"Does everyone at the party know about this?" Wang Nuo asked.

Balotelli recalled a moment and said, "No one knows, except for my buddy who had a quarrel with that man on the corridor, and everyone else is downstairs. At most, they thought it was something unpleasant."

After listening to Wang Nuo's analysis, he looked much better than before.

"So, I think it's a poorly executed scam."

"I suggest that you don't give them a dime, let them go ahead and sue, this kind of thing, once you give the money, the first time, you will give more and more in the future!"

"But I'm still worried...in case she really..." Balotelli hesitated again.

Wang Nuo was also a little depressed when he saw the talented young man who was supposed to be galloping on the court, entangled in such a mess.

Suddenly, Wang Nuo remembered the note in the morning, and remembered some of Branson's qualities.

"If you have concerns about this, then you have to find a way to investigate the details of the two people who blackmailed you... I know someone who may be able to help you."

"However, I have to remind you that your reputation may be damaged, but it is better than being blackmailed. Also, this is just my personal suggestion. The choice of what to do is up to you!"

Balotelli looked at Wang Nuo, like a child who did something stupid, as if Wang Nuo was his only savior.

"I listen to you. I think what you say is right. I will do as you say. Yes, damn it. If this matter can be settled, I will listen to you in everything in the future!"

Sighing inwardly, Wang Nuo found Branson's number from his phone and asked Balotelli to write it down.

"You should contact him and see if he can investigate the details of those two people."

"Besides, I don't want to be your big brother or anything. I just want to advise you to be more careful next time."

"Also, focus on the field, we are football players, playing well is the most important thing."

Wang Nuo saw Balotelli nodding his head seriously, but he didn't know what he was thinking.

He patted Balotelli on the shoulder and went to find Mancini.

He has more important things to do, and that is to strive for more opportunities to appear on the stage!
Carlos Tevez has a rest, and Wang Nuo doesn't want to miss the game against Aston Villa.

(End of this chapter)