Actually, if he hadn't really needed players, Zhao Zhao wouldn't have made this trip.
After all, he still had a grudge with Mourinho, and Manchester United's performance last season was very ordinary, so Mourinho's mood was definitely not very good.
Plus, the news of Zhao Zhao recruiting Eva must have reached Mourinho's ears. What good could come from the two of them meeting?
But there was no other way. In business, it's business. Hopefully, the player transfer matters can be resolved properly today.
It was already June, and workaholics like Mourinho and Guardiola had already returned to their respective jobs.
For big teams like Manchester United and Manchester City, some redundant players are cleared out every season, which is a good time to pick up bargains.
Not to mention, Manchester United still had Januzaj, Sunderland's midfield core from last season. Zhao Zhao had to make this trip.
So, Zhao Zhao came to Manchester today to first settle these two "big spenders," and then it wouldn't be too late to fill in the gaps and decide on the next phase of transfer targets!
However, when Zhao Zhao met Mourinho at Manchester United's Carrington training base, he knew that today's task would definitely not be easy to complete.
Mourinho's gaze towards Zhao Zhao was still as hostile as before, and his words were not so polite:
"Tell me, what do you want to get from me this time?"
There was nothing he could do about it.
Just as Chelsea failed to defeat Swansea back then, Mourinho would vent his anger on team doctor Eva. Manchester United's poor performance last season also easily made him angry at Zhao Zhao.
After all, before losing to Sunderland, Manchester United actually had a great chance to compete for a Champions League spot.
Although they were only ranked sixth at that time, they were only four points behind third-placed Liverpool, so they were still completely competitive.
But after that match where Sunderland came from behind to win, Manchester United seemed to lose their spirit.
In the subsequent matches, they drew with weaker teams like Everton and Swansea, and then lost to Arsenal and Tottenham, the North London "brothers." In the end, they were still stuck in sixth place, and the gap with fourth place widened to 7 points.
If Manchester United hadn't won the League Cup, Mourinho would have had a really tough season, and it was even possible for him to be sacked midway through!
Therefore, in Mourinho's eyes, everything stemmed from that match where they lost to Sunderland.
Not to mention, in that match, Zhao Zhao used some "schemes and tricks" to outwit Mourinho before winning!
As an old hand who often uses psychological warfare before and after matches, being pecked in the eye by a rookie like Zhao Zhao that time was truly a loss of face.
It could even be said that if Alonso hadn't been with him...
It's possible that even today's meeting wouldn't have happened, and Zhao Zhao would most likely have been given the cold shoulder!
Since Zhao Zhao was asking for something today, he put Mourinho's attitude aside for a moment and politely said, "Mr. Mourinho, it's like this. Januzaj played exceptionally well for me last season, so I'd like to loan him for another year..."
Mourinho stared at Zhao Zhao with a strange expression and retorted, "How do you know I won't use him?"
Zhao Zhao shrugged, "If you wanted to use him, you wouldn't have loaned him out last season. I know you don't like players of his type; his body is too thin..."
Mourinho again impolitely interrupted Zhao Zhao, glancing at him, "Are you implying that I wouldn't use the same player, but you would?"
"Ahem." Alonso, who was standing by, heard the gunpowder in Mourinho's words and quickly came to mediate, "Coach Zhao doesn't mean that..."
Mourinho waved his hand, his eyes still fixed on Zhao Zhao, "Then what do you mean? Since you like this player, then pay to buy him. Why still loan?"
Zhao Zhao smiled and spoke truthfully, "We Sunderland are just a small club, and our transfer budget isn't much, so I'll be very careful with every penny. Loan if we can, sign for free if we can! Coach Mourinho, you're always at big clubs, so you might not understand our situation. How about we swap?"
Isn't that right?
Mourinho was preparing to bring Lukaku from Everton to Manchester United in the summer window, and that transfer fee alone would reach eighty or ninety million Euros.
And Zhao Zhao's words were a bit joking, meant to lighten the mood.
But he actually had a hidden meaning, which was that Mourinho would also encounter such things in the future.
When Mourinho went to Coach Roma, he only had a few million in transfer budget per season. At that time, he could truly only rely on his reputation to sign players for free to Roma...
In that place, he might truly deeply understand what it means for a poor child to struggle to make a living!
However, Mourinho obviously wouldn't think of this layer, and just "hmph-ed" and said, "I don't know your careful calculations? You must know that Januzaj's contract expires next year, so you want to loan him for another year, and then you can sign him for free next year. Wouldn't that be a profit for you?"
"That's right." Zhao Zhao still honestly confessed, "But his salary isn't low either. We'll help you bear it for a year, and Manchester United will also reduce some burden. At the same time, Januzaj gets to play, and our team's strength is also enhanced. This is a win-win-win situation."
Mourinho was a smart man, so beating around the bush would definitely be useless.
So Zhao Zhao just explained the pros and cons clearly, and then let him make the decision.
But Mourinho still waved his hand, "No loan. If you want Januzaj, you only have one option, and that's to pay to buy him. It won't be very expensive, ten million Euros will do."
Damn it. Zhao Zhao cursed inwardly.
In the normal timeline, Mourinho really did sell Januzaj, who was in his contract year, to Real Sociedad in La Liga for around ten million Euros.
For a young Belgian international, ten million was indeed not expensive, but this was already one-fifth of Zhao Zhao's transfer budget!
Buying Ben White alone had already cost four million, and Sunderland's squad still had several positions that needed strengthening.
If another ten million were to be spent here, then the subsequent transfer operations would definitely be tight.
Of course, there was an even more important reason: Januzaj's future development was not heading towards that of a superstar, so Zhao Zhao was indeed reluctant to spend this money.
In other words, Januzaj's ceiling might not be particularly high.
If it were cheap De Bruyne or Modric, Zhao Zhao would have paid without hesitation. What's ten million compared to that?
"Don't want to pay? Then today's meeting ends here." Mourinho turned his head to Alonso, "Stay and eat together? It's getting late."
Alonso looked at Zhao Zhao, then at Mourinho, unsure what to do.
On one side was his current Coach, on the other was his former mentor, but with these two at such odds, he felt quite uncomfortable caught in the middle.
But Zhao Zhao laughed heartily and stood up directly.
Since even loaning Januzaj couldn't be agreed upon, there was no need to discuss other business.
Zhao Zhao wasn't one to persistently pester. If Plan A didn't work, he would activate Plan B!
And after being rudely rebuffed by Mourinho a few times, Zhao Zhao's temper also flared up.
So he first said to Alonso, "You stay here and eat. I hear Manchester United's cafeteria food is quite good."
Then he turned to Mourinho, revealing an inexplicable smile:
"I know you're afraid that I'll have too strong a squad, and you'll have even less chance of beating me next season. It's okay, I understand."
"But what I want to say is, no matter what kind of players I have then, I will definitely beat you again! I promise!"
With that, Zhao Zhao walked away directly, leaving Mourinho fuming behind him...
-----------------
That evening.
When Zhao Zhao and Guardiola appeared together for dinner at a Chinese restaurant, the atmosphere was much better than during the day.
This was a Beijing-Sichuan restaurant called "Red Pepper" located in Manchester's Chinatown.
Since most of the dishes were Sichuan cuisine, the flavors tended to be rich and salty, but there were also lighter options available, such as braised cabbage with vermicelli and tofu.
However, since he was there for Sichuan food, Zhao Zhao unceremoniously ordered a plate of boiled fish slices.
The ingredients here were fresh fish from the same day and authentic Sichuan red chilies, a Chinese flavor that Zhao Zhao hadn't truly tasted in a long time. Today was a perfect opportunity to feast!
As a Spaniard, Guardiola was not accustomed to eating this.
Fortunately, the restaurant not only offered Sichuan cuisine but also traditional Beijing dishes and Shaanxi snacks, such as Roujiamo.
So Guardiola ordered a Roujiamo, a Peking duck, and a drink, which was enough to get by...
But before they officially started eating, they first had to deal with the enthusiastic people in the restaurant.
After all, everyone knew these two Coaches!
There was no need to mention Guardiola, a world-class Coach and the Manchester City Coach. Who in Manchester didn't know him?
Many of the waiters at the "Red Chili" restaurant were students from Manchester University, and many were even avid football fans.
Even Manchester United fans would temporarily set aside the red and blue rivalry to come up and take a photo with the celebrity Coach!
As for Zhao Zhao...
His popularity might not be high in the city of Manchester, but this was a Chinese restaurant!
There were quite a few Chinese people dining here.
And Zhao Zhao, as the most famous Chinese football Coach in the world, was also very well-known in the Chinese community.
So, many people instantly swarmed over, asking for autographs and commemorative photos.
The two could only smile and fulfill everyone's requests one by one.
Of course, the difference in their fan bases was immediately apparent.
Besides the Chinese favoring Zhao Zhao more, female diners clearly preferred Zhao Zhao as well, with a continuous stream of them coming up to take photos with him.
On Guardiola's side, there were more fans of the uncle and aunt generation.
There was nothing that could be done about this; although Guardiola's appearance could be described as handsome, how could he compare to a young idol like Zhao Zhao?
Liking young handsome men and beautiful women is a commonality among people worldwide...
After finally managing to escape the entanglement of these fans, the two could finally start eating and began to chat.
"Your popularity truly makes me jealous," Guardiola said with a smile. "Especially with the young girls. I saw the looks in those university students' eyes; it felt like they wanted to eat you up!"
"That's because you're hiding your light," Zhao Zhao joked back. "If you still had hair, I believe they would like you too."
"Haha…" Guardiola laughed heartily, then patted his shiny bald head. "I still don't understand why I'm so handsome but lose hair, while you don't?"
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Then, after Guardiola took a bite of his Roujiamo, he eagerly said, "Oh, by the way, I've recently been studying a new formation. Do you think 3-2-4-1 has potential? I feel like it could maximize our attacking power…"
"Holy cow," Zhao Zhao muttered to himself.
This guy is truly a football fanatic; he wants to talk tactics right away!
However, this 3-2-4-1 formation was indeed something Zhao Zhao had seen in his previous life, and it was precisely Guardiola who had deployed it, achieving excellent results.
So, he could indeed offer a few words now.
Since Guardiola brought it up, he might as well show off a bit; at least it could boost Guardiola's favorability, which would only be beneficial for the upcoming mission.
"Actually, I've also considered such a playing style; it should be feasible. Especially when playing against those 'bus parking' teams, using the attacking power of two attacking midfielders + two wingers + a center forward can effectively pry open the opponent's defense."
Hearing Zhao Zhao say this, Guardiola immediately became interested: "You've also researched it? That's great. Have you thought about the specific attacking methods?"
Zhao Zhao pondered for a moment and replied:
"In this playing style, I think the two attacking midfielders should operate in the half-spaces, then the two wingers should stretch the width, and the center forward needs to drop back to link up."
"One of the conventional attacking methods should be for the wingers on both sides to use their individual ability to dribble past players, pass to the attacking midfielders in the half-spaces for a one-two, or for the wingers to look for opportunities to cross or shoot."
"Another way is for the two attacking midfielders and the number nine to combine at the edge of the box, waiting for the right moment to play a through ball to the two onrushing wingers."
"Of course, there are many other small combinations and attacking methods, but overall, it's about dividing the pitch longitudinally into five zones, with a player positioned in each zone. This is a typical five-lane attack."
"Of course, these attacking players must use a high-press tactic, because this formation dictates that seven players will be in the opponent's half during attack—because the two defensive midfielders also need to push up. If possession isn't recovered early, it will be dangerous."
Guardiola thought for a moment, then couldn't help but applaud: "You explained it so well! Although it might make you feel like I'm saying this in hindsight, I really thought the same thing!"
"Isn't that right? I 'copied' all of this from you," Zhao Zhao thought to himself.
"What about defensively? What are your thoughts?" Guardiola asked again. "I haven't used this formation in actual matches because I'm worried about the defense. I haven't found a way to deal with opponents of similar strength. If they play an end-to-end game with me, the defensive pressure of this formation will be immense."
"For that, you need a strong player who can play both as a defensive midfielder and a center-back," Zhao Zhao replied immediately. "Just like David Luiz."
"Oh?" Guardiola thought for a moment again, seemingly understanding quickly. "I see, letting such a player flexibly change positions can allow the entire formation to switch between attack and defense?"
"More or less," Zhao Zhao explained in detail. "In defense, this defensive midfielder can drop back to the center-back position, forming a two-center-back partnership with one of the original center-backs, while the other two original center-backs move one to the left and one to the right, transforming into a four-man defense system to deal with potential winger breakthroughs from the opponent."
Guardiola lightly tapped the table: "Brilliant! At the same time, my two wingers can also drop back to the wide midfielder positions, which then becomes a relatively traditional 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1, and there won't be any problems defensively."
Zhao Zhao laughed heartily: "Congratulations, you're already answering ahead of me!"
"Amazing, truly amazing!" Guardiola looked at Zhao Zhao with even more admiration. "I've been thinking about this formation for a long time and haven't fully figured it out, but when you explain it, it seems so easy to solve. It seems I wasn't wrong about you at all; you really are a genius Coach!"
"Oh, no, you flatter me," Zhao Zhao said modestly.
Guardiola then asked curiously, "But since you've already figured out the key aspects of this formation, why don't you use it yourself?"
"Do I have the players?" Zhao Zhao chuckled. "Do I have a player like David Luiz? I can't even put together two strong attacking midfielders. Well, I can't even get a starting three-man center-back line!"
Guardiola laughed wryly, slapping his bald head hard: "I forgot. If I lack players, I can buy them immediately; for you... it might be a bit more difficult."
"So... that's why I came to see you today," Zhao Zhao's smile widened. "I need your players."
Damn it, it took so long, but I can finally state the real reason I came to see you today!
Guardiola also laughed: "Alright, I knew you weren't just here to discuss tactics with me. Tell me, who do you want?"
Zhao Zhao, however, pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Guardiola: "These are the ones. You decide which ones from the list to give."
Guardiola took it, then looked up at Zhao Zhao in surprise:
"So many?!"