Xiao Yu sat in his office, he opened the opta collection of player data system on the computer, clicked to the Genke team of the Belgian first division club, found Yaya Toure's name, and clicked into the interface.

Yaya Toure has made 18 appearances for Genk this season, scoring one goal and providing three assists, and he has been a solid defender at the back.

He has improved a lot over the course of the season in Belgium, even more so than he did in Ghana, and his footballing talent is even better than that of his brother Kolo Toure, and although he is a defensive midfielder, he is also not bad offensively, and he has been selected for the Ivory Coast national team in September 2001.

This is earlier than Xiao Yu is familiar with, but the trouble that comes is that he was also selected for the Africa Cup of Nations squad for the Ivory Coast national team, along with his brother Kolo Toure.

After turning off the system, Xiao Yu saw two faxes in front of him, which were sent by the Football Associations of Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, and they hoped that the new Manchester United could follow FIFA regulations and let Drogba, Essien and Kolo Toure go back to the Africa Cup of Nations.

"This is undoubtedly going to one of our central axes, damn bastard!" Xiao Yu said with a sigh.

All three players have been entrusted with the new United this season, with Didier Drogba playing a role up front, with Essien having completely overpowered Arau Diarra in midfield, while Kolo Toure replaced Bosingwa as the team's first-choice on the right and he was also the first-choice replacement for Curtis in the middle.

African players are characterized by a high surname price ratio, and at the same time, they are very physical and conscientious on the field, which is the type of player that Xiao Yu and Mourinho both admire, but as the reputation of the new Manchester United continues to rise, they have to face a more important problem, that is, the Africa Cup of Nations.

If all three players go to the Africa Cup of Nations, it is not difficult to imagine the impact on the new Manchester United.

The only good news for Xiao Yu from the Africa Cup of Nations is probably Yaya Toure, if he finishes the Africa Cup of Nations, as long as there are no major problems, then he should be able to meet the labor certification requirements in the summer, and he will be able to come to Manchester.

Knock...... Knock......

"Come in!" Xiao Yu shouted with a headache.

Mourinho pushed the door in, he saw Xiao Yu with a deep brow at first glance, and then saw the fax on his desktop, and couldn't help laughing, he thought that Xiao Yu had encountered some problem again.

"What's the matter, all of a sudden, so anxious?" The win over Brentford put Mourinho in a good mood.

Xiao Yu handed the fax to him, and Mourinho, who was in a good mood just now, suddenly pulled his face down.

"They're robbing!" Mourinho said in an unkind tone.

Xiao Yu didn't deny it, and said with a wry smile: "Yes, they are robbers, what can we do?" ”

The Africa Cup of Nations troubles are not a one-day or two-day affair, even in 2010, the troubles are still there.

FIFA had discussed with the African Football Federation to reschedule the Africa Cup of Nations to June or July, but it was the rainy season in Africa at that time, and they had clearly rejected FIFA's proposal.

And this cup is held every two years, which means that you have to endure this trouble every two years.

The Premier League's winter break is difficult, but when we hit the Africa Cup of Nations after the winter break, it would be even worse, especially for teams with a lot of African players.

The new Manchester United currently have Drogba, Essien and Toure in the first team, but the youth team has Mikel Mikel and another Yaya Toure in the future, and the impact on them will only be greater in the future Africa Cup of Nations, and that's not counting the injuries suffered during the Africa Cup of Nations.

Damn it! Xiao Yu scolded heavily in his heart!

"Can we say no?" Mourinho looked at Xiao Yu with a wry smile, with some hope in his eyes.

But this time, even Xiao Yu himself had no choice, "I don't think even the president of the International Football Association can do it, Jose, but we can think of a compromise!" ”

"Tell me about it!" Mourinho immediately asked with concern.

"The two legs of the League Cup semi-finals are scheduled for January 1 and 15, according to the Africa Cup of Nations schedule, they start on January 19, but the first match in Ivory Coast is on January 22, Ghana is on January 21, according to the rules, they can call up players seven days before the opening of the tournament, we can let them go back a little later, play the League Cup and leave!"

After Mourinho listened, he frequently exclaimed, "Okay, in this way, I am more sure!" ”

"As for the rest, José, I think we can only pray that Ghana and Ivory Coast will go home in the best group stage, so that our players can return as soon as possible!"

According to the schedule, the Africa Cup of Nations schedule is more than a few days a month, and if the new Manchester United wins Tottenham Hotspur, the final will be scheduled for February 24, close to each other, so Xiao Yu will say so.

"Hopefully!" Jose Mourinho was also frustrated.

This is a call-up that no team, not even Real Madrid, can refuse, let alone the new Manchester United.

However, when Xiao Yu and Mourinho mentioned the club's decision to Drogba, they all expressed their support for the club's decision, although it is incumbent on them to fight for their country, they also understand the club's difficulties, especially since they are all taking the club's salary and should take care of the club's interests.

Moreover, the decision of the new Manchester United did not affect the national team competition, let alone let them go a few days later, even if they didn't, they didn't dare to have any complaints.

But Xiao Yu is obviously unwilling to quarrel with the football associations of African countries on this matter, after all, if it really makes trouble, the new Manchester United may not benefit, and maybe it will end up being a person inside and out.

…………

…………

Due to the first leg of the League Cup on January 1, the new Manchester United will face Tottenham Hotspur at home, and the home and away schedule is indeed not good for the new Manchester United, but this is a draw, and no one can change it.

In order to keep the Carabao Cup alive, Mourinho sent seven substitutes in the starting line-up for the away game against Wrexham on December 25, with Olic up front, Ribery and Wright Phillips on the wingers, Juninho Jr., Aarau Diarra and De Rossi in midfield, Abidal, Terry, Chiellini and Bosingwa in the back line from left to right, and Cech in goal.

Since Cech became the main team, Almunia has not been able to regain the main team even after recovering from injury, after all, Cech has previously held a record of 950 consecutive clean sheets, which has made him famous in England, especially Arsenal's pursuit of him.

However, after signing a new five-year contract with the new Manchester United, there were fewer people who seduced him, and the same happened to other players.

The risk of using substitutes on a large scale is that the players do not cooperate well with each other, and Wrexham are deep in the relegation zone and playing at home, and they are determined to win this game, which makes the whole game very difficult.

Thankfully, Petr Cech continued to perform well, defusing the crisis on a number of occasions and ultimately helping the team to secure a 1-1 draw.

…………

…………

Tottenham have been in excellent form in the first half of the league and are currently fourth in the Premier League, very, very close to the Champions League, and manager Glenn Hoddle has repeatedly commented in the media that he wants the team to aim more ambitiously in Europe, with Tottenham appearing in the Champions League next season.

As a player, Hoddle is the pride of Tottenham, and now that he is the manager, he is coming to Tottenham again, and he obviously wants to make a difference, but unexpectedly, in his first season at Tottenham, the big man Campbell went to his rival Arsenal on a free transfer, which made Campbell the Judas in the eyes of Tottenham fans.

Hoddle has brought in a number of players this season, including defender Ziggy from Liverpool, veteran Sheringham from Manchester United, and Chelsea midfielder Poyet, all of whom have done well to help Tottenham finish fourth in the Premier League and reach the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Speaking to the media before the game, Hoddle said that this is a very surprising team and a lot of quality, but their dark horse legend will stop at the last four of the League Cup because they meet Tottenham.

In the eyes of League Two teams, fourth place in the Premier League is an unattainable behemoth, and there is some truth to Hoddle's self-confidence.

However, it was soon revealed in the media that Hoddle privately told his players that Tottenham had drawn a sign that was too good to be good, and that the new Manchester United would be vulnerable compared to Blackburn Rovers against Fulham, and that he hoped his team could end the war in the first leg, rather than waiting for White Hart Lane.

And the new Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho also rarely showed weakness before the game, thinking that Tottenham was very good, and the hope of the new Manchester United winning was very slim, and completely overturned his previous slogan of winning the championship.

But in the new United dressing room before the game, Mourinho, who was at home, read the interview with Hoddle to the players, as well as a video of him being interviewed, in an attempt to stir up emotions among the players.

"I think Mr. Hoddle has probably forgotten that his unbridled mouth made him step down from the England manager's position, I thought he had corrected it, but who knows, it wasn't, I hope we can remind him of that!" Mourinho smiled lightly as he pointed to the TV screen.

The players know his temper very well with his manager, he is very strong but he is very delicate, he can always think of details that no one else can think of, and he always has a way to overcome the enemy he wants to beat and win a game.

The players believe that Mourinho must have gathered quite a fair amount of information about Tottenham Hotspur by the time the new United have come to this point, and one can guess that he must have a way to lead the team to victory as soon as you see him full of confidence.

At this point, before the game, Xiao Yu had already felt Mourinho's confidence, and he knew that this game may have been doomed by now!

;