Chapter 18 Old Scoundrel

“Do you feel that there is anything different today?”

During a break in training, assistant coach Cesar Valo asked his fitness coach Giovanni Falletti.

Faletti was very surprised and turned to look at the players: “Is the effect so good? Wang just joined the team…”

Valor waved his hands quickly: “I’m not talking about this. I mean, don’t you think the atmosphere of today’s training is weird?”

“Now that you put it that way… it seems to be true.” Falletti reviewed it again and nodded, “But I can’t explain exactly why it’s strange.”

“It’s a feeling that I can’t really describe. But I just feel that the atmosphere is different from the previous training…”

Falletti asked him, “Does this mean anything good?”

“I don’t know whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, anyway… let’s wait and see.” Varo shook his head, then walked to the training ground and blew the whistle loudly.

Training continues.

※※※

The last training item this afternoon was an 11-on-11 match, mainly to test the players’ training results.

Because of Wang Lie’s sudden joining, we can also observe Wang Lie’s game status by the way.

Even though he performed well in the training just now, training and competition are completely different after all.

Many problems can only be exposed during the competition.

Wang Lie hasn’t played a good game in Sofia for half a season – he has only been a substitute in Sofia, and his total playing time is only 342 minutes, and he has not played a full game in any game.

This obviously does not guarantee his game status.

Therefore, Tyne’s coaching staff can also get a general understanding of Wang Lie’s current situation through this intra-team competition.

Generally speaking, the confrontation matches in training are not much different from official matches except for the match time.

You need to fight for the ball in the official game, and you also need to fight for the ball in the training game. If a player does not fight for the ball in the training game, you can’t expect him to fight for the ball in the official game.

Therefore, this kind of intra-team training match is often an important consideration for the head coach to decide who will start in the weekend game.

In addition to the players’ own abilities, their attitude in team games is also crucial.

When the teams were divided for the game, head coach McNeill did not break up all the players of the first team. Instead, he formed one team based on the starting lineup of the previous game, made some minor adjustments, and the other team was mainly composed of substitute players.

They can be simply called the “main team” and the “reserve team”.

As a newcomer to the team, Wang Lie was naturally assigned to the substitute team.

Partnering him up front was none other than Sonny Dean…

Dean played as a substitute in many games this season due to his poor training attitude. After the new head coach McNeill took office, he started two games briefly, then returned to the bench and has not started since then.

Seeing Dean putting on a blue vest, Wang Lie asked him, “Do you want to start, Sonny?”

Dean put on his vest and rolled his eyes at Wang Lie: “No, thank you.”

After saying that, he turned and ran to his seat.

Wang Lie grinned behind him. This must be what some people in China call “rejecting involution”…

But how can I allow you to lie down in front of me, the “King of Rolls”?
※※※

When the substitute team was attacking with the ball, Wang Lie saw a gap behind the main team’s defense line.

But he did not run towards the gap immediately, but turned back to observe the situation of his teammates.

The one holding the ball now is substitute midfielder Joshua Parker.

But he should not be able to see the gap because there are people in front of him.

Then who can see this gap like me?
Wang Lie turned his head to the right, where Sonny Dean was moving to the side. From his position he could see the space behind the main team.

So Wang Lie pointed at Dean and shouted, “Pass it to Dean!”

At the same time, he slowly moved closer to the main team’s defense line and looked for the main central defender Hugo Guendouzi.

Because Gunduzzi is the right center back, when the substitute team transfers the ball to the right, which is the left of the main team, the right center back Gunduzzi will naturally move towards that side, so there is a blind spot behind him.

This is exactly the blind spot that Wang Lie was looking for.

This way, when he was close to the main team’s defense, he wouldn’t be noticed so easily. Then when Sonny Dean passed the ball to the empty space, he could suddenly rush out and catch the main team offside.

As a top superstar who has won two Golden Balls, Wang Lie has enough prestige even though he is a newcomer.

So he asked Parker to pass the ball to Dean, and Parker passed it without hesitation.

That is, at the moment Parker passed the ball, Wang Lie suddenly accelerated, but instead of rushing into the blind spot behind Gunduz, he tried to go around in front of Gunduz!
Gunduz’s eyes were indeed attracted by the moving football, but he kept glancing at Wang Lie from the corner of his eyes. Seeing Wang Lie trying to get around, he immediately accelerated and rushed forward, trying to stick to Wang Lie. At the same time, he reached out to interfere with Wang Lie.

Who would have thought that Wang Lie would suddenly change direction and run behind him just as he started!

Gunduzzi waved his hand and caught nothing, then he realized that he had been deceived.

But it was definitely too late for him to turn around, and he could only watch Wang Lie rush from behind him into the gap behind the entire defense line!

The moment Wang Lie ran past Gunduzzi, he turned his head to the right. His eyes passed Gunduzzi’s shoulder and saw Dean playing one-on-one with left-back Charlie Cohen…

Ok?
One on one?!
Wang Lie then noticed that the ball was still at Dean’s feet. He was trying to get past Cohen instead of transferring the ball to him immediately…

Then he realized he couldn’t get past Cohen, and then he remembered he should pass the ball – he passed the ball back to Parker who was approaching him.

Wang Lie was furious with Dean’s performance. He shouted at Dean: “Why didn’t you pass the ball immediately?!”

He also gestured at his feet to tell Dean where to pass the ball.

Dean argued: “You’re offside!”

Wang Lie repeatedly emphasized: “Pass the ball as soon as possible! As soon as possible!”

Dean ignored him, and it was impossible for Wang Lie to continue arguing with him during the game, so he could only wave his arms vigorously to express his anger.

Head coach McNeill, who witnessed the whole process on the sidelines, also shook his head helplessly.

Dean’s current mentality is very problematic, but he has no better solution – he has talked to Dean before. When he first took office, he had a private talk with Dean once to understand Dean’s thoughts and express his trust and support for him.

After that, Dean’s performance improved for a short period of time.

I also gave Dean two opportunities to start.

It should be said that Dean’s performance was pretty good in his first start. Although he didn’t score any goals or assists, he still played his due role in the team’s overall offensive system.

However, because he had no goals or assists and his statistics were not very impressive, Dean still received some criticism after the game.

Then in the second game he started, he was criticized for missing two chances that were probably sure to score, which led to the team’s failure to win away from home against Leicester.

Tyne, who were still in the relegation zone at the time, really needed those three points.

So Sonny Dean started to play badly again – he was late for training the next day, and when he came, he smelled strongly of alcohol. Not only his teammates in the locker room, but even the coaches on the training ground could smell it.

Sure enough, the media revealed that he was drunk in a nightclub the night before.

In the photos released at the scene, his cheeks were flushed from drinking, his eyes were blurred, one hand was holding a bottle of wine, the other hand was holding a scantily clad blonde beauty, and another woman was lying on his lap…

As punishment, McNeill omitted Sonny Dean from his squad for his third game in charge of Tyne.

But Dean seemed to have completely stopped caring. His daily performance showed no signs of improvement and he still looked nonchalant during training.

Until now…

In fact, Wang Lie’s run just now was very beautiful, without any fault. As long as Dean passed the ball diagonally to him in the first time, it would be a wonderful offside shot.

With Wang Lie’s shooting skills, that kind of one-on-one shot is not difficult for him.

But having said that, even though the attack didn’t pan out, McNeill still saw something positive.

Wang Lie’s explosive power has obviously declined, but his sense of smell within the opponent’s 30-meter area is still sharp, and his running route selection is impeccable.

If you want to let him play, you have to create such opportunities for him, instead of letting him frequently retreat to get the ball and waste energy, and you can’t let him compete directly with the opponent in speed.

He took out his cell phone, turned on the recorder, and recorded everything he observed and thought about. After the training, he sorted it out and formed a systematic written report.

※※※

“Dean, come forward, Dean!”

“Dean! Go get it!”

“Pass the ball, Dean!”

“Catch the ball, Dean!”

“Run! Dean, run!”

“Don’t pass it! Dean! Pass the ball! Pass the ball!”

“That ball just now could have been shot directly into the goal, Dean!”

“Don’t be distracted, Dean!”

“Back on defense, Dean! Go help!”

…The above roars did not come from the team’s head coach McNeill, or assistant coach Cesar Valo, they were all shouted by Wang Lie.

Ever since that unsuccessful attack, Wang Lie suddenly turned into an on-field coach and started a fight with Sonny Dean.

Of course, if Dean did a good job, he would praise him generously: “Well done, Dean!”

“Good shot, Dean! Good shot!”

Sonny Dean couldn’t stand it anymore and shouted to Wang Lie, “Will you shut up?!”

Wang Lie pointed at his mouth and said, “My mouth is on my body, I can shout whenever I want. Besides, who said that I can’t shout during training?”

“You…” Dean was furious because he found that he couldn’t get the upper hand in front of this old rogue.

He couldn’t really rush over and fight with Wang Lie, right?

When he was with Vitini, he only provoked her verbally, but never really did anything…

He’s also not good at fighting.

To be honest, when Dean asked Wang Lie to shut up, the other players were really nervous, fearing that the two of them would fight on the training ground – mainly because they were worried that Wang Lie couldn’t stand it – everyone was ready to step forward to persuade them to stop fighting and pull the two apart.

Fortunately, Dean was not so impulsive and Wang Lie just talked a lot, so everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing Wang Lie constantly calling out Dean on the court, Varro turned to McNeill and said with a smile, “Regardless of how Wang performs in the game, at least he is quite useful in the locker room. This is the first time I’ve seen Dean get so frustrated.”

McNeill said to him: “Now you know why Wang is unpopular? Because everything he does and says is right, but it makes people uncomfortable.”

Varro nodded repeatedly: “I understand. Everything needs the sun to grow, but if the sun is too strong, everyone will complain… Speaking of which, with Wang’s current performance, I don’t think he can play yet. I’m not even talking about his running-in with the team, even his own condition has not adjusted back yet.”

“He will definitely not be able to catch up with the weekend’s game. We’ll see how it goes for next week’s game.”

As the two were talking, Sonny Dean took the ball on the field and cut in from the wing to the middle.

Facing Matej Katic who was trying to steal the ball, he should have passed the ball to Wang Lie who was running behind Katic. However, he chose to continue dribbling the ball sideways and was trapped in a double-team by Katic and the main team midfielder Van Ginkel who was returning to defense.

Although he tried hard to dodge and maneuver between two people and did not actually lose the ball, the chance to make a fatal blow was gone.

In the end, he was knocked down from behind by Katic, and the coach who was acting as the referee gave the substitute team a free kick in the frontcourt.

Wang Lie ran up and picked up the football with his toes, then extended his other hand to Dean, trying to pull him up.

However, Dean did not appreciate it. He got up from the ground and ignored the hand that Wang Lie extended.

Wang Lie didn’t care, but said: “You just carried too much just now. In fact, you can pass the ball to me, and then cut inside, and I can pass the ball back to you, and we can play a wall-to-wall cooperation. What a pity…”

Dean snorted, “I gave it to you, so you might as well shoot it yourself!”

“It’s fine even if I shoot. But it’s more likely that Gunduzzi will come to defend me. If you don’t believe me, ask him… Hey, Gunduzzi!”

Wang Lie actually went to call Hugo Guenduzzi.

Guenduz looked over in confusion, and saw Wang Lie pointing at the spot where he was just now and asked him: “If I catch the ball there, will you come to defend me?”

“Of course I will!” Gunduzzi’s answer almost blurted out, “How can I let you take the ball directly in the middle and face the goal?”

Wang Lie turned around and looked at Dean: “Look. Then you can get into the space behind Gunduzzi, and I’ll pass the ball diagonally to you… one-on-one!”

Wang Lie clapped his hands.

Then he added: “But it’s pretty good that you were able to create a free kick without losing the ball when you were double-teamed. A free kick from this position is a good chance to score.”

After saying that, he stood still at the penalty spot holding the football, looking like he was ready to take on the responsibility.

Sonny Dean couldn’t help but complain behind him: “Tsk, why are you pretending…”

Wang Lie heard it, but ignored him.

After the human wall was set up, he placed the football on the ground and then stepped back.

The whistle blows, run up, kick!

The football flew over the heads of the leaping human wall, turned an arc, and went into the goal!
Goalkeeper Elliot Goetz was in the air, with his arms stretched out, but he couldn’t touch the ball!

“Oh beautiful!”

“Wow! Great shot!”

There were cheers and applause both on and off the training ground.

This was indeed a very high quality direct free kick.

Even people from the main team were cheering, such as Wang Lie’s little fan boy Vitini.

He did not form a human wall at that time, but stayed in front to prepare for a counterattack.

From his perspective, the trajectory of the ball was more obvious. After flying high over the human wall, it fell rapidly – it was not an elevator ball that went straight up and down, but an elevator ball with a slight arc.

If this were put into a formal league, it might even win the best goal of the round.

Now it’s just a goal in a training match.

So Vitini was both happy for Wang Lie and a pity. He really thought that if this ball could appear in a formal match, it would definitely smack the faces of those idiots who ridiculed Wang.

“The good news is that Wang’s free kick ability is still there and has not been lost as his physical function declines!” Varo on the sidelines was very happy.

Wang Lie has scored a total of 69 free kicks in his career so far, making him the player with the most free kick goals among active players. He deserves the title of “free kick master”.

Wang Lie on the field did not celebrate amid the cheers of everyone. Instead, he turned around and looked at Dean and asked him, “What did you just say, Dean?”

Dean was speechless. He didn’t expect that this old scoundrel would actually pretend to be…

He turned and left.

Wang Lie shouted behind him: “You contributed to this goal, Dean! Thank you for the free kick opportunity you created, Dean!”

Upon hearing this, Dean changed from walking to running and escaped at an accelerated speed.

I don’t know why, when Wang Lie first came to the locker room, he dared to take the initiative to provoke him, but now he is a little scared deep down in his heart…

If I can’t afford to offend him, can’t I just hide away?
※※※

The training match is over, and the main team is still better, beating the substitute team 4: 2. If nothing unexpected happens, there should not be much change in the starting lineup of Tyne’s away game against Sedham on Saturday.

Although Wang Lie scored a beautiful direct free kick, his overall performance is still a little far from McNeill’s requirements for playing, and he needs to continue to work hard.

After the training, the players returned to the locker room one after another.

As usual, Wang Lie stayed on the training ground and practiced more.

Vitini did what he said and stayed to practice with Wang Lie.

Training with someone can help you cover more ground than training alone.

After the extra training was over, the two helped each other stretch and relax, and then they packed up and prepared to return to the locker room.

“Wang, actually you don’t have to worry about Dean. Everyone knows that he has given up on himself. It’s totally not worth wasting your time on him. Who knows what he might have scolded you about in the locker room just now!” Vitini kindly reminded Wang Lie while talking about what happened during training.

Wang Lie seemed very calm, not at all as unreasonable as the legend said:
“It’s okay. He can scold me all he wants. I won’t lose a hair. There are so many people who hate me. I’m not afraid of him being one more.”

Vitini admired Wang Lie’s mentality very much: “You are worthy of being the king. I can’t do that. I am always easily irritated…”

Wang Lie was amused: “So you knew it yourself?”

Since Vitini arrived in the Premier League, there has been no shortage of controversies surrounding him.

His looks that were ridiculed, his showy skills, and his temper that always got him into arguments on the court.

At first, everyone felt sorry for him, always being racially discriminated against, but then they came to their senses and thought: Why is it always you who is the one arguing? Is there something wrong with your character?
Vitini does have a character flaw, which is that he cares too much about what others think, so he is easily angered.

Nowadays, in the game, Vitini is particularly vulnerable to being targeted by opponents, who use various small actions to interfere with him, and then provoke him with words, which can make him perform abnormally in the game.

Sometimes he even got a card for arguing with the referee.

This hasn’t happened once or twice.

Vitini felt even more ashamed after being teased by Wang Lie: “Of course I know, but I just can’t control myself. I can’t control myself once I’m on the court… Maybe I’m really too young. I need to experience more before I can be like you…”

Wang Lie interrupted his self-blame and self-praise: “What’s wrong with me? Do you think I am indifferent to fame and disgrace? Have you forgotten how the media criticized me some time ago? ‘Easily impulsive’.”

Vitini: “Huh?”

“It’s right to stay rational, but there’s nothing wrong with being angry, Vitini. Athletes need to have temper and a competitive spirit. If someone spits at you, you can’t just turn your other cheek and let them spit on you. Then why are you playing the game? Just admit defeat when you get on the field. Besides, in a fierce game, adrenaline is soaring. Are you sure you can hold it back?”

Vitini shook his head repeatedly: “I can’t help it, I just can’t help it…”

“So, if you hold back your emotions, you’ll get into trouble. Your problem is that you don’t use these emotions properly. If they irritate you, then you can slap them in the face with dribbling, assists and goals. Why would you argue with them?

“They like to irritate you, so you should use their provocation as motivation, accumulate your anger, and then release it at the critical moment. BOOM! It’s like a bomb.”

Wang Lie clenched his fists and then opened them, making an explosion gesture.

“Treat anger as a source of strength, not a burden. Don’t argue with your opponents, and don’t argue with the referee about who is right or wrong. It’s meaningless. After you score a goal or assist, after you win, as a winner, you can fight back however you want. If they are not satisfied, you can tell them: ‘Not satisfied? Hold it in!'”

Vitini stared blankly at Wang Lie who was talking with great excitement: “Ah?”

(End of this chapter)