Chapter 95 The First Game

Although Wang Lie announced Tyne’s goal to the world through a hotline during the live broadcast of the “Focus News” program, the matter did not actually come to an end.

In other words, Wang Lie’s words are far from being the final word.

On the contrary, he caused even more controversy.

After all, not everyone can be intimidated by his words “We will definitely go to the Champions League next season, just like the Tyne will flow into the sea”…

People who already support and like Wang Lie will of course find his words very domineering.

As for those who disliked Wang Lie and who disliked him anyway, it was impossible for them to change their opinion of him because of this sentence. In fact, they even hated him even more…

The quarrel on the Internet has not stopped and is still going on.

Those who opposed Wang Lie criticized him for doing this just to show off and make himself look capable, but this put the Tyne team in the most dangerous situation.

“…Now with Vitini and Wang’s high-profile publicity, the whole world knows that there is a relegation team that is going to fight for the Champions League qualification. So what do you want those teams ahead of Tyne to think? What do you want those teams that are about to play against Tyne to think? Are they willing to become victims of Wang’s marketing self?”

“No one paid attention to Tyne at first. Even if their goal was really the Champions League, no one knew about it. This would make it much easier for them to achieve their goal. But now the whole world knows about it, and Tyne will be targeted by opponents. This is really unwise! This incident, apart from letting Wang’s fans cheer that their idol is so handsome, is of no benefit to the Tyne club!”

“Wang is just such a person. Not only does he not know how to be grateful, but he also sucks the blood of the whole team and attributes all the efforts of the whole team to himself. Tyne’s promotion from 13th to 7th in the league was all his credit. After reading the comments of those Wang fans, I thought Tyne was just Wang…”

“I think that when Wang called Milne in front of all the live viewers to announce the start of this goal, Tyne’s Champions League goal failed. They have absolutely no chance of winning the Champions League next season! Am I blindly criticizing Wang? Oh, no, of course I’m not. The reason is simple. I admit that Wang has a big heart and ability to withstand pressure beyond ordinary people, so he doesn’t think it’s a big deal to show his ambition in public. But what about his Tyne teammates? You know, this team has always been called ‘mercenaries’! Do you think such a group of mercenaries who were barely put together for money are willing to live under huge pressure like Wang? I’m afraid that at this moment, they already hate Wang in their hearts! Obviously, they have achieved the goal of relegation, and they just need to lie down and relax until the end of the season, and they will get all the salary and bonuses. How great it is. But now because Wang is showing off in front of others, they have to fight for every game… How can this ‘mercenary’ do it?!”

※※※

“I think this statement makes sense. We have already verified the Tyne players’ ability to withstand pressure in the first half of the season.”

Sjosler’s Norwegian head coach Soboki Tobiasson told his coaching team.

In the first half of the season, in the tenth round of the league, Xiuslo challenged Tyne away. The two sides tied 1:1 in the first fifty-five minutes.

In the 2th minute, Tyne’s main center forward Peter Oliver scored a goal and Tyne led 1:.

After taking the lead, Tyne played very conservatively.

As for Xiusro, the lag forced Tobiasson to make a desperate effort and intensify the attack in an attempt to score a goal.

Sure enough, under Xiusiluo’s almost crazy bombardment, Tyne played very passively, as if he didn’t know how to play normally.

They failed to withstand the tremendous pressure in the 82nd minute, and a midfield pass error gave Xiusro the opportunity to equalize the score.

In the end, Xiuslo drew 2:2 with Tyne away.

In fact, if Xiusiluo’s players hadn’t wasted too many opportunities in the final moments, they could have taken away three points from Lize Park in this game.

This shows that the ability of these Tyne players to withstand pressure is really worrying…

The current Tyne lineup has not changed much from that time, so it is unlikely that the same group of people will suddenly have a “big heart”.

“…Wang did this to transfer the pressure to his teammates. I know that Tyne has performed very well during this period, and now we know why they are doing well. But before, they worked hard in secret, and even if they didn’t succeed, they wouldn’t be laughed at by others – we can imagine that if Tyne didn’t qualify for the Champions League in the end, they would be seventh in the league. When the outside world doesn’t know their original real goal, I believe everyone will only praise their outstanding performance this season, and no one will blame them. In this way, they won’t have any pressure. But now…”

Tobiasson shrugged.

“As long as they think about losing the next game, they will face the possibility of mission failure and will be ridiculed, criticized and attacked by everyone… How much pressure will they be under? Besides, how can they not lose in football games? In this case, how much pressure will they be under?”

After analyzing the opponent’s situation for his coaching staff, Tobiasson made a decision:

“So in the weekend’s game, we have to put enough pressure on them from the first minute of the game! Press them in the frontcourt, press them in the midfield, and press them in the backcourt! Press them in every corner of the court! Make them unable to think, unable to calm down, and fall into the fear of losing the ball at any time. As long as we can score first, this game will be won!”

※※※

When Tang Xingmei led her parents and pushed the luggage cart into the VIP lounge they had visited last time, she saw Wang Lie, who had been waiting there, walking towards them with a smile on his face.

“Thanks for your hard work!”

Wang Lie took the luggage cart from his wife and hugged her.

Then he greeted his father-in-law and mother-in-law: “Dad, Mom, are you tired?”

“Not tired, very relaxed.” Father-in-law Tang Lingfeng straightened his chest and looked energetic, as if to show that he was telling the truth.

His mother-in-law Wei Qin was beside him directing him: “You are in good spirits, so go push the cart.”

Tang Lingfeng really wanted to go, but was stopped by Wang Lie: “It’s okay, I can do it.”

Then he turned around and led them out of the lounge.

His car was already parked outside and waiting.

This time he did not ask his agent Clement to come, nor did he find a driver. He drove his SUV by himself and went directly from Northumberland Football City to Newcastle Airport after finishing normal training.

In fact, in his personal life, Wang Lie doesn’t really have the feeling of a superstar. He does a lot of things by himself, unlike some stars who are surrounded by people wherever they go and have a superstar style.

The quality of his food, clothing and other daily necessities is not much higher than that of ordinary people.

The house is bigger because he needs so many rooms to accommodate his equipment, not because he wants to show off.

As for food, he hired a special nutritionist to prepare a daily menu for him, because a good diet is very important for professional players, not because he has too much money to spend.

All of his efforts are just to enable him to focus more on playing better.

“How is it? Are you used to it here?” After getting in the car, mother-in-law Wei Qin started to care about her son-in-law’s life.

Before Wang Lie could answer, his father-in-law Tang Lingfeng spoke for him: “You must be used to it when you ask this question! How can you be in this state if you are not used to it?”

Wei Qin rolled her eyes at her husband and said, “Who asked you?”

While driving, Wang Lie listened to his father-in-law and mother-in-law bickering, then smiled and said, “It’s fine, Mom. But I don’t know if you can get used to it here. I don’t live in Newcastle city, it’s a little far away. Although there’s no problem with life, it’s not lively enough.”

“It’s okay. Isn’t Meimei here? She can take us out to play when the time comes. You don’t have to worry about us. Besides… this time we came mainly to see you. When you were under so much pressure before, we couldn’t help you…”

Hearing his mother-in-law say this, Wang Lie waved his hands and said, “You two being well is the biggest help to me. Seeing that you two are in such good health, I feel relieved.”

Wei Qin nodded: “Your mother is doing well. We went to see her before we came here. She no longer uses a wheelchair and often goes to your aunt’s house to play cards. She is in good spirits.”

Her mother-in-law, Zhou Hong, has been recovering for a long time since she broke her waist and legs last year.

In January this year, he was still in a wheelchair.

I was in a very bad mental state during that period, as if I was worried that I would be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of my life.

The time when she was not doing well physically and mentally coincided with the time when Wang Lie was having a hard time at Sofulian, so she was somewhat worried about her son.

As for the fact that I am now in good spirits and can often go play cards, it is obviously because my son’s performance has improved again…

A son is a barometer of his mother’s character.

But on the other hand, perhaps it was because his mother had recovered that the son could devote himself to football training and games, so it was natural for him to perform well… Wei Qin thought of this and couldn’t help but worry about her son-in-law’s next game. He had said such harsh words, how would it end?

Her husband had secretly analyzed to her that it would be very difficult for Tyne to get fourth place in the league now.

If we lose one or two games, we might lose our chance to qualify for the Champions League.

She knew her son-in-law had a big heart and was able to withstand great pressure, but what about his teammates? Football is a team sport, and it is not possible for the son-in-law to win alone. If his teammates can’t stand the pressure, won’t they fail in the end?

Thinking of this, Wei Qin asked:
“Xiao Lie, what’s the atmosphere like within the team right now? Is it tense?”

“It’s okay, everything feels normal and no one says they are under a lot of pressure.” Wang Lie replied.

“Oh…eh, is it possible that even if they are nervous inside, they won’t say it out loud?” Wei Qin was still worried.

“Whether you are nervous or not, you can actually feel it a little bit through daily training.” Wang Lie explained. “If everyone is under too much pressure, it will be difficult to control their movements during training, which may cause conflicts and quarrels. If the pressure is really too great, everyone can actually feel that the atmosphere is not right. But now I don’t feel that there is anything wrong in the locker room, and I’m not the only one who feels this way, many people don’t feel that the atmosphere is abnormal.”

“Oh, so that’s it…” Wei Qin was relieved. “That’s good, that’s good.”

She seemed to repeat it as if to comfort herself.

Wang Lie knew that his mother-in-law was still worried, so he added: “Besides, don’t we still have me? I can back up the team. As long as I can continue to score goals and give them confidence, they will naturally not be so nervous.”

Tang Lingfeng, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and complained to his wife for making the topic so serious: “You don’t understand football, so don’t worry about it! If Xiaolie thinks it’s okay, then it must be okay!”

Tang Xingmei, who was sitting in the back seat, also grabbed her mother’s hand and comforted her:

“Don’t worry, Mom. Alie is right. Having him here is like having an extra insurance for Tyne. When he first arrived at Tyne, the situation was more complicated and there were more problems. The team was not united at that time. He relied on himself to lead the team to win one game after another, and then he solved all those problems. Now Tyne’s gap to fourth place in the league is nine points less than before, and the team is much more united now. The situation is always better than before, so there is no need to worry.”

Wei Qin actually felt more at ease than before, but she still wanted to fight back at her husband: “What do you mean by ‘worrying about nothing’? Can’t you just be concerned? Didn’t you tell me that it’s very difficult, troublesome, and hard to do?”

Tang Lingfeng was a little embarrassed after being betrayed by his wife. He first secretly glanced at Wang Lie who was driving, and saw that his son-in-law still had a smile on his face and did not show any displeasure. Then he explained: “I am not wrong! It is indeed very difficult and troublesome. It is difficult to do. But it is precisely because of the difficulty that it will be amazing if Xiao Lie can do it!”

“Dad is right. What’s the point of doing something that is not difficult? If you are going to do something, do the hardest one!” Wang Lie smiled and gave his father-in-law an affirmative answer, which made Tang Lingfeng’s proud smile reappear on his face.

He gave a thumbs up and praised his son-in-law: “A real man should be like this!”

※※※

Wei Qin sat on the soft and supportive leather sofa. It was obviously a very comfortable position, but she kept twisting her body, causing her clothes to rub against the leather surface, making a constant creaking sound.

This made her husband Tang Lingfeng a little upset: “Can you sit properly? Why are you twisting around?”

Tang Xingmei came out to persuade her father: “Dad, please stop talking. Mom is just a little nervous…”

“The game hasn’t started yet, what’s there to be nervous about?” Tang Lingfeng muttered.

Wei Qin snorted, “I’m only nervous before the game even starts! If the game was over, I wouldn’t be nervous anymore!”

Two days after they arrived in Newcastle, Tyne faced the first game after Wang Lie made those harsh words:
Away challenge to Xiusiluo.

The match kicks off at 2pm Greenwich Mean Time, which is 10pm in China.

Although it is not the prime time in China, it allows most Chinese fans to watch Wang Lie’s game without having to stay up late – the game ends before midnight, which does not delay everyone’s sleep.

Such an arrangement may have some ulterior motives of the Premier League.

China, with many national team players playing in the Premier League, is an important market for the Premier League. Now China’s top football star Wang Lie is facing an extremely crucial game. So who cares about Wang Lie the most and who wants to watch this game the most?

Of course, it is the Chinese fans thousands of miles away!

So no matter what, we must take care of our parents who provide us with food and clothing!

The fact that the match was not directly scheduled during the prime time of 8pm in China can be regarded as the Premier League being considerate of England’s fans and players. After all, the match kicks off at noon Greenwich Mean Time, and everyone from the players to the local Premier League fans will complain.

※※※

“A relegation team actually wants to go to the Champions League? Are you sure they are not trying to embarrass themselves somewhere else?”

“Attention, Europe! The ‘mercenaries’ are coming!”

“What made Wang have the illusion that a ‘mercenary’ like Tyne could be compared with a top team? How dare he think that Tyne could get into the top four of the league?”

“Let us introduce to you the main players of Tyne: a ‘vampire’ who refused to leave after sucking the blood of the team dry; a ‘traitor’ who announced that he had signed a contract with another team in the middle of the season; a ‘juggler’ who couldn’t control his temper; a ‘coward’ who deserted because he couldn’t bear the pressure of a top team; and a group of ‘rabble’ who might be better at negotiating contracts than playing on the field… If they can really participate in the Champions League next season, then the status of the Champions League will see a cliff-like decline…”

“I know the players of Tyne. They are paid high wages, which are among the highest in the Premier League, but they will never put in an extra pound of effort in the game… They already had a great chance of successfully staying in the league, and their mission this season was accomplished. But now Wang has announced that he wants to go to the Champions League. Who knows how many people support him from the bottom of their hearts? Is he taking everyone’s compliments seriously? Players of Tyne, do you really want to play with this arrogant guy?”

“The players of Tyne have absolutely no sense of honour or shame. They are a disgrace to professional footballers!”

As McNeil read out the social media comments he had collected on his phone, one by one, the visiting team’s locker room was filled with uncontrollable shouting and heavy breathing.

After reading it, McNeill looked at his teammates who were about to explode and said:
“These are the comments on the Internet after we announced our goal to qualify for the Champions League next season. I didn’t deliberately select them, you can see them if you just browse them. It can be said that the vast majority of people are not optimistic about us. Some people have a fixed impression of us in the past, and some are purely malicious and arrogant.”

He spread his hands and shrugged.

“Today is our first match after publicly announcing our goal. The result of this match will determine whether we deserve to be laughed at or the beginning of a legend. Now you have these two paths in front of you, which one will you choose?”

After saying that, he looked at Wang Lie and said, “Captain, do you want to say a few words?”

Wang Lie shook his head: “No need, Boss, you’re right! Just go out there!”

※※※

The stadium stands on the TV screen have been gradually filled up, and at the same time, substitute players from both sides continue to walk out of the aisle and sit on their respective benches.

It was not until the head coaches of both teams appeared in the cameras of the media reporters on the field that everyone knew that the game was about to begin.

Tyne head coach McNeill and Xiuslo head coach Tobiasson shook hands and patted each other on the shoulders in front of the cameras, completed the routine greetings, and returned to their respective coaching seats.

Then came the protagonists of the game – the starting players of both teams.

Soon Wang Lie and his Tyne teammates were the first to appear in the player tunnel.

They came out earlier than the home team players, and while waiting for their opponents, Wang Lie was still encouraging his teammates.

In the TV broadcast, he clapped his hands and shouted in the corridor:
“Let them see us! Brothers! Let them know us again!!”

Vice Captain Elliot Goetz responded positively: “Fight them! Guys! Prove to them that Tyne can do it!!”

The crowd was so excited by their shouting that they clapped and shouted along with him.

“Oooo!!”

So when the players of Xiusro also walked into the tunnel, what they saw was a group of Tyne players who were shouting and going crazy.

They all looked at him with puzzled eyes.

(End of this chapter)