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Chapter 142: Just Treat This as a Champions League Game

Sofia seemed to be encouraged after Vitini wasted a great opportunity.

They suddenly launched a fierce offensive in the last seven or eight minutes of the first half.

One of them even threatened the Tyne goal.

Stanley Harris broke through Barnabas' defense and made a cross. Center forward Richie Weddell who received the ball in front of the goal attracted the attention of Tyne center back Katic, but let the ball slip to the back post, where the French right winger Adel Deget headed the ball!
Goetz turned around and rushed back and waved his hand almost reflexively. The football hit his palm and was lifted over the crossbar!

"Oh! That was close! Sofo United almost scored a goal!"

"Deget! What a shame!"

"Although they are already four goals behind, Sofia have finally found their game feeling again. They don't seem to be sleepwalking anymore..."

"If we could have scored a goal before the end of the first half, it would have definitely boosted Sofia's morale. What a pity!"

De Gert's header was Sofia's best scoring chance in the first half.

Not long after that, the referee blew the whistle to end the first half of the game.

"The first half is over! Tyne leads Sofia United 4:0 at home thanks to Wang's four goals! This was a half that was beyond everyone's expectations before the game! Although everyone guessed that Wang would go all out in this game, many people still didn't expect that he would score four goals in just sixteen minutes and help the team lead 4:0..."

Connor Cowley was just speaking when the TV broadcast tactfully cut to a close-up shot of Wang Lie.

Wang Lie was walking off the field. His face did not show the excitement and joy of scoring four goals. Instead, he had a slight frown on his face and a serious expression.

It was not until he walked to the entrance of the player tunnel and heard the Tyne fans shouting his name that he smiled and raised his hand to greet the fans.

Then he quickly lowered his head and entered the passage.

When he entered the passage, the expression on his face returned to the slightly frowned look he had before.

I don't know if he was dissatisfied with the performance in the first half, or he didn't want to anger the fans of his former club. After all, he scored four goals in the game against his former club...

Except for Wang Lie, all other Tyne players left the field in high spirits.

They pumped their fists in response to the cheers of the fans in the stands.

Or walk into the tunnel chatting and laughing with teammates.

"The players of Tyne are very happy. They certainly have the right to be so happy, because this first half basically let them win the game in advance... Now they are one step closer to the ultimate goal of qualifying for the Champions League! It's still incredible to think about it now, a relegation team is going to win the Champions League qualification!"

※※※

As head coach Sam McNeill walked into the locker room, he saw Wang Lie looking at him.

The two people's eyes met in the air.

McNeill saw the expression on Wang Lie's face, which was completely different from the other players' jubilant expressions.

He suddenly understood what Wang Lie meant by that look.

So he nodded to Wang Lie.

Sure enough, when Wang Lie saw McNeil nod, he withdrew his gaze.

After everyone came back, McNeill closed the door and said to the players, "Wang has something to say."

Hearing this, everyone turned to look at Wang Lie.

However, Wang Lie looked at McNeill in surprise:
He had wanted McNeil to criticize the team's slacking off after they had gone four goals up.

Because these words are only appropriate for the head coach to say.

He thought McNeill nodded to him, indicating that he understood what he meant, but he didn't expect that McNeill thought he had something to say...

Oh, what a fuss!
However, Wang Lie has never been the type to refuse. Since McNeill called his name, he naturally agreed.

Some words coming from him as the captain are certainly not as appropriate as those coming from the head coach.

But it's said, what's the big deal?

So Wang Lie stood up and walked to the middle of the locker room.

Everyone looked at him with excitement and admiration, and some people even whistled at him.

It was obvious that everyone was very satisfied with the first half and was extremely impressed with Wang Lie's performance in the first half.

This was a joyful scene, but what Wang Lie was going to say next was not so pleasant...

If it were someone else, they would probably change their words at the last minute and not mention what they originally wanted to say.

Or you can replace him with someone with high emotional intelligence, who will never mention any criticism, but will just praise the performance of his teammates, and then encourage them to keep up the good work in the second half, not to slack off, and strive to score more goals.

It can be said that everyone is happy.

But Wang Lie did not choose this approach.

Of course, he didn't put on a stern face and pour cold water on his excited teammates.

"First of all, I want to say thank you everyone! Thank you, every one of you is supporting me and helping me..."

Wang Lie placed his hand on his chest and bowed slightly to express his gratitude to his teammates.

"We were able to lead Sofia United by four goals in the first half, which proves one thing, that is, we are really strong. We have defeated Scots and Hackney Knights at home this season, and now we are leading Sofia United by four goals in the first half! These victories are proof! But I also heard that people are saying that even if we qualify for the Champions League next season, it may not be a good thing. Because we have no experience in participating in the Champions League, we will be caught in multiple fronts, resulting in the failure to maintain the most basic league results, and we may even be relegated..."

Hearing Wang Lie say this, Dean complained in his heart:

Is it time to say 'but' next?

I'm already familiar with the routine!

It's just to create an enemy and let everyone "share the same hatred against the enemy"...

While Dean was complaining, Wang Lie continued: "I think those people are right."

what?
Dean stared at Wang Lie with wide eyes.

Not only him, many players in the locker room had the same expression.

Even head coach McNeill.

He didn't expect Wang Lie to say that.

"If we can only stay focused for more than 20 minutes during the game, we are likely to suffer a setback when fighting on multiple fronts. Because our opponents next season will not be the unmotivated Sofia United! Even Sofia United, which had already conceded four goals, almost scored a goal at the end of the first half... What does this mean? It means that we became lax and lost our focus after taking the lead."

Wang Lie looked at everyone. The smiles on their faces were either frozen or fading quickly.

No one expected that after leading by four goals in the first half, they would be criticized...

However, the one who criticized them was Wang Lie, who won four major titles, and it seemed that they could not refute him... What could they refute?

Three of the four goals were scored by him with his own strong personal ability. Although he thanked his teammates for their help, if anyone really thinks that he has made a great contribution, then he is definitely overconfident...

Seeing the expressions of his teammates, Wang Lie knew what they were thinking, so he said, "I know it's a bit harsh and unreasonable to say this when we were leading by four goals at the end of the first half. But believe me, guys. The ball is round, and anything can happen. Don't think you can rest easy just because you're leading by four goals at halftime. Because as long as the opponent scores a goal against us at the beginning of the second half, the situation will be reversed - I'm definitely not exaggerating, you should all know that."

Hearing him say this, some of his teammates began to nod.

Because Wang Lie is right.

Morale and state are dynamic. As long as the opponent scores a goal at the beginning of the second half, even though they are still three goals behind, the morale of both sides will change. As one side gains, the other loses. Sofia becomes more and more confident, while Tyne becomes more cautious because they are worried about losing more goals. Maybe the more you worry about something, the more likely it will happen...

Once they lose their rhythm and their mentality collapses, it is not impossible to lose three goals in a short period of time.

"So I hope everyone will think about why we couldn't score after leading by four goals early on. Is it because we lost our concentration? Is it because our minds were no longer on this game?
"I'm not saying this to blame you, I just want to tell you that as long as the final whistle hasn't sounded, you have to keep fighting, fighting to the end! Don't miss any chance to score a goal!

“In the second half, I hope we can show the same performance we showed in the first 20 minutes of the first half and keep putting pressure on them!

"From now on, this is no longer a game about whether we can qualify for the Champions League, nor is it about the personal grudge between me and Helden. This is a test to see if we are capable of playing in the Champions League. Just treat it as if you are playing in the Champions League, it's that simple."

As he said this, he looked at Vitini.

Initially he planned to talk to Vitini about the goal in the first half during the half-time break, but he changed his mind after head coach McNeil asked him to come out and speak.

While he was speaking, he was constantly observing Vitini's expression, and he realized that Vitini had heard everything he said.

Was it some technical problem that caused the ball to not go in?

Even if Vitini did not directly shoot into the far corner with his right foot, but took one more step and shot with his left foot, would it be a difficult shot?

no!
The only reason Vitini didn't score a goal was because he was distracted, thinking too much and slacking off.

As long as he can concentrate on the game again in the second half, there will be no problem with Vitini's technique and he doesn't need to say anything more.

When Vitini began to take on more responsibilities and found his own goals, Wang Lie felt that he should save face for Vitini in front of his teammates and not scold him casually anymore.

After all, he wouldn't stay in Tyne for long, but Vitini couldn't say for sure - if he really wanted to make Tyne a giant, he might have to dedicate his entire career to this club...

A man who wants to become a Tyne legend cannot be taught a lesson like a little brother by him in front of the whole team.

Of course, if it was in the past, Wang Lie probably wouldn't have thought so much - he wouldn't even wait until the halftime break, and would have yelled at Vitini the first time he had wasted his assist...

※※※

There were only two people in the VIP lounge. One was John Buckle, the owner and chairman of Sofia United Club, who was sitting on the sofa, and sitting opposite him was Jonathan Hall, the general manager of Sofia United Club.

Buckel stroked the cup in his hand and asked Hall opposite him: "Jonathan, I remember you once told me that Wang is past his prime and his personality is not likable. If he stays in the team, he will only become a negative asset to the club..."

Jonathan Hall was very embarrassed and quickly defended himself: "From that time on, it was indeed the case. And that is not just my opinion, sir..."

He's right.

Because before deciding to give up Wang Lie, the club held a meeting. In addition to him, the meeting also included the team's head coach Helden, as well as the sports director, business director... and other responsible persons.

The final result of this meeting was that everyone agreed that Wang Lie could leave.

Such meetings were recorded, and Hall did not lie.

He was indeed the one who made the final decision, but he made the decision only after listening to opinions from all sides.

So when Buckle heard what Hall said, he didn't refute him, but nodded.

Besides, no matter what, Wang Lie is no longer a player of Sofo United, so it is meaningless to dwell on it. Finding someone to be responsible will not allow Wang Lie to return to Sofo United.

He added: "I once said that a manager's job should not be measured by the results of one game, but by the entire season. Do you think I should still stand by that view, Jonathan?"

Jonathan Hall could actually guess what his boss was thinking, but he was still not willing to accept it, so he tactfully reminded his boss: "The season isn't over yet, there's still the Europa League semi-final next week... According to UEFA rules, if we can win the Europa League, we can also qualify for the Champions League next season..."

The boss was reminded, and he clapped his hands and smiled: "You reminded me, Jonathan. Yes, the Europa League is our last chance. It seems that we can't let Helden waste this opportunity again..."

When Hall heard the boss say the first two sentences, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But when he heard this, he suddenly realized what the boss really meant. He immediately raised his head and looked at the boss with a little surprise.

Buckle continued: "...So I decided that after this game, I would let that Swede go."

Hall was panicking. He quickly reminded him, “But sir, if we fire him, we will have to pay him all the salary before the expiration of his contract—unless he finds a new job. And we signed him for three seasons in one go… This will bring a huge financial burden to the club…”

He had previously made this calculation to his boss when Buckle asked him whether to fire Helden.

This is not a small number.

According to the contract, the club pays Heldon an annual salary of 10 million pounds.

If Helden is to be fired, the club, as the party in breach of contract, will have to continue paying his salary. Unless Helden finds a new job, if he stays at home unemployed for two years, Sofia United will have to support him during these two years.

Ten million pounds a year would be twenty million in two years.

After hearing what Hall had said to him, John Buckel no longer mentioned firing Helden.

So Hall thought it would work this time, but unexpectedly, Buckle said firmly: "This will indeed add some burden to the club. But if we continue to fulfill the contract with him, but the team's performance still does not improve? Then we will not only have to bear his high salary, but also have to bear more economic losses due to not being able to enter the Champions League."

"So I think we can actually wait until the Europa League semi-finals before making a decision. If he doesn't lead the team to the Europa League final, then fire him immediately. But if he leads the team to the Europa League final, then wait and see after the Europa League final." Jonathan Hall is still trying to extend Helden's life.

In fact, he knew that it was difficult for him to keep Helden, but he didn't want the boss to fire Helden after today's game, because that would make the outside world think that Wang Lie fired Helden...

This would make Wang Lie the winner in the contest with them.

Hall didn't want to see this result.

Helden can leave, but definitely not because of Wang Lie.

Otherwise people will wonder, will Jonathan Hall be next?
After all, both he and Helden were named by Wang Lie in that open letter, and were on Wang Lie’s “death list”.

Although Jonathan Hall had selfish motives, the reasons he gave were impeccable and well-founded.

The goal of Sofia United this season is to qualify for the Champions League. Now losing to Tyne in the league away game only makes Sofia United's chances of qualifying for the Champions League by relying on the league ranking very slim. But Sofia United can still fight for it through the Europa League.

Even if Helden is to leave, we have to wait until all the games this season are over and see what his results are, and then decide whether he stays or leaves.

Even John Buckel nodded after hearing what his general manager said, as if to express his agreement.

Seeing this, Hall secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But then his breath got stuck in his throat.

Because he heard John Buckle say, "That makes sense, Jonathan. What you said makes sense. If we only lost to Tyne 0:1, 0:2, or even 2:3 today... then I should give Heldon another chance. But after being humiliated by a relegation team, someone has to be held responsible. If it's not Heldon, then is it you, Jonathan?"

Hall looked at his boss's aggressive eyes and beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

He realized that there was no need for him to struggle for Helden anymore, so he immediately nodded and said:

"Sir, you are right. We were completely defeated by Tyne in the first half of this game, which proves that Heldon has lost control of the team. Even if he continues to lead the team in the Europa League semi-finals, I am afraid it will be difficult to win... If we change the coach, maybe it will bring some changes!"

To this answer, John Buckle nodded again in agreement and said no more.

※※※

Sven Helden didn't know that his fate had been decided at halftime, and he still wanted to struggle.

The team's performance in the final moments of the first half gave him hope.

He was yelling at his players in the locker room:

“You showed our courage in the last minute of the first half! As a top club, Sofia has never lacked difficult moments in its history, but we can always climb out of it! This is the ‘foundation of a top club’! This is also Sofia’s fighting spirit! Always pursue victory! Never give up! Believe in yourselves! In the second half, tell those who doubt us and laugh at us - we are Sofia!!”

(End of this chapter)