Reverse.

Chapter 47: Facing the Sharks
"Today's training was better than I thought..." Offensive coach Finley Hughes said to his colleagues as he packed up after training. "I thought the insider incident would affect the players' performance in training. The result... was beyond my expectation."

Assistant coach Cesar Valo said: "This should be the captains of the team. No matter what method they used, they did succeed in calming the team..."

"No, it's not just about comforting," head coach Sam McNeill disagreed. "It's also about motivation. Don't you feel that the players are more focused and engaged in training than ever before?"

"Hmm..." Varro thought about it carefully, then nodded in agreement. "You're right, Sam."

"Comfort...motivate..." Physical trainer Giovanni Falletti repeated these two words over and over again, and after tasting the meaning, he nodded in agreement.

"Wang is not good at comforting, so he must have used some method to motivate the players." Varro turned his head and looked at McNeill, "You said this morning that he was an incompetent captain."

"He is indeed incompetent as a captain when it comes to those trivial matters. But if we only look at the leadership role of the captain, then I'm afraid no one is more suitable than him." McNeill explained. "That's why I agree that Goetz should give the captain's armband to Wang, but still let Goetz be the second captain. Goetz and Charlie and others have to do the specific things."

"I understand. Wang is the chairman, and Goetz and the others are the managers."

"Ha, that's about it."

Looking at Wang Lie and Vitini who were going to stay on the field to continue training, Varo said, "I'm suddenly very glad that the media broke the news last night instead of yesterday morning..."

"Why?" someone asked.

"Because this way, neither Sam nor the players will have to face the bombardment of media reporters at the routine midweek press conference in the afternoon."

Everyone suddenly realized and then showed expressions of relief.

In their minds, those reporters had automatically been replaced by a group of sharks that were agitated by the smell of blood.

※※※

Another coach who had the same idea as the others was Sonny Dean.

The road from the training ground to the locker room is actually not long - after all, the locker room is right next to the first team training ground. Go around the barbed wire, go out from the special exit, and walk a short distance along the outer wall of the main building, and you will enter the passage leading to the locker room.

Normally, the whole walk will not take more than three minutes.

In the past, when the team finished training, Dean was always the first to leave the training ground and one of the first few to leave the locker room.

But today, it was such a short distance and he took so long walking that it took him less than five minutes to get there.

And when he was about to reach the door, he suddenly changed direction and turned back, almost bumping into Gunduzzi who was following behind him.

"Hey, be careful!" Gunduzzi asked him after dodging, "Where are you going, Sonny!"

Sonny Dean didn't answer him. He just lowered his head and hurried out of the passage and turned left.

That was the direction of the training ground, where they came from.

"Did you forget to take something?" Barnabas, who was beside Gunduz, guessed.

Guenduzzi shrugged and walked into the locker room.

It's not something to be concerned about.

But soon Joshua Parker walked in with a look of horror on his face, and shouted: "Guess what I just saw?!"

"It can't be a girl running naked on the training ground, right?" Gunduzzi said casually.

"No, it's scarier than that!" Parker's eyes widened, as if he had seen a ghost. "I saw Dean walk into the physical training center! He's doing extra training! Guys! Sonny Dean, he's actually doing extra training!"

As soon as these words were spoken, there were exclamations in the locker room.

"Oh God..." Barnabas raised his hand and made the sign of the cross on his chest.

Tommy Biggins was shocked and cursed: "Fucking Jesus! This is not true! You must be seeing things, Joshua!"

Parker raised his hands and swore to the sky: "I swear I am not lying, otherwise let me go out and be struck by lightning!"

"Oh, damn!" Hugo Gunduzzi recalled the moment when Dean suddenly turned back and almost bumped into him. If he had firmly grasped Dean's hand and not let him leave, and had to ask for clarification... then wouldn't he be the one who discovered this explosive news?

He held his head in his hands, feeling very upset, and felt that he had missed a great deal of fun...

After the initial shock, everyone began to speculate enthusiastically about why Dean suddenly changed his personality and took the initiative to practice more.

"I think he was probably provoked by Wang's words!"

"Don't be ridiculous. I admit that I was quite excited by Wang's words, but during the training, Dean's performance was nothing out of the ordinary."

"Dean suddenly practiced more, maybe to prove that he is not a traitor? After all, practicing more proves that he also wants to win..."

While everyone was having a heated discussion, Hugo Guenduzzi quietly took off his casual clothes, changed back into training clothes, and walked straight out of the locker room.

Barnabas was the first to notice his abnormality and asked, "Hugo! What are you going to do?"

Without even turning his head, Gunduzzi replied with a tremor of excitement: "I'll go practice more too!"

A group of people in the locker room looked at each other.

※※※

In the huge physical training center, Sonny Dean is the only one there.

He sat on the spinning bike but didn't start exercising.

Just sitting.

After all, he didn't really want to practice more, he just didn't want to leave the training base so early.

Because he knew that there would definitely be a lot of media reporters and fans blocking outside the base at this time.

As one of the parties involved in both conflicts, he knew that if he dared to go out, he would immediately be swallowed, drowned and torn to pieces by the group of "sharks".

For the first time, he felt that the team base, a physical training center filled with training equipment, was so lovely and was his safe haven - he couldn't go to the training ground because Vitini and Wang Lie were there, and he didn't want to be alone with them under such circumstances.

The only problem is, as someone who never practices extra, will his teammates be suspicious if he suddenly starts practicing extra?

Will they guess the real reason why I’m hiding in the physical training center?

Oh, it's so boring that I can't even play with my phone...

Why can’t I play with my phone?

Of course, it was because there were probably a lot of messages and comments cursing him on the Internet at that time, and he didn’t want to make himself unhappy.

Just as Dean was daydreaming, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the physical training center.

Dean was a little panicked - no way? Someone else needs to practice extra?
He hurriedly turned on the machine and began to pedal in a pretentious manner.

At the same time, footsteps came in.

Hugo Gunduzzi's voice sounded behind him: "Oh, what a coincidence! Sonny, you are also practicing?"

Dean looked back at this famous "funny guy" in the team, and suddenly felt overwhelmed. He knew that he couldn't fool people so easily today...

He had no choice but to pretend to focus on training and nodded: "Yeah."

But Gunduzzi would not let him go easily. He walked over to him, opened a spinning bike, got on it, and chatted with him while pedaling: "It's really unexpected. I didn't expect that you would do extra training for yourself... Were you also moved by Wang's words? I tell you, I felt my blood boiling when I heard it!"

Dean wanted to ignore the Frenchman, but if he didn't speak up, the rumor that he was "moved by Wang's words" would spread throughout the locker room tomorrow...

Between being "impressed by Wang Lie" and breaking his own inherent personality, Dean decisively chose the latter.

He slowed down his pedaling pace and corrected Gunduzzi's statement: "It has nothing to do with Wang. I just want to practice more for myself."

Unexpectedly, Gunduzzi was not unhappy at all about being rejected. Instead, he nodded with a smile: "Yes, yes, it has nothing to do with the king. I understand!"

Although he agreed with what he said, Dean knew that he didn't mean it at all.

But I couldn't continue to explain, because with Gunduzzi's preconceived position, the more I explained, the less clear it became. Explanation is just covering up...

He could only lower his head and pedal hard, as if he wanted to vent all his anger towards Wang, Gunduz, the reporters outside the base, and the damn whistleblower on the spinning bike.

Gunduzzi originally came to see Dean for fun, but when Dean ignored him and started training seriously and attentively, he became a little uncomfortable...

If I just leave, will I look stupid?

And if I didn't leave, it would be pretty stupid to just stand there and watch Dean train...

Forget it, forget it, I’m already here!

Gunduzzi also began to practice seriously.

Soon after, a few more people who liked to watch the fun came over. When they saw that Dean and Gunduz were actually practicing seriously without saying a word, they looked at each other in surprise.

what is this?
Are they really here for extra practice?
Gunduzzi saw the people at the door and immediately regained his spirits. He waved and shouted to them, "Are you here for extra practice as well? Oh, that's great! Come on! Even Dean is working hard. Are you not as good as him?"

Dean almost got a stitch in his side while pedaling his bike - damn it! What do you mean you are not even as good as me? !
He got off the spinning bike with a gloomy face and walked aside to practice upper body strength.

Gunduzzi signaled to the stunned people: "Look, even Dean's fighting spirit is burning!"

The few people who were still hesitating before, after hearing what he said, and seeing that Dean was actually going to practice more, they felt embarrassed to turn around and leave... Otherwise, wouldn't everyone know that they were just here to watch the fun?
So they were forced to stay and practice seriously like the first two.

Seeing this, Gunduz cheered everyone on: "Well done! The united Tyne can definitely defeat the Scouse!"

Listening to Gunduz's shouting, several people wanted him to shut up, and at the same time they kept muttering:
What are we here for?

※※※

When Joshua Parker drove out of the training base gate, he was frightened by the dense crowds of reporters and fans on both sides of the road.

The road was originally quite spacious, but because of all these people, it was now only wide enough for one car to pass...

As a Tyne player, when had Parker ever seen such a scene?

"Hell..."

He suddenly understood why Sonny Dean, who never practiced extra for himself, was doing it abnormally.

He himself felt a little regretful - he should have followed those people to watch the fun.

Is it too late to reverse back now?
He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the gate of the training base slowly closing behind him...

The reporters did not give Parker a chance to regret. When they saw his car driving out, they immediately surrounded him and pointed microphones, mobile phones, recorders and cameras at him.

"Excuse me, Parker! Is the internal strife true?"

"Parker, explain it to me! What's the conflict between Wang and Dean about?!"

"Parker! Parker! What do the Tyne team think about the rumors of internal strife?" "Parker! Will this matter affect your game with the Scouse people?!"

"Did the king say anything to you?"

"Why would Dean be upset with the king? What's their feud?"

……

Parker could only slowly move the car forward while waving his hands repeatedly: "I don't know. I can't comment. I don't know. Sorry, sorry, sorry, I can't say. Please make way..."

Are you kidding me? How can I tell you media what happens in our locker room?

I don’t want to be considered the “ghost”!
※※※

"I go first."

Wang Lie's decision surprised Vitini a little - he thought today's extra training would last longer than usual.

Because everyone knows that there must be a lot of reporters waiting outside the training base.

He thought Wang Lie would stay in the base for a while longer and would not leave until most of the reporters had left.

Who would have thought that Wang Lie would do the opposite and end the extra training early.

Wang Lie continued, "You can continue to practice. Don't worry about me, and don't rush back."

Vitini was even more puzzled and had to remind his idol: "There are reporters outside now..."

"What should we do? Are we all going to stop going home if they block us outside?"

After Wang Lie finished speaking, he really ended the training early and turned to leave the training ground.

※※※

"Today, fewer Tyne players came out than usual, and they came out later than usual..."

Reporters waiting outside the training base chatted and exchanged ideas while waiting.

In addition to Joshua Parker, they also waited for several Tyne players one after another, but they didn't know if there was a gag order within the team. Anyway, no matter who they asked, either they knew nothing like Parker, or they simply closed the car windows, had a serious expression, and drove forward without saying a word.

This made the reporters present very unhappy.

"Of course they are scared. This means they have something to hide. The internal conflict is probably true!"

"Hey, if we don't leave, won't they just stay overnight in the base?"

"Ha! How is that possible?! But it's funny to think about it. He's actually so afraid of the media..."

"Alas, Tyne is a small team after all, and the people here have never seen the world... It's okay, the king is here, and they will experience this kind of scene often in the future..."

Reporters are talking about it, and fans are talking about it too.

"Damn it, these damn reporters! It's all because of them that we can't even get autographs or take photos with them!"

"It's not their fault, it's mainly because the news was too explosive... Hey, do you think the news is true or false?"

"I'm not surprised at all that Dean and Vitini are in conflict. They never get along. But the conflict between Wang and Dean is harder to say..."

"According to the report, the conflict between Wang and Dean happened before our match against Hurlingham. I think that's nonsense. If they were already fighting, why did we win the game?"

"It's hard to say. Do you remember that after Dean came on as a substitute, he didn't have any decent performance except for one decent escape. Maybe he was really affected by the conflict..."

"Oh! Who cares if it's true or not! Didn't we win the last two games? As long as we can win, what does it matter if there's internal strife or not?"

Just as everyone was talking, the gate of Northumberland Football City slowly opened again.

Attracted everyone's attention.

Everyone looked over and found that the car that came out this time was Wang Lie's Chinese brand new energy SUV that he endorsed!

Wang Lie is here!

The protagonist appears!

The crowd got agitated, and both reporters and fans were scrambling to get forward.

Wang Lie also stopped in front of the crowd - he stopped completely, instead of slowly squeezing forward.

Then he opened the car window and said to the reporters who were rushing over: "If you want to ask questions, stand aside and don't block me from signing autographs for the fans!"

A reporter obviously hesitated after hearing this, as if considering whether to obey him or not. However, the hesitant reporter was quickly pushed aside by his colleague next to him: "Listen to him!"

Perhaps thinking of various previous experiences, the hesitant reporters finally did not squeeze back and gave the best seats in front of the car window to the fans.

The fans cheered and came up to Wang Lie to ask for autographs and take photos, and did not forget to scold the reporter:
"You are just trying to attract attention! Shame on you!"

“You only care about traffic!”

The reporters were speechless and had no way to argue with the fans.

They could only watch as Wang Lie satisfied the fans' requests for autographs and photos one by one, and kept asking questions in between his autographs and photos:

"Wang, is the internal strife true?"

"It's fake. There was no internal conflict." Wang Lie answered very straightforwardly, and his decisiveness made people know that he was not telling the truth...

"But Dadomo said he had evidence..."

"Then let him release the evidence. This will allow us to see who leaked the information."

Wang Lie is not afraid of being slapped in the face by evidence, and if he can expose the traitor, he will also gain.

"How's your relationship with Dean?"

"Dean and I are not friends, but we have a normal relationship. We are teammates."

"What about the conflict between Vitini and Dean?"

Wang Lie said a little more when answering this question. After all, he had to speak for Vitini:

"I don't know about the feud between the two of them, as I've only been here for less than a month. But I think there are so many people in the team, who can guarantee that everyone has a good relationship and there are no conflicts? When I was at Sofia, the locker room was not so harmonious. I think if there is any problem, timely communication is the most important thing. Any form of communication is better than keeping it in your heart."

"Then do you think this incident will affect the team's game against the Scouse people?"

“No, it actually has no impact.”

Wang Lie's answer certainly did not satisfy the reporters. In their opinion, Wang Lie was simply being stubborn.

They all believed that something bad must have happened inside Tyne, otherwise why were the players avoiding them today?

Fans who were looking for Wang Lie's autograph were also asking: "Wang, is this really okay?"

Wang Lie's attitude towards the fans is much better than that towards reporters.

Not only did he have a smile on his face, he also answered more patiently, and his tone was not as stiff as before:

"No problem. In fact, this incident just shows that our opponents are scared. Our performance scared them. Don't worry, we will win."

The fans were encouraged by Wang Lie's confident words and they burst into cheers.

The reporters showed expressions of disdain and contempt. They felt sad that these fans were so easily incited by Wang Lie's big talk.

It's really sad that he has no ability to think independently!

They don't even think about it, what can Tyne do now to beat Scots, who are third in the league?

It's even more ridiculous to say that you're afraid.

Would the Scouse be afraid of Tyne?
Tyne's goal is to avoid relegation, while Scots' goal is to compete for the league championship!

Would a league title contender be afraid of a relegation team?
It would be ridiculous to say this out loud!
In fact, they could all see that Wang Lie was just holding on, and the so-called denial was all a cover-up. The internal strife within the team was a foregone conclusion.

But there is no need for them to argue with Wang Lie now.

They just need to watch coldly and wait for the game to end. After Tyne loses to the Scouse people, they can come and laugh at Wang Lie's joke.

※※※

"...Today's Northumberland Football City is different from the past. After the training, there were not as many Tyne players leaving as in the past... The reporters waited here for a long time, but only a few players came out, and almost every player was unwilling to talk about the 'internal strife'..."

"...After waiting for a long time, the reporters finally saw Wang's car drive out of the training base gate...Faced with the 'internal strife' rumor, Wang firmly denied it. Not only did he not admit that there were conflicts within the team, he also said that the rumors of the 'internal strife' were because the opponents were afraid of the rumors spread by Tyne..."

"Honestly, I can no longer understand Wang's mental state. How crazy must he be to say such a thing? Does Wang know what he is talking about? Just because he scored two goals and made one assist against two weak teams, does that make Wang feel so good about himself?"

As soon as Vitini got home, he heard a voice coming from his father's phone. He couldn't help but complain: "Don't listen to the media's nonsense! They just want to see Wang make a fool of himself!"

Dad put away his phone. "I thought you were staying at the base tonight. Are those reporters crazy?"

Vitini threw his bag on the ground and walked into the living room: "When I left, there were already a lot less. I guess it was Wang who helped us attract firepower. Many people might be in a hurry to go back and do news reporting. Otherwise, how could you see those on the Internet so quickly..."

He pointed to his father's cell phone.

"Is it true that so many people are hiding in the base and haven't returned?" Dad asked.

Vitini shrugged: "There are indeed more people staying in the base for extra training today than usual."

Dad sighed: "It looks like the impact is huge...Have you found out who the traitor is?"

The son shook his head: "We didn't look for the traitor. Because the king said that it doesn't matter who the traitor is. What matters is whether we can win the game against the Scouse people."

Dad suddenly realized: "That's right, he's right. As long as we can win, no matter if it's a traitor or an internal conflict, it will soon pass and no one will mention it again."

Seeing that his father also agreed with this statement, Vitini said happily: "Right? I think Wang is right! Let me tell you, Dad, what Wang said in the locker room was so cool! At that time, I felt an electric current running from the soles of my feet to the top of my head, making my scalp numb! He said that in a winning team, there is no soil for pessimists to survive! Isn’t it cool, Dad?"

Dad nodded repeatedly to show his agreement. He didn't say the second half of what he had just said because he didn't want to discourage his son.

He could understand Wang Lie's thoughts. If he won, nothing would matter. But if he didn't win, all the pressure would come down like an avalanche.

The key question is can Tyne really beat the Scouse at home?

This is definitely not something that can be achieved by Wang Lie just talking big.

(End of this chapter)