Reverse.

Chapter 64 Straightforward
As the whistle blew at the end of the game, Sven Helden stood up from the home team's coaching seat, walked towards the visiting team's coaching seat, and shook hands with Leicester City head coach Matthew Harratt.

Then he turned and walked towards the player tunnel, and did not stay on the court to celebrate the 3:0 victory with his players.

Throughout the whole process, there was no obvious change in his expression - he looked neither happy nor unhappy...

Everyone is gradually getting used to Sven Helden's style of "not showing his emotions on his face".

Even when Sofo United scored a goal during the game, there was no smile on his face, but he still had this serious expression.

However, today, watching Helden hurriedly leave, commentator Connor Cowley joked: "I hope Mr. Helden is ready to answer. The reporters have been waiting for a whole day!"

The guest commentator who partnered with him for this game was Sofolian star Marvin Block.

When he heard what Cawley said, he smiled bitterly: "If I were Heldon, I would congratulate and thank Wang. After all, his hat trick helped us move up one place in the league standings..."

Because Tyne beat Scots 3:2 at home yesterday, and today's game Sofia United defeated Leicester 3:0 at home, so Sofia United surpassed Scots in the standings.

Sofia are now in third place with 46 points, while Scouse have dropped to fourth place with 45 points.

In a sense, Wang Lie did help Sofu Lian.

If it weren't for the conflict between the two, this could even be passed down as a good story in the football world - the legend who left the team still has his heart set on his parent team, and even though he can no longer wear the red shirt and fight for his parent team, he still beat the mortal enemy of his parent team on another field and made his own contribution to his parent team's fight for the championship... This is the tradition of Sofia United, and this is the cultural heritage of England's most successful giants!

But because Wang Lie had an unpleasant argument with Sofolian when he left, this hat trick not only did not make Sofolian proud, but also embarrassed him.

For example, Marvin Block, a former Sofia star who played for Sofia for twelve years and won seven championships with Wang Lie, is now in an awkward situation.

He was also considered an enemy of Wang Lie by his fans because he criticized Wang Lie for publishing an open letter accusing the club when Wang Lie left Sofia, which was a sign of disrespect for the club.

So after Wang Lie completed his hat trick, Brock's social media comment section also collapsed.

Brock felt aggrieved: I only criticized Wang for not respecting the club, I didn't say he was incompetent! So you used Wang's hat trick to scold me, didn't you scold the wrong person?
After hearing what Brock said, Connor Cowley joked, "Helden should congratulate Wang, but he won't thank Wang. You know, if he didn't lead the team to win this game, then even if the Scouse lost the game, it would be useless..."

※※※

"I am very happy to see Wang's outstanding performance after leaving Sofia. As I said, I have always respected him..."

Sven Helden sat on the podium of the press conference and answered reporters' questions about Wang Lie's hat trick with a serious expression.

"Those who think I am dark-hearted and don't want to see Wang succeed are just judging others by their own standards... I haven't watched the game yet, but we recorded it. After today's game, I will analyze the game video with the coaching staff... So I don't know how he completed the hat trick, but in any case, I congratulate him on his performance in Tyne..."

"I am very happy that we won a good victory at home. The players implemented the tactics we arranged before the game very well and also showed the results we have achieved on the training ground in the past week..."

"Do we have a hope of winning the championship? I can't say because the season is not over yet, but we will go all out in every game to win. Our primary goal now is to return to the Champions League. After three seasons away from the Champions League, being able to return to this highest level of competition is very important for a giant like Sofia United..."

"Harris scored two goals in the game... Yes, he is in excellent form. Is it related to Wang? No, I think it is disrespectful to Harris to say that. Harris' goals were the result of his own efforts..."

……

Guo Xuequan kept his arm raised but his name was not called.

And it wasn't just him, all the Chinese reporters present were not qualified to ask questions.

You know, there were a lot of Chinese reporters at this game, and they were all waiting to ask Helden questions at the post-match press conference...

As a result, by the time Helden decided to end the press conference and get up to leave, none of them got the chance to ask questions.

Guo Xuequan could no longer bear it. He stood up and protested loudly in English: "I don't remember that Sofia United is a racist club. Then why did not a single Chinese reporter get a chance to ask questions during the entire press conference?"

The atmosphere in the press hall suddenly became solemn.

The accusation of "racial discrimination" is very serious and no one wants to be accused of it.

So when Guo Xuequan said this, Heldon, who was about to leave, stopped and sat back in his chair, and said to the news director of the Soflian: "Let him ask questions."

In this way, Guo Xuequan, as the representative of all Chinese reporters, obtained the qualification to ask questions.

"Excuse me, Mr. Helden, why is it that Wang Lie was able to score five goals in three games for Tyne, provide one assist, and even performed a hat trick yesterday. But in Sofia United, he only played for 342 minutes in all the games in half a season, and scored one goal?"

After Guo Xuequan finished asking, he looked at Helden.

After hearing this provocative question, Helden did not get angry, but chuckled with his mouth crooked. Then he shook his head and said, "So you used such a serious accusation just to ask such a stupid question?"

"This is not stupid at all, Mr. Heldon. I think many people, including me, want to know the answer: Why is Wang Lie's performance in the past half season at Sofia United so different from his performance in the three games at Tyne?"

Liu Zhong, who was sitting next to Guo Xuequan, and other Chinese journalists also started shouting in support of Guo Xuequan:

"Yes! That's right! Please answer, Mr. Helden!"

Other reporters from Britain, Spain...or some other countries also looked at Heldon with anticipation.

Facing these gazes, Heldon said: "Different teams use different tactics, and different tactics have different focuses. So Wang's performance in Tyne cannot be inferred from his performance in Sofia. I am happy with Wang's performance in Tyne, but this does not mean that he should continue to stay in Sofia. On the contrary, doesn't this just mean that he should not stay in Sofia? Sofia is a wealthy club, and our focus is also different..."

He shrugged and spread his hands, implying, "How can a prestigious club like Sofia United be compared with a relegation team like Tyne? Just because Wang can meet the requirements of a relegation team doesn't mean he can meet the requirements of a prestigious team."

How could Guo Xuequan not hear the hidden meaning behind Helden's words?
He asked in return: "But Wang Lie led a team that was not as strong as Sofolian to defeat the Scouse people. Doesn't this prove the point?"

Helden shook his head: "Every team has a different mentality when facing different opponents..."

Seeing that Guo Xuequan seemed to want to speak more, this time Helden did not raise his hand to signal him to shut up: "You have asked enough questions."

Then he raised three fingers and said to the reporters: "Sofo United is now ranked third in the league, I think that's enough to say it all."

After saying this, he stopped answering questions and stood up and left.

※※※

"What do you think of Heldon's statement?"

He Zhenyong asked Wang Lie who was standing opposite him.

"He avoids the important issues and talks about trivial matters. He beats around the bush and is unwilling to face the problem directly. Just like him, he is fake." Wang Lie gave his evaluation very directly, and he did not seem to worry that his comments would fall into the hands of media reporters.

He Zhenyong smiled slightly: "You are indeed straightforward."

"I have always been like this. Coach He, you should know this." Wang Lie said.

He Zhenyong thought of what Wang Lie said when they met just now, and nodded.

When the two met just now, Wang Lie shook his hand and asked directly: "Coach He, did you watch the game the day before yesterday? What do you think?"

It was so direct that He Zhenyong didn't know how to answer.

After a pause, he said honestly, "I have a lot of ideas, and I can't express them in just one or two sentences."

He did not lie to Wang Lie. He really had a lot of ideas, some of which were even self-contradictory.

Wang Lie did not ask any further questions, but nodded and let the topic go.

Then they talked about Helden, and He Zhenyong got a very direct evaluation of Helden from Wang Lie.

However, he came to Tyne's training base this time not to ask Wang Lie about his opinion on Helden.

On the one hand, he came to see Wang Lie's training in the club and learn about his daily training situation.

On the other hand, it was also to communicate directly with Wang Lie to avoid the two of them making blind guesses about each other.

Communication is the basis for ensuring that no misjudgment occurs.

As the head coach of the Chinese team, his ultimate goal is to lead the team to good results, rather than trying to take sides like those extreme fans online.

"I have just talked to McNeill, and he said that the tactics used in the game the day before yesterday should be used. But I remember that you have never played like this before? When you were young, you were a winger, and your range of activities was mainly on the wing. Later, when you got older, you were gradually fixed in the center position, and you were at the front as a finisher... Now you retreat in the middle, sometimes you are an offensive finisher, and sometimes you are an offensive organizer. Like the second goal of the game the day before yesterday, you were both the initiator and the finisher... Did you take the initiative to propose this, or was it arranged by the head coach?"

He Zhenyong raised his doubts.

This is also the main purpose of his face-to-face communication with Wang Lie this time.

"It's Sam's idea. I did propose an idea to him before, but it's different from this one..."

Wang Lie told He Zhenyong all the tactical ideas he had proposed to McNeill. He Zhenyong nodded as he listened, and after Wang Lie finished speaking, he said, "Your suggestion is to use yourself as a center forward. McNeill's approach is very vague about your positioning, but it requires you to be higher and more comprehensive..."

At this point, he frowned, pondered for a while, and then continued: "I just feel a sense of disharmony... McNeil's ideas are actually not in line with your positioning in recent years. It is your own advice to him that sounds reasonable. But in actual game performance, you are indeed more comfortable with his tactics..."

Wang Lie was a little surprised at the national team coach's sharpness, because Coach He might have accidentally come into contact with the truth.

He performed very well in a tactic that was not suitable for his physical condition and age. It might be because his physical function was indeed younger than his actual age...

Coach He didn't know why this happened because he didn't train with him.

But Sam McNeill was with him day and night. It had been a month since he came to Tyne, and McNeill couldn't have been unaware of his performance in training, various physical examinations and fitness tests.

It seems that his tactics are somewhat inappropriate for his age.

McNeill may have doubted whether this would work.

But daily training gave him confidence, which ultimately made him decide to adopt this tactic.

"Because I have a lot of unresolved issues in my mind, I came to watch your training and hope to learn something from it..."

Wang Lie laughed: "Why bother with that, Coach He? Why don't you just call me back to the national team? Then you can get to know my situation through training, right?"

He Zhenyong also laughed: "I will definitely call you back for the World Cup qualifiers in March. If I don't call you up despite your performance, then I might as well quit my job as the head coach of the national team."

Wang Lie smiled and went straight to the point: "Then what is Coach He planning to do with Xiaochi and me?"

Wang Lie was so direct, so He Zhenyong didn't put on airs in front of him. Instead, he sighed and said, "I haven't thought about it yet."

Then he asked Wang Lie: "What do you think of Chi Zhen's performance in the game the day before yesterday?"

Wang Lie spoke honestly: "Very good. After the game, the media gave him the highest score from the Scouse team, which was reasonable."

Then he added: "If it weren't for me, he would even be the man of the match."

He Zhenyong nodded in agreement: "So this is difficult... Wang Lie, you are straightforward, I won't get into those nonsense with you. I'll just say it directly. Since I took over the national team, my top priority has been to complete the renewal of the national team. I have been working on this task for almost two years, and finally have some results. Now your condition has improved, but I can't just overturn the previous two years of work and start all over again. I can't just be responsible for you, I have to be responsible for the national team as a whole."

What surprised He Zhenyong was that this time Wang Lie did not continue to force him to come up with a definite answer, but nodded: "I understand you, Coach He."

He Zhenyong looked at Wang Lie in surprise.

It was not the first day that he knew Wang Lie, nor was it the first day that he was Wang Lie's head coach. He was very clear about Wang Lie's personality, temper and style of doing things.

If Wang Lie is so easy to talk to, why has his hair been falling out more and more in the past year or so since he became the head coach of the national team? And why are there always all kinds of "rumors" about his bad relationship with Wang Lie?
Because those are not rumors.

Wang Lie and him really don’t have a good relationship.

Seeing the change in Coach He's expression, Wang Lie could more or less guess why he was like that.

Sure enough, the time traveler was right...the side effects of the "Extraordinary Heart" really did affect himself and the people around him.

Now that he no longer has that "extraordinary heart", he can actually speak so naturally about considering other people's perspectives.

He Zhenyong didn't know that there was such a mysterious reason behind Wang Lie's change of attitude.

He just thought that after experiencing the ups and downs of life in Sofia in the first half of the season, Wang Lie had changed a little - this kind of thing is very common, and it is not some incomprehensible "collapse of character".

Just when He Zhenyong thought that Wang Lie's temperament had changed, Wang Lie continued:
"I understand you, Coach He. It's really hard for you to make such a decision based on the performance of one or two games. It doesn't matter. There are still about a year and four months from now to next year's World Cup. During this time, I will use my performance to help you dispel your concerns and make up your mind as soon as possible."

Hearing these words that sounded very much like Wang Lie, He Zhenyong laughed. Ah, as expected, Wang Lie is still the same Wang Lie...

People who like him praise him for being domineering, while people who hate him call him overbearing.

But whether it was domineering or overbearing, He Zhenyong didn't care.

He is the head coach of the national team, not the leader of the fan circle.

He only cared about whether Wang Lie could turn what he said into reality.

He smiled and nodded: "Okay, then I'll wait and see."

The topic ended there, and Wang Lie asked He Zhenyong again: "Coach He, are you planning to go back like this?"

He Zhenyong shook his head: "I still have to go to Liverpool to talk to Xiaochi. We have to treat everyone equally..."

He spread out his hands and made a gesture of holding water in both hands.

"Well...actually I think Coach He, you can stay there until the weekend."

"Is it because of the 'Red Derby' this weekend?" He Zhenyong asked.

Wang Lie nodded: "You can wait and see how Xiaochi performs then."

"I want to, but my travel budget is limited. And I have things to do at home."

What He Zhenyong calls "home" is definitely not his own small family, but refers to the national team - he is accustomed to calling the national team "home" to outsiders.

When something happens at home, it means something happens to the national team.

"Even if I were in China, I would definitely watch the live broadcast of that game. However, I am still quite surprised that you can say that..."

Wang Lie shook his head: "He is not my competitor."

He Zhenyong nodded thoughtfully and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, he took out his phone and asked Wang Lie: "Can you find someone to take a photo for us?"

Wang Lie was very confused - Coach He was not his fan, so why did he ask for a photo?

So he asked, “Is it not okay to take a selfie?”

He made a gesture of holding up his phone to take a selfie.

He Zhenyong shook his head: "That's not formal enough. I'm going to give the photo to the official Weibo editor of the national team and ask them to post it on Weibo to prove that I really came to chat with you."

Wang Lie didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He didn't expect this to be the reason...

"Okay, I'll go find someone..."

Wang Lie quickly called Vitini over and asked the little fan to help take photos of himself and Coach He.

"Do you need me to pose in any way?" Wang Lie asked Coach He considerately.

He Zhenyong extended his hand to Wang Lie: "Let's shake hands again."

"Okay." Wang Lie extended his hand.

The two held hands and Vitini also took a picture of the scene.

He was afraid that he didn't take a good picture, so he took two more pictures before returning the phone to Wang Lie.

While Wang Lie thanked Vitini, he handed the phone to Coach He.

He Zhenyong looked down at the photos in the album and nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, I have that feeling."

He put away his phone and extended his hand to Wang Lie again. This was the third handshake they had during this meeting.

"Putting aside your status as the head coach of the national team, just speaking as a Chinese footballer, I am very happy that you can come out of the situation in the first half of the season."

Wang Lie keenly grasped the key words. He shook Coach He's hand and asked directly: "So as the head coach of the national team, you are not happy with my current performance?"

He Zhenyong grabbed Wang Lie's hand and shook it up and down, with a wry smile on his face: "It's not that I'm unhappy, it's a headache, a headache! Wang Lie, you've given me... a huge problem!"

Wang Lie looked him in the eyes with a sincere attitude and said in a domineering tone: "Coach He, trust me. This will be the problem you give your opponents during the World Cup next year."

(End of this chapter)