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Chapter 81 The Light of Asia?

Carlson Ward, director of the Hackney Knights' medical team, found the team's head coach Paul Neves and handed him the latest injury report of Luol Pope.

Neves took it and frowned: "It will take a month to resume training?"

Ward pushed his glasses up on his nose and said, "It will take at least 45 days to get back on the court."

"Fuck you!" Neves couldn't help but curse, and then he apologized to Ward: "Sorry, Carlson, I didn't mean to target you..."

"I know it's hard for anyone to encounter something like this..." Ward nodded to show his understanding.

The reason why Neves was so out of control was, of course, that as the team's main midfielder and captain, the absence of Raul Pope had a huge impact.

When Neves coached the La Liga team Real Sebastian, Raul Pope was his favorite player.

So when Neves got the opportunity to coach Hackney Knights, he immediately brought Pope to this North London giants.

Pope did not disappoint his mentor. Since joining the team, he quickly became a main player and then became the core of the midfield of this Premier League giants.

Someone has done statistics and found that since Pope joined the team, the Hackney Knights have a winning rate of 67% in the games he played, while in the 25 games he was absent, the Hackney Knights' winning rate dropped to 51%.

Although they have not yet won the league title, Roald Pope is an important contributor to the team's ability to qualify for the Champions League consecutively in the highly competitive Premier League.

According to Ward's estimate, if Pope really has to wait for 45 days before returning to the court, there will only be three rounds left in the league by then...

It can be said that Pope will miss the most crucial championship sprint stage due to injury.

No wonder Neves is so angry.

Under his leadership this season, Hackney Knights have performed well and currently rank first with 21 wins, 3 draws, 4 losses and 66 points.

Five points ahead of Clayton Athletic, which has 19 wins, four draws and five losses.

This points difference seems large, but considering that there are only ten rounds left in the league and the team is still missing its midfield core and captain, the prospects are not good at all.

The five-point difference is just two games.

As long as they lose two games and Clayton Athletic wins two more games, the rankings of the two teams in the standings will be reversed.

For example, the next away game against Tyne is a “tough battle” in Neves’ eyes.

Just half a season ago, Paulo Neves would never have thought that.

How could Tyne's "mercenaries" possibly cause trouble for his own team?
In the 4th round of the league, Hackney Knights defeated Tyne 0: at home.

The "mercenaries" were beaten so badly that they had no chance to fight back.

It was also that game that eventually led to the original Tyne head coach Les Hugill being fired by the club and replaced by the current head coach Sam McNeill.

Less than half a season has passed, and Hackney Knights coach Neves, who has an incomplete lineup, has to regard Tyne as a tough opponent...

Who says Tyne has been the most eye-catching team in the Premier League in the past two months?

Starting from the 22nd round of the league on January 31st, Tyne played a total of seven league games, losing only one, and the remaining six games... all won!
Looking at the entire Premier League, no team can do this except Tyne.

In such a hot state, even the Hackney Knights, who are ranked first in the league, would be afraid of three points.

As luck would have it, the team had just finished playing a national team match when they met Tyne in the league.

If he can choose, Neves certainly hopes not to arrange his match with Tyne in the first round after the national team match day...

The last national team match day is on the 31st, and the league is on Sunday, April 5th.

There is only a four-day difference in time. During these four days, the Hackney Knights players scattered all over the world have to fly back from all over the world, adjust to the jet lag, adjust their condition, and practice with the team... and then rush to the away game to face the well-rested opponents.

Just looking at such an itinerary is enough to make one scratch one's head.

Medical director Carlson Ward can fully understand head coach Neves' current frustration.

So he tried to comfort Neves:

"The situation may not be as bad as you think, Paul. There are also international players in the Tyne team who participated in the national team's games. Especially their core player, Wang. He flew the farthest and traveled the longest. Considering his age of 38, I think the national team's games may have a greater impact on him than anyone else..."

Neves was not so easily convinced: "But Wang has scored in two consecutive games for the Chinese team. His performance is very good..."

"That was his performance in the national team. What does it have to do with him returning to the club? Moreover, he only went through one journey to the national team, but when he returned to the club, it was two journeys. I think even if the head coach of Tyne arranges Wang to start in the game against us at the weekend, his physical fitness is not enough to support him to play the whole game."

Neves looked at this famous American sports medicine doctor and finally chose to believe him: "I hope it is true..."

"Of course, Paul. You have to believe in science. There have been players in history who can perform at the top level at the age of 38 in a top league like the Premier League. But there are really not many players over 38 who can continue to perform at the top level. The ups and downs of the players themselves, combined with their age, make this probability pitifully low."

Ward smiled and gave Neves reassurance.

Neves looked at the players' physical test reports after they returned and made a decision in his heart.

※※※

As soon as Jiang Dongxun got home, he couldn't wait to call his father: "Dad, do you know? Our boss entrusted me with an important task today! He asked me to play as a striker in the next game against Tain! A striker! Not a winger!"

"Oh? Really? That's great news, Dongxun!" Dad Jiang Xiuzhe's laughter came from the other end of the phone.

"I was worried that the boss would let me rotate because I participated in the national team competition. Now it seems that I have a chance to defeat Wang Lie again!" Jiang Dongxun said excitedly.

"Well...it's a good thing to have confidence, Dongxun. But Wang Lie is in just the right condition now..." Seeing that his son was getting angry again, the father hurriedly advised him.

As a result, his son laughed: "That's what we should do, Dad! If it was the Wang Lie who was still in Sofia this season, I would not be interested in competing with him... He is performing well now, so he is worthy of being defeated by me!"

Dad sighed: "Dongxun, when will you change your bad habits? How much trouble have you caused because of your flamboyant personality?"

Jiang Dongxun didn't care: "But I am still the absolute main force of the national team, and those old guys can't do anything to me. Just because I offended the seniors, will they not let me play? No. Everyone knows who is the trump card of the Korean team and who can lead the Korean team to win! Dad, let me tell you, this world respects the strong. I am stronger than them, so I don't need to cater to them! If they don't like me, they should reflect on themselves and change..."

Even through the phone, Jiang Xiuzhe could fully imagine his son's smug expression at this moment.

He closed his eyes, not knowing how to persuade his son.

Although he is the father, his son, who grew up in the UK, does not agree with the Korean tradition of respecting the elders and the young.

Therefore, he has caused many troubles in the South Korean national team.

But after every crisis, his son was safe and sound.

His position in the national team has not been shaken, but has become more solid. At the age of 25, he is already the top star of Korean football and the absolute main force of the Korean team.

Is it really like what my son said?

Times have changed, and the "traditions" that Koreans insist on are meaningless...

※※※

"…Luol Pope will have to miss at least one month of training and competition!"

Someone read the latest news out loud, and it immediately sparked heated discussions in the locker room.

"This is great news!"

"Maybe we can really win this time?"

"Take out the 'maybe', hahaha!"

Amid the laughter, Elliot Goetz couldn't help but glance at Wang Lie, but seeing that the other party had no reaction and was laughing with everyone else, he didn't say anything, but just frowned slightly.

He stopped Wang Lie only after everyone had packed up and were heading to the training ground.
"Aren't you worried that we might underestimate the enemy, King?"

Wang Lie turned his head and looked at Goetz in surprise: "Why do you have this idea, Elliot? Underestimate the enemy? Will we underestimate the league leader?"

"I know this sounds a little unbelievable... but judging from everyone's reaction just now, it seems that we can really win the league championship..." Goetz said worriedly with a frown.

Wang Lie smiled and patted his shoulder, comforting him: "Isn't this good? At least it shows that everyone is confident in beating the Cavaliers. This is better than thinking that you will definitely lose, right? In my opinion, it is important to have the confidence and idea to defeat a strong enemy, so that we can have the possibility of defeating them. If we don't even dare to think about it, how can we expect to really win? Besides... Pope's injury is indeed good news for us. It's okay for everyone to be happy."

Seeing Wang Lie's calm demeanor, Goetz couldn't help but feel moved:
So we can really beat Hackney Knights who are at the top of the league?

It's no wonder that Goetz was not firm about this. In the 15th round of the league, facing Hackney Knights, he, the Tyne goalkeeper, picked up the ball from the goal four times... Seeing that Goetz was silent, Wang Lie thought he was still worried about the team's pride and underestimation of the enemy, so he said to him: "Be more confident, Elliot. Tyne is really strong now. I'm not comforting you, I'm telling the truth. Our players are competitive in the Premier League. As long as they can unite and become a whole, even the league leader will have a headache playing against us, especially at our home ground."

Goetz thought of the loss to Clayton Athletic, when everyone spontaneously returned to Northumberland Football City for training…

So he nodded slowly.

This team is really different from before.

So how could it be incredible to beat the league leader at home?

※※※

"Ugh!"

Robbie Dixie suddenly sighed, attracting the attention of the other old guys in the bar.

"You were having a nice drink, why are you sighing?" Jon Berg asked him.

"I searched the Internet for a long time yesterday, but couldn't find any grudges between the king and the knight in the past..." Dixie said with a frown.

"What are you looking for this for?" Everyone was curious.

Dixie explained: "If Wang and the Knights have a grudge, then wouldn't it be possible for us to win tomorrow's game? Just like we beat the Scouse! If I were a Newcastle media reporter, I would run to London and catch every member of the Knights to ask them what they think of Wang's performance, and ask them if they can still perform like Wang when they are 38 years old... In short, I would do everything I can to irritate them, and then let them say harsh words to Wang, so that Wang can slap them in the face in tomorrow's game!"

Hearing him say this, there was a burst of laughter in the bar: "You're dreaming, Robbie!"

Robbie Dixie, who was laughed at, blew his beard and glared: "Don't you want to win?!"

This sentence silenced most people in the bar, and the laughter became much quieter.

Jon Berg was still laughing: "Who said before that Tyne's 'mercenaries' couldn't win anything? Why are you now thinking about winning against the Knights, who are the first in the league?"

"Damn it! Jon, whose side are you on?" Dixie was a little angry. "Don't you want us to win?"

"I certainly hope so. In fact, I have more confidence in the team than you do, and I did it earlier than you. Don't forget the bet between us, Robbie." Berg pointed to the blackboard hanging behind the bar.

The text above about the bet he made with Dixie about where Tyne would rank at the end of the season is still there:
Top 10 in the league. Jon YES, Robbie NO. One drink for everyone
"Come to think of it, we are now ninth in the league. When are you going to treat us all to a drink, Robbie?"

Berg's words made the atmosphere in the bar lively again. Everyone slammed the table and cheered: "Guest, Robbie! Guests, Robbie!"

Dixie raised his hands in the air and argued, "Wait until the season is over! Only after the season is over can we know where the team really stands!"

Berg laughed and said, “So you hope that by the end of the season, we’re not in the top ten of the league?”

Dixie glared at Berg: "I just said we have to follow the rules..."

"Rules? What rules?" Berg asked with a smile.

"What rules?"

"Yeah, what are the rules you're going to follow, Robbie?"

"Uh, what are the rules? The rules are..." Dixie hesitated, as if he was embarrassed to say it out loud, but finally he closed his eyes, raised his arms and said loudly: "The rules are that when the season is over, I will buy everyone a drink!"

"Oooooohhhh!!! Thanks Robbie!"

"Long live Robbie!"

"I love you, Robbie!"

There was a huge cheer in the bar.

Looking at this joyous scene, Harry Collins murmured, "It's really strange... Tomorrow our opponent is the league leader, but why is everyone so happy? It's as if we have already won..."

His father, Theo Collins, said: "Because their joy has nothing to do with winning or losing a game tomorrow. No matter what the result of the game is, this team has regained hope."

Little Collins nodded and said, "Well said, so I will go to the game tomorrow and you stay to look after the store, Dad."

Old Collins frowned: "Why?"

"Anyway, it doesn't matter to you whether you win or lose tomorrow's game, so it doesn't matter whether you go to watch it live or not. But I'm different. I hope Tyne wins, so I have to go to watch it live." Little Collins gave his reason with a smile.

Old Collins opened his mouth and was stunned for a moment before he said, "Okay, I'll help you watch the store for a day..."

"What do you mean by 'look after the store for a day'? Dad, this pub is yours!"

"But you are the legal owner of this pub now."

"Tsk..."

"WTF!" A sudden exclamation was heard in the bar, attracting everyone's attention.

Everyone turned their eyes to the person who exclaimed.

"What are you freaking out about, Ryan?"

"Robbie! Robbie!" Ryan didn't explain, but just called Dixie's name.

"what?"

"The grudge you wanted is here!" Ryan shouted excitedly.

"Huh?" Everyone else, including Robbie Dixie, looked puzzled.

Ryan held up his phone and showed the screen to everyone, and everyone put down their glasses and came over.

On Ryan’s phone screen was a screenshot of an Instagram post.

The text in the screenshot is not English, but a strange Chinese character:
?
There is also a laughing and crying emoticon behind the text.

However, the text content is very short, and the most eye-catching thing is the picture.

Those are two pictures.

The scenes in both photos are very similar, with Kang Dong-hoon celebrating in the foreground, wearing a South Korean team jersey.

In the distance not far behind him is the back of a player wearing a red jersey with his hands on his hips.

Although due to the different focal lengths, the back view is blurred.

But in the blurred back, the big Arabic numeral "9" is still very conspicuous.

Some people didn't understand: "Can someone explain what this means?"

"What kind of writing is that? Chinese?"

Ryan said: "This was posted on Instagram by a Korean reporter, and the picture was taken during the past two Asian Cups. In both Asian Cups, the Chinese team lost to the Korean team. The person celebrating is Jiang, and the person with his head down and his hands on his hips behind him is Wang! As for the text, it is of course not Chinese, but Korean, which means 'Light of Asia'. However, the reporter added a question mark and an expression to this picture, which is obviously mocking Wang! Because Wang is also called 'Light of Asia'..."

"Wow, Ryan, when did you learn Korean?"

"How should I understand? Of course this is explained in the news!" Ryan said and exited the picture, and a news message with this picture appeared on the phone screen.

"So what does this mean? A Korean reporter posted an Instagram post mocking Wang? What does this have to do with tomorrow's game?"

Ryan pointed to another picture in the news and said:

"Jiang liked this Instagram post."

Everyone took a look and saw that, as expected, in this screenshot, the real-name authentication account named "Gang Dong Hoon" indicated "Likes".

Everyone finally understood: "So a Korean reporter mocked Wang, and Jiang gave the Korean reporter a thumbs up?"

"That's right." Ryan nodded.

Robbie Dixie gets excited: "Ah! I love Korean! I love ginger! I'm going to have a drink for ginger!"

He picked up the glass and drank the beer in it.

(End of this chapter)