Football: Starting with managing Manchester United

No one knows what Barry said to Grealish the next day.

The young man's mood improved considerably. Zhang Yang cast an inquiring glance at him, but Barry simply raised his chin.

Zhang Yang only learned what had happened after training ended.

Last night, after most of his teammates had left, Grealish wanted to leave too, but Barry called him over.

The two strolled for a long time along the Fazeli Canal.

"Actually, I was a bigger party animal than you when I was young. I drank, partyed, was late... I even talked back to my coach, I did it all."

Barry's tone was full of nostalgia.

He felt that there was nothing wrong with that period of time; it was all a necessary experience in life.

Moreover, professional athletes face immense pressure.

Proper relaxation is necessary; perhaps it's due to a difference in perspective, but his ideas differ from Zhang Yang's.

But one thing remains the same.

That means any professional player needs to respect football and their teammates.

Barry said he was born in Hastings and started his football career at the local William Parker Sports Academy before being scouted by Brighton and moving to Aston Villa's youth academy at the age of 16.

The two teams even went to the FA at the time.

Vera later paid £240 million, which emboldened Barry.

"I remember once, two days before a competition, my friend invited me to go out. I thought that even if I got drunk, I should be able to recover, since I'm still young."

"But before we even got to the match, I was in poor form during training, and the captain scolded me."

"At that time, I was not convinced and thought he was meddling in other people's business."

Barry smiled. "But what happened next? Because I was in such bad form, the coach demoted me to the reserve team. For a whole month, I didn't get a chance to play a single game."

"I panicked when I saw my teammates playing at Villa Park and when I saw my place being taken by others."

"I also went to the Fazeli Canal to daydream, just like you are now, thinking over and over again about what I really want."

"I'm not here to lecture you. I'm here to tell you that I've made the same mistakes you're making, but I've made it out of that mess, so I don't want you to fall into it."

"Finally, you came through the Villa youth academy and have been wearing this jersey since you were a kid."

Don't let a moment of pleasure ruin your lifelong dreams.

Barry patted Grealish on the shoulder, leaving him alone by the river, and walked towards the parking lot.

Barry had no idea what Grealish was thinking.

But that didn't stop him from imagining things in front of Zhang Yang. After imagining things, he pleaded with Grealish, "I think Jack has come to his senses. Why don't you give him another chance? Staying in the youth team will basically prevent him from making any progress."

After listening, Zhang Yang looked at Barry with disdain.

This guy always claims to be sentimental, but aren't these words sentimental too?

"Let's talk about it after this game is over."

Zhang Yang didn't give up easily. He knew that as a young coach, if he didn't use tough and ruthless methods, no one would respect him.

Moreover.

Young people are the type who won't turn back until they hit a wall.

Zhang Yang believes it will take some more time to observe whether Grealish can truly make changes.

......

The day soon arrived at August 28th.

Villa Park didn't have many fans today, after all, it's only the second round of the EFL Cup.

The match had now reached the 39th minute.

The scoreboard remained unchanged at 0:0 when Zhang Yang suddenly appeared in the shot.

His face didn't reveal much emotion.

"Jack has fallen into another extreme; he's become afraid to handle the ball." Zhang Yang said this, but he wasn't actually in a good mood.

Only now did he realize that coaching young players was not as easy as he had imagined.

Originally, he thought that he could find those undiscovered players with great potential by relying on his memory.

A team composed of these elements can achieve success.

Now he understands that a high-quality sapling cannot grow into a towering tree without the cultivation of a gardener.

"Jack, remember what I told you? Treat this game like a training match, don't think about anything useless!" Zhang Yang shouted at Grealish as the ball was cleared out of bounds.

Grealish nodded.

In fact, before he was demoted to the youth team, Zhang Yang often talked to him about tactical positioning.

What Grealish hadn't paid much attention to before became increasingly clear during his time in the youth team.

You need to draw the attention of the defenders!

"This is my talent..." Grealish kept repeating to himself as he received a pass from Westwood, dodged the defenders, and dribbled towards the wing.

The left-back from Leyton East is coming over.

not enough!

Grealish controlled the ball at his feet, his eyes constantly scanning left and right.

When the player wearing the blue jersey, number 6, approached.

Space has appeared!

He didn't know if his teammates could get into position.

But he chose to send it!

Westwood receives the ball and then passes it on.

Joe Cole's extensive experience paid off, and he instinctively moved forward into the open space.

The football rolled right up to him.

"Good shot!" Joe Cole yelled, receiving the ball in the air and charging towards the Leyton East penalty area.

He was tracked back by another center-back from Leyton Orient.

He didn't shoot immediately, but paused for a moment before suddenly unleashing a powerful shot.

This pause made the opponent think he was going to pass the ball.

This gave Joe Cole space and time; the Leyton Orient goalkeeper had barely raised his hand when the ball flew into the goal.

After scoring, Joe Cole didn't celebrate alone, but ran to Grealish and gave him a hug.

"Beautiful! Jack! That was a brilliant pass!"

Joe Cole patted Grealish on the back, his voice drowning out the cheers of the fans, his tone full of genuine admiration.

Grealish froze.

This was the first person to praise him like this after he was demoted to the youth team and ostracized by everyone.

It wasn't just polite talk, nor was it perfunctory.

They were genuinely happy for his pass.

His teammates quickly surrounded him, ruffling his hair and offering their sincerest praise.

"Well done, Jack!"

Grealish has had similar experiences before.

But my feelings back then were completely different from my feelings now.

He also somewhat understood the meaning behind Zhang Yang's words.

He also realized that it wasn't his teammates who didn't accept him.

That was something he had never given his teammates a reason to accept him before.

"Actually, the boss isn't as strict as you think." Joe Cole loosened his grip on Grealish, smiled, and pointed to Zhang Yang on the sidelines, who was celebrating wildly.

They were clearly happy for Grealish's pass and his goal.

Joe Cole patted the team badge on his chest again. "We're all wearing the same jersey, so Jack, remember that feeling. Football isn't played by one person."

Joe Cole actually understands Grealish quite well; he was even more of a rascal than Grealish when he was young.

When he played for West Ham United, he had a "J" shaped haircut.

That's right, he cut his hair into the letter "J" of his name and dyed it red, making it look incredibly strange.