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Chapter 204 Leading the Team Like a King
After falling behind by three goals, the game became very difficult for Witton Hill, who were playing away.

The players seem to have lost confidence in winning away from home.

Every cheer from the home team fans in the stands caused them great distress.

Their biggest goal right now might not be winning the game, but at least scoring a goal; they absolutely cannot let Tyne get a clean sheet...

Feng Qiyuan stopped thinking about such trivial things as giving Brother Wang a surprise.

He just wanted to use his long pass to help the team score a goal.

Now it's Tyne's turn to attack. Their right winger, Miguel Ribeiro, has the ball on the right flank, while Wang Ge is making a run into the penalty area.

Feng Qiyuan noticed that Ribeiro was constantly looking towards the center, and he guessed that this fanboy of Brother Wang was probably going to pass the ball to Brother Wang.

After all, Wang Ge has already scored twice. As his fans, isn't it a perfectly normal thought to help our idol complete a hat trick?
So, just as Ribeiro passed the ball to the middle, Feng Qiyuan, who was already prepared, sprang out like a spring compressed to its limit, and intercepted the ball before Wang Ge could reach it!

Wang Lie turned his head to catch the ball, but instead of receiving it, he saw Feng Qiyuan's side pass him by.

After intercepting the ball, Feng Qiyuan smoothly pushed it forward—he was afraid that stopping would give Brother Wang a chance to turn and win it back. Think about how Brother Wang scored his second goal? Wasn't it just a counter-attack after winning the ball back in the attacking third?
In addition, Feng Qiyuan's dribbling out like that made Tyne's players think that he was going to use his speed to dribble forward like before.

So the Tyne player blocking his way didn't immediately turn around and retreat instead of coming to meet him.

If Feng Qiyuan were to come up to meet the ball, he could easily dribble past multiple opponents with a single explosive run. Therefore, the correct approach against a player like Feng Qiyuan, who possesses explosive power and astonishing acceleration, is to create distance and prevent him from having the opportunity to dribble and sprint.

However, what they didn't know was that Feng Qiyuan wasn't dribbling forward this time. While that might look cool, it's too slow for a counter-attack. Even though his top speed during a sprint was among the highest of all Premier League players last season, it still couldn't match the speed of the football in flight!
After creating space for himself to pass the ball, he used his right foot to support his body, swung his left leg, and kicked the ball forward!

The football flew through the air past almost all of Tyne's players and landed in the open space at the very front.

Soon, a player wearing a Witton Hill jersey ran to the ball's landing point and stopped it forward... He accurately found his striker teammate, Esteban Edo!

A deafening chorus of gasps and boos erupted from the stands at Lize Park as Tyne fans realized a great danger was looming!

It was as if Feng Qiyuan's long pass wasn't a football, but a nuclear bomb falling from the sky!

"Beautiful long pass! Wittonhill counter-attack! This is a golden opportunity! One-on-one!"

Seeing Aido steadily unload his long pass while running, Feng Qiyuan clenched his fist tightly!

A good first touch is the beginning of success; at the very least, Aido already has a solid foundation for scoring goals!
He peered out from the backfield and watched as Aido carried the ball toward Tyne's penalty area.

Then, facing the onrushing Tyne goalkeeper Elliott Goetz, he took a shot!
Goetz dived to make a save, spreading his legs to try and block the ball, but missed.

The football rolled past his feet, bounced and darted forward on the grass, and finally... grazed the far post and rolled out of bounds!
"Hold!"

※※※

Feng Qiyuan clenched his fist and cursed inwardly.

Sitting on the team bus back to Birmingham, Feng Qiyuan still felt resentful when he thought about how Edo had wasted the sure-fire scoring opportunity he had created.

Even after Aido sighed to the heavens, he didn't forget to give him a thumbs up.

But Feng Qiyuan didn't want his likes at all.

At that moment, he kept a straight face, expressionless, showing no reaction, but inwardly he was cursing the Chilean striker:

"Go back and practice your shooting properly, Aido!!"

Looking back now, Feng Qiyuan thinks that if it had been Wang Ge who received the ball instead of Aido, he would have already made his first assist of the season...

Like Aladdin's lamp, the moment Feng Qiyuan thought of Brother Wang's name, the man's WeChat message was sent to his phone:
"What a pity, Qiyuan. If I had been the one to receive that long pass you made in the 60th minute, it might have gone in."

Feng Qiyuan was startled because he had just thought the same thing, and the same message was sent to him by Brother Wang on WeChat.

He almost thought Brother Wang was inside him...

He only recovered later—which was impossible, so it was just a coincidence.

There's nothing to be surprised about, because it's something anyone can see.

That was such a great opportunity; he made about ten long passes during the game, and that was the best chance of all.

Feng Qiyuan isn't checking social media platforms right now, but he doesn't need to. He can imagine how badly Esteban Edo is being criticized by Witton Hill fans...

Although scoring that goal might not have been enough to change the team's defeat.

However, it looks slightly better in comparison:
0:4 and 1:4 are both losses, but the latter avoided being completely shut out.

And who knows if that one goal difference will decide the team's fate at the end of the league season?
Feng Qiyuan looked at the WeChat message sent by Brother Wang again:

"...It might just go in."

What does "might get in" mean?
He replied:
"Brother Wang, don't be modest. You would definitely have scored that goal!"

Wang Lie replied with a "smiling" emoji.

Feng Qiyuan replied again:

"Congratulations, Brother Wang, on your opening victory! It's a great start to the season!"

Wang Lie replied, "Although that long pass was wasted by your teammates, don't be discouraged. Your idea of ​​practicing long passes is correct. Practice more and use it more in matches. Then pass the ball to me in the national team."

Feng Qiyuan looked at the last sentence and typed a simple yet powerful reply: "Okay!"

He suddenly felt less frustrated and angry about the game he had just lost.

Some are even looking forward to the scene of him providing an assist to Wang in the national team later on...

Watching his precise long pass find the goal in Wang's net, the sense of accomplishment must be overwhelming!

※※※

"My God, Tyne beat Witton Hill 4-0... Wang scored twice! This performance doesn't look like he's 38 at all!"

"To be precise, I'm thirty-eight and a half!"

"incredible……"

On the way from the training facility to the hotel by bus, Sonny Dean listened to his teammates enthusiastically discussing the game that had just ended.

However, he did not participate in it.

It wasn't that he blacklisted his former employer after leaving Tyne.

Rather, as a new player for Kensington, it seems inappropriate for him to talk too much about his former club.

So that others wouldn't think he was physically in London but mentally in Tyne.

He just thought to himself:

"Is a 4-0 victory over Witton Hill really that exaggerated? Have you forgotten that you lost 0-3 to Tyne at home last season?"

Dean wanted to stay away from topics related to his former team, but unfortunately everyone on the team knew that he came from Tyne.

So soon someone called on him: "Sonny! You used to be Wang's neighbor, tell me if Wang changed his age, is he really thirty-eight?"

Dean, unable to avoid the question, was speechless: "Changing an age is always done from older to younger, not from younger to older. If Wang changed his age, how outrageous would his actual age be now? Wouldn't that be even more frightening than it is now?"

The person who asked the question knew it was silly, but he wasn't annoyed. Instead, he continued, "Does the King have any secrets to maintaining his physical condition?"

His question immediately quieted the car down.

It seems everyone is very curious and eager to learn.

Dean was about to say, "How would I know?", but after thinking about it, he realized that he might actually know.

Because Wang Lie had once shared some of his experiences from his 21-year professional career with them in the locker room.

So he said, "I don't know if this is related to his current physical condition, but he did say that he should maintain a reasonable and healthy diet, stay away from alcohol, cola and cigarettes, and maintain a regular schedule... Oh, he also said that a vegetarian diet can be used reasonably to reduce the burden on the body when injured, but it cannot be maintained for a long time, as that will lead to a decrease in strength..."

After he finished speaking, the bus became even quieter.

After a while, goalkeeper Pablo Gorkin asked, "Not drinking alcohol or cola at all?"

"Anyway, during his half-season in Tyne, I never saw him drink alcohol or Coke."

"Including your celebration party after you qualified for the Champions League?"

Bolton answered the question for him: "Yes. Sonny said that the king himself doesn't drink, but he allows others to drink in his presence!"

Someone said, "I can't even imagine what that scene would be like... Don't you guys feel embarrassed, Sonny?"

Dean shrugged. "It's alright, everyone's used to it."

"What about holidays? Does he do this even on holidays?"

Dean chuckled: "Speaking of holidays... After our last game last season, we went back to Newcastle, and that night the whole team threw a party at his house. Everyone was having a great time, and almost everyone except him drank. And guess what? The next morning? I saw him doing his morning exercises in the backyard again!"

There was a slight commotion inside the car.

"It should have been considered a holiday at that time, since Tyne didn't have any games to play. So I think he probably maintained his regular lifestyle and training rhythm during the holiday. At least he scored two goals in the first game of the new season."

He spread his hands.

The commotion in the car subsided into silence. The team's right-back, Bobby Shepard, broke the silence: "I know that as a professional player I should try to stay away from unhealthy lifestyles, but to expect me to live like that for twenty years... what's the point of living?"

No one said a word, but many people must have felt a pang of sympathy.

Someone suddenly realized, "No wonder you left Tyne. It's too miserable to be with that kind of pervert for a long time..."

Dean looked at the speaker and saw that it was the team's striker, Felipe Simplicio.

He was discovered in Brazil by Kensington when he was 21 and brought to England.

Initially, because they didn't have work permits, they could only be rented out.

However, due to his inability to adapt to the European style of football and life in England, his performance at the club did not meet expectations.

The club is looking for a new club for him, but this time it's not a loan, it's a transfer.

Oh, and it's worth mentioning that this kid really loves nightclubs, even more than I did back in Tyne...

Dean especially wants to complain here. He's been hanging out with that idiot Tyne and Vitini for so long that he's almost forgotten what Brazilian players are really like—this Simplicio is the real Brazilian player!
Sonny Dean didn't want to highlight his Tyne influence too much in front of his new teammates, but after hearing what the truly pure Brazilian player had to say, he changed his mind.

He said with a smile, "It's not that bad, after all, Wang was with me when he resumed his morning exercise the day after the party."

He spoke casually, but his teammates around him were shocked, especially Simplicio, whose face showed utter astonishment.

His friend Richard Burton, sitting right next to him, looked at him like he was an alien: "You never told me about this!"

Dean shook his head and said in a particularly calm tone, "What's there to say? I exercise with Wang almost every morning in Tyne. It's our daily routine and not worth making a special mention of."

The commotion inside the carriage grew even greater.

Everyone knows how insane Wang Lie's training is, but no one expected that there would be someone in their team who could train with Wang Lie almost every day and still stand alive in front of them!

After new head coach Lindsay forcefully promoted Dean to the position of the team's offensive core, the underlying discontent and doubts within the team have now dissipated somewhat...

Wang Lie was an opponent who had been a long-time thorn in their side during their time at Sofia United, giving them a real headache.

Not to mention how phenomenal his performance was after he went to Tyne; everyone saw it for themselves.

The fact that Dean trained extra with Wang Lie was like having been stamped with "Wang Lie's certification," making it very convincing.

Once the commotion subsided a little and the carriage became quieter, Dean continued, looking at the bewildered Simplicio, saying:
“My leaving Tyne had nothing to do with the king; it was simply because I wanted to come to London and become the boss.”

The car fell completely silent.

Head coach Lindsay, who had been sitting at the front and listening in silence, raised an eyebrow.

※※※

"Kensington, playing at home, fell behind in the 17th minute of the first half. Although Kensington intensified their attack and made adjustments at halftime, the effect was not very good... New manager Lindsay's first official match in charge of the team was a poor start!"

Taking advantage of a dead ball situation, Sonny Dean, wearing the Kensington number 10 jersey, put his hands on his hips and turned to look at the big screen.

The large screen at the Garden Stadium displayed the time and live score of the match.

In the 67th minute of the match, the score was 0-1, with the home team Kensington trailing last season's runners-up Scorsese by one goal.

His role is different from his time in Tyne, yet it feels somewhat familiar.

At Kensington, he was no longer just a striker or winger.

Instead, he is a more free-roaming offensive player, and he often organizes attacks in the offensive third zone.

For much of the game, he didn't shoot himself, but rather created threats by passing the ball to his teammates.

However, due to the fact that it is a new team with a new core player and a new head coach, the teamwork is not yet smooth enough, and the results are not particularly good.

In this situation, what would the king do?
This question had crossed Dean's mind several times.

The head coach made him the offensive core of the team, and he wanted to lead the team to victory.

However, some members of the team were dissatisfied with being designated as the core player by the new head coach.

Some people feel that he, who came from a relegation-threatened team in the north, is not qualified to lead a London powerhouse.

Some people say nothing and remain silent observers.

There are also people who are like weather vanes; they may support him now, but they'll abandon him immediately if he misbehaves...

Ha, how similar this is to when the King first came to Tyne!

Dean chuckled to himself.

So this is the situation Wang faced back then...

No, it will be even worse than it is now!
At least in Kensington's locker room, there were no physical altercations or obvious divisions because of his arrival.

All those events were hidden beneath the seemingly calm surface.

So what did the king do?
He said he was there to lead them to victory, and that they should go to a bigger stage...

But nobody believed him.

He added that things are actually quite simple: just win this game first.

If you don't believe me, then I'll win for you and prove it to you.

Dean shook his head slightly.

He spoke of victory so lightly, and carrying a shattered team that distrusted him forward so simply…

I used to scoff at his pretentiousness, but now I realize that it's easy to show off, but hard to actually do it!

The ball boy tossed the ball to Kensington's right-back Bobby Shepard, who turned and raised the ball above his head, preparing to throw it in from the edge of the field.

Dean went up to meet the ball, making a receiving motion.

So Shepard handed the ball over to this key player.

Dean stopped the thrown football with his foot, then spread his arms to shield the football with his body, and kept flicking the football with the outside of his foot while turning around.

He used his skillful footwork and proper ball control to turn around under the defense of Skós striker Ryan Boissières.

He is now facing the goal and is starting to dribble the ball into the penalty area.

Up ahead, Richard Bolton raised his arm to ask for the ball, while another striker, Cobo, was making a diagonal run into space.

But none of these things entered Dean's eyes at this moment.

I know that it takes time for the team to gel.

I know that it takes time to earn everyone's trust.

I know that it will take time to become the core member that the boss envisions.

Until I can create better scoring opportunities for my teammates, I'll do it myself!

I'll prove to you that I'm serious about being the boss of London!

Before Skós' defensive midfielder Mihaita Radu could rush up to block him, Dean, who was dribbling the ball, suddenly took a shot!

The football sped forward, skimming along the grass!
He weaved through the dense crowd in the penalty area and headed straight for the bottom left corner of the goal!

Scots' goalkeeper Leonardo Lucero dived to his side, but it was too late; he could only watch helplessly as the ball flew into the net!

"Sonny Dean—!! His first goal in his Kensington career has come! In the 70th minute, he equalized for the team!"

The Garden Ball field erupted in thunderous cheers, deafeningly loud!
※※※

"...After Kensington's 1-1 draw at home against Scotsmans, the first round of Premier League matches this season has concluded. There were virtually no upsets, with the big teams all securing victories. Aside from Scotsmans failing to beat a Kensington side struggling due to their squad overhaul, the teams that were expected to win all won..."

"Sonny Dean, Kensington's new number 10, scored a stunning long-range goal in the match, saving new manager Lindsey..."

"Of course, it wasn't just the former Tyne players who shone in the first round of the league; Tyne FC themselves also performed exceptionally well. Which team is currently at the top of the league standings? That's right, it's Tyne FC from Newcastle!"

"When was the last time Tyne was at the top of the league standings? Maybe before the Queen ascended the throne? I don't know... Even if it happened, it must have been a long, long time ago, and it's meaningless now."

"Clayton Athletic beat Burley United 3-0 away and should have been in first place. But Tyne, with a 4-0 thrashing of Witton Hill, are now in first place on four goal difference..."

"Of course I know that the first round of league standings doesn't tell the whole story, but Tyne fans desperately needed something symbolic to celebrate. Especially after the past week, all the noise surrounding the team has put immense pressure on everyone. This resounding victory not only releases that pressure but also gives Tyne fans a sense of triumph. For those who mocked them as 'toads trying to eat swan meat,' Tyne fans can use this 4-0 win to slap them in the face..."

"Wang Lie, who scored twice, is temporarily ranked first in the top scorer list after the first round of the league. These two goals demonstrate his excellent form. Especially the second goal, which he created through a counter-pressing play in the attacking third... After a summer, Wang Lie has aged two months, but his body shows no signs of aging. Whether it's sprinting or physical duels, he has the upper hand. Feng Qiyuan, who was mainly responsible for defending his national team captain in this match, also received a good lesson from Wang Lie."

"Of course, Feng Qiyuan's performance in this match was not without its highlights. In the 66th minute, after intercepting Ribeiro's pass to Wang Lie, he delivered a precise long pass that directly broke through Tyne's entire defense. If Esteban Edo's one-on-one shot hadn't been so angled, the game might have gone in a different direction."

"...This weekend, the English Premier League, La Liga, and Ligue 1, three of the top five European leagues, kicked off their new seasons. Next week, the Bundesliga and Serie A will also begin. The 2037-2038 season is in full swing. We hope that all Chinese players in Europe can perform well for their respective teams and prepare for next year's World Cup."

"After all, that will be Wang Lie's last World Cup. Perhaps his excellent form is because he wants to make one last push in next year's World Cup?"

"Hopefully, the Chinese team players won't let this legendary veteran down as he burns out his last glimmer of glory..."

(End of this chapter)