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Chapter 206 What kind of champion are you?
“I may have made a mistake… no, I must have made a mistake, Cesar.”

"Sit on the coach's bench, Sam McNeil said to Cesar Varo next to him."

They were waiting for the second half to begin, and players from both sides were gradually coming out of the locker room.

"I shouldn't have rushed to use tactics that weren't even fully developed. Against a terrifyingly stable opponent like Clayton, I chose such a risky approach... I wasn't just stupid, I was downright stupid!"

Hearing McNeil blaming himself, Cesar Varo quickly offered some words of comfort:
"This is not your problem. Facing an opponent like Clayton Sports, we have no choice but to field our strongest lineup."

How could he and McNeil not know about the team's current problems?
When McNeil ultimately chose to use a less-than-ideal approach against Clayton Sports, Varo did not stop him.

It's because he himself wasn't sure which approach was correct.

Replacing the original midfield pairing has the advantage of stability, as everyone knows each other well. However, that doesn't mean there aren't problems – if the original midfield pairing could help us beat Clayton Sports away from home, why spend so much money to bring in Pisano, Isala, and Cabella?
Choosing a new midfield triangle consisting of three players carries the risk of insufficient chemistry and problems in coordination. However, all three players are individually very capable, so what if only one or two of them can perform normally?
In the second half against Witton Hill, the trio's performance started somewhat chaotically.

But wasn't it Sergi Cabella, who was substituted on at halftime, who scored the team's fourth goal?

Therefore, Varro could not be certain that McNeil's choice was wrong before the game.

McNeil was not comforted by Varro. He covered his mouth and continued, "Of course, using the same lineup as last season against Clayton might not have resulted in a win. But ultimately, this wrong choice stemmed from my own anxiety. I lost the composure and rationality that a head coach should have."

If Tyne ultimately loses to Clayton, in retrospect, media experts might say that the big win in the first round of the league made McNeil lose his composure and get carried away by the victory, which led him to take a risky approach.

But the real reason is exactly the opposite.

McNeil wasn't blinded by his first-round victory; he was driven by inner anxiety.

As a manager who led a relegation-threatened team to a historic Champions League qualification, Sam McNeil is seen by many as a rising star in the managerial field.

Few people know the deep-seated inferiority complex within McNeil...

He asked Varo beside him, "Do you remember what you said to me on the training field five months ago after we lost to Clayton?"

Varo looked at him with some surprise.

"You said you thought about it all night and finally figured out why you were so upset about losing to Clayton Athletic, who are stronger than us. It's because you don't want to accept the fact that it's normal to lose when facing a stronger opponent."

Varo nodded: "Yes, I did say that."

McNeil grinned. "You have this idea because I said during the game that we weren't even on the same level as Clayton, that it was a complete crushing victory in terms of overall strength. Back then, I was kind of the negative example standing on the opposite side of you..."

Varo quickly said, "No, Sam, that's not what I meant."

“It’s alright, Cesar. Whether it was an excuse I made for my failure or just a habitual way of thinking, that’s what I really thought. I didn’t think losing away to a stronger team like Clayton was unacceptable. As a manager, you have to look at things from a holistic perspective, from the whole season, and not get hung up on the outcome of a single game… So until you told me your conclusion, I didn’t see anything wrong with it at all…”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, Sam. Different people have different perspectives on the same issue, so they’ll come to different conclusions. Isn’t that normal? I wasn’t criticizing you when I said that; it was just my personal feeling in that situation…”

"Perhaps, perhaps... perhaps if the entire team shares my opinion, then there's nothing wrong with me thinking this way. But if most of the team members can't accept such a 'deserved defeat,' and I, as the head coach, still hold onto the same old ideas, then it means I'm no longer fit to lead this team..."

"Don't say that, Sam. You've forgotten that you have the King's approval, and you are the most suitable head coach to lead this team."

McNeil told Wang Lie about the conversation he had before renewing his contract, a conversation that had been his assistant coach since his first time as head coach.

Therefore, it's not surprising that Varo knew about Wang Lie's attitude towards McNeil.

McNeil said: "Yes, that's what Wong said to me. But that was after we qualified for the Champions League. Wong won't be satisfied with just qualifying for the Champions League, and the club probably won't either—look at the players Werner brought in this summer... those names, which Tyne fans wouldn't have even dared to dream of before, and now they're all here with the team."

"The club is matching Wang's ambition with money, and our strength has increased, which is a good thing. But as the head coach of this team, what if I can't demonstrate the ability to match Wang's ambition? You know, although it hasn't been publicly announced, Wang really wants to win the Champions League this season. What if we don't achieve that in the end? Will I leave the team at the end of this season?"

This time, Varro didn't rush to persuade McNeil; instead, he remained silent in the face of McNeil's question.

This silence speaks volumes.

He also had to admit that McNeil's worries and anxieties were justified, and he could understand his partner's deep-seated anxiety and insecurity.

Coaching experience and achievements are currently popular and important criteria used in the football world to evaluate whether a head coach is excellent.

McNeil's past record as a coach is indeed not very impressive.

Before coming to Tyne, he had only coached one professional team:
West Los Angeles United, a team in the Scottish Premier League.

And despite being a Scottish Premiership team, his coaching experience in the Scottish top flight is only three months – his experience at West Lothian United was primarily in the Scottish Championship, where he managed the team for one season and led them to promotion to the Premier League.

Finally, he was recruited by Tyne last November.

He came in as an interim coach. It's possible that his name only caught the attention of Tyne FC because Newcastle is relatively close to Scotland.

This can be seen from the fact that Tyne initially only gave him a short-term contract of seven months.

If he can't lead the team to safety from relegation, then not only will Tyne's team have to say goodbye to the Premier League, but McNeil will too – for some time to come, no Premier League team may be interested in him.

Leading Tyne to Champions League qualification is already McNeil's best achievement in his coaching career.

This best result is highly questionable – because McNeil has told Varro more than once that Wang Lie deserves the most credit for the team's Champions League qualification, and that he, as the head coach, only benefited from Wang Lie's success.

Don't be fooled by Wang Lie's support for him when he renewed his contract last season.

But this time, that time.

If the team's performance is unsatisfactory and the club really wants to fire McNeil, can Wang Lie still come out to vouch for him?

After working in professional football for a long time, you'll understand that nothing is permanent and everything is tied to results.

Even mentors and students who were once as close as father and son can part ways when their grades decline.

"Promises," especially verbal ones, are perhaps the least valuable thing in professional football.

Seeing Varro remain silent, McNeil laughed: "See, you admit I was right, right? I did make mistakes because of my anxiety... Facing this team that wants to be a powerhouse, I don't know if I have the ability to lead them to that status."

"Otherwise, why didn't I stay obediently in the Sofia youth team and wait for the first team's call-up? Wasn't it because I felt my abilities weren't good enough for a powerhouse like Sofia? I originally just wanted to come to Tyne, a relegation-threatened team, to level up and gain experience, but I never expected to enter a hellish dungeon... Ha!"

Varo covered his mouth, frowned, and leaned close to his ear, saying, "Sam, did the first half of the game make you stupid? Why have you suddenly become so sentimental?"

"I'm just reflecting on my mistakes..."

"Reflect my ass!" Varo glared, still covering his mouth as he growled, "If you're worried that you can't lead the team to success, that you don't have the ability to coach a team with the ambition of a powerhouse, then think about what Wang said—do your current job well, focus on the present, don't look up at the mountains, look down at the road beneath your feet. Take each step well and steadily, and you will naturally get to where you want to go."

McNeil was stunned and didn't say anything.

"You have a mountain in your heart, and you know where you're going, that's enough. Don't always think about how high the mountain is or how far the road is. Focus on doing your job well. I'll do my job well, the king will do his job well, and everyone will do their job well... The rest is up to God to decide, Sam."

He patted Sam on the shoulder.

Sam didn't reply to him, nor did he continue speaking.

The two coaches sat in their chairs on the bench, looking towards the field together.

Their gazes were all focused on the same person.

The man was wearing a dark blue Tyne jersey with the number 99, and an orange-red captain's armband on his left arm.

Standing in the center circle, with the soccer ball under his feet.

※※※

With the soccer ball under his feet and his hands on his hips, Wang Lie caught a glimpse of the orange-red captain's armband on his left arm.

He recalled that before the season started, Elliott Goetz had praised him for becoming more and more like a good captain because of his handling of the Peter Oliver situation.

Because he knows how to take care of everyone's feelings in the team, even if that person is insignificant or not in the spotlight, as the captain, he must pay attention to them.

Wang Lie knew that this was probably the result of the side effect called "Extraordinary Heart" being canceled, making him more "human" now...

However, even though he clearly saw Luca Heric, who looked somewhat lost because of his mistake, in the locker room just now, he still didn't think of going over to comfort or encourage him.

He didn't mean to embarrass Herlitch; he simply couldn't muster the slightest thought or emotion to "treat others with kindness" at that moment.

He was extremely dissatisfied with his own and the team's performance in the first half, putting him on the verge of exploding at any moment.

At that moment, he was completely focused on how to turn the tide in the second half and how to beat Clayton Athletic; he couldn't spare a single thought for anyone else.

He seemed to have reverted to that inhuman state he used to be in. He sat in his seat, as still as an old monk, completely unresponsive to the outside world. In fact, he saw and heard everything that was happening in the locker room, but he didn't want to move a single finger.

He saw Goetz hug Helitch, offering him some comfort, though he didn't know if it truly did...

Despite the praise from Götz and the fact that the "extraordinary heart" side effect had truly disappeared, Wang Lie still felt that leading a team to victory was the most important task of a captain.

It's important to take care of each teammate's feelings, but if the team can't win, no matter how tactful or meticulous he is, he can't make everyone feel better.

Because they are a team, winning is the team's duty.

As the team captain, leading the team to victory is also my duty.

Moreover, if we're talking about taking care of teammates' feelings, then winning is actually the best way to truly consider their feelings.

Even without the side effects of cheating, he still insisted on this belief.

Wang Lie took this as evidence that his almost obsessive competitiveness stemmed from himself, rather than from external cheating.

The Clayton Athletic players were already positioned on his opposite half of the field.

The stands, which were sparsely populated at halftime, are now filled with enthusiastic Clayton Sports fans.

After a fifteen-minute rest and recharge, the home fans were back to their energetic selves. While waiting for the whistle to kick off the second half, they couldn't wait to start singing and dancing.

When Tyne attacked in the second half, he was heading straight for the section of the stands where his die-hard fans were gathered, which was like charging into enemy fire.

Looking over, Wang Lie could still see the banner hanging on the railing between the first and second floors of the stands.

It says:

"Come and pay tribute to the true champion!"

Clearly, this is Clayton Sports fans targeting Wang Lie himself.

Since that welcoming ceremony, rumors about his impending victory have been rampant, sparking widespread discussion and attention across Europe.

Tyne's fans were naturally encouraged, while his team's fans either dismissed him with disdain, thinking he was just daydreaming; or they treated him and Tyne as a joke; and some even thought he was arrogant and didn't respect their team, and that they would definitely teach Tyne a lesson next time they met.

Especially after Tyne's 4-0 victory over Witton Hill in the first round, temporarily taking the top spot in the league standings on goal difference.

The ecstatic Tyne fans were somewhat arrogant online, which naturally drew the ire of many Clayton Sports fans.

And that's how this banner came about.

The first half was still behind Tyne's goal, but it resulted in two goals from Clayton Sports, which excited the Clayton Sports fans even more.

They're even shaking the banner now, as if Wang Lie is currently facing their stands.

Wang Lie naturally noticed this little action by the Clayton Sports fans.

He was used to fans of both sides hurling insults at each other online, and had no intention of acting as an objective and impartial "online judge" to determine who provoked whom first.

He just found it funny:
I'm talking about the Champions League winner. What are you so strutting about in front of me with your league title?

※※※

Renzo Pisano must admit that English and Spanish football are very different, so his performance after arriving in Tyne has not met expectations.

Perhaps the injury he suffered last season has affected his current performance.

After all, once he recovered from his injury, he was relegated to the bench at FC Madrid and didn't get much playing time, so his match fitness never really recovered well.

Despite Tyne's resounding victory over his opponent in the first round, Pisano is not satisfied with his performance.

As a former top-three midfielder in the world and the core of a top club's playmaking, Pisano has high expectations for himself.

From warm-up matches to official competitions, there has been some criticism of his performance after each game.

Even after the team's resounding victory over Witton Hill in the last league match, some professionals still criticized his performance.

He accepted all of these criticisms, except for one.

That means he's old and no longer capable of staying at FC Madrid, so he can only go to a wealthy team to play his remaining years and retire.

He does not accept this criticism.

If he hadn't heard about Wang Lie's ambition from Majekatic, he would never have chosen Tyne in the end—no matter how much after-tax salary this wealthy team offered him…

Is 33 years old considered old?

Look at Wang, who is thirty-eight years old.
He turned his gaze to the back of the man in front of him.

Tyne's number 99 is standing in the center circle with his hands on his hips, waiting for the kickoff.

He recalled what Wang Lie had said in the locker room.

"Like the boss said, tell us to play simpler in the second half, and once we win the ball, just give it to me."

When Pisano first heard Wang Lie say that, he felt a bit like laughing and crying at the same time—the so-called simple way of playing is just passing the ball to you... what kind of amateur football mentality is that?

But now he can't laugh.

Because after careful consideration, he realized that Wang Lie was right.

If we don't want to lose this game, we have to score first.

No matter what method you use, get the ball into Clayton Athletic's goal.

So in today's football world, is there anyone better at scoring goals than the man who said that?

But in terms of passing and connection ability alone...

He's not bragging, but there are probably very few active players in football today who are better than Renzo Pisano.

The man in his field of vision turned around and clapped his hands, and Pisano also regained his composure.

He heard Wang Lie shouting loudly:
"Cheer up, focus! The game isn't over yet..."

But he couldn't hear what Wang Lie said next, even though he was less than ten meters away. The shouts from the Clayton Sports fans drowned out Wang Lie's voice.

Such sudden shouts before the kickoff are not the norm.

They seemed to be deliberately targeting Wang Lie; seeing that he was trying to boost the team's morale, they immediately created noise to distract him.

Just like in the first half, whenever Wang Lie got the ball, the stands at Ashton Road Stadium would erupt in ear-piercing boos and screams that could give anyone a heart attack.

Considering Wang Lie's past as a Sofia player, it's understandable that Clayton Athletic fans, as his city rivals, are now targeting him...

Despite the immense interference, Wang Lie still managed to finish what he had to say.

The specific content of those words is actually not important.

Because they are nothing more than some encouraging slogans.

The key is what Wang Lie does next.

He looked at Pisano, who was standing outside the center circle, and saw that Pisano was also looking at him, so he poked his chest with his thumb.

That was something he did at halftime, reminding Pisano not to forget to pass the ball to him.

Pisano nodded, which was his way of responding to him.

After receiving Pisano's promise, Wang Lie smiled at him, then turned around to face Clayton Athletic's half of the field again, and also to the banner behind Clayton Athletic's goal.

The smile on his face not only didn't disappear, but actually widened:
champion?

What kind of champion are you?
(End of this chapter)