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Chapter 217 Breaking the pot
As Chi Zhen drove closer to the training base gate, he slowed down, rolled down the window, and smiled and waved to the Skos fans waiting outside the gate.

The Scots fans responded with cheers.

Unlike after training, when the players go to training, although there are still fans gathered here, they won't ask the players for autographs or photos, because that would interfere with the players' training.

You have to wait until the players finish training and leave the training base to get autographs and photos.

This isn't a written rule, but rather a tacit understanding that had been established between the two parties long ago.

As Chi Zhen withdrew his arm, preparing to drive the car into the training base gate, he heard a shout in Mandarin from the group of fans outside:
"Keep it up, Chi Zhen!"

Chi Zhen was taken aback. Meeting Chinese fans outside the training base was not an unfamiliar experience for him.

But that roar today made him lose his composure for a moment.

After regaining his senses, he left his hand, which he was about to retract, outside for a moment and gave a thumbs up.

※※※

"Joseppe, are you still planning to start Chi in the match the day after tomorrow?"

In head coach Josep Gil's office, assistant coach Sergio Daddie is asking Gil a question.

Jill did not answer him immediately, but fell into deep thought.

His silence, in Dadiye's eyes, actually revealed his attitude to some extent.

So he asked, "You still want to give him a chance?"

Jill remained silent.

Dadiah continued, "Aren't you worried that this will put too much pressure on Chi? Even the local Liverpool media have criticized his recent performances, and the game against Tyne is crucial for us. Everyone's performance will be scrutinized by the media..."

Gil finally spoke up: "But Chi has performed exceptionally well in training this week. What reason do we have to remove him from the starting lineup?"

"For technical reasons."

Jill did not respond, and Dadiye did not continue speaking after he finished speaking.

A silence fell over the office.

The silence was finally broken by a sudden knock on the door.

After a knock, Chi Zhen's voice came from outside the door: "Is the boss there? It's me, Chi."

The two people in the room quickly exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

The knocking sounded again, and Jill quickly said, "I'm here, please come in."

The door opened, and sure enough, it was Chi Zhen who entered.

When he saw Chi Zhen come to find him, Gil's first reaction was to look at Dadiye, who was standing right next to him.

He had just come to him to say that Chi Zhen should be removed from the starting lineup, and Chi Zhen came to him right after that. So it must also be related to the starting lineup, right?

These two people actually bumped into each other...

Chi Zhen opened the door and saw the assistant coach there as well. He quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you had something to do. Should I..."

As he spoke, he turned to leave.

Jill stopped him: "Don't rush off, make things clear. What do you need me for, Chi?"

Although there was a third person present, the assistant coach was no outsider. Since the head coach had asked him to speak, Chi Zhen got straight to the point: "I know the performance in the last two games hasn't been very good, boss. So I'm probably not qualified to say this... but I still hope you can give me a chance in this game against Tyne. The last chance."

Chi Zhen raised one finger to indicate.

“If my performance is still not good enough, you can put me on the bench after this. I will absolutely accept your arrangement. But for this game, I hope you can give me a chance.”

Joseph Gilles did not answer immediately, but instead asked, "Is it because of the King?"

Why did Chi Zhen want to play in this particular match so much? What made the match against Tai En different from the other matches?
The only difference might be that Tyne has Wang Lie.

Therefore, Jill could easily guess the reason for Chi Zhen's actions.

As expected, Chi Zhen nodded readily in agreement: "Yes, boss."

"Why? Because he stole your core position in the national team? So you want to defeat him and get revenge?" Assistant coach Dadier couldn't help but ask.

Unexpectedly, Chi Zhen shook his head in denial: "No, that's not it, Mr. Dadier. Wang has indeed become the core of our national team again, but that doesn't mean I have no chance at all. My competition with him continues..."

“I understand.” Dadiye nodded. “You’re still not resigned to it and want to use your performance in this match to regain what you’ve lost. But Chi, I’m being blunt… your performance in the first two matches wasn’t great. Do you really think that the outcome of this weekend’s match alone will be enough to win back the national team coach’s favor?”

“I know that, and I don’t expect to become the core of the national team again based on one or two outstanding performances. But Mr. Dadier, I just want to prove that I can be Wang’s opponent and that I am qualified to challenge Wang.”

Dadier asked, "Regarding the performance in this match?"

Chi Zhen shook his head: "My performance in this match was to gain more opportunities."

Head coach Gil, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "I understand. You want to use your performance in the next game to get us to give you more opportunities in the future, so that you can prove that you are qualified to challenge the king."

Chi Zhen didn't speak, he just nodded.

“I understand.” Jill nodded in agreement. “Alright, I’ll give you a chance then…”

Assistant coach Dadier glanced at Gil in surprise, who was still saying:

“But you have to understand, Chi. I admire you, but I also have to consider the team as a whole. If you can’t perform like you did last season in this game, then I really will have to consider taking you out of the starting lineup temporarily.”

Chi Zhen nodded quickly and assured him, "Don't worry, boss. You saw how I performed in training this week, and I promise I won't let you down!"

After receiving permission from the head coach, he felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.

Now he just needs to focus on the present, play well in the game the day after tomorrow, and earn more opportunities to prove himself.

※※※

After Chi Zhen left, Dadiye couldn't wait to ask Jill, "Why did you agree so readily?"

“Or what?” Jill countered.

"Shouldn't we say we look at his performance in training?"

"You saw how he performed in training this week, didn't you? What more do you need to see? Besides, he's been performing well in training for the past two weeks, there's nothing wrong with that."

“Oh, that was just an excuse, a reason, to keep you from making a decision in a hurry…” Daddie explained.

Jill smiled and shook her head: "Instead of keeping him hanging, it's better to just agree and let him focus on preparing for the match the day after tomorrow."

"So you really believe he can play a significant role in the game against Tyne?"

Jill nodded: "I believe his competitive spirit towards the King is genuine. Do you remember our game against Tyne last season? After the game, Chi had the highest rating on our team."

Dadier nodded: "His performance in that match was indeed outstanding, it's just a pity that Wang stole all the limelight..."

“Although we lost to Tyne, Chi has been performing very well since that game. Especially in the next game, when we beat Sofia United 8-0, Chi was very active. So it’s clear that the competition with Wang can stimulate a better Chi. And for the game against Tyne, we definitely need a better Chi.”

Daddie thought about it and realized that Chi Zhen's performance had indeed been quite good since the 2-3 loss to Tyne last season.

So he stopped objecting.

※※※

When Victor Delmora saw that Chi Zhen was acting differently after returning from outside, he became curious about what Chi Zhen had been doing outside. So he went over and asked, "What's wrong?"

Chi Zhen looked at him strangely.

“I feel like you’re a completely different person. You seemed so preoccupied just now, but now you’re like you’ve let go of some burden, and you look so relaxed…” Delmora asked curiously, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask what happened?”

“Of course, I don’t mind.” Chi Zhen shrugged, then lowered his voice to reveal the answer to Delmora: “I went to find the boss and asked him to give me one last chance in the match against Tyne.”

Del Mora was a little surprised: "The last chance means..." "If I still don't perform well against Tyne, then take me out of the starting lineup."

Delmora knew about Chi Zhen's current situation and the immense pressure the young man was under, but he never expected Chi Zhen to do something so desperate.

He proactively went to the head coach and pledged his commitment...

Honestly, he could never do something like that.

Fluctuations in form are normal; no one can guarantee they'll always be at their best. As a mature professional player, you should try your best to adjust your form, but if you can't, you should accept it naturally.

When he's not in good form, he goes to the head coach and gambles his future on his performance in this one game... Del Mora has to say, Chi Zhen is still as naive as a child.

"What are you thinking, Chi? We all know that your current condition is related to the disruption of your preseason training schedule. You just need to adapt for a while, and your performance in the game will definitely recover. But you're making such a definitive statement now. What will happen in the future?"

“Viktor, for me, if I perform this badly in the match the day after tomorrow, then for me, there is no future.”

Hearing such youthful words, Del Mora shook his head. He did not agree with Chi Zhen's statement, but he did not continue to persuade him. Instead, he patted him on the shoulder and said, "If we get a penalty kick in the game, I will let you take it."

Forward Del Mora is the team's primary penalty taker; he usually takes the penalty when the team is awarded one.

If he is willing to give up the penalty-taking duty, the head coach will not have any objections, which is a very normal thing within the team.

But to be able to give up a scoring opportunity, you need to have a good enough relationship.

Otherwise, why would they give it to you?

Chi Zhen did not refuse, because he really needed a goal. Sometimes the difference between "good form" and "bad form" may be just a thin veil, and a goal may be the key to breaking through that veil.

However, he also knew that he owed Del Mora a huge favor.

He nodded and said, "Thank you, Victor."

Delmora smiled. "You're welcome, Chi. We're partners, aren't we?"

※※※

Center-back Joey Libert rushed to the edge of the penalty area to defend against Chi Zhen's breakthrough.

After a sudden stop, Chi Zhen used the outside of his right foot to flick the ball towards the center, seemingly trying to cut inside.

Libert immediately shifted his weight in that direction.

It turned out that Chi Zhen's flick of the ball was just a feint!
His right foot swept behind the ball, and at the same time, he moved sideways and jumped to the right side of the ball, then used the outside of his left foot to flick the ball towards the goal line!

Libert wanted to turn around and chase again, but his foot slipped and he completely lost his balance, landing on his bottom. He could only watch as Chi Zhen shook him off, caught up with the ball, and took a left-footed shot from a very tight angle!

The football flew between goalkeeper Leonardo Lucero and the near post and into the goal!

"WOOOOOW! Well done!! Poof!" Delmora cheered first.

His shout also energized his teammates.

Cheers and gloating laughter filled the training field.

Assistant coach Sergio Daddie told head coach Josepé Gil: "Chi performed exceptionally well in training today... It seems that letting him continue to start has given him a lot of motivation."

Jill smiled and said, "No, his motivation doesn't come from me, but from our opponents."

Dadier asked curiously, "Joseppe, do you really think Chi can defeat Wang in the national team and take back everything he has?"

Jill shook her head: "It's hard to say. After all, the King is already thirty-eight years old, but he certainly doesn't look thirty-eight... But what does that have to do with us?"

He shrugged and spread his hands.

"I just want to beat Wang in the next match. And we need a Chi who is eager to prove himself."

※※※

"Tang, it's so great that you could come to watch the game live!"

As Tang Lin walked out of the subway station with Mr. Berg and the others, Ryan in the crowd repeated what he had said to Tang Lin many times before.

Tang Lin could only smile helplessly, not daring to say anything to this British old man who was ten years older than his own father...

Mr. Berg, standing nearby, chimed in, "You've said it so many times, Ryan!"

“I know, hey! I know!” Ryan was still grinning. “I’m just happy, happy, you know, Jon? Our lucky boy has arrived at Lize Park Stadium, something good is bound to happen at today’s game! Hehe!”

Berg glanced at Tang Lin, who looked quite helpless.

So he turned to Ryan and said, "If nothing good happens, are you going to blame Don?"

Ryan shook his head repeatedly: "That's impossible!"

Just when everyone thought Ryan was reasonable, he immediately added, "This is Tang's first game of the new season, and with this buff, something good is bound to happen in this game! Jon, you say nothing good will happen? Absolutely not!"

This caused everyone to burst into laughter.

Jon Berg rolled his eyes: "You'd better fucking drink less, Ryan..."

He really felt that Ryan had marinated his brain in alcohol...

Hearing the laughter of the crowd, Tang Lin recalled the first time he walked into this stadium to watch a game.

Coincidentally, Tyne's opponent in that game was the same Scorsese as today.

However, the group of laughing Tyne fans around him back then were not at all like they are now.

The spectators in the stands were like frightened birds; every attack by the Scorsese made them tremble with tension, barely daring to breathe.

Once Scorsese scores, he starts habitually comforting, hypnotizing, and self-deceptive. He convinces himself that Scorsese is far superior to Tyne, and that it's normal for him to be ahead of Tyne during the game, and even if he wins the game in the end, it's still normal.

Unlike now, there's no discussion about what would happen if they lost to the Skos. Everyone is chatting and laughing, and their words and actions show no sign of worrying about the Skos being too strong.

Although only six months have passed, it is precisely because the same group of people have undergone such earth-shattering changes that Tang Lin feels as if a long time has passed.

He then turned his gaze to the Lize Park stadium in the distance.

He used to be able to see a corner of the stadium roof from the upper floors of the school's teaching building.

At first, he didn't understand what it was. After his classmate told him that it was the roof of Tyne's home stadium, Lize Park, he didn't react much.

He had seen Lize Park Stadium on his way to school the first time, but he hadn't connected the corner of the deep blue steel sky between the buildings with that stadium.

Later, he would pass by this place every time he went to or from school.

Before he became a Tyne fan, the building was just an ordinary building in his eyes, and he wouldn't give it a second glance whenever he passed by.

As he spent more time with Tyne fans like Mr. Berg, Mr. Dixie, and Mr. Collins, and eventually became a Tyne fan himself, he began to have a different feeling about the stadium.

Especially after he had been home for more than a month during his summer vacation, when he saw the Lize Park stadium again, it felt as if he had seen a long-lost friend, and he felt an indescribable sense of warmth.

He knew that Tyne Club was already pushing forward with plans to build a new stadium.

Judging from the speed at which they are building the Northumberland Soccer City, this new, more modern and luxurious stadium, which can accommodate more people, should be ready for use in just a few years.

So this football field, which is five years older than the Tyne Football Club, is approaching the end of its life journey.

Although Tyne fans have a deep emotional attachment to the stadium, almost none of them objected when the club proposed building a new stadium.

In fact, Lize Park Stadium has undergone several renovations and expansions, especially the recent refurbishment after the takeover by Middle Eastern oil capital, resulting in a significant improvement in its facilities. If Tyne remains a team that aims to avoid relegation every year, then Lize Park Stadium might even be considered a "luxury" for them.

But for an ambitious club that wants to etch its name in the history of world football, the stadium is too old—located in the city, next to parks and university campuses, with little land available for expansion.

The only option is to start from scratch elsewhere.

Although it was only a short six months, Tang Lin experienced firsthand what it meant for the world to change drastically through this team and these fans...

(End of this chapter)