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Chapter 242 Victims of the Virus

"The situation isn't very optimistic..."

Assistant coach Cesar Varo sighed as he looked at the newly released medical report.

After the international break, the players returned to their clubs.

Tain's coaching staff then conducted physical examinations on every player who participated in the national team matches.

This medical report clearly tells Varo that Tyne's national team players all have some physical problems to varying degrees.

Renzo Pisano has some minor muscle discomfort, but it can't be ignored just in case. The team medical staff advised that it's best not to field the Tyne number 10 for the league match against Hughesro this weekend.

In addition, several players are experiencing varying degrees of fatigue.

"It seems the club still doesn't have enough money..."

Hearing his partner make such a remark, McNeil was very curious—Tyan was known for being rich, so how did Cesar come to the conclusion that Yann wasn't rich enough?
"Why do you say that?"

"The club can only provide Wang with private jet service. If all national team players who travel across continents to participate in national team matches could enjoy this service, the players' physical fatigue should be greatly reduced."

McNeil was both amused and exasperated by Varo's reply: "Even if you're rich, you can't spend money like that!"

Then he asked, "How is the king?"

"The chartered plane did help; his condition is better now. But the medical team doesn't recommend he play the full match. After all, we have an away game in the Champions League group stage next week..."

McNeil nodded and made a decision: "Put Wang on the bench, depending on the situation."

The reason why Wang Lie was not started and was substituted early was because McNeil did not want Wang Lie to play too much in the league and wanted him to save his energy for the Champions League match.

Next Tuesday, Tyne will play their first-ever Champions League match in club history.

McNeil knew very well which game was more important.

Although Tyne is currently ranked first in the league, McNeil has no "idol baggage" and will not be unwilling to give up the league because of it.

Of course, this doesn't mean we're completely ignoring the league; it just means that compared to the Champions League, the league takes a backseat.

If he truly disregarded the league entirely, he wouldn't have included Wang Lie in the match roster...

Varo asked him, "Shouldn't you talk to the king first?"

The last time Wang Lie was included in the substitute list was in the 23rd round of last season's league.

Tyne played away against Bournemouth, and Wang Lie came on as a substitute at halftime. He did not score, but he provided a brilliant assist, helping Van Ginkel score the winning goal.

At that time, Wang Lie had just joined the team. Considering that he had not played a single full game properly in the first half of the season, there were concerns about his physical condition and lack of match feel.

Therefore, McNeil arranged for Wang Lie to come on as a substitute in the first two games after he joined the team.

However, after playing two games, McNeil discovered that Wang Lie's physical condition was better than he had thought, both in matches and in training.

With the next game against the Scotts, McNeil ultimately decided to start Wang Lie.

Since then, Wang Lie has never missed a starting position with Tyne.

Of course, this is also because Tyne only needed to play in the Premier League, one game a week, which was not very intense, so there was no need to let Wang Lie rest for the sake of rotation.

Now, in order to ensure the fighting capacity for multiple fronts, especially for the Champions League match against Lille next Tuesday, McNeil has had to adopt a rotation policy and put Wang Lie on the substitute list.

Although it is a legitimate tactical adjustment and one of the head coach's responsibilities, considering Wang Lie's special status in Tyne – so many Tyne players were going back to their national teams to play, but the club only provided Wang Lie with a private jet, which shows how much the club values ​​him – perhaps it would be better to let Wang Lie know and communicate with him first?

McNeil nodded in agreement, not at all feeling that it was shameful for a head coach to bench a player and have to explain it to that player...

So after training, he found Wang Lie and asked to have a private talk with him.

The reason for holding a private meeting was, of course, to save face for both Wang Lie and himself.

"I'd like to put you on the bench for the game against Hughesro this weekend, Wang."

McNeil cut to the chase and stated the purpose of his meeting.

Wang Lie could guess why McNeil made this arrangement. He had just had two games in one week and two games in the next week, and had flown more than 20,000 kilometers in between. In addition, given his age of 38, McNeil was worried that his physical condition would not be able to keep up, so he put him on the bench as a precaution.

The problem is, I have cheat codes!
Although he is 38 years old now, his physical functions are those of a 32-year-old.

For a 32-year-old like him, returning to China to participate in national team matches and then flying back to play club matches would certainly not result in better physical condition than not returning to China, but it wouldn't be too bad either.

Therefore, Wang Lie did not want to accept the head coach's arrangement, but he did not refuse as forcefully as before. Instead, he said tactfully, "I think my physical condition is actually still okay..."

Fearing he lacked a convincing reason, he added, "The private jet service provided by the club was a great help."

“I know… you’re always hungry for the game, Wang.” McNeil wasn’t surprised by Wang Lie’s response. “But the Champions League game next Tuesday is more important for us, and I hope you can save your best for that match.”

Wang Lie wanted to refuse, but he changed his mind before he could say it.

After all, he had a cheat code, but McNeil didn't know that... He could only judge his physical condition based on his age of thirty-eight.

He felt that if he insisted on starting, McNeil would eventually give in to him.

But Wang Lie didn't want to do that.

As head coach, McNeil has the authority to decide which players start and which players come off the bench.

He didn't have to explain this to me specifically.

But he still came, showing himself complete respect.

If Sven Heldon had respected himself like McNeil did, perhaps the story wouldn't have turned out the way it is today...

Now that McNeil has shown me respect, shouldn't I also respect McNeil?

Thinking of this, Wang Lie shrugged and spread his hands: "Okay, I'll listen to you, boss."

Seeing that Wang Lie agreed so readily, McNeil secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had prepared many arguments to persuade Wang Lie, and was also prepared to let him start even if Wang Lie insisted on not being a substitute...

As a result, none of these preparations were needed.

After only one round of tug-of-war, Wang Lie nodded in agreement to his arrangement.

He smiled and patted Wang Lie on the shoulder: "To be honest, I hope you can rest peacefully on the bench for the whole game. That at least means that nothing unexpected will happen."

Wang Lie shook his head: "Even if nothing unexpected happens, you'd better let me go up and get used to the rhythm of the game."

McNeil's previous comment was just a joke, so he nodded: "Of course, I'll use all five substitutions."

※※※

"Charlie Cohen is up here!"

Fans in the stands at Lize Park cheered.

They saw that where Cohen came up was an opening, and Tyne had a chance!
As expected, Van Ginkel, who received the ball in the middle, passed it to Cohen.

Before receiving the ball, Cohen looked up and glanced at the goal. Hughesro's defenders were retreating rapidly, which meant they couldn't hold their ground.

So he decided not to dribble down the wing, but to cross the ball directly!

After the ball came, he swung his left leg and crossed it!

He delivered a low cross, and the ball flew low into the Hughesro penalty area!

Head straight for the open space between the defenders and the goalkeeper!

There, Tyne's starting center forward Peter Oliver made a powerful sprint and then launched a flying tackle.

He's going to kick the ball straight into the goal!
But he couldn't touch the ball!
He only started sprinting towards the goal when he saw Cohen make a crossing move, which made him a beat too slow...

The football grazed past his feet, about half a meter away!

The cheers from the Tyne fans in the stands at Lize Park instantly turned into sighs. "Oh no!!" Luo Jin also cried out, looking up, "Oliver missed a golden opportunity to equalize!"

Oliver, having missed his chance, fell to the ground. As he struggled to his feet, he saw the football bounce and fly out of bounds, just in front of his toes...

Hughesro got a goal kick.

Disappointed and frustrated, he lay back down and covered his face with his hands.

“Olivier was too slow, he should have started earlier…” Zhao Chuanfeng criticized Peter Oliver’s performance in this attack. “That’s the difference in goal-scoring instinct – if it were Wang Lie, he would have rushed towards the goal before Cohen could swing his leg. That might have resulted in an offside, but it would have been more likely to lead to a goal…”

Although the Tyne fans in the stands sighed and shouted in disappointment when Oliver missed his chance, they quickly applauded the team's attack and encouraged the players to continue fighting.

Amid applause, Oliver got up from the ground and ran out of Hughesro's penalty area.

Jon Berger in the stands clapped and exclaimed:
"Sigh, this is the 'FIFA virus'! I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing..."

Tang Lin, who was standing next to him, said, "It's probably bad, right? After all, everyone went back to participate in the national team competition, and although the lineup was significantly rotated, they're still not in good form..."

Berg nodded: "But think about the old Tyne, they weren't bothered by the 'FIFA virus' at all. We were even like Hughesro today, maybe we could have used the 'FIFA virus' to cause some trouble for those strong teams... Now we're the ones affected by the 'FIFA virus,' doesn't that mean we're stronger than before?"

Tang Lin was speechless, because Mr. Berg was right.

He also recalled that the first league game after the national team matches last season was Tyne playing the Hackney Cavaliers at home.

Although he didn't go to the game in person, he learned about the game through the post-game highlights.

The Hackney Knights were leading the league at the time, but were affected by national team matches. The team's captain and midfield playmaker, Raul Pope, was injured while playing for the national team and missed this game.

Ultimately, the Hackney Cavaliers lost to Tyne on the road, allowing championship rivals Clayton Sports to catch up.

Ultimately, they couldn't withstand the pressure and lost the league championship.

Last season, Tyne was able to use the "FIFA virus" to overthrow the league leaders, but today he has become a victim of the "FIFA virus".

From the very beginning of the game, Tyne's players were not performing as well as before.

The extensive rotation of players and the fatigue from national team matches had a negative impact on this game.

In the 37th minute of the first half, Hughesro scored with a direct free kick from outside the penalty area.

In fact, goalkeeper Elliot Goetz had already made the correct save, but center-back Hugo Gunduz stretched out his leg to try to block the shot.

Unexpectedly, after the ball was grazed by his leg, he jumped upwards, changed direction, and flew into the goal!

Goetz, on the other hand, missed his target!

Tyne fell behind without even realizing it...

At halftime, McNeil substituted Vitini in an attempt to launch a counterattack.

After the adjustments, Tyne did indeed show improvement on offense.

For example, the offensive just now is a case in point.

Unfortunately, it wasn't Wang Lie vying for the ball in front of the goal, but Peter Oliver...

Although Oliver squandered this golden opportunity, Tyne fans still offered encouragement to the team.

Since the second half has only just begun, Tyne has already threatened Hughesro's goal, so it might not be long before Tyne equalizes the score.
After Tang Lin finished talking with Mr. Berg, Robbie Dixie, who was standing in front of him, turned back and asked him, "Tang, do you think we can turn this around?"

Tang Lin knew why Dixie had asked him that question—he was treating him like a prophet.

Previously, Tang Lin would never have wanted to play this role; he would have definitely answered that he didn't know and told Dixie not to believe in metaphysics.

But now he knows that he is just a "placebo" for these fans, so he tries his best to do what he can.

He nodded and said with great certainty, "I think it's okay!"

Sure enough, upon hearing Tang Lin's words, not only did Robbie Dixie smile, but Ryan next to him also happily pumped his fist.

※※※

After Peter Oliver missed his chance, the television cameras immediately switched to Tyne's bench, looking for Wang Lie.

In the close-up shot, Wang Lie is clapping.

Clearly, he was also encouraging Oliver.

However, the purpose of this broadcast shot was not to show Wang Lie's dissatisfaction with Oliver's wasted opportunities, but to tell the audience through the visual language that there was a very good goal scorer sitting on the bench for Tyne...

"Should we bring Wang on?" Assistant coach Cesar Varo asked head coach Sam McNeil.

He had obviously thought of that as well.

But McNeil gently shook his head: "Wait a little longer. Give the players on the court a little more time; the situation is turning in our favor..."

Since the head coach had already made a decision, Varo did not offer any further suggestions.

The second half has only been going on for eight minutes, and Tyne is only one goal behind, so there's really no need to rush...

※※※

Ten more minutes passed in the game. During these ten minutes, Tyne gradually took control of the game thanks to his home advantage, and the players seemed to be slowly regaining their form.

Tyne began to dominate the game and was able to create more attacking opportunities.

However, they didn't do a good enough job of seizing opportunities.

In the 55th minute, Peter Oliver headed the ball in front of the goal, but it went over the bar.

In the 59th minute, Vitini almost equalized – his shot had cleared the bar of Hughesro goalkeeper Jack Morrison, but was cleared off the line by Hughesro defender Nassim Mukhtar!
McNeil was so frustrated that he knelt down on the ground...

Vitini raised his arm to signal to the referee that the ball had crossed the line.

But now, the referee can clearly tell whether the ball has crossed the goal line. This is because a special chip in the ball sends a signal to a receiver worn on the referee's arm when it crosses the goal line. The receiver vibrates upon receiving the signal, alerting the referee that a goal has been scored.

The fact that the receiver on the referee's arm is now completely silent means that the ball has not completely crossed the line.

So the referee, while making a "no goal" gesture, turned and ran back—Mukhtar cleared the ball, which flew forward, and the game was still in progress before it went into dead ball time!
Later, after the ball went out of play, the television broadcast replayed the slow-motion replay of Mukhtar's incredible clearance. The broadcast also showed the audience, through goal-line technology, that the ball had not completely crossed the line – although most of it was in the goal, about a third of the ball was still on the goal line and had not gone in.

According to the rules of football, this situation certainly cannot be considered a goal.

Faced with Tyne's increasingly fierce offensive, Hugheslow has switched to a defensive counter-attack mode.

All eleven players were defending in their own half, and only limited offensive forces were deployed during counter-attacks, prioritizing the number of defenders.

In the 63rd minute, Hughesro launched a counter-attack after intercepting the ball in the backfield. Their Finnish midfielder Ronald Leski sprinted forward, crossed the halfway line, and received the ball on the right.

Upon seeing him receive the ball, Hughesro's striker Christopher Arnarson immediately cut diagonally into the gap in Tyne's defense.

Leski saw his teammate's run and decisively sent a through ball.

Arnarsson received the ball just outside the penalty area, where Tyne's center-back Claire Oni had already positioned himself to defend him.

Arnarson made a move to pass the ball to his left foot, but suddenly used the outside of his right foot to deflect the ball diagonally forward!
When Oni pretended to let the ball go to his left foot, he had already shifted towards the center. Unexpectedly, the opponent deflected the ball towards the flank. With the two passing each other, space was created.

Arnarsson caught up with the ball and unleashed a powerful shot!
The football shot into the top corner of the goal like a cannonball!
Goalkeeper Elliott Goetz made a save attempt but didn't touch the ball at all!

"Wow!! Arnalsson!! He's helped Hugheslo take a two-goal lead over Tyne away from home!"

※※※

The stands at Lize Park were filled with a mix of sounds: boos, shouts, and sighs... Of course, the cheers of the more than 1,000 fans of the away team, Hughes Rovers, could not be ignored!

Amid the commotion, in front of the home team's bench, Sam McNeil bypassed assistant coach Varro, turned around, pointed at Wang Lie, and shouted at him:
"Your Majesty! Go warm up!!"

Although the Champions League takes precedence over the league, it doesn't mean he'll willingly accept a defeat at home!
(End of this chapter)