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Chapter 272 Victory is all
After welcoming Tyne's entire team outside the stadium, the group entered the stadium with the rest of the crowd.

As they stepped onto the steps and entered the stadium stands, the first thing they saw was the Champions League logo covering the railings between each tier of stands.

The electronic advertising boards on the sidelines are playing Champions League sponsor advertisements on a loop.

In addition, an archway bearing the Champions League logo has been erected at the exit of the players' tunnel.

Champions League logos are visible throughout the stadium.

Upon seeing this, Jon Berg exclaimed, "How beautiful..."

Robbie Dixie, standing next to him, pulled out his phone to record. He spun around, recording a 360-degree view, and said:
"This is the Lize Park stadium with the Champions League skin! Champions League!!"

From the moment Tang Lin stepped onto the pitch, he could feel that Lize Park Stadium was completely different from the stadium during regular league matches.

The people were the same, but everyone's mood was different from usual.

It's really like playing a game; changing your skin instantly boosts your combat power...

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As fans gradually filled the stands, the players from both sides, having changed their clothes, came out of the locker room and onto the field to warm up before the match.

When they appeared, it drew cheers from both sets of fans in the stands.

Then the fans watched the team warm up attentively.

"As expected of the king, he's incredibly steady!"

Robbie Dixie praised Wang Lie after he received a lob pass from his teammate and volleyed the ball into the goal.

"For Wang, Champions League matches must be commonplace, right? If even Wang has problems, then we're doomed to lose..."

"So stop looking at the king, look at the others. Like Vitini..."

"I think we should focus on Ribeiro; he's been getting a lot of criticism before this match..."

These Tyne fans were trying to guess how well the Tyne players would perform in the game by observing how they warmed up.

Especially Ribeiro.

Everyone was worried that the player, who was reunited with his former club, would be disturbed by the Milan fans during the match.

Ribeiro had already been criticized for several days because of "Factos".

Before the match against Milan City, he made the outrageous statement that "as long as I can play alongside Wang, I am willing to never score a goal," which caused a frenzy among his online detractors.

Haters mocked Ribeiro, saying he was "pure like a bastard" and "didn't seem to be faking it."

Can someone who has experienced so much cyberbullying in a short period of time maintain a good mindset in a competition of the Champions League level?
Moreover, in the area where Tyne's players were warming up, there happened to be a group of Milan City fans wearing Milan City's red and blue jerseys in the stands next to them.

So when Ribeiro warmed up with the ball, the Milan fans booed him en masse, and some even waved pre-prepared signboards that read: "Traitor."

In addition to boos and banners, Milan fans also shouted insults at Ribeiro.

They were all swearing in Italian, which most of the Taine fans couldn't understand, but anyway, it wasn't directed at them, as long as Ribeiro could understand it...

"The situation is not optimistic..."

Seeing this, Harry Collins sighed.

"What's there to be afraid of? Once the match starts, I'll make sure those Italians don't make a sound!" Robbie Dixie scoffed.

“You can’t make a sound, but you can’t just snatch someone’s sign, can you?” Theo Collins said. “Besides, Ribeiro might have already seen it.”

Ribeiro did see it; as he turned and ran back to his designated spot, he spotted the banners held up by the Milan fans in the stands.

But once he saw it, he didn't react in any other way.

He turned around and went back to warming up, leaving only his back to the jeers of the Milan fans...

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After the players finish warming up and return to the locker room, the team doctors will be busy massaging players who feel muscle discomfort, and coaches will also help apply muscle tape to players who need it.

The locker room was bustling with activity as everyone prepared for the upcoming match.

Head coach Sam McNeil has displayed the starting lineups for both teams on a large touchscreen.

Then, based on the starting lineups of both sides, I gave the players the final pre-match instructions:

“We all know that Milan City is a team that excels at counter-attacking; their defense is very strong. Because their main striker, Latanzio, was injured before, they fielded a 5-4-1 formation for this match, with three center-backs and two defensive midfielders. Obviously, they will focus particularly on defense in this game…”

McNeil pointed to Milan's 5-4-1 formation on the big screen and said.

There are three center-backs inside the penalty area in Milan, and two full-backs outside the penalty area.

In front of the center-backs are four midfielders, making the two defensive lines particularly distinct.

Before this match, Milan City usually used a 5-3-2 formation, with no difference in defense compared to now, consisting of three center-backs and two defensive midfielders.

The only difference is the offensive lineup.

Typically, a strong, technically gifted, all-around center forward is paired with a striker.

Last season it was Miguel Ribeiro, and this season it's the young striker Lionel Latanzio who transferred this summer.

However, Latanzio was injured in the league match ten days ago and did not travel with the team for this game.

Therefore, AC Milan's head coach Federico Papacioli adjusted the starting formation, switching to a 5-4-1.

This wasn't a sudden situation; Tyne had made specific arrangements in response to Milan's tactical changes.

"When we attack their 30-meter zone, their two lines will definitely move towards the penalty area. Our three forwards can move towards the center and the flanks, and then leave the flanks open. At this time, the two full-backs must push forward aggressively and penetrate the defensive blind spots on both sides behind their defense."

Sam McNeil used a stylus to draw a diagram on the screen showing the running routes of the two full-backs as they made their forward runs.

Then he turned to the midfielders and said, "If we can't get the ball in on the ground... nine times out of ten we won't get it in, so let's try in the air, pass it over the top. It's okay if we make a mistake, it's okay if we don't pass accurately, as long as we try more, we can definitely create opportunities."

“If their two defensive lines drop back, then we need to strengthen our long-range shooting from outside the penalty area. Pisano and Isara, you both have long-range shooting ability. Wang and Ribeiro can also shoot from here.”

This is McNeil's carefully prepared "two-pronged approach" for Milan.

If you try to park the bus, I'll shoot from long range. If you try to move up to defend against my long-range shots, I can attack from behind.

In any case, Tyne's attacking lineup consists of all-around players who can break through defenses, pass and organize play, and also score from long range.

With various combinations, there's always one that suits the opponent.

After explaining how to break down Milan's tight defense, McNeil told the team, "Once we score the first goal, they can't park the bus anymore and will have to push forward. So once we score, we need to keep pressing and try to score more goals. Like I said, a one-goal lead isn't safe, guys!"

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"This is their home ground, which is their advantage, but an advantage can also turn into a disadvantage."

In the away team's locker room, Milan City's head coach Federico Papacioli was also giving the team his final instructions.

"They won their first Champions League match, and from that game we could see their attacking firepower was fierce, but their performance wasn't consistent enough. They could launch a fierce attack after taking the lead, but they could also concede goals in quick succession. This is normal, after all, it was their first time participating in the Champions League, and they lacked experience in dealing with various situations..."

"If it's an away game, conceding goals in quick succession isn't necessarily a bad thing. But at home, the support of the fans can sometimes become pressure. Again, this is their home ground, and as you can see, those Tyne fans outside are definitely hoping for a victory..."

At this point, Papacioli pointed to the locker room door.

"If Tyne can't score soon, the fans' expectations will gradually turn into pressure. Pressure will make Tyne's players impatient, their movements will become distorted, and they will be eager to succeed. So, we will stick to our best approach in this game: solid defense. We will wait for the opponent to make mistakes before we counterattack. So you must remember—we absolutely cannot make any rash moves before they make a mistake!"

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"Come on, King. Before our first Champions League home game, let me say a few words to everyone."

Sam McNeil pointed at Wang Lie and said.

This has become a fixed ritual for Tyne before the game.

Wang Lie got up and walked to the middle of the locker room. When the others saw this, they all got up from their seats and came up, putting their arms around each other's shoulders to form a circle around Wang Lie.

"You all heard what Vitini said on the way here, right? Many of our team members actually only arrived this summer, so you might not have heard about this before. But that's okay, I'll briefly explain it to you now..."

To everyone's surprise, Wang Lie didn't start by boosting morale, but instead began telling them "stories".

"Last season, FC Madrid was linked with Vitini in transfer rumors, but Vitini publicly rejected FC Madrid in front of the media..."

Pisano remembered that it was indeed true.

At the time, he was a player for FC Madrid and discussed this topic with his teammates in the locker room.

After discussing why Vitini rejected FC Madrid, they came to a conclusion that most people agreed with: Vitini was an absolute key player at Tyne, and he was worried that if he came to FC Madrid, he would become a substitute or rotation player.

Although FC Madrid is a powerhouse, what's the point if you can't even get playing time at a powerhouse?

Perhaps Vitini plans to play two more seasons at Tyne to gain more experience and continue his excellent performance from that half-season at Tyne, hoping to win back the favor of FC Madrid.

By then, he should be confident enough to accept the invitation from FC Madrid.

This speculation is reasonable.

Pisano had thought that was probably the case, but today he finally learned the real reason...

Amid the curious, surprised, and complex looks of the newly signed players, Wang Lie continued, "...Actually, Vitini rejected Madrid FC because he decided to stay with Tyne and help the team become a powerhouse. And that's also an important reason why I decided to renew my contract with Tyne."

A commotion broke out in the locker room.

Even the players who were on the team last season didn't know this...

“When Vitini was first linked with FC Madrid, he came to me for advice. I remember telling him that if he were to leave, he would want to play one more season in Tein. But he told me he wouldn’t go to Madrid or any other team; he wanted to stay in Tein and turn the team into a powerhouse. I thought that was interesting and challenging, so I renewed my contract with the club for five years.”

Everyone suddenly realized why Wang Lie wanted to renew his contract with the club for so long.

So the plan was to turn Tyne into a wealthy family!
"That's why I said at the contract renewal press conference that we want to start a great undertaking. And this great undertaking is to build a brand new powerhouse from scratch!"

Ribeiro looked at Vitini with admiration in his eyes.

He was attracted by the "great cause" that Wang Lie mentioned, never expecting that this cause was originally proposed by Vitini!

That's amazing, absolutely amazing!
He couldn't help but want to applaud Vitini.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Vitini became shy, unusually failing to straighten his back and accept the attention he was receiving.

Wang Lie continued, "But no matter how great a cause is, it must start with the smallest things. There is a proverb in my country that means if you can't even do the small things around you well, how can you accomplish great things and achieve success? The same applies to building a powerful family."

"A true powerhouse needs a foundation. Where does that foundation come from? It's built up through victory after victory, championship after championship. In the Champions League, we've already won our opening match, but some people still say that's because Atlético Lille isn't a true powerhouse. They say that when we face a real powerhouse, our true colors will be revealed..."

"Those who say this may have forgotten that we once drew with Clayton Sports in the league while playing with one less player. Isn't Clayton Sports a true powerhouse? If we can draw with one less player away from home, why can't we beat Milan City at home?"
"We've begun to build the foundation to become a powerhouse, and we need more victories. Win today's match, defeat one powerhouse, and turn their name into a stepping stone for us. When we defeat more powerhouses like that, who dares to say we aren't a powerhouse?"

"So guys, some of you might hear about Vitini's goal and think it's just wishful thinking, unbelievable, and impossible to achieve. But in my opinion, becoming a top family is simple..."

He held up one finger:

"Just a victory."

In his pre-match speech, Wang Lie's tone was relatively calm throughout; he did not shout at the top of his lungs or swing his fist forcefully.

However, the content he spoke in such a calm tone deeply shocked many of Tyne's players.

Building a powerhouse from scratch is an incredibly difficult task, as everyone knows.

Vitini's courage is commendable and certainly deserves praise.

But what Wang Lie expressed was not just courage, but confidence.

What shocked many people even more was that:

Based on Wang Lie's performance, they actually started to think... perhaps, it really could come true?
My God, this is absolutely insane!

How could I possibly believe that such a crazy goal could possibly be achieved?!
Wang Lie clapped his hands:

"Let's go, guys, get ready to go! And then let's win."

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P.S. Happy National Day everyone!

Happy 76th birthday to our motherland!
(End of this chapter)