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Chapter 277 He was really happy

While Wang Lie and Ribeiro were talking, the entire Tyne team had already run towards their own half. The two of them lagged behind, not in a hurry to run back, but walking slowly while covering their mouths with their hands.

The television broadcast even gave them a special close-up shot that had a clear meaning.

The two people in the video are clearly talking about something.

However, because both of them covered their mouths while speaking, no one knew what they were saying.

But because the broadcast gave it a close-up shot, this scene was important, and at the very least, worth paying attention to.

As a result, most commentators can only "talk about what they see" and make full use of their imagination, combining what happened in the past few days to create their own interpretations.

To put it simply, it's all made up.

Most national television commentators still have to consider their status and professional ethics, so even if they make things up, they won't go too far.

However, those live streamers and commentators who use other signals for their online broadcasts don't have so many concerns and simply let loose.

Especially among Wang Lie's fans and livestreamers in China, some have even started performing stand-up comedy.

"Ribeiro is definitely trying to take credit! 'Hey, Lie, look how beautiful my pass was!' Wang Lie said, 'Great pass! Brilliant pass! Liva was screaming with delight!' Ribeiro asked, 'Why was Liva screaming with delight?' Wang Lie said, 'Look at how Liva lunged back just now, didn't he look like a frog?' Ribeiro said, 'Okay!'"

"...I bet Wang Lie was praising Ribeiro for that good pass, since Riva thought he was going to shoot directly, but he passed the ball instead! Wang Lie is probably telling Ribeiro to keep passing like that next time!"

"Haha! What's a top-tier fan? This is it! Ribeiro said he'd rather never score a goal than not be able to play with Lie Ye, and he got ridiculed by everyone... I don't know what those scumbags are so excited about. Isn't this right? This is what fans should do! I just don't have that ability. If I had the ability to fight alongside Lie Ye, I would definitely be a better fan than Ribeiro!"

※※※

Federico Papacioli stood on the sidelines, having already given the players on the field the latest instructions while the Tyne players were celebrating their goal:
Don't push forward with offense; instead, opt for a defensive counter-attacking strategy, prioritizing defense. Only commit resources to the counter-attack when opportunities arise; otherwise, it's better to relinquish possession to Tyne than to allow your defense to falter.

Wang Lie scored in the 34th minute, eleven minutes before the end of the first half.

Given Milan's attacking lineup, it's virtually impossible for them to equalize in such a short time.

On the contrary, if they press forward to attack, it will give Tyne an opportunity. The opponent is in high spirits after scoring, and it wouldn't be difficult for them to score another one.

If that were the case, Milan would be down by two goals before the end of the first half...

This makes the remaining matches much tougher for Milan, whose attack is not particularly sharp.

That's why he asked the whole team to continue to defend after conceding a goal, so as not to give Tyne the opportunity to extend his lead.

We'll make adjustments during halftime.

He had nothing to say about the goal conceded. Tyne had been trying to attack the weaker sides of their defense from both flanks and the half-spaces, which was indeed very difficult.

As the head coach, all he could do was instruct the players to pay more attention to the weak side when defending.

Whether it will work or not depends on the players' performance.

For example, when Tyne tried to attack behind Milan's defense, Milan's Emil Forsberg anticipated his move and cleared the ball with a header before Tyne's Barnabas could reach it.

That was a very good defensive play.

One excellent defensive play does not guarantee that Milan City players can defend against Tyne's attacking tactics every time.

Because this is determined by the rules of this world—players are human, not programs, and as human beings, they are subject to uncertainty. Their performance changes every second; sometimes they perform well, like with Forsberg, and sometimes they perform poorly, like when they conceded the goal…

This is all normal.

No one can say that their defense will never make a mistake, and no one can guarantee that their attack will always score.

This is a game of strategy.

In the previous 34 minutes of the match, Milan's defense had won all its battles against Tain's attacks, but this one defeat led to the goal conceded...

It may seem unfair to the defending side, but that's the reality.

The attacking side can fail many times and then start over. As long as they keep trying, they will always have a chance to score.

The defending side can succeed countless times, but cannot afford to fail even once; a single failure would be catastrophic.

This is determined by the rules of football. Papacholi will not make such meaningless complaints on the sidelines. He has already started to think about how to adjust during halftime.

We must attack; there's no point in continuing to defend.

Although it would be extremely risky, Papacioli knew he had no other choice.

With one of their forwards, Lionel Latanzio, injured, Milan's already weak attacking firepower was further weakened. In addition, since it was an away game, he had to adopt a more conservative strategy.

Moreover, Tyne has already scored 26 goals in the league this season, the most in Europe – in the top five leagues, no team other than Tyne has reached 20 goals…

Papacioli brought a defensive-minded lineup to the away game. In the 5-4-1 formation, three of the four midfielders were defensive midfielders. They lined up in front of the penalty area, forming a barrier to protect the defensive line.

Counter-attacks basically rely on two people – starting center forward Galkin Rafael, who is tall and has good footwork skills. He can shoot and also create opportunities for his teammates, making him an all-around center forward.

It's just a little slow, so it mainly serves as a bridgehead and transit point in counterattacks.

Papacioli equipped the team with a fast attacking midfielder and shadow striker, namely Swedish player Emil Forsberg, who is fast, has outstanding forward dribbling ability, and has a long-range shot.

To be honest, relying on only these two men in an attack was a bit of a small force deployment, but there was no other way. Papacholi had initially planned to "defend to the end"...

Now that they've conceded the first goal, they can't just defend all the way; they have to attack, which is why he needs to change his tactics and strategies.

But the adjustments he can make are actually quite limited.

Because Milan City is fundamentally a team that excels at defense. From the team's DNA to its personnel, defense is always the top priority.

He couldn't simply switch from a 5-4-1 formation to a 3-4-3 formation after conceding a goal; even if he wanted to, the players might not be able to adapt.

After the game resumed, Tyne, who was in the lead, continued his relentless attack, even intensifying it.

Papacioli glanced at the home team's bench next door, where his colleague Sam McNeil was waving his arms, signaling the players to attack.

Sure enough, this young coach hasn't corrected his bad habits... exactly the same as in their last match against Atlético Lille.

Even a seasoned coach as experienced as Papacioli couldn't help but lose his composure upon witnessing this scene.
He has coached in Milan for six seasons, and it's important to know how difficult it is to coach in Milan for six consecutive seasons...

Throughout those six seasons, he used all his knowledge to try to maintain the dignity and glory of this Italian Serie A powerhouse, which was actually on the decline.

He used a "turtle-like" style of football that was ridiculed as counter-cultural to help Milan win two league titles and two Italian Cup titles in six seasons. He also qualified for the Champions League every season.

What a remarkable achievement this is!

So although some people criticize his Milan team for playing boring football, his status in the Italian coaching world is not low.

Because everyone knows how difficult it is for him.

To maintain financial health, the club has limited investment in player transfers and contract renewals. As a result, he was unable to acquire some of his favorite players and was unable to retain his star pupils. He opposed the club letting Ribeiro go and also disagreed with the club's failure to meet Ribeiro's salary demands when renewing his contract at the beginning of the year.

But he never complained publicly. Whatever ingredients the club gave him, he would do his best to make a nutritious, balanced, and delicious meal.

Now, watching young Sam McNeil squander, even waste, the formidable attacking firepower of Tyne's team, he was starting to feel a pang of frustration—how wonderful it would be to have such an attacking lineup! I don't need much, just Wang Lie, Vitini, and Ribeiro as the attacking trident, combined with Milan's current defense… Our goal is definitely not just Champions League qualification, but the Champions League title!

The divine weapon that he himself longed for but could not obtain was, in McNeil's hands, like a child who knew nothing, just casually waving it around.

Even with a casual swing, it still managed to deal such explosive damage...

Who wouldn't be able to break through their defenses?
How many people wouldn't be envious?

However, Papacioli quickly adjusted his mindset and looked away.

Now is not the time to think about anything else; the most important thing is not to concede another goal before the end of the first half.

He was particularly worried precisely because he knew very well how sharp the sword in Sam McNeil's hand was...

Fortunately, Milan City is a team with a strong defensive tradition and resilience.

Lille didn't collapse when faced with Tyne's fierce attacks, so Milan City certainly won't either.

So the score remained unchanged until the referee blew the whistle to end the first half.

1:0
Tyne led by one goal at halftime.

※※※ "The first half has ended. Thanks to Wang's goal in the 34th minute, Tyne is temporarily leading 1-0. Although they are only behind by one goal, I believe this is huge bad news for Papacholi's team. After all, his tactics are mainly defensive, and once they lose possession, they can't continue to defend and must attack. But attacking will give Tyne more opportunities..."

Lionel Latanzio, watching TV, couldn't help but punch the sofa cushion next to him in frustration as he listened to the commentary.

Then he looked down at his left ankle, which was still wrapped in gauze.

This is where he was injured in the league match ten days ago. It was a sprain, and he was unable to continue playing, so he was substituted early.

The next day, after the examination, he received both good news and bad news.

The good news is that he only needs to rest and can resume training in twenty days.

The bad news is that he will miss the Champions League group stage match against Tyne.

He attaches great importance to this match against Tyne and has been waiting for it ever since the group stage draw.

The result was an injury, which forced him to watch the live broadcast on TV from home.

After Tyne took the lead in the first half, he continued to attack. There were actually gaps behind them, but neither his strike partner Rafael nor shadow striker Forsberg were able to capitalize on the opportunities.

At that moment, Latanzio was thinking that if he hadn't been injured, if he had been on the field, he would have been able to seize that opportunity.

In this way, Milan will at least be able to return to the locker room with a 1-1 draw.

Scoring a goal against Ribeiro was of great significance for Latanzio.

Ever since he transferred to Milan, there have been constant comments that he is the replacement for Miguel Ribeiro.

Not just a replacement, but not even the first choice for replacement – ​​Milan City initially considered Younis Niakate, the French striker who plays for Bundesliga giants Eisablan Munich.

But Issa Munich refused to release him.

As a result, Ribeiro almost stayed in Milan—if he hadn't gone on strike.

With Niakate unable to be bought and Ribeiro determined to leave, Milan settled for a less desirable option: the then 20-year-old player who was playing for Carthage.

So since joining Milan, Latanzio has been holding his breath and has been very active in both training and matches.

He just wants to get rid of the label of "Ribeiro's replacement".

But the effect wasn't that good.

After all, he had only just arrived in Milan and joined the team in the latter half of the preseason training camp, so he hadn't experienced a complete preseason training camp.

The process of integrating and building rapport with the team, understanding the new head coach's tactics, and adapting to the new team and environment all take time.

So since joining the team, his performance has been decent, but not outstanding; he has only been diligent.

As for how outstanding...

Why are Milan fans so unhappy with Ribeiro?
Leaving aside the betrayal, part of the reason must be that Latanzio's performance wasn't good enough for Milan fans to forget Ribeiro.

After all, the Portuguese player scored seventeen goals last season, making him the team's second-highest scorer.

For a team like Milan City, which focuses on defense and whose offense is not particularly strong, what does it mean to score seventeen goals?
Not to mention that Ribeiro is only twenty-four years old and has a bright future ahead of him.

Many Milan fans dream that Ribeiro will become the team's icon in the next decade.

As a result, the flag fell down just like that...

Milan fans will certainly be resentful of Ribeiro's "betrayal".

If Latanzio delivers a phenomenal performance upon arriving in Milan, the Milan fans won't care about Ribeiro at all; they might just be holding up signs in the stands saying, "Who's Ribeiro? We only need Latanzio..."

But Latanzio didn't deliver such a performance, or rather, it would take a considerable amount of time to achieve that level of performance—Ribeiro played three seasons in Milan, but Latanzio didn't even last three months...

Therefore, Latanzio knew very well that the quickest way for him to get rid of that humiliating label was to defeat Ribeiro in a direct confrontation, thus declaring to the Milan fans:
I, Lionel Latanzio, am stronger than Miguel Ribeiro! From this day forward, you need not mourn the one who betrayed you; I am not his replacement, but the terminator!
As it turns out, the scene he imagined will probably have to wait more than a month.

Milan will then host Tyne at home.

Latanzio will make it to that match no matter what!
※※※

Ribeiro stood in the players' tunnel, waiting to come on again.

Halftime has ended, and both teams' players are returning to the field.

However, unlike the opponents who came out one after another, Tyne's rule was that all the players who were going to play had to gather in the tunnel, and only after everyone had arrived would they come out under the leadership of captain Wang Lie.

This is "team discipline," which was specifically emphasized by head coach Sam McNeil.

McNeill hoped to demonstrate to the outside world that Tyne was a cohesive unit, not a disorganized mess.

Frankly, this approach is somewhat formalistic, because whether or not the group is disorganized has nothing to do with the choice of how they make their entrance.

However, McNeil had just joined Tyne's team at that time and didn't have a better way to unite the team, so he could only choose this formalistic approach.

It was only with the arrival of Wang Lie that formalism was given a soul.

The team was finally put together.

Now, after each halftime break, everyone consciously stops in the tunnel and waits for all teammates to arrive before setting off together.

It has even become a fixed process that doesn't require special reminders.

Even if Wang Lie is in the passage, he will wait until everyone has arrived before leaving.

Now everyone is just waiting for everyone to arrive.

Taking this opportunity, Wang Lie leaned closer to Ribeiro and said, "I suddenly thought of something, Miguel."

Ribeiro looked at him.

"So, if you score a goal today, do you celebrate or not?"

Ribeiro didn't expect Wang Lie to ask him this question. Did this mean he was tacitly agreeing that Ribeiro would score today?

He replied, "We will celebrate."

Wang Lie looked at him with some surprise: "You're a brave young man."

Ribeiro shrugged: "It's not like we're in Milan's home stadium, why can't I celebrate?"

However, he's still a bit carefree...

Wang Lie mentally scoffed, then continued, "So, how do you plan to celebrate?"

Ribeiro grinned at him:

“I will come and hug you, King.”

Wang Lie curled his lip: "No creativity."

Ribeiro shrugged: "Whatever, I don't rely on creativity."

"Then what do you rely on?"

Ribeiro laughed and said, "By faith."

Wang Lie was speechless, not expecting such an answer.

Seeing his speechless expression, Ribeiro laughed heartily.

Just then, the last team member walked into the tunnel. Wang Lie raised his hand and patted Ribeiro on the back of the head, while shouting to everyone, "Let's go, guys, let's go on stage!"

Everyone followed in his footsteps, including Ribeiro.

He hunched his neck behind Wang Lie, lowered his head, and chuckled.

He knew his current appearance would upset the Milan fans, but he had no choice; he didn't want to lie to them...

He is really happy now.

(End of this chapter)