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Chapter 296 No need for underhanded tactics to beat Sofia

"How about it?"

Sam McNeil couldn't wait to ask when he saw the strength and conditioning coach, Giovanni Faretti.

He knew that Wang Lie's medical examination report had been released and was eager to know the answer.

Yesterday, Wang Lie volunteered to be substituted, which startled him—he thought Wang Lie was injured…

Although the team doctor's on-site examination revealed that there was indeed no problem.

But he was still worried. After all, all the team doctor could do was a routine physical examination, gently pinch the joints, and ask Wang Lie if he was in pain...

In reality, many times it depends on Wang Lie's own answer. If Wang Lie endures the pain and says it doesn't hurt, then no one will know that Wang Lie is injured.

Therefore, McNeil requested that Wang Lie undergo a special medical examination at the club the day after the match.

At that time, various instruments will be used to test whether Wang Lie's body has any problems.

Actually, when Wang Lie readily agreed to the physical examination, McNeil had already vaguely guessed that Wang Lie was not injured—after all, if he were injured, he might not have agreed to the physical examination so readily.

But he still wants to get a definite result from the medical examination report.

Strength and conditioning coach Giovanni Faletti had just received the medical report and handed it directly to Sam McNeil before even looking at it himself.

McNeil took the medical report, skipped the initial data, and went straight to the results:
health.

He breathed a sigh of relief and then returned the medical report to Faletti.

When Faletti saw the head coach's expression, he knew the result was good, so he stopped looking at the results and started looking at each item one by one.

"Some fatigue symptoms..."

Hearing the strength and conditioning coach's words, McNeil said, "It's perfectly normal to be a little tired after just finishing a game."

Assistant coach Varo, who came with McNeil, turned to McNeil and asked, "So Wang really did ask to be substituted because he was a little tired?"

McNeil was about to nod when the strength and conditioning coach, Faletti, shook his head: "I don't think so."

McNeil and Varro both turned to look at him at the same time.

"When he left the field yesterday, although it was due to fatigue, based on my experience, his fatigue wasn't to the point where he couldn't continue playing and had to rest. Furthermore, the fatigue symptoms in today's medical report are somewhat different from the typical fatigue symptoms after a match..."

"Different?" McNeil and Varo didn't quite understand what the strength and conditioning coach meant.

Faletti nodded: "Yeah. But I can't really explain why, it's just experience and intuition. Anyway, Wang definitely didn't have to leave the field yesterday because he was tired. If he wanted to, he could definitely have played the whole game."

McNeil picked up on the key words in the strength and conditioning coach's words:

"So he doesn't want to play anymore?"

Faretti shrugged. "At least that's how I feel. As for why, I don't know..."

McNeil thought about it but couldn't figure out the reason, but it wasn't a very important thing anymore.

Most importantly, Wang Lie was indeed not injured.

So he clapped his hands: "Okay, whatever. Next, we need to prepare for our game against Wolverhampton this weekend. I think we can let Wang..."

He suddenly stopped talking, drawing puzzled looks from both strength and conditioning coach Faletti and assistant coach Varo.

Under their gazes, McNeil frowned slightly, then shook his head: "I suddenly have an idea, but I need to discuss it with Wang to see if it will work. That's all for now, I'll go find him."

After saying that, he turned and left.

※※※

Wang Lie was actually a little worried about the medical examination results.

Because he didn't expect things to go too far last night...

He was initially feeling down, but his wife's words cheered him up. Looking at her alluring appearance, he became energetic again.

After a match, hormone levels are usually high, so sexual desire is higher than usual.

Now that his wife has reignited his anger, it is absolutely intolerable.

He himself never expected that his emotions would be so high this time, and he simply couldn't suppress them.

It only ended when his wife begged for mercy.

It's said that women in their forties are like wolves and tigers.

But this time he managed to make even his fierce wife beg for mercy, which shows how intense he was last night.

Perhaps he channeled all the energy he couldn't release with Heldon into his wife...

In short, when he woke up in the morning, he rarely felt unsteady on his feet.

So he didn't even go for morning exercise.

He did remember sending a message to Ribeiro, telling him that his morning exercise was canceled because he had to go for a medical check-up that morning.

Ribeiro didn't ask any further questions, simply replying with "OK." It was unclear whether he genuinely believed his reason or was just pretending...

This made Wang Lie feel a little guilty.

In fact, as an athlete, it's impossible for him to lack the ability in terms of marital relations.

In addition, every time his physical functions become a year younger, it leads to a surge in his sexual energy. If his wife is around, they will inevitably have a "battle of three hundred rounds".

If his wife isn't around, Wang Lie will go to the gym and train relentlessly to release his excess energy.

Even so, Wang Lie had never encountered a situation like last night before...

Simply identifying a new target was enough to cause his sexual desire to surge dramatically, becoming tireless...

Is ambition truly his best "aphrodisiac"?
As long as new challenges and goals keep appearing before him, he will continue to move forward...

Returning to the topic of the physical examination, Wang Lie was somewhat worried about the results because he knew his own situation.

Even if he knows he's not injured, if the medical examination shows he's overly fatigued, Sam might still bench him for the weekend game.

After all, everyone knows that there is a very important League Cup match next week.

In that match, Tyne was going to play away against Sofia United.

And he will be stepping onto the Redstone pitch for the first time since leaving Sofia.

Therefore, in order to better prepare for the League Cup match against Sofia United, it is entirely possible that McNeil will substitute him in the league.

Those outsiders are right. As long as it's possible, Wang Lie still doesn't want to miss any games and wants to play as many minutes as possible.

No wonder there's such a strong reaction to his early request to leave the field; it's completely overshadowed the game itself and the outcome...

It's truly rare for something like this to happen to Wang Lie.

That's why no one believed Wang Lie wasn't injured.

For example, right now, after Wang Lie returned to the locker room following his physical examination, he was greeted by concerned stares from all his teammates.

Everyone is here waiting for him to come back.

Upon seeing Wang Lie return, Vice Captain Elliott Goetz, speaking on behalf of the team, asked, "How was it, Wang?"

Wang Lie gave them a thumbs up: "The examination is complete, and there are no problems."

Pisano frowned: "You saw the results?"

Wang Lie shook his head: "But I know I'm not actually injured."

Ribeiro stood in the crowd, looking at his idol with a gleam in his eyes.

Logically, he should believe his idol, but then he remembered that his idol had messaged him this morning, canceling the regular morning practice session after each game.

Ribeiro couldn't help but think about it.

Perhaps Wang is really injured?

But his proud personality made him unwilling to show weakness in front of others...

That's why he chose to keep it a secret.

Seeing that Wang Lie repeatedly emphasized that he was not injured, the others, for their own reasons, did not continue to ask further questions.

We'll find out later whether or not they were injured.

If Wang is unable to play in the upcoming matches, or if his playing time is reduced, then there must be something wrong with his body.

Considering Wang Lie's age, it's understandable that he got injured; it's not the end of the world.

Wang Lie's professional career has not been marred by injuries serious enough to destroy it, but he has experienced some simple strains, sprains, contusions and other injuries.

So it's not that Wang Lie has never missed a game due to injury during his career—as mentioned before, apart from injuries, Wang Lie has never asked to leave the game.

Besides being injured, he was still wounded.

However, his previous injuries were all minor, at most causing him to miss a few games, and never more than ten consecutive games. Therefore, injuries are not unfamiliar to Wang Lie. The reason everyone is paying so much attention is mainly for two reasons:

First, age.

Age is the biggest problem.

After all, Wang Lie is almost thirty-nine years old in everyone's eyes. When he was nineteen, Wang Lie suffered two serious knee injuries and rested for more than a year. However, he still returned to the field with his tenacious vitality and achieved unprecedented success.

Back then he was young and his body was resilient. Now it's completely different; at this age, every injury could almost end his career.

That's why everyone is so worried about Wang Lie getting hurt.

The second is related to the League Cup next week.

Everyone knows how Wang Lie left Sofia United, and everyone knows how important it is for Wang Lie to return to Redstone Stadium now.

If Wang Lie misses this game due to injury, it will not only be a regret for Wang Lie, but also a source of frustration for the entire Tyne team.

This doesn't mean they're worried that without Wang Lie, they'll have a hard time beating Sofia United away from home.

Instead, they hoped to help Wang Lie defeat Sofia United away from home, returning home in glory.

Just as Wang Lie was changing his clothes in the locker room, head coach McNeil knocked on the locker room door and announced to all the players that the medical examination results were in and that Wang Lie was indeed not injured.

This official certification puts everyone at ease.

Then he called Wang Lie out for a private talk.

“I have an idea,” McNeil said bluntly. “There are rumors that you’re injured. Do you think we should play along and bring you on as a substitute in the league match this weekend, making everyone think you’re really injured, and then catch Sofia off guard in the League Cup next week?”

He wanted to use this tactic to deceive Sofia.

After all, it's an away game against Sofia United, so there's still some pressure.

But Wang Lie shook his head and rejected his suggestion outright: "No need, Sam."

Privately, he still calls the head coach "Sam," and only when his teammates are around does he call McNeil "boss" like his other teammates do.

"No need. Fighting Sotheby's doesn't require these underhanded tactics."

Sam McNeil stared at Wang Lie for a moment, then stopped insisting on his idea and slowly nodded: "Alright, then I'll still put you in the starting lineup for the weekend game."

Wang Lie nodded in agreement.

It must be said that McNeil truly respects Wang Lie.

Despite Wang Lie's blunt rejection, she didn't show any anger or objection...

Otherwise, why would Wang Lie consider him the most suitable head coach to coach Tyne?

※※※

On the same day, Tyne Football Club released a message on multiple social media platforms through its official account, announcing that after a detailed medical examination, it was confirmed that Wang Lie was not injured and that he would play in the match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend.

However, the official statement from Tain only said that Wang Lie would be playing, but did not specify whether he would be a starter or a substitute, leaving plenty of room for imagination for the audience.

Many people still believe that Wang Lie was injured in the match against Ruhr United. Although it was not a serious injury, it would definitely make him miss one or two games.

For example, a muscle strain or something...

The official statement now says that Wang Lie will participate in the league match against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Who knows if this is just a smokescreen?

Why use smoke bombs?

It might be to maintain the team's morale.

After all, everyone knows that Wang Lie is Tai En's backbone.

If Wang Lie really gets injured, the team's morale might collapse.

Then, whether it's the league, the League Cup, or the Champions League, they might all suffer a complete collapse.

Wang Lie is already Tyne's spiritual leader. How could such a spiritual leader possibly get hurt?
It's as if God cannot shed blood.

※※※

Norbert Demos sat in the head coach's office waiting.

Soon the office door was pushed open, and Sven Heldon walked in from outside.

Demos did not get up, but continued to sit there.

Only after Heldon closed the door did he get up and ask, "So? What did the club say?"

“Udogu said the club wouldn’t fire us because we lost the Champions League match against Taine…” Heldon said.

Demos let out a long sigh of relief.

“But if we can’t lead the team from the group stage to the knockout stage, we’ll definitely be fired,” Heldon continued.

Demos was not surprised: "Of course, as the Europa League champions last season, if we can't even get into the Champions League knockout stage this season... then we should leave without waiting for the club to make a decision."

After last night's crushing defeat, Demos has no unrealistic aspirations now.

As long as I can stay in Ruhr Steel Union, I'll be thankful.

Heldon didn't care much about this; qualifying from the Champions League group stage was their lifeline, which was only natural.

He was more concerned about Wang Lie's situation than anything else, and he asked Demos, "Have you seen the official statement released by the Tyne Club?"

Demos nodded: "I saw it."

Heldon gave a meaningful smile: "Do you believe what the Tyne Club said?"

Demos shook his head: "I don't know. Whether Wang Shou is injured or not is meaningless to us right now. We should still try to make sure we can advance from this group..."

Sven Heldon nodded repeatedly: "Of course, of course. We will definitely advance from this group. However, I think the more Tyne officials try to prove to the outside world that the King is not injured, the more it proves that the King is probably injured..."

※※※

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Paul Cody stared at Tyne FC's official statement for a long time, as if trying to find the truth in every single word and letter.

If Wang Lie is really injured, it would be a major advantage for me.

Since last season, he has firmly believed that Wang Lie is the only true god of Tyne, and that Tyne with Wang Lie and without Wang Lie are completely different teams.

Last season, when he led his team to face Tyne, he designed tactics based on this, hoping to defeat Tyne by limiting the death of King Lie.

The result, of course, was failure.

Tyne defeated Wolverhampton 3-0, while Wang Lie only scored one goal in that game, while Vitini scored twice and was named Man of the Match.

Although his theory yielded a bitter result in practice, Paul Cody did not give up on his idea.

He still firmly believes that Wang Lie is the most important core of Tyne. Tyne can lose anyone, but he cannot lose Wang Lie.

However, his benchmark for evaluating this point is no longer just a single game, but the entire season.

This is true even when viewed on a longer timescale.

Whether it's Tyne's leap from the relegation zone to the Champions League qualification zone or his unbeaten run this season, both are strong proof of his point of view – without Wang Lie, Tyne simply could not have achieved such success.

Leaving aside the former, the latter's undefeated record is also completely impossible.

Even though Tyne had already secured Champions League qualification last season, he significantly strengthened his squad this season through recruitment and player acquisitions, and has indeed demonstrated strong competitiveness in both the league and the Champions League... This is all normal and reasonable.

However, if they want to remain undefeated in all competitions like they are now, with the league, domestic cup and the Champions League all progressing at the same time, then Tain would absolutely not be able to do it without Wang Lie.

So, with his team about to play against Tyne, Paul Cody genuinely hoped that Wang Lie would get injured...

Even if he is injured and can't start, and can only come on as a substitute, it will greatly reduce his pressure.

His team is currently ranked 12th in the league with three wins, two draws and four losses, accumulating 11 points, placing them in the lower middle of the Premier League table.

This ranking also proves the strength and performance of his team.

Despite playing at home in the next round, he was not confident that he could beat Tyne and get three points.

Unless Wang Lie doesn't play...

In regular matches, the starting lineup is usually announced two hours before the match begins.

This is mainly for secrecy, to prevent opponents from making targeted arrangements based on one's starting lineup.

But 24 hours before Tyne's match against Wolverhampton, Tyne announced their starting lineup for tomorrow's game.

Generally speaking, the competition roster should be announced at this time.

But Tyne not only announced the match roster, he also revealed the starting eleven.

Wang Lie's name was prominently listed.

Paul Cody was stunned when he saw this starting lineup...

(End of this chapter)