Reverse

Chapter 297 Seeing is Believing
It wasn't just Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Paul Cody who was closely watching Tyne and Wang Lie; Sofia United manager Meler Shapman was also among those closely monitoring the situation.

The League Cup match against Tyne next week could very well be his key game at Sofia United.
If he can lead his team to victory against Tyne, he can continue to sit in his position as manager of Sorford United.

Although I don't know how much longer I can continue sitting here, maybe sitting for one more day would be good.

His coaching career at Sofia United was just like that. It seemed like he was on the verge of being sacked at any moment, but he stumbled and fell all the way to where he is now. As of the tenth round of the league, he was still the head coach of Sofia United.

He faced the threat of being sacked after his last two consecutive losses.

As a result, in the sixth round of the league, he won a narrow 1-0 victory over Sendham at home.

Judging from both the performance and the statistics, Sofia United shouldn't have won that match—if football really is just a game of comparing statistics...

Sofia was behind in almost all the statistics, but in the end, Sofia won the game.

Moreover, the score was 1-0, meaning Sofia United won by only one goal.

This scoreline, the most precarious in the football world, has temporarily secured his job – he has kept his position safe with his first two consecutive league wins since taking charge.

He then went on to lead his team to victory against Hughesro at home, and in fact, they came from behind to win. The process was thrilling and very inspiring.

Until the 90th minute of the match, the score was still Sofia United trailing Hughesro 0-1.

But in the second minute of stoppage time, Stanley Harris equalized for Sofia United.

Then in the 96th minute, Stanley Harris received a header pass from captain Tyler Murphy, who had been playing as a center forward, and scored his second goal to seal the victory against Hughesro.

To achieve his team's first three-game winning streak with such a stoppage-time equalizer and winner is truly explosive.

If Sven Heldon were the head coach, he might have already loudly proclaimed in the post-match press conference that Sofia United, under his leadership, was on the right track.

Even though Shapman was relatively low-key and didn't deliberately promote himself, the media still elevated him to a pedestal after the match.

Headlines like "Sorford United has finally found the perfect captain," "Ten minutes to understand why Meler Shapman is the best manager for this Sorford United team," and "Shapman's path to becoming a top manager"... Shapman himself was embarrassed by all the hype.

Some have also praised Shapman for bringing back a long-lost tradition to Sofia United: never giving up in the face of adversity.

As for how they overcame adversity, let's not ask...

There are no rumors circulating in the media or online that Sofia United is looking for a successor to Meler Shapman.

Everything seems to be getting better.

He didn't want to say that, but his team is definitely on the right track.

His position as head coach gradually became more secure.

As a result, in the last round of the league, Sofia United suffered a shock defeat against Mercia United, who were ranked last in the league, losing 1-2...

You know, Mercia United is the newly promoted team that Tyne scored eight goals against!

No one expected that Sofia United would lose to such a team away from home.

The three points in this game were part of Shapman's plan.

With a win against Mercia United, Sofia United will achieve their fourth consecutive league victory and gradually catch up with the leading group in points – before that match, Sofia United had 15 points and were ranked eighth.

The teams ahead of Sofia United are very close in points, with only two points separating fourth-placed Kensington and eighth-placed Sofia United.

If Sofia United beats Mercia United, and another team ahead of them makes a mistake, Sofia United's ranking in the standings could rise significantly by several places.

This is the route Shapman has planned for the team.

With a four-game winning streak, they will be ready for the Manchester derby in this round of the league, and regardless of the outcome, they will have much more room for maneuver.

Winning is certainly good; it further solidifies the coach's position and improves the team's ranking.

Even if they lose, considering the huge gap in strength between the two teams, Sofia United losing to Clayton Sports is not unacceptable. Most importantly, their previous four-game winning streak ensures he won't be sacked by the club for losing a Manchester derby.

But Shapman's wishful thinking was shattered by Mercia United.

Sofia United lost 1-2 away to Mercia United, and then suffered a 0-3 home defeat to their city rivals in this round of the league.

This marks the second time this season that he has suffered two consecutive defeats in the league, and his coaching career at Sofia United has once again reached a turning point.

Although club general manager Jonathan Hall never told Shapman that he was fired if the club lost to Tyne in the League Cup, Shapman was still aware of his own limitations.

It wasn't just because his team had suffered two consecutive defeats in the league, but also because he knew about the feud between Sofia United and Wang Lie.

Facing an opponent who delivered the most humiliating defeat in the club's history last season, everyone is now thinking about revenge.

If he not only fails to avenge his family but also incurs new grievances... then there may be no other way for him to take responsibility except by resigning.

That's why he's so concerned about Wang Lie's situation.

There are rumors circulating that Wang Lie was injured during the match against Ruhr United.

He doesn't know whether it's true or not.

But if Wang Lie is really injured, it would be a major boon for him.

Therefore, he also hoped that Tyne's official statement was just a smokescreen and that Wang Lie was really injured.

With this in mind, he also saw the starting lineup for tomorrow's match officially announced by Tyne, and saw Wang Lie's name on it.

Upon seeing this, Mailer Shapman let out a long sigh.

It looks like fate is against him...

Logically speaking, as head coach of Sofia United, he has virtually no power outside of managing the team. He doesn't have the final say on player purchases or sales; club general manager Jonathan Hall holds all the power. If the team performs poorly, he has to take the blame and become the target of criticism.

It's really frustrating to be a head coach like that; it wouldn't be a big deal if he quit.

But Mehler Shapman still couldn't bear to give up the title of "manager of England's top club".

Who wouldn't want to be a head coach someday, managing a top club with a larger transfer budget, more outstanding and top-tier players, and striving for even greater honors?
A player's desire to play for a top club signifies that their ability has been recognized.

Of course, head coaches also want to coach top clubs, which also means that their coaching experience and ability have been recognized.

Before taking charge of Sofia United, Mehler Shapman was just an ordinary head coach at NAC Breda, a mid-table Dutch team. His best achievement was reaching the final of last season's Dutch Cup, but he ultimately failed to win the title.

He also knew that the reason he was chosen by Soforth was mainly because his resume wasn't impressive enough, making him easy for Jonathan Hall to control.

Shapman had no objection to this.

After all, Jonathan Hall's Sofia United had just been let down by a manager who held too much power, so it was reasonable for them to want a more obedient new manager.

He saw this as an opportunity to coach at a top club like Sofia United – for whatever reason.

After entering a wealthy family, he had a stage to realize his ambitions.

Moreover, he was very clear-headed, knowing that coaching a top club was completely different from his previous coaching of Breda Sports. He was fully prepared mentally for the results to be somewhat unsatisfactory in the early stages of his coaching career, or even in the first season.

So when he talked to Jonathan Hall, he made it very clear that he asked the club not to set any performance targets for his first season as a coach.

Jonathan Hall agreed, stating that his coaching performance would not be judged based on whether or not the team qualified for the Champions League. However, he also told him that there would definitely be performance requirements for the second season.

If Jonathan Hall had readily agreed to his request from the beginning and hadn't made this condition, Meler Shapman might not have agreed to coach Sofia United.

He believed that would mean Hall was lying to him, while Hall told him that he absolutely had to qualify for the Champions League in the second season, a seemingly ruthless and demanding requirement that dispelled Shapman's doubts.

Shapman believes that after a season of adaptation, he should be able to lead the team to success at Sofia United.

However, despite his thorough preparation for coaching a top club, Shapman discovered that he had greatly underestimated the difficulty of coaching such a team once he actually started leading the team.

The numerous dressing rooms, the complex relationships with management, and the English media like a swarm of sharks following a slave ship... all of these gave him a headache.

Despite this, he was still reluctant to give up the title of "head coach of a top club" and reluctant to resign from Sofia United. Until the very last moment, he always wanted to make a final stand.

He managed to pull through last time against Sendham.

Maybe this time it will work too?

Of course, the key is to see if Wang Lie is really injured.

Although he is now in the starting lineup, everyone knows there are many reasons for being on the list, and ultimately it depends on the player's performance on the field.

So the day after the game against Clayton, Meler Shapman sat at home, turned on the TV on time, and watched Tyne play Wolverhampton away.

※※※

I've lost count of how many times the television broadcast has given Wang Lie a close-up shot.

He was the focus of this match.

In fact, everyone started paying attention to Wang Lie the moment he appeared in the player tunnel, ready to go on the field.

From his expression to his gait, everyone was watching him closely, trying to find some clues.

His supporters naturally hope to find evidence that Wang Lie was not injured.

The critics stared at Wang Lie's gait, as if every sway he made indicated that he was enduring his injuries...

And so, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Wang Lie led his team onto the field, completed the coin toss with the opposing captain, and then went to the center circle to kick off.

The match has been going on for ten minutes now.

Wang Lie received the ball, made a run, dribbled, passed the ball... and even took a shot.

They all performed normally, showing no signs of being affected by injuries.

But to be honest, this doesn't intimidate people.

Because many players carry injuries, but you might not be able to tell after they've played a game.

In the twelfth minute, Wolverhampton launched an attack down the left flank, reaching Tyne's 30-meter zone.

Tyne's center-back Claire Onila moved to the wing to defend against Wolverhampton's attacking players.

The opponent feigned a cross, prompting Oni to raise his foot to block it, but he instead cut the ball back and tried to cut inside to get past Oni.

Unexpectedly, he was so engrossed in dealing with Oni that he forgot to observe the situation around him.

Just as he dribbled the ball to the right and turned to chase it, a white figure suddenly appeared from behind him – it was Miguel Ribeiro, wearing the away jersey!
As a winger, he retreated to his defensive third, taking advantage of Oni drawing the opponent's attention, and with his explosive power, he suddenly started, cutting in like a cat and stealing the ball!

After intercepting the ball, Ribeiro used his right foot to flick the ball to his left, while simultaneously spreading his arms to block the Wolverhampton player who had lost possession, before turning towards the sideline.

Just as he was about to complete his turn, a Wolverhampton player, seeing that he was about to accelerate, quickly tackled the ball, attempting to disrupt Tyne's counter-attack.

He did manage to tackle the ball, but only a tiny bit; the ball bounced up and was still swatted forward by Ribeiro's foot.

Ribeiro was momentarily distracted and stumbled, but thanks to his excellent physical attributes, he jumped over the tackled Wolverhampton player and staggered after the ball.

As he chased after the ball, he looked up at the center and his left side.

After catching up with the football, it began to accelerate.

I accelerated for two steps, then slowed down again to observe the middle and left sides.

The starting center forward for this match is Peter Oliver, while the left wing is occupied by Wang Lie, who has switched to playing as a left winger for this match.

They were both running forward, but neither of them had crossed the center line yet.

Ribeiro then focused on accelerating his dribbling, seemingly preparing to launch a counter-attack from his side.

Wolverhampton's left-back stood on the halfway line, blocking his path.

Instead of going up to challenge him one-on-one, Ribeiro suddenly slowed down and, before the opponent could react, swung his right foot and delivered a long diagonal pass!

The football flew high towards the left flank of the attacking third!

Just as he kicked the ball, Wang Lie had reached the center line.

Ribeiro's pass was like a starting gun, and the white center line was the starting line.

With a loud gunshot, Wang Lie pushed off the ground and accelerated forward!
Ahead of him were Wolverhampton's right-back and a center-back who were rapidly retreating.

Wolverhampton were attacking just now, and most of their players had already crossed the halfway line. Naturally, only a few have retreated back to their own half; the rest are still in the attacking third and haven't come back yet...

"Tain's counterattack! Wang Lie!"

"Wang starts sprinting! He's incredibly fast!"

"It's hard to believe this is a 38-year-old veteran..."

Wang Lie chased after the ball with all his might, while Wolverhampton's left-back chased after him with all his might. At the same time, Wolverhampton's center-back, who was slightly positioned in the middle, also ran diagonally to chase after the ball.

They have a clear division of labor.

The center-back is closer to the ball, while the left-back is closer to Wang Lie.

The football, kicked out with great force by Ribeiro, flew all the way to the 30-meter line at Wolverhampton before hitting the ground.

The ball did land closer to Wolverhampton's center-back, but after landing, it continued to move forward and quickly moved away from him, and he continued to chase after it.

Three players and one ball, expected to converge on the left side of the penalty area!
But in the end, Wang Lie was one step ahead, catching up with the ball before Wolverhampton's left-back and center-back could reach it.

However, the two Wolverhampton defenders were also very close to him, and if he slowed down and stopped the ball, they could close in and entangle him.

"Your Majesty! He is about to be surrounded by two people..."

Wang Lie is currently the player leading the charge for Tyne, and he will be facing two Wolverhampton defenders alone, which should put him in a difficult position.

In this situation, the only option is to slow down and control the ball while waiting for teammates to come up and provide support.

But contrary to what everyone expected, Wang Lie rushed to the ball's landing point without slowing down at all, as if he didn't want to stop the ball anymore...

The two Wolverhampton defenders didn't think much of it; seeing that Wang Lie didn't slow down, they also rushed forward.

As the soccer ball bounced and rolled toward him, Wang Lie accelerated forward and leaped, sending the ball flying under him... At the same time, he used his left heel to forcefully knock the ball back!

The ball flew between two Wolverhampton players!
After landing, Wang Lie forcefully planted his legs into the grass, using his powerful core strength to fight against inertia and bring his body to a complete stop!

Then he pushed off with his right foot, followed by his left foot, alternating between pushing off the ground and overturning the turf he had just been holding onto!
His entire body was launched forward, forcibly changing direction!
"Wang! Wow!!"

Amid exclamations of surprise, Wang Lie chased after the ball and slipped between two Wolverhampton players!
Both players were caught off guard by Wang Lie's sudden change of direction, neither of them expecting him to dribble past them without stopping the ball...

They had completely overtaken him, and when they stopped and turned around, Wang Lie had already dribbled into the penalty area and was facing his goalkeeper teammate one-on-one!

The Wolverhampton goalkeeper hesitated, unsure whether to rush out or not...

Neither option seems like a good choice—if you rush out to block Wang Lie's shooting angle, Wang Lie can lob the ball behind you into the empty net; if you don't rush out, it will give Wang Lie a wide shooting angle, and he can shoot in any direction.

Just as he was hesitating, Wang Lie, who had caught up with the ball, decisively took a shot!

Bang!
The football was kicked away by his right foot and flew towards the top corner of the goal!
The Wolverhampton goalkeeper immediately leaped into the air and swung his arm to dive for the ball.

But he didn't touch anything!
After the ball passed over his arm, it plummeted downwards and finally grazed the underside of the crossbar before flying into the goal!
In the 13th minute, Tyne took the lead!

Wang Lie has scored in his sixteenth consecutive league match!

(End of this chapter)