Reverse

Chapter 304 might be a good thing?

Xiao Cheng noticed that from the moment the players from both sides walked out of the tunnel and onto the pitch, the Sofia United fans at Redstone Stadium were constantly singing and shouting, including those Sofia United fans around him who had previously said they didn't know how to face Wang Lie. Everyone was trying their best to create a passionate home atmosphere.

As for the two giant TIFOs, they are still swaying in the north and south stands.

Even though Wang Lie had diagnosed Sofia United's problems and told them how to treat them, these Sofia United fans still chose to support their team.

That's normal, after all, no fans would collectively turn against their own team and cheer for the opposing team during their own team's game. They would applaud a brilliant goal from the opposing team, but it would be wishful thinking to expect them to become the opposing team's fans for the entire game.

Therefore, Xiao Cheng knew how difficult it was for Wang Lie to do something.

He is destined not to be understood by the vast majority of people.

Even if Sofia United eventually gets rid of Hall, that good-for-nothing, no one will thank Wang Lie.

It should be said that ever since that 9-0 victory, Wang Lie has completely put himself on the opposite side of the Sofia United fans.

Of course, Wang Lie might still harbor illusions about the Sofia United fans, but Xiao Cheng wouldn't, because he had much more time to observe those Sofia United fans online and knew what most of them were really thinking.

Are there any Sofia United fans who switched clubs along with Wang Lie?
Of course there are, like myself. When Wang Lie played for Sofia United, I was a Sofia United fan. After Wang Lie went to Tyne United, I became a Tyne United fan.

This is what is known as "player fan" – liking only a particular player, not a particular team. Their preferences and loyalty follow the player; wherever the player goes, their love and support follow.

It's safe to say that in China, there are definitely more people who support Wang Lie than those who support Sofia.

But it's hard to say in other places.

Especially in Manchester, the situation is completely reversed: there are definitely more people supporting Sofia United than supporting Wang Lie.

Because these people are all Manchester natives, their ancestors were all Sofia United fans, and their identities were fixed from birth.

How could anyone expect them to betray their family traditions and lifelong habits, abandon Sofalcon, and follow Wang Lie?

If Wang Lie and Sofia United do not have any direct conflict, then these Sofia United fans would not mind remembering Wang Lie's good deeds and expressing their support and blessings to him.

But once Wang Lie and the Soforth Alliance become enemies, it would be naive to still imagine that these people would stand on Wang Lie's side...

In fact, Xiao Cheng hoped that the Sofia fans would show more hatred and malice towards Wang Lie in today's match, so that Wang Lie could completely dispel his ridiculous and childish thoughts—the Sofia days are gone forever, so don't reminisce. You did feel the love of the fans at Sofia, but you also brought them fourteen championship trophies. Neither of you owes the other anything.

So from now on, please treat Sofia United the same way you treat Atlético Barcelona!

※※※

When Wang Lie led Tyne's players onto the field, the first thing they saw was the North Stand, which faced the tunnel and had a giant TIFO hanging there.

However, this TIFO is somewhat incomprehensible.

On the white cloth, there was only one word, not very large, in the middle:

YOU
What does it mean?
None of the Tyne players, including Wang Lie, understood it.

It wasn't until a Tyne player looked back at the South Stand where the most hardcore, extreme Soforth United fans were gathered that the situation came to a head.

They then noticed the corresponding red TIFO, which was covered with silhouettes of championship trophies...

Without much thought, Tyne's players figured out what the previous "YOU" meant.

The mockery of Tyne's honor roll being as blank as this white sheet...

"Your Majesty, look at the stands behind you."

Goalkeeper Elliott Goetz reminded Wang Lie, who was walking in front of him.

Wang Lie turned around at the sound and saw the TIFO, then he laughed.

After laughing, he said to Goetz:
"It's alright, Elliott, we'll have plenty of championship trophies in the future."

He didn't care about the tricks played by the Sofia fans.

By the time he retires, Tyne may not have won as many championships as Sofia United.

But he doesn't care.

Historical glory cannot change the present decay and decline.

Everyone knows that Sofia United is a top club in England, and no one would ever think that Tyne can compare with Sofia United in terms of the number of titles.

So it's really childish for Sofia fans to use something they're sure to win against to provoke Tyne.

He led the team all the way to the center of the midfield, then they lined up and waited for the home team players to come over and shake hands with each of them.

Media reporters gathered around him, pointing their cameras at him.

It seems as if they want to witness some kind of history.

But there was nothing particularly special about the whole process.

Every Sofia player shakes hands with Wang Lie as soon as they come up.

No interesting incidents occurred during this period.

Actually, the atmosphere was quite calm when the players from both sides were waiting in the players' tunnel before the game.

Unlike last season's league match, Wang Lie did not greet his former teammates one by one in the player tunnel before the game.

He stood there, gazing out of the passage, quietly waiting to make his appearance.

None of the players in the Sofia United squad who had previously been his teammates went up to greet him.

After that 9-0 victory and Wang Lie's pre-match remarks, the relationship between the two sides seemed somewhat awkward.

Next came the part where the two captains chose sides. When Sofia United's on-field captain, Tyler Murphy, and Wang Lie exchanged team flags, there was no communication between them.

If someone were watching the game for the first time and saw this scene, they would definitely think that Wang Lie and Taylor Murphy were complete strangers, had no personal relationship whatsoever, and that Wang Lie had never played for Sofia United before...

The entire Sofia United team, much like their manager, seemed to be putting all their energy into the game itself and didn't want to be distracted by anything else.

During the coin toss, Tyler Murphy guessed the coin correctly. He didn't get the right to choose sides, but instead opted for the right to kick off.

On a gloomy evening, it doesn't matter which half you choose. Getting possession of the ball allows you to launch an attack first, which is much more advantageous than choosing sides.

After choosing sides, the two captains shook hands with the referees and then returned to their respective teams.

Niels Zarek, the Latvian international who joined Sofia United from Serie A's La Oppoli for £98 million this summer, stands in the center circle with the ball under his foot, ready to kick off.

This 1.83-meter-tall striker scored 15 goals in Serie A last season, and his £98 million transfer fee set a record for the highest transfer fee ever paid by Serie A club Raopoli.

However, he has only scored three goals since joining Sofia, and his performance is far from justifying his transfer fee.

Of course, this blame cannot be placed on head coach Meler Shapman.

Because this transfer deal was orchestrated by Jonathan Hall.

Rumors are circulating online that Hall received a kickback in this high-priced transfer, but it's unclear whether it's true or not...

After all, spending so much money on a striker who has scored fifteen goals in the league does seem a bit unreasonable.

But when the transfer was finalized, there weren't as many doubters. Manchester media praised Zarek as a highly efficient scorer with well-rounded skills and no weaknesses. They believed his arrival would solve Sofia United's problem of lacking a consistent scorer in the forward position.

In retrospect, those media outlets seem like product review agencies that get paid to hype up products.

Despite his poor performance, Zarek still managed to secure a starting position, clearly indicating that he remains trusted. Whether this trust stems from head coach Shapman or general manager Hall is uncertain.

With the sound of a whistle, Zarek kicked the ball back into his own half, and a huge cheer erupted from the Redstone Stadium, officially starting the League Cup match!

※※※

In fact, Shapman made specific arrangements for this match, especially at the start.

He hoped to take advantage of home field to score first, dampen the morale of Tyne and Wang Lie, and boost the players' confidence.

Even as a bystander, he felt a tremendous sense of powerlessness during that 9-0 defeat, let alone the Sofia United players who experienced that match.

Although no one admitted it, Shapman felt that these Soforth United players harbored some fear of playing Tyne again...

This statement would definitely shock outsiders, who would find it unbelievable and wonder if it was a deliberate attempt to discredit Sofia United – how could a top English club like Sofia United be afraid of a small team like Tyne?
Take a look at the giant TIFO made by Sofia fans.

To even resort to cheating when comparing championship numbers with Tyne... isn't that a sign of fear?
If you're not afraid, just list all of Tyne's honors as well...

Although Shapman did not know the content of the TIFO created by Sofia United fans in advance, the TIFO confirmed his judgment.

Therefore, the most important thing in this game is not tactical arrangements, but confidence.

In the world of football, the best way to gain confidence is actually to score goals.

If Sofia United can score, it will greatly boost the team's confidence and bring the game back to a normal pace.

A normal competition would be a contest of strength between Sofia and Tyne, setting aside factors outside the game.

In this respect, Shapman believes that Sofia United still has a slight advantage.

Instead of launching a long ball from their own half to find their tall striker Ricky Weddell, Sofia United, after gaining possession, patiently passed the ball around in their own half.

Shapman believed that Tyne would definitely push out to grab it, which would create a lot of openings behind him.

Sure enough, Wang Lie saw Sofia passing the ball around in their own half, and he rushed out first, heading straight for Sofia's defensive line.

Under his leadership, Vitini and Ribeiro also charged forward.

With the forwards pushing forward, how could the midfielders possibly remain indifferent?

To avoid the three lines becoming disconnected, the overall formation must move together.

Therefore, Wang Lie's forward charge was equivalent to causing Tain's defensive line to move forward as well, leaving a lot of gaps behind them.

This is also the opportunity that Shapman wants to take advantage of.

In this match, he fielded a 3-4-3 formation for Sofia United. Among the three forwards, the center forward was Ricky Weddell, who had a height advantage and was good at playmaking, although he was not good at scoring. The left and right flanks were Stanley Harris and Nils Zarek.

The attacking strategy mainly revolves around Weddell's playmaking ability. To ensure that the three players can stay closely connected, Harris and Zarek rarely drift to the wing, but instead tuck in.

As for the flanks, they are left to the two wing midfielders.

These two wing midfielders have a heavy responsibility; they need to act as wingers when attacking and as full-backs when defending.

Seeing Tyne push forward, center-back Stephen Travey, who had the ball in the backfield, immediately launched a long pass to find Ricky Weddell, the attacking bridgehead.

At just twenty years old, Stefan Travey is being pursued by several top European clubs. Besides his tall yet agile physique, he possesses the crucial ability to deliver accurate long passes, essential for a center-back.

"Trailway makes a long pass... Wedel receives the ball!"

The Soforth United fans in the stands at Redstone Stadium erupted in excited cheers as they saw Widell receive the ball behind Tyne's defense!

However... Tyne's center-back, Majekatic, raised his arm while chasing back.

The commentators also expressed their doubts: "Was that ball offside?"

"Widdle should have received the ball in an offside position..."

"Offside, and very obviously offside!"

Wedel himself knew he was offside, so he hesitated after receiving the ball and dribbled slowly toward Tyne's penalty area, constantly turning his head to look at the linesman.

This led to him being caught up by Tyne's center-back, Luka Helic.

The two sides became locked in a fierce battle.

In fact, although Videl is 1.9 meters tall, he is not weak in speed. If he sprints at full speed, it will not be easy for Helitch to catch up with him.

This is because Wiedel himself hesitated.

Once caught in the entanglement, it became difficult for Videl to break free from Helic.

The referee then blew his whistle, ruling Videl offside.

This is because the offside was too obvious. If it were just a hair's breadth offside, even if Wedel didn't slow down, the referee wouldn't immediately stop the game. Instead, he would let Sofia finish their attack first.

If Wedel scores, the final decision will depend on VAR.

Because the offside was so obvious, Videl had no objection to the ruling and readily ran back.

However, Sofia manager Meler Shapman on the sidelines was very dissatisfied – such an important opening attack for the team had been abruptly ended by an offside call…

Now that the ball is in Tyne's possession, who knows what will happen next!
Shapman still remembers that game last season, when Wang Lie broke the deadlock... No, it shouldn't even be called "breaking the deadlock," because the "deadlock" didn't even have time to form!

Wang Lie scored just four minutes into the game...

The assistant coach, seeing Shapman's dissatisfaction and nervousness, knew what he was worried about.

So he comforted her, saying, "That goal was probably Tyne deliberately creating an offside trap, but if they keep playing like that, I think we'll definitely have another chance..."

Hearing the assistant coach's words, Shapman's anxiety eased slightly.

His assistant is right.

Just now, when Trave made the long pass, Tyne's center-back Katic, who was trailing behind, clearly made a forward sprint, which was a deliberate attempt to create an offside trap.

Offside trap tactics are usually planned in advance and are definitely not something that players come up with on the spot.

Because it requires a high degree of understanding between the backcourt, this tactic would never be possible in a match unless it was planned in advance.

So now that we see Katic actively creating an offside trap, we can guess that McNeil's defensive tactic for Tyne in this game was to create an offside trap.

The offside trap tactic also suggests that Tyne's offensive strategy should focus on high-pressing.

Only by creating an offside trap can the team press high up the pitch; otherwise, if everyone presses up at once, what will happen to the huge gap behind them?
If you don't create offside traps, how can you play if the opponent can easily score through you?
So if Tyne's tactics in this game are indeed high pressing and offside traps, then his team really has a chance!
Because they had an offensive anchor, Ricky Weddell, plus the incredibly fast Stanley Harris, and the technically gifted Nils Zarek.

All I need to do is keep exploiting the gaps behind Tyne's defense.

You can fail countless times, but Tyne, who creates offside traps, cannot fail even once. If he fails, it will be a catastrophe!

Thinking about this, Shapman felt a little more at ease.

McNeil probably chose this tactic to please Wang, since Wang had made some big promises before the game, which put McNeil on a pedestal. In this situation, choosing a conservative approach like a counter-attack would make Wang lose face.

Therefore, McNeil only had one option: to push forward and attack.

Thinking about it this way, Shapman suddenly realized that Wang Lie's pre-match humiliation of him and his attack on Sofia United might actually be a good thing.

(End of this chapter)