Chapter 88 (I) The main substitute is two distractions
Looking at the tall boy with a young face at the front of the team, nearly 20,000 people in the audience cheered like a storm, and the sound blew every little grass on the green lawn in the sky blue court. www.biquge.info The grass is weak, but the countless weak grasses come together to carry all the legends of the football world, just like every fan in the stands, and together they push modern football to the pinnacle of the world's number one sport. At this moment, 20,000 people gathered and set their eyes on the number 18 at the front, who carried the hope of all Madiburg people for a season.
Zhuo Yang walked at the front of the team, and the captain's armband on his left arm was a little tight. A narrow scar on the bald head that had just grown stubble was extremely hideous, adding a touch of fierceness to his delicate face. It's not the first time he's played as captain on the field, but the first few times have never made him feel as uneasy and nervous as he was today. No matter what others think, he must lead the team to victory in this game, Zhuo Yang told himself in his heart, and this desire also made him tired for a week.
He needs this win, not just for the team to make it to the second division. He wants to give an explanation to coach Klopp with a victory, and he wants to give an account to his good brothers. For the brothers to come out without hesitation, he must give them an explanation, and this explanation is to do what they can do on behalf of the brothers. This kind of pressure made Zhuo Yang far from being as relaxed as he seemed on the surface, and he would feel anxious from time to time during the week, and even had insomnia that he had never experienced before.
Zhuo Yang is also worried about his teammates behind him, and the gap in ability makes it impossible for them to replace the likes of Piglet, Scar, and Bantam Tiger Hasler. The gap in competence is not only reflected in technology, but also in tactical awareness and execution. The most important thing is that they don't have the same tacit understanding with themselves as the little pigs.
Carl Rand, who was walking behind Zhuo Yang, was also nervous. More than half a year ago, Rand was not even a regular in the youth team at Fort Maddy, he was just a substitute who could not be fixed. Rand, who has played in almost every position in the youth team except goalkeeper, is an unremarkable fringe man who is even ready to quit professional football at any time. However, with the arrival of Zhuo Yang, that all changed.
He trained with the Six Musketeers, and the important thing was not the huge improvement in training, but that Rand knew exactly where he was going. Rand saw the gap in his talent from training with Zhuo Yang and them, and this gap was like a trench and sometimes desperate. However, Rand did not despair, he did not compete with Zhuo Yang and them for talent, he chose his own path - madness. It took Rand half a year to hone his tireless movement and scrambling in midfield, and he learned to pounce like a mad dog into every corner of the midfield from the first minute of the game, all the way to the last minute.
Rand knew that because he was limited by talent and did not have so much creativity, he simply gave up thinking on the field and faithfully implemented Klopp's tactical arrangement, which was almost paranoid. Unlike Zhuo Yang and Piggy, Rand has a lot of improvisation on the field, he never takes matters into his own hands and is meticulous in his tactical discipline. Rigor and hard work, it was Rand's diligence and madness that impressed Klopp, and within half a year, Rand became an important rotation player for the first team from a substitute in the youth team.
Rand's nervousness stems from a lack of confidence in himself and a fear of the strength of the team, that is, worry about other teammates. Today's teammates in the midfield are all usual substitutes except for Zhuo Yang, facing such an important game and such a strong opponent, can I and them? In the previous games, when Rand came on the court, the overall situation was basically decided, even if the outcome was not clear, but with the little pig, the second brother, the butcher, and the scar, Rand never worried about anything, he just needed to bury his head and do his own thing, and the game was naturally handled by Zhuo Yang. And this time, there is only the lonely Zhuo Yang. Yes, Rand came up with the word loneliness.
Can I help the team? Can I help Zhuo Yang in this game? Carl Rand was asking himself.
Roger Samuel, who was at the end, was also nervous. Samuel is about to be thirty-three years old, and he is an out-and-out veteran in the renewed team, but he is not old enough to retire immediately. Veterans like Samuel are most concerned about their status in the team, and because of their age, their options are much lower than those of younger players. With the Six Musketeers entering the first team, Samuel changed from the main force to the substitute, and this gap made him dissatisfied at the beginning, and pointed the finger at the newcomer Zhuo Yang. However, as time went on and the team's record changed dramatically, Samuel's mentality slowly became calmer and he accepted the reality of being a substitute. On the one hand, he was indeed impressed by the strength of Zhuo Yang, and on the other hand, because he was getting older, he no longer had too many pursuits in football.
Samuel just wants to play smoothly at Madiburg until the end of his football career, and then see if he can find a job at the club after retiring, any job, running errands. A veteran like him is not very demanding, he will not do anything without football, and it is enough to waste his time with a job.
Samuel remembered yesterday's admonition from the club's president, Mr. Mullen, to gather all the starters, and Mr. Mullen made it clear that all the starters should give their best in the game. He made sure that after the team won and was promoted to the second division, all the starters present did not have to worry about their place in the team next season.
It has to be said that Mr. Mullen's assurances were timely. Not every player in a professional team hopes that his team can rise step by step, because as the team level increases, the team will inevitably have higher pursuits, and there will be a drastic survival of the fittest internally. It's not uncommon for players who have worked hard to contribute to the promotion of the team only to be sold or relegated to the reserve squad because they don't have the ability to meet the demands of the team's higher-level competition.
Half of Madiburg's starting lineup today is the usual substitute, not only them, but even some of the main players, are also worried about the competition after the team enters the second division, which will inevitably turn into strong players to strengthen the lineup. Will you be able to maintain your position in the new season? Is there still a place at the table? These worries and worries, except for Zhuo Yang, East German Ku and Greek Shuai, the others are all making small calculations.
Mr. Mullen's assurances at least gave them a reason to convince themselves to fight on the field, not to mention that Mr. Mullen had blatant threats in addition to assurances. The chairman made no secret of the fact that if the team loses today, the players who did not do their best on the field will be sent down or hidden next season, and Chairman Mullen will definitely let him rot on the bench.
Carrots and sticks, and Chairman Mullen is gracious and powerful.