Chen Yingxiong wasn't the kind of player who could decide the outcome of a match single-handedly, so if the whole team played poorly, he would naturally be affected and his performance would be lackluster.

He needed the midfield to continuously supply him with ammunition to unleash his power; otherwise, he would just be a wall in the front, passing the ball to his teammates...

Shooting? The chances were slim.

The English commentators were surprised he wasn't playing well, which was actually mocking his poor performance.

The whole team played poorly, so it was normal for Liverpool to take a one-goal lead in the first half.

"Fernando—Torres!!"

The stadium announcer was shouting the name of the goal scorer.

Huge cheers erupted from the stands at Anfield.

Torres, who scored the goal, slid on his knees to the sidelines, looking very cool.

"The Spanish Golden Boy opens the scoring for Liverpool! Only twenty minutes into the first half, and Liverpool takes the lead. A perfect start!"

"Compared to Liverpool, Napoli is like an elementary school student. They have no experience and their performance is clumsy!"

"Torres taught Chen Yingxiong a good lesson. They are both center forwards, but it is clear that Torres is much better than Chen Yingxiong!"

"Actually, Chen Yingxiong has already tried very hard. Just like he said before the game, he gave it his all and didn't hold back... But everyone saw it, even with all his effort, that's all he is, haha!"

The Liverpool radio commentator mocked Chen Yingxiong as much as possible.

His only regret was that Chen Yingxiong couldn't hear the mockery, otherwise it would have been even more interesting.

※※※

Mazzarri stood on the sidelines, constantly shouting into the field.

"Cassano! Cassano! Run, run! Don't be lazy!"

"Maggio! Pay attention to their flanks. They want to attack behind you. When you press forward, remember to fall back in time!"

"Cannavaro! Be more aligned when playing the offside trap!"

His constant issuing of instructions only made him seem anxious.

He was indeed very anxious.

The team got off to a bad start, playing their first group match away. In addition, the players thought too much before the game and were too excited, so they were confused when they took the field and completely forgot his tactical arrangements. How could this work?

As a soccer coach, he couldn't call a timeout at any time like in basketball, call the players down, and either appease them or give them a stern warning.

He could only shout on the sidelines.

So a soccer coach can't do a good job with a small voice...

What's more, you have to compete with the singing of those enthusiastic fans at Anfield, the famous Premier League stadium.

"...Walk on through the wind, walk on through the rain, though your dreams be tossed and blown, walk on, walk on with hope in your heart, and you'll never walk alone! You'll never walk alone!"

The song rang out again.

Liverpool fans were cheering for their team by singing the team song, encouraging them and creating trouble for their opponents at the same time.

Although our singing doesn't sound very explosive, the sound of tens of thousands of people shouting in unison is still loud enough to shake the earth. Moreover, this is originally a special song belonging to Liverpool. As long as you hear this melody, you know that your opponent is the great Liverpool!

Although Liverpool's performance has been mediocre in recent years, and there is a vague trend of being squeezed out of the traditional top four in the Premier League, Liverpool fans are still very proud!

Napoli, a team from southern Italy, wants to compete with our Liverpool?

Get out!

※※※

Instead of launching a fierce attack after scoring a goal, Liverpool controlled the rhythm, gradually eroding Napoli's fighting spirit and confidence.

Since Benitez, the Spanish coach, arrived, he has also brought Spanish elements to Liverpool. For example, Spanish players such as Xabi Alonso, Fernando Torres, Albert Riera, and Jose Manuel Reina have joined the team one after another. But the Spanish elements are not only reflected in the players. In terms of tactics, Liverpool has gradually adopted a Spanish style. They pay more attention to ball control, especially with a tempo controller like Xabi Alonso in the midfield. Liverpool is better at controlling the rhythm in the midfield than before.

Although Liverpool is still restrained by Manchester United and other powerhouses in the Premier League, they are still confident and comfortable bullying a rookie like Napoli in the Champions League group stage.

Until the end of the first half, Napoli did not organize any decent attacks. At first, they were troubled by their own delusions, and later they were restricted by Liverpool's ball control tactics, which made them feel uncomfortable.

Every Napoli player who left the field knew that what awaited them during the halftime break was definitely not the coach's smile.

They played very badly in the first half, even worse than the first half against Genoa, they all knew that. If Liverpool hadn't deliberately slowed down the pace, they might have conceded more goals...

On the other hand, the Liverpool players next to them looked normal when they left the field, and they didn't seem overly excited about taking a one-goal lead. It really showed the true colors of a veteran powerhouse, calm and measured, worthy of a team that often participates in the Champions League.

The players thought it was normal to be one goal ahead of Napoli, but the fans in the stands were very happy. In any case, being in the lead is being in the lead. Being in the lead throughout the first half means there is hope to win the game. Who doesn't want to go further in the Champions League? A good start in the first game is beneficial for the next few games.

They sang, waved, clapped, and beat the rhythm in the stands, making as much noise as possible.

But in the Napoli locker room, it seemed very dull.

Mazzarri didn't speak, but stood in front of the tactical board, his back to the players, staring at the board in a daze.

A group of players didn't know what the coach was doing, whether he was thinking about problems or angry with them.

So there was an embarrassing silence in the locker room.

Mazzarri was indeed considering how to break through Liverpool.

After Liverpool took a one-goal lead in the first half, they started playing control football. Obviously, this was because they had seen that he planned to play a defensive counterattack on the road, so they let the players enter the state in advance. If they shrink and control, it would be difficult to play a defensive counterattack... because there was no space!

He didn't originally intend to let Chen Yingxiong be the main attacking point in this game, or rather, the only main attacking point. While he was scoring, he had to spend a lot of energy to help the team attack. In other words, he was the fulcrum of the frontcourt attack. He had to help other teammates, pass the ball to them, and create opportunities for them to shoot and score. Sometimes he had to attract the attention of those defenders, sacrifice his own scoring opportunities, and create scoring opportunities for his teammates.

In this way, Chen Yingxiong's performance was naturally not very good... because he was not good at doing this kind of work, and he was subconsciously resistant to this kind of thing deep down.

He felt that the center forward should be a sharp weapon for conquering cities and destroying strongholds. Using him to make wedding clothes for others? It was a waste...

If the opponent shrinks their defense and plays control football, what should he do?

Napoli can't play control football. Hamsik's skills are not enough, and he is a little worse than Alonso. The most important thing is that Napoli's football style is not the kind of controlling the ball and slowly advancing, and then looking for gaps. They have an indomitable momentum, like a pack of wild wolves, which cannot be restrained...

Mazzarri's eyes lit up.

※※※

The Napoli players looked at each other, wondering what the coach meant by always showing his back to them.

Was he trying to look cool?

He hadn't done this before...

However, Mazzarri had already established his authority in the locker room. Chen Yingxiong and Cassano, the two biggest troublemakers in the locker room, listened to him, and the others had nothing to say.

So although everyone was surprised, no one showed any impatience.

The person who was secretly anxious was not the player, but Viviani, the assistant coach of Napoli. He thought to himself, what is Mazzarri pretending to be profound? There are only fifteen minutes in the halftime break, and it is already a third of the way through. If you don't say something, the halftime break will be wasted...

At this moment, Mazzarri turned around.

Everyone was observing the expression on the coach's face, wanting to see how angry the coach was to show his back to everyone for so long.

But Mazzarri said with a sincere face something that shocked everyone in the room: "I have to apologize to you, guys."

Everyone was shocked.

Everyone knew very well what their performance was like in the first half. They couldn't find the rhythm at all on the field, and were divided and surrounded by Liverpool, becoming a mess. If they weren't lucky, the defeat would have been decided at this time.

They thought that during the halftime break, they would definitely be scolded by the coach.

No one knew what kind of person Mazzarri was better than them. This coach wore a pair of silver-rimmed glasses, looked very refined, and always wore a suit and tie when directing the game on the sidelines, meticulously.

But in fact, this refined coach has a very wild heart. He often scolds loudly during training, and it is not uncommon for him to swear. He is also very tough when facing strong enemies. He is definitely not a weak and deceitful person.

Anyway, they were used to being scolded, and the coach was right. Moreover, under his leadership, the team won third place in the league and qualified for the Champions League. This coach is indeed more skilled. Even Hamsik, who had had conflicts with the previous coach Reja, was obedient to Mazzarri.

So the players were prepared to endure the coach's angry hairdryer.

But who would have thought that the coach would apologize to them as soon as he opened his mouth? What kind of apology was this?

Was there anything the coach didn't do right?

A group of people couldn't figure it out.

Viviani was even more confused.

It's not like there has never been a coach apologizing to his players, but there has never been such a thing since Mazzarri coached Napoli. Mazzarri is actually a proud person, and he can't easily apologize.

Mazzarri looked at the surprised people in the room, nodded, and repeated: "Yes, I want to apologize to you."