Chapter 1 Götze's Pressure

Götze was under a lot of pressure, a great deal, of course.

Logically, it shouldn't be this way. He had only played one game… no, half a game poorly. Moreover, he had only just joined the team a month ago. Shouldn't he be given time to adapt to the environment and the team? It was okay if he didn't have good chemistry with his new teammates and performed poorly. He would improve over time…

But these things applied to ordinary players. If Michael Kelly played badly, or James McCarthy's performance was unremarkable, the news would only mention it briefly, and there wouldn't be such a large-scale criticism.

Because everyone knew that these two were just ordinary players, not worthy of such attention. Paying attention to him and criticizing him was actually giving him face and elevating him.

But Götze was different. As the most popular super-genius in German football today, Mario Götze had been playing under enormous fame for years. And his performance at Dortmund had indeed lived up to all the fame and glory. Some media believed that Götze's talent was no less than Özil's, which was a very high evaluation. Özil was now the core midfielder of both Real Madrid and the German national team, and the offense of both teams depended on Özil to organize.

It was not easy for Götze to have such an evaluation.

Because he had been famous since he was very young, Götze also had to bear the price of being observed with a magnifying glass.

Other people who transferred to Liverpool could have one or two games, a month or two of fluctuating performances, or even a sustained slump, and then gradually find their form and eventually integrate into the team.

But Götze couldn't.

Götze was a super-genius. As a super-genius, he naturally had to have the ability of a super-genius. What others needed two months to adapt to, you had to adapt to in two games. Otherwise, why would you be called a "super-genius"?

The demands on Götze could be said to be unreasonably harsh, but everyone felt that it was normal to do so.

Especially since Götze came with the second-highest transfer fee in Liverpool this summer and was so young, it was easy for people to place all their hopes on him.

As long as he had the slightest bit of bad performance, it would be a big deal, causing people to talk about it.

Just like after the Community Shield game.

Götze couldn't understand English, but he could feel the media's attitude towards him, and the attitude of those fans.

What's more, he could still see the reports from the German media online.

He was a little depressed.

It wasn't that he felt that others' demands on him were too harsh. Since he was here to break through bottlenecks and move towards glory, he had that much awareness.

He was depressed about his own performance.

He also eagerly hoped that he could show his true strength, but he didn't know how.

Mario Götze felt like he had nowhere to exert his strength.

※※※

As someone who was with Mario Götze all day long, eating together, sleeping together, and living together, how could Chen Hero not know about Götze's situation?

Besides, he had also read and heard what the English media said, and knew what was going on.

He thought that Götze was depressed because of the criticisms, so he enlightened Götze during dinner.

Götze's English had improved greatly under Chen Hero's pressure. Although the two of them still couldn't communicate fluently without any problems, they could still exchange a few words.

"You don't have to be upset about the media's nonsense."

Because the language communication between the two was still not smooth, Chen Hero also saved a lot of nonsense, went straight to the point, and didn't have any comforting nonsense. It just sounded like it was hard and inelastic.

If Götze was a delicate person, he might be hurt by Chen Hero's tone—are you comforting me, or are you ordering me?

But Götze was not such a person. He was very obsessed with football, and naturally didn't care about other things. He didn't consider Chen Hero's tone at all. Besides, after so many days of contact, Chen Hero was definitely not gentle with him, basically treating him like a younger brother. If Götze was the kind of person who would be angered to death by Chen Hero's tone, he would have died countless times…

So Götze didn't take Chen Hero's tone to heart at all. He shook his head and honestly replied, "I'm not upset about their criticisms."

Perhaps it was because he was not proficient in English, or perhaps it was because of his personality.

Götze's words were also hard, and could make a sound when thrown on the ground.

Of course, Chen Hero naturally didn't care about this tone either.

They had been communicating like this these days, and all the vocabulary unrelated to the core theme had been cut off, because it couldn't help them communicate, but might make the speaker speechless and the listener struggle.

It's like everyone thinks that foreigners speak Chinese very stiffly. This stiffness is not only due to insufficient proficiency, but also due to the stiffness of the words and tone.

When inviting someone to dinner, Chinese people will definitely say a lot of nonsense to enhance their relationship, talking about everything until they finally say their theme: "I would like to invite you to dinner, I wonder if you would do me the honor…"

If it were a foreigner, they would directly say: "You, eat, or not?"

That's it.

Outsiders who didn't know what was going on would think that the two were arguing when they communicated in such a tone and way, and were speaking with anger, but the two didn't think there was anything wrong with it. On the contrary, they thought it was quite good, concise and to the point, saving a lot of trouble.

"It doesn't matter if you are."

Hearing Götze say that he wasn't troubled by this, Chen Hero didn't believe it. He thought that Götze was acting tough. But Götze immediately shook his head decisively and repeated his words: "I'm not troubled by this."

Chen Hero felt strange: "Then what are you unhappy about?"

Götze was silent for a while this time. He was thinking about how to organize his words.

After thinking for a long time, and clarifying those English words, he said: "Angry at myself, because my performance is not good, but I don't know what to do…"

Hearing him say this, Chen Hero laughed heartily—I thought it was something, so it turned out to be this?!

He suddenly felt that he had worried for nothing.

However… his eyes rolled, this seemed to be a good opportunity.

Götze's personality was a bit introverted. He was indeed a very opinionated person, and he was also very serious about his attitude towards football, but he was inevitably a bit boring… A twenty-two-year-old person, but he looked more mature than Chen Hero, who was twenty-six years old.

Chen Hero didn't like him like this.

He didn't have much theoretical knowledge either. He just felt that if a person was too boring, it would not be conducive to integrating into the team, and he would not be able to integrate with the masses. That would naturally affect his position in the locker room.

Götze's personality can make him a success in Dortmund, because he is a local from Dortmund, that is his territory, and he doesn't need to lower his status to honor the team. He has been playing for Dortmund since he was in the youth team, and he has friends everywhere. Does he still need to make any friends? So it doesn't matter if he's boring, if he's a homebody, if he doesn't drink, and if he doesn't go to nightclubs… He only needs to concentrate on playing well, and naturally countless people will come to make friends with him.

But if he changes to a new place, to a strange environment, this trick won't work. If you don't actively integrate into the team, do you still want the whole team to indulge you, let you, and change the whole team to adapt to you? Where in the world is there such a good thing?

Chen Hero's experience is completely different from Götze's. Starting from Zenit St. Petersburg, Chen Hero has been constantly changing teams. When he arrives in a new place, he is completely unfamiliar, the language is not clear, the environment is not familiar, and he doesn't have a single friend. If he just sulked like Götze, and his mind was full of football, he probably wouldn't have been able to make it in Zenit St. Petersburg. If you don't actively find ways to integrate into the environment, others have no obligation to take the initiative to accept you.

This is the truth that Chen Hero has realized in so many years of his football career, and it is also the truth that he has learned in life—if you don't change yourself but妄想 (wàngxiǎng - vainly attempt) to let the world adapt to you, just wait to die. Those who think they are the protagonists and that the whole world should indulge and let them are all idiots. Even Chen Hero has to adapt to the environment and change himself.

Of course, his own personality is relatively lively, cheerful, enthusiastic and generous, so adapting to a new environment is not so painful.

When he arrived at Zenit St. Petersburg, he didn't even know the language yet, so he smiled at everyone and left a good impression on everyone. This was not intentional, it was his nature.

But Götze, this young man, has the stubbornness and rigidity peculiar to Germans, too rigid, this personality is not likable. Young people should have the appearance of young people, how can they stay at home every day to be a宅男 (zháinán - otaku)?

Chen Hero has always felt that Götze's personality is not good, but there is nothing he can do. Now those criticisms of Götze after the Community Shield Cup are an opportunity to let Götze see what the consequences and ending will be if he continues like this.

That's why Götze can say such a thing as "I don't know what to do."

If this opportunity is seized, maybe it can help him change his personality?

He smiled at Götze and said, "I do have a way, but you don't want to…"

Götze vaguely guessed what it was, and frowned, looking very resistant.

Chen Hero spread his hands: "Look. You don't want to, so there's no way to change. Do you want to succeed in Liverpool?"

Götze seemed to be struggling mentally. He lowered his head and was silent for a while. When he raised his head again, he said to Chen Hero: "I drink non-alcoholic beverages."

A smile reappeared on Chen Hero's face, and he snapped his fingers: "Don't worry, no one will force you to drink alcohol!"