Chapter 78 Unwilling

When the Chinese team players returned to the locker room, the atmosphere was somewhat somber.

There was frustration from going from leading to trailing in the first half, and then conceding two more goals in the second. There was also dissatisfaction with the Chelsea players looking down on them after the first half, but the head coach had told them to shut up, so they couldn't vent their anger.

He Ying sat on the ground, being examined by the team doctor. As the goal scorer, he had been fouled the most in the first half, and he was still limping when he came off the field, which made everyone quite nervous. As the team's number one scorer and trump card, He Ying couldn't afford any accidents.

Looking at He Ying sitting on the ground, and then at the other teammates, looking down at themselves, whose jersey was still clean? Weren't they all dirty?

Why?

Everyone knew why.

They had played so many games in Europe, and this was the first time they had encountered such a tough style of play in a match.

So they all understood Sun Pan's anger—who wasn't holding back a bellyful of fire?

Hao Dong naturally knew what the players were thinking when he saw them like this.

But he didn't want the players to think that way. He wanted to guide their emotions in a different direction. Blind anger, dissatisfaction, and frustration were useless. The thing that soccer matches had the most of was passion. In a tense and fierce game, with tens of thousands of people shouting in your ears, and more than a dozen cameras pointed at you from different angles, it was hard not to feel your blood boil.

The hard part was staying calm under such circumstances.

Only by staying calm could your brain always make the right choices in the ever-changing game.

This was especially true for young players. Their emotions came quickly, and their energy was abundant. They were like gunpowder barrels, and even a tiny spark could set them off.

So it was even more important to cool them down.

"What? Dissatisfied? Unhappy? Unconvinced? Think the other side played dirty?" Hao Dong asked a series of rhetorical questions. "You might have hoped to hear me stand up for you, but I'm going to disappoint you. What I want to say is—if you thought your opponents were polite and gentlemanly before, that's because they didn't take you seriously at all!"

"Wake up, this is what a normal game is like!" Hao Dong raised his voice and continued, "When you take the lead, your opponents will counterattack with all their might. If you can't hold on, you'll concede a goal. If you still can't hold on, you'll concede more goals, until you collapse, lose the game, and fail." Hao Dong spread his hands. "This is a real game, and everything before was just a show! Because the opponent is playing for real, you're unhappy? What do you want? The opponent to politely escort you to score goals? Ha!"

At this point, Hao Dong chuckled dryly, a sarcastic laugh.

"You think their movements are rough, but this is England! This is the style of soccer here. They've always played in this style. It's not a foul, it's just that your bodies are too weak! But just because the other side is stronger than us, should we not play?"

"That's right, we're here to record a reality TV show, but remember, this is also a very valuable opportunity for you, competing against high-level opponents in Europe. I believe that for each of you, this is a very valuable asset and experience. Do you want this experience to turn into a childish game of make-believe? I know that many of you can't even make the starting lineup in your respective club's youth teams..."

Some players lowered their heads. Hao Dong was telling the truth, a truth they were ashamed to face.

"Don't you want to learn something from these two months of experience, take it back, change your position in the team, and even... change your destiny? If you have no hope for your future, then forget I said anything. But if any of you still have even a sliver of hope for your future, then take it seriously, treat every game and every opponent seriously! Don't become numb and get used to losing just because we've lost a lot before. Remember! Even failure should be made valuable! Every failure now is for the sake of future victory!"

Hao Dong had originally intended to calm the players down, but the more he spoke, the more emotional he became. In the end, he spoke with passion and fervor.

Including Zhou Yi, everyone looked up at their head coach. It was rare to see him so emotional.

Zhou Yi looked at Hao Dong and thought about his purpose for participating in this reality TV show, and the angry words he had said to his mother at the train station.

I still have a lot of hope for my future...

He clenched his fist.

"We're only one goal behind. For a real game, this score is normal, it's nothing. And we have a full forty-five minutes. If you don't like the opponent's attitude, then use your attitude on the field to change their perception. Respect is earned, not demanded or cursed! Zhou Yi has been able to get opponents to exchange jerseys for two consecutive games. Did he ask for it?"

"Huh?" Zhou Yi was still feeling the surge of emotion when he suddenly heard the coach call his name, which surprised him.

Hao Dong also looked at Zhou Yi: "How's your stamina?"

"It's okay, I can still play the second half," Zhou Yi said quickly. The crazy, desperate training he had done this week hadn't been for nothing.

"Good." Hao Dong nodded and turned to all the players. "In the first half, they increased their pressure on us, but at the same time, their pressing also increased the gaps behind them. As long as we can seize the opportunity, it's not impossible to score. The key is that we have to speed up, both in passing and in movement. Remember, this is Europe, and the pace of soccer here is much faster than at home. You have to adapt to this. As long as you adapt, that's progress!"

Hao Dong said quickly.

"How do opportunities come about? Opportunities aren't waited for, they aren't asked for, they're run for. Opportunities lie in your relentless running! Everyone run a little more and run a little faster, and opportunities will be created! Then..." Hao Dong pointed to He Ying, "He Ying, send the soccer into their goal!"

"No problem," He Ying answered decisively.

※※※

After the teenagers rushed out with shouts, everyone was gone, and there were only two people left in the locker room.

Xu Yang and Hao Dong.

Xu Yang looked at Hao Dong and smiled: "Your face is red. Well, it's not an act."

Hao Dong wiped the sweat from his forehead and nose and said with a wry smile: "I originally wanted to act, to calm them down. But... seeing those young faces, I couldn't help but think about why I came to be this head coach."

"The production team valued my fame, but I really wanted to do something for our country's soccer. Combining soccer and variety shows is a path that has never been taken before. I wanted to try it, maybe it would work? What's the difference between our soccer and other countries' soccer? It's said every day in newspapers and on TV. In my opinion, it's the cultivation of youth soccer. I hope to bring these kids to Europe to broaden their horizons and learn, even if they can only learn a little bit, it's better than being a frog in a well, right?"

Xu Yang nodded: "Yes, I know, I know."

"As a result, we lose every game, and we lose by a large margin... I don't want to lose either. I get scolded every episode, and I don't want to be scolded either. But there's no way, this is the true strength of our soccer now. These kids are... paying off our debts!"

"I know, I know..." The gray-haired Xu Yang nodded and murmured.

"Soccer is like this, the previous generation plants the trees, and the next generation enjoys the shade. The previous generation cuts down the trees, and the next generation suffers. I hope that starting from now, we can re-emphasize the problem of cultivating youth soccer in China, and that through this variety show, everyone can start to focus on youth soccer cultivation again... Seeing their young faces, I... really... really don't want to see them retrace our path. This path is a dead end. It's! Not! Possible!"

"I know, I know..." Xu Yang gently patted Hao Dong's shoulder.

Hao Dong sighed deeply and said nothing more.

He could only say these words in private, and only to his mentor.

Xu Yang completely understood Hao Dong's mood. He gently patted Hao Dong's shoulder for a while, quietly waiting for him to calm down.

Soon, Hao Dong took a few deep breaths and then said to him: "Let's go, Xu Zhi (referring to coach Xu). I'm the head coach, I can't let those kids wait too long."

"Yeah."

The two turned and walked out.

"I'm afraid their blood will cool down if they wait too long. Kids aren't very reassuring..." Hao Dong added.

"It won't, they're burning."