blogombal Chapter 5 Say No to the Ball Bully
Chapter 5 Say No to the Ball Bully
the next day.
At the preparatory meeting early in the morning, Milutinovic announced to all members of the national team that a brand-new tactical training plan would be adopted.
Its core principle is to switch to a 5-4-1 formation and focus entirely on defense!
He also announced that although Ye Xian is nominally still the national team's translator, he will be directly involved in the team's training and command in the upcoming matches.
"Ye is now my tactical analyst and first assistant coach. Please support his work," Milutinovic said.
This caused an uproar at the scene.
While everyone was still wondering what Milu was up to, Ye Xian had already stood in front of the tactics board and started explaining.
Unlike before, when he simply translated Milutinovic's words.
This time, Milutinovic directly authorized Ye Xian to elaborate on the tactical details.
Anyway, this was all designed by Ye Xian!
Therefore, without the previous phrases from Milu and Ye Xian, the speech became much smoother.
After listening for a while, the assistant coaches looked at each other with even greater confusion on their faces.
Coaches like Jin Zhiyang, Chi Shangbin, and Shen Xiangfu are all veteran coaches in Chinese football, and they have all led their teams to achieve good results in the domestic league.
They could certainly tell that everything Ye Xian said was highly feasible!
More importantly, Ye Xian's analysis was very thorough, taking into account every detail, which is something that an ordinary fan could not have made up.
And this highly professional tactical analyst or tactical coach was actually hiding right next to them all along?
After Ye Xian finished explaining the tactics, he immediately began assigning training tasks!
This kind of more professional work is something that "keyboard warriors" who have not received professional training cannot do.
This made everyone look at Ye Xian with even more admiration, and they gradually began to feel that Milutinovic's appointment seemed to be perfectly appropriate.
But when everyone arrived at the training ground and began to divide into teams for group practice, some people started to cause trouble.
It was Helidon!
Although it wasn't explicitly stated which side was the main team and which side was the reserve team.
However, players like Yang Chen, Ma Mingyu, Li Tie, Wu Chengying, and Jiang Jin were given red vests, while Helidong wore a blue vest along with players like Gao Yao, Yu Genwei, Yang Pu, and An Qi...
It's obvious that Herledon has been excluded from the starting lineup in this 5-4-1 formation!
Helidon's long, narrow face was now so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.
He didn't care about anything else and rushed straight to Ye Xian, spitting almost in Ye Xian's face: "It's you again! What the hell did you say to the old man? You're just trying to target me, aren't you?"
The players training nearby stopped instantly, all eyes turning to him, but no one dared to step forward to mediate—everyone knew of Herledon's volatile temper.
Or to put it another way, Helidon is the team's number one ball hog!
At that time, Fan Zhiyi, the only star player in the team who could compete with Helidon, was still undergoing examination in the medical room, so no one could deal with him.
Ye Xian did not retreat a single step, his expression remained calm, and he looked sharply at Helidon: "I'm not targeting you, this is a tactical necessity."
"I've made it very clear in the tactical meeting that we need a fast, powerful striker who can help the team defend against Brazil."
"Right now, it's clear you can't do it, as proved against Costa Rica. This isn't to deny your ability; your experience is still very helpful to the team, and you can come on in the second half..."
"Bullshit!" Helidon's anger flared even more, and he shoved Ye Xian's shoulder away. "You're just a translator who makes a living by talking, and you dare to talk to me about tactics? You even want to put me on the bench? You think you're so great! When I was scoring goals for the national team, you were still wearing diapers!"
Ye Xian staggered to his feet, but didn't get angry. He simply added, "I'm not talking about seniority, but about how to get points against Brazil. If you can guarantee that you can defend and sprint at full speed for 90 minutes, I'll immediately suggest to Milutinovic that you start."
Helidon was momentarily speechless, but at this point he had already lost his composure.
Just as he was about to start cursing Ye Xian again, a voice in English came through: "STOP!"
It was Milutinovic.
He was just organizing materials in the conference room when the conflict broke out, so he rushed over to stop it.
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority: "You, don't, insult him!"
Helidon could understand this simple English and didn't need a translator.
But Milutinovic still beckoned Sun Jihai over.
Among the current team members, Fan Zhiyi and Sun Jihai have the highest English proficiency and can often act as translators.
Since Helidon is targeting Ye Xian, it's inappropriate for Ye Xian to translate, so Sun Jihai was chosen instead.
"You say you have national team experience, but is that useful? Can you stop Ronaldo's breakthroughs? Can you defend against Cafu's crosses?" Milutinovic stepped forward, his tone becoming increasingly firm.
"In this team, tactics take precedence; seniority doesn't matter!"
"Either shut up, follow the tactical plan, and train properly; or leave the training ground now and stop disrupting morale!"
Upon hearing this, Helidon's face darkened further, and he cursed, "Damn it, just for a translator? They're going to kick me out?"
Sun Jihai didn't dare to translate directly. He glanced at Ye Xian, then at Milu.
But Milutinovic could tell from Hlidon's expression that he wasn't saying anything nice.
He could no longer contain himself and waved his hand sternly at Helidon: "You are not allowed to set foot on the training ground again today. Calm down!"
Helidon snorted and turned to walk out of the training field.
No matter how arrogant he was, he didn't dare to actually have a physical altercation with Milutinovic on the spot.
After all, the other party is a legendary coach who has left his mark on the history of world football, and his aura is different from that of ordinary coaches.
Leading four different national teams to the World Cup and reaching at least the round of 16 on each occasion is truly a unique achievement in history!
Helidon is nothing but a bully who preys on the weak.
The field immediately fell silent.
The players and coaches looked at each other, no one daring to utter a sound. The farce they had just witnessed felt like a stone pressing down on them, making it hard to breathe.
However, this scene also fully demonstrates how much Milutinovic trusts Ye Xian now.
This is actually an important step for Milutinovic in emphasizing tactical discipline.
Even the team's most decorated players can be expelled if they don't follow the rules!
Just then, another big shot in the team, Fan Zhiyi, also came out of the infirmary.
His voice boomed: "Coach Milutinovic did the right thing! We don't get many chances to participate in the World Cup in our lifetime, and nobody wants to have any regrets, right?"
"We've already lost a game. If we continue to act like big shots and demand special treatment, how are we going to score points? Everyone is equal before tactics!"
Sun Jihai stepped forward, his eyes resolute as he echoed, "We're here to play football, not to throw tantrums. Only through teamwork and following the coach's instructions can we have a chance to compete with Brazil!"
In fact, these two teammates at Crystal Palace also disapproved of Hulldon's arrogant and domineering style of playing against his teammates.
Okay, both of them have some ball-hogging tendencies, but they're completely different from Helidon.
In addition to their successful experience playing in Europe, these two players enjoy high prestige within the team.
Their public statements at this moment instantly stabilized morale within the army.
Seeing this, the other players also put aside their distractions and returned to training.
They've become even more proactive than they were a few days ago!
They understand that the national team has really changed, and everyone must work together towards a common goal!
Ye Xian was not affected by the conflict just now.
He turned around, picked up the tactics board, and strode over to the players to continue instructing them on training.
He approached Li Tie and pointed to the tactics board: "When marking Ronaldinho, don't just follow him; anticipate his passing lanes and position yourself in advance. This is a key position..."
He then walked over to Zhao Junzhe and personally demonstrated the positioning action: "Rivaldo has a habit of cutting inside after receiving the ball. You need to be half a step faster than him to block his shooting angle, and at the same time, pay attention to getting back to the defensive line..."
He accurately identified each player's technical weaknesses, explained them in great detail, and could even describe each Brazilian player's preferred footwork and positioning habits.
This earned the players' secret admiration, and they all followed suit.
Wow, that's what you call professional!
Ye Xian was secretly relieved that it was this group of people who knew their stuff.
This is arguably the strongest Chinese team in history!
In subsequent national football teams, they failed to even qualify for several tournaments, proving that even the best tactics were useless!
But this year's class is really different.
Putting aside the self-aggrandizement of those who claim to be "Asia's number one striker".
The sheer number of players with European experience is unmatched by any future national team.
Yang Chen: The main striker for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, who still holds the record for the most goals scored by a Chinese player in the top five European leagues;
Sun Jihai: From Crystal Palace to Manchester City, he has maintained a high appearance rate in the Premier League, which can be said to be the peak of Chinese players' European tour;
Fan Zhiyi: He played for Crystal Palace for many years and served as captain many times. He turned down an offer from Liverpool for the sake of the Chinese national team.
Li Tie: Everton, an important rotation player in the Premier League;
Li Weifeng: He also went to Everton, but did worse, only making one appearance;
Ma Mingyu: Perugia Serie A, the first Chinese player to play in Serie A;
Zhang Enhua: Grimsby Town in English League One, ended his overseas stint early in order to participate in this World Cup;
Shao Jiayi: Munich 1860, a Bundesliga team.
Even those who were not selected for this national team, such as Xie Hui and Li Jinyu, have experience playing in Europe.
Therefore, whether in terms of player ability or the perspective gained from playing in Europe, they are truly incomparable to future generations.
It is precisely because of this that they were able to see Ye Xian's abilities through their own observations.
As the training progressed, the initial doubts and disdain for Ye Xian gradually turned into trust and respect.
The players trained more and more seriously, their tactical coordination became more and more seamless, and the shouts on the grass rang out again.
No one expected that a heated argument would unexpectedly strengthen the team's cohesion.
This team, which had been somewhat demoralized due to an "unexpected defeat," has once again shown its fighting spirit!