After the referee blew the whistle to end the first half, Li Shiguang, who didn't want to stay on the field for even a second longer, immediately turned around and walked towards the locker room.
He needs to regulate his own emotions before the players arrive in the locker room. He needs to find a suitable way to put pressure on the players, but more importantly, he needs to help the players turn that pressure into motivation.
The game isn't over yet, anything is possible!
Captain Milner was the first to enter the locker room. When he came in, Li Shiguang was writing and drawing on the whiteboard.
Just as Milner was about to say something, Simeone shook his head and gestured for Milner to sit down first. Soon after, all 11 starting players entered the locker room one after another.
After the starting eleven entered the locker room, Li Shiguang suddenly erased everything he had just drawn on the whiteboard, then turned around and stared intently at the players in front of him without saying a word.
For a full three minutes, the only sound in the Leeds United dressing room was the breathing of each player. Li Shiguang carefully examined each player sitting in front of him. Except for Milner and Alonso, almost all the players had their heads down, waiting for Li Shiguang's scolding.
"Diego, take the substitutes to warm up first." Li Shiguang's calm voice finally rang out in the locker room where the atmosphere had almost dropped to freezing point.
Upon hearing Li Shiguang's instructions, Simeone nodded and walked out. The moment he closed the locker room door, Li Shiguang's voice rang out again in the locker room, but the scolding the players had imagined did not come. Instead, there was only Li Shiguang's calm statement.
"This was the worst first half I've ever experienced, bar none! Or to put it another way, in the last 45 minutes, we were completely outmatched!"
"We have about 10 minutes of rest left. I don't want to talk about any tactical arrangements, but I want to tell you my own story."
Hearing that Li Shiguang didn't scold everyone for their performance in the first half, but instead wanted to tell a story, the group of boys who had just been looking down raised their heads. Neuer, the youngest, even showed a curious expression, which made Li Shiguang chuckle.
But that one smile instantly lifted the already sub-zero atmosphere in the locker room.
"Of the eleven people sitting here now, James has probably been with Leeds United the longest. When he met me, I wasn't the head coach of Leeds United yet. Back then, I was a player in Leeds United's U19 team, while I was just a rich second-generation good-for-nothing in everyone's eyes. I was incredibly happy back then, with endless money to spend, endless alcohol to drink, and endless women to play with." Li Shiguang chuckled self-deprecatingly and continued, "However, my father was a die-hard Leeds United fan. To save his faith, he bought most of Leeds United's shares when the club was at its lowest point, becoming the owner of the club. Then, he passed away, leaving me with a Leeds United that had been relegated to the Championship, owed 80 million euros, and even sold off all its star players at bargain prices just to pay wages."
"To be honest, I felt even more desperate at that moment than you did a few minutes ago." Li Shiguang recounted his experience in an extremely calm tone, which ironically stirred the players' emotions.
“But as you all saw, I didn’t give up, and I didn’t choose to sell my shares in Leeds United to someone else! Leeds United won the Championship mid-season title last season, and later I became the team’s manager and won the final title. This season we returned to the Premier League, and everyone gradually joined the Leeds United family until now!”
At this point, Li Shiguang's voice grew louder and louder!
"The reason I'm telling you all this is simply to let you know that the word 'give up' is deleted from my dictionary. You are my soldiers, so you should also possess this quality!"
"For the second half, I only have three requirements!"
Seeing that everyone's attention was focused on him, Li Shiguang shouted.
"Attack! Attack! Attack the fuck again! I can accept losing 1-8 in the end, but I can't accept that 45 minutes later the score is still fucking 0-4! Tell me! Can you guys do that?!"
"Yes!!!" Li Shiguang's emotionally charged speech ignited the fire in the players' hearts, and he was met with a roar that could almost lift the ceiling!
Seeing that everyone's emotions had been stirred up, Li Shiguang stopped wasting words, pulled the whiteboard back over, and began to arrange the tactics for the second half.
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On the Manchester United side, Ferguson was beaming. The 4-0 scoreline indicated that he was about to lead Manchester United to lift their first trophy of the year. Although he no longer needed these things to prove himself, who would refuse honor?
"You guys did a great job, especially you, Cristiano. Keep playing like this in the second half, that little guy from Leeds United is no match for you!"
Hearing Ferguson's praise, Ronaldo was overjoyed and excitedly discussed his performance in the first half with Rooney next to him.
After a short rest, Ferguson pulled over the whiteboard and began to plan the tactics for the second half.
However, the large lead seemed to have made the Manchester United players a bit careless. Even the usually meticulous Scholes didn't seem as serious as usual when Ferguson was explaining the tactics.
····
“Alright, the second half is about to begin. Both teams’ players are in position, but surprisingly, Leeds United, who are trailing by a large margin, have not made any adjustments. Have they given up?” Lineker’s voice carried a hint of doubt.
Even Ferguson frowned as he stared at Li Shiguang beside him. He had always felt that Li Shiguang was most likely to bring on Rivaldo or Modric at the start of the second half to strengthen the attack, so he had specifically told Park Ji-sung to be more active in the second half, and to mark either of them closely when they came on.
He considered many possible moves Li Shiguang might make, but he never expected Li Shiguang to make no move at all.
"Beep~~~~~~~" The referee's whistle interrupted Ferguson's thoughts, drawing his attention back to the field.
No matter what, with a four-goal lead in my hands, I don't believe you can make much of a splash!
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