NFBE Chapter 8 Simone
Chapter 8 Simone
The locker room door closed behind Simone.
Then, a deathly silence fell.
Pi Qi clutched the back of his hand, wincing in pain, his eyes fixed on Li Jing as if spitting fire.
Salvio's water bottle was still hanging in mid-air when he was stunned by Captain Gabi's roar, leaving him unable to move forward or backward.
Li Jing zipped up his training jacket, the movement unhurried and deliberate.
He could feel the gazes behind him, like needles pricking him.
The Argentinian group members all looked increasingly grim.
The only change is that the special training balance on the system has become 22347.
Gabi released Salvio's hand, turned around, and his gaze lingered on Li Jing's face for two seconds.
The Atlético Madrid captain showed little expression, neither agreeing nor criticizing. Clearly, after understanding Simeone's meaning, he didn't say anything more about what to eat.
He simply glanced at Li Jing with the look of a veteran looking at a newcomer.
"What are you all standing there for?"
Gabi's voice wasn't loud, but it carried the weight of a captain.
"Didn't you hear what the coach said? Five minutes, training ground."
Then the rustling sounds resumed in the locker room.
It has to be said that Gabi has enough prestige in the locker room; it seems that everyone is somewhat afraid of this captain.
The others started changing clothes, but the atmosphere was clearly different from before.
Instead, a tense silence prevailed.
The Argentinians huddled in a corner, talking in hushed tones, glancing at Li Jing every now and then.
Li Jing felt uncomfortable.
He changed into his training clothes and took out his sneakers from the locker.
The shoe nails clanged against the metal cabinet, making a crisp sound.
Stepping out of the locker room, the cool air in the corridor invigorated him.
Having calmed down considerably, Li Jing put the incident behind him.
He jogged onto the court.
Li Jing is well aware that football, under commercial rules, is inherently a sport where everyone has a social mindset.
Cristiano Ronaldo is innocent, and so is Messi.
Maradona is innocent, and so is Pelé.
These two old men were accused of cheating, rape, and countless other acts of deception, yet they were still adored by thousands.
Once the matter is accomplished, a great scholar will naturally come to debate the classics for you.
Palmer, who went to Chelsea, was even more innocent.
Therefore, Li Jing doesn't care about the attitudes of these people now.
Whether it's fans or teammates, after he scores a hat-trick in a crucial game for the team, they will love himself just as much as they hate himself!
He just needs to focus on football!
……
Assistant coach Burgos was already standing on the sidelines, holding a group vest in his hand.
Li Jing walked over and took the yellow vest.
Yellow, the substitutes.
On his first day here, the team is currently in the middle of the season, having already played a full season. The starting lineup is basically set, so this distribution method is quite normal.
So he was assigned to the substitute group, and he didn't have any objections.
He put on his vest and looked up at the sidelines.
Simone stood there, dressed in all black, with his hands in his sweatpants pockets.
His face looked particularly hard under the gray sky, his chin taut and his lips pressed into a straight line.
The team members arrived one after another and lined up in two rows in front of Burgos.
The starting lineup wore red and white training uniforms, while the substitutes wore yellow vests.
Simone took two steps forward.
Everyone's attention turned to this.
It's worth mentioning that, in terms of familiarity with these players, Simeone isn't much more familiar than Li Jing.
Atletico Madrid's performance this year has been poor, especially in the league, as Simeone only took over the team at the end of the first half of the season.
It's fair to say that the players and Simeone are still in the process of getting to know each other.
Since it's about getting to know each other, Simeone felt there was nothing better than a one-sided tirade to help everyone get to know each other!
"Bring them all over a little more!"
He didn't look at the players, but instead turned his head to look at the wall on the side of the main building of the training base.
There was a huge poster hanging there—a group photo of Atlético Madrid winning the La Liga and Copa del Rey double in 1996.
The players in the photo are huddled together, with a young Simeone in the middle, his hair still thick, grinning, and holding a trophy.
Simone stared at the poster for a full five seconds.
Then he turned around and glanced at the twenty-odd players in front of him.
"I fuck all of your mothers."
"A bunch of stinking shit!"
"They even have internal strife!"
"I really don't know where you get the nerve!"
"Off the court, they act like uncontrollable male dogs when they're about to fight, but on the court in the first half of the season, they're timid and effeminate?"
"Look over there." Simone raised his hand and pointed to the wall.
His voice also became softer, even calm.
But it was this calm that made everyone subconsciously hold their breath.
"I was with this team in '96." Simeone took a step forward. "What was Atletico Madrid like back then?"
No one dared to speak.
"They're the kind of team that can make Real Madrid cry for their daddy and mommy!"
Simone's voice suddenly rose, like a thunderclap.
"They're the kind of team that dares to go head-to-head and teeth-to-teeth with them at the Bernabéu! They're the kind of team that makes the entire La Liga tremble at the mere mention of 'Atlético Madrid'!"
He turned around abruptly and jabbed his finger hard at the current player.
"And look at you all!"
Simeone's spittle almost landed on the faces of the players in the front row.
"Ninth at the halfway point of the season! Ninth! The worst result in Atletico Madrid's history! How the hell do you have the nerve to stand here?"
"They kicked like a bunch of wimps in skirts!"
Simone's insults were extremely vulgar.
"You panic the moment the opponent presses! You fall down the moment they charge! I can grab any sixteen-year-old from the second team, and they'd have more guts than you!"
His gaze lingered on a few Argentine players for a moment before shifting away.
"I don't care what your habits were before, who indulged your bad habits?"
"I wouldn't mind if you guys fought in the locker room!"
"But I can't tolerate you guys being cowards. Back then, those idiots on the Dutch national team even got into fights during matches!"
"I only manage your off-field performance!"
Simone's speech slowed down, but every word was like a nail driven into the ground.
"From today onwards, there are only two kinds of people on my team—those who can run, and those who can get out of here."
"Did you understand?!"
"Understood!" came the scattered replies.
"I didn't hear you!" Simone roared back.
"I understand!!" This time the voice was much louder.
Simone nodded slightly and waved to Burgos.
The assistant coach blew the whistle.
"Full-on battle! Starters against substitutes! No substitutions! Play until I call a stop!"
"The substitutes will not have goalkeepers; the goalkeepers will rotate to the first team's goalkeeping area!"
"The tactical requirement is simple—high pressing! Counter-press immediately! Then control the ball! If anyone dares to stroll around, Simeone will personally come down and kick their ass!"
The players dispersed and ran to their respective positions.
Li Jing was positioned in the attacking midfield area of the substitutes.
He stretched his ankles and looked up at the other side.
Pizzi was watching him closely in the defensive midfield position of the main group.
His face was still flushed from what happened in the locker room, and his eyes were burning with fury.
Li Jing didn't look away; instead, she glared back.
Simone's shout had also made him excited.
Simeone needs to apply high-pressure pressure.
The substitutes are weaker than the starters, and if they play by the rules, they will definitely be dominated.
The only chance of winning is to exert maximum pressure and disrupt their rhythm from the very first minute.
And Pizzi is the core of the main team's organization.
Li Jing knows very well what kind of players Simeone wants.
Tear!
It bit like a mad dog.
They relentlessly tore and gnawed like mad dogs.
In training matches, meeting the head coach's tactical requirements is more important than playing rationally.
Li Jing looked towards the center circle.
The substitute center forward has already placed the ball on the spot.
Burgos put the whistle in his mouth.
"Beep—!"