The evening of May 6th.
It was the match day for the 36th round of the 2016-2017 Premier League season, at the Stadium of Light.
When Zhao Zhao walked into the home team's locker room, everyone's eyes turned to him.
It was clear that facing today's crucial relegation battle, which could even be called a six-point match, both the coaches and the players were feeling a bit nervous.
So everyone was looking forward to Zhao Zhao, the 'calm one', giving them one last guidance, to see if there were any tactical improvements or ways to counter the opponent.
And Zhao Zhao indeed walked to the center of the locker room, next to the tactics board, cleared his throat, and began to speak:
"Before today's match begins, I have some very important things to say, so please listen carefully."
The locker room instantly fell silent, and everyone pricked up their ears.
But just when everyone thought Zhao Zhao was about to emphasize today's tactics, Coach Zhao pushed the tactics board aside and said with a smile, "Tactics aren't actually the most important thing in today's match."
"Our starting eleven today has spent a week practicing the tactics against Swansea countless times; you just need to play what you've trained."
"And how much preparation time did Swansea have? Three days."
"No, they just played Manchester United on Thursday, so they only had Friday and Saturday, and then they came to our Stadium of Light today. They actually only had two days to train."
"And you? You even had time to go home and hug your wives and girlfriends!"
The players burst into laughter, and the locker room was instantly filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Zhao Zhao continued:
"So, whether in terms of tactical preparation or physical reserves, we are far stronger than them."
"In other words, there's actually nothing for you to be nervous about for this match; as long as you play normally, you'll win!"
Just these few words significantly relaxed the players'mentality.
This was actually something Zhao Zhao learned from the system's coaching courses.
For many coaches, they are actually all master psychologists.
Whether it's the older generation like Ferguson and Wenger, or the middle generation like Guardiola, Mourinho, and Ancelotti, or even the younger ones like Mikel Arteta and Alonso, they all know how to say the right things to their players at the right time.
When it's time to scold, scold; when it's time to praise, praise. And pre-match talks are of utmost importance, requiring judgment based on the situation of different opponents.
Sometimes, when facing a strong opponent, players need to let go of their burdens, adopting the 'barefoot Not afraid of wearing shoes' mentality, and just play at their best level;
Sometimes, when facing a fierce rival, it's about pumping them full of adrenaline, making them fight for the fans and for glory!
And when facing an opponent who has previously defeated them, the most effective approach is to ignite the 'revenge' flame, letting everyone's desire for vengeance burn completely!
Facing Swansea today, Zhao Zhao was very clear about the current situation of both sides; it could be said that 'the advantage is with us,' so he just wanted everyone to relax and play, giving them full confidence!
"Recently, the outside world hasn't been optimistic about us, instead thinking Swansea can win. They're simply blind," Zhao Zhao continued.
"They just drew Manchester United away, and I don't know what's so great about that. Is Manchester United strong? What was our score against them away?"
The players burst into laughter again.
O'Shea gently patted Defoe's shoulder beside him, as it was the latter who scored a hat-trick at Old Trafford, helping the team defeat Manchester United.
"Sometimes the media is like that, they jump to conclusions. You shouldn't believe the nonsense they say too much."
"What do they mean we're finished because we lost badly to Chelsea? They don't even look at how many young players we used. I suspect they didn't even watch the game, they just copied and pasted from somewhere and started spouting nonsense."
"They actually say we can't beat Swansea? Is Swansea very strong? Stronger than Manchester United or Manchester City? How strong can a team ranked 18th in the League be???"
At this moment, Breswell, the assistant coach standing beside Zhao Zhao, lightly coughed but still held back from speaking.
Swansea being ranked 18th was indeed correct, but the problem was that Sunderland was currently only ranked 19th!
This argument didn't seem very suitable to use here…
However, considering that words detrimental to team unity should not be spoken carelessly, Breswell held his tongue.
"Alright, in summary, I just want everyone to relax and play. We will definitely win this match," Zhao Zhao waved his hand.
"Of course, telling you to relax and play doesn't mean playing recklessly; you still need to seriously and strictly execute our tactical requirements. Get energized!"
"I also always believe that we can definitely achieve our goal of staying in the Premier League this season!"
"Think about it, if you were just an EFL Championship player, wouldn't you earn less money, and even beautiful women wouldn't bother looking at you?"
"But as long as you can stay in the Premier League, you can make big money and win the favor of beautiful women!"
"For money and beautiful women! Play well!"
Everyone burst into laughter again, even applauding.
The pressure in their hearts had now completely vanished.
Their boss's words were rough but made sense, very down-to-earth.
Although the honor of playing football is very important to players, many times it's no different from ordinary workers; it's just about those most basic needs.
"For money and beautiful women!"
Someone shouted, and then one by one, the players followed suit, and the locker room was instantly filled with a mix of laughter and shouts…
Only Captain O'Shea touched his face, then looked at Zhao Zhao's face, and snorted:
"We get beautiful women after we have money, but you, boss, don't need money to get beautiful women…snort!"
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As players from both sides filed out of the player tunnel, James Jun's voice echoed in the ears of the vast Chinese fans:
"Welcome, all fans, to PPTV, to watch this Premier League match between Sunderland and Swansea at the Stadium of Light with us."
"However, I'm not commentating alone today; we've also invited the famous football personality Director Zhang Lu as a guest to witness this relegation battle with us!"
At this moment, Zhang Lu's voice also sounded: "Hello everyone, I'm Zhang Lu, hehe."
James Jun continued:
"From the pre-match media reports, it seems that the Sunderland team led by Coach Zhao Zhao should be facing a lot of pressure today."
"After all, after the 0-5 crushing defeat to Chelsea, many people believe that Zhao Zhao developed a fear of battle, and this might affect the morale of the entire team."
"However, from the recent broadcast footage… the Sunderland players all seem very relaxed, even with smiles on their faces."
"Director Zhang, what do you think?"
Zhang Lu took over:
"Actually, I don't think losing to Chelsea was a bad thing."
"Given Chelsea's form at the time, even if Sunderland had gone all out, they might not have fared any better."
"I think Coach Zhao Zhao's idea was very simple: to decisively abandon that match and fight against opponents they had a better chance of winning."
"You see, their mood is very relaxed today, which clearly shows they are fully prepared for this match."
"On the other hand, Swansea looks preoccupied and even a bit tired; their rest time was indeed too short."
James Jun asked, "So, Director Zhang, please make a prediction. Who do you think will win today's match?"
Zhang Lu paused for a moment, then replied:
"I still support Sunderland."