On the pitch, Di Donato zoned out slightly after scoring.
He had done it.
He had defeated a Serie A team!
This was something the old him could never have accomplished.
But under He Tianqi’s arrangements, the dream had become reality.
He really understands tactics!
He really can coach!
He is an excellent head coach!
“Ah!!!”
Di Donato sprinted towards the corner flag, celebrating wildly.
He Tianqi nodded as he watched Di Donato’s back.
He was probably the only one who knew why Di Donato was this excited.
Because Di Donato had found his future on the green pitch.
He, who would have been completely discarded by higher-level football leagues as a core player, was about to fight his way back into mainstream view as a role player.
The joy of losing everything and then getting it back, of surviving a desperate situation—those who understand naturally understand, and those who don’t are better off never understanding.
Because that experience is truly painful.
…
The Palermo players celebrated for a long time, because they knew they had advanced!
They had defeated a Serie A team!
Perugia didn’t complain that Palermo celebrated too long, because nothing mattered anymore.
But they really didn’t expect He Tianqi to be so “cheap.”
In the ninety-first minute, during a stoppage shortly after Perugia’s kickoff, He Tianqi actually signaled for a substitution.
The Renato Curi Stadium erupted in deafening boos.
Barbara, whose painful memories had been awakened, cursed furiously: “He Tianqi is terrible!
He is the most classless head coach I have ever seen!”
“Perugia clearly has no chance of winning anymore, yet he still uses a substitution to waste time!”
“Disgusting!”
“A person like this can never achieve true success!”
“He was like this during his playing days, and he will be like this during his coaching days!”
Barbara’s words represented the true feelings of the Perugia fans.
However, soon enough, the Perugia fans’ anger found a release.
Because…
“Arturo refuses to come on the pitch!”
“What’s the situation?
Has Palermo’s internal strife reached this level of severity?”
“Palermo’s dressing room is probably going to lose control!”
“Arturo didn’t go onto the pitch; instead, he walked towards the player tunnel and left early.”
“It seems He Tianqi hasn’t established the authority belonging to a coach within the team.”
“He Tianqi subbed Cotroneo on for Quagliarella, and the match continues, but no one cares about the match anymore.”
“This incident will likely have far-reaching consequences after the match.”
Finally, with three blasts of the referee’s whistle, this farce came to an end.
After the match, reporters swarmed He Tianqi; they had too many questions.
Reporter: “How does it feel to defeat Perugia?”
He Tianqi: “To us, Perugia is a powerful team.
Being able to defeat such an opponent is thrilling for all of us.”
Reporter: “Arturo refused to come on as a substitute and stated that you disrespect him.
How do you explain this incident?”
He Tianqi: “Standing from Arturo’s perspective, I can understand his thoughts, but I do not agree with his actions.
And I didn’t disrespect him; on the contrary, making arrangements for a player based on tactical purposes—that is what respect looks like in football.”
Reporter: “Will you retaliate against Arturo?”
He Tianqi: “Of course not.
As I said, I understand him and respect him.”
Seeing He Tianqi calmly handling the reporters’ questions, Barbara couldn’t sit still anymore.
She asked sharply, “Are you ashamed of your actions to waste time with a substitution at the last minute?”
“This move made the Perugia fans extremely angry.
How do you plan to apologize?”
When He Tianqi saw it was his old acquaintance Barbara, he nodded and smiled in greeting.
Having pulled that stunt on her birthday back then, he did feel a little embarrassed; he truly hadn’t expected Barbara to actually cry.
But in Barbara’s eyes, this smile was nothing but pure provocation.
He Tianqi: “First of all, being eliminated from the Coppa Italia is not a bad thing for Perugia.”
“Their most important task this season is still avoiding relegation; now they can focus better on the league.”
“From this perspective, I believe Perugia can successfully avoid relegation this season.
I also wish them the best in continuing their campaign in Serie A; they have many excellent players.”
The anger of some of the Perugia reporters subsided slightly.
Arrogant before winning, humble after winning—that shows good character.
Humble before winning, arrogant after winning—that’s true lack of class.
But Barbara didn’t buy it.
She wanted to expose He Tianqi’s ugly true colors: “So using a substitution to waste time is also your blessing?”
He Tianqi: “I already said, that was an adjustment made for tactical purposes.
This is a very common scene in professional football.”
“Everyone watched the 1999 Champions League final.
I believe no one wants their team to become Bayern Munich.”
“When I became a coach, this point became even clearer to me.”
“I’ve always shared a perspective with my players: when we are trailing, we have to imagine ourselves as the Red Devils; we can make a comeback.”
“When we are leading, we have to treat our opponents like Manchester United; we absolutely cannot let them turn the tables!”
“This is also the spirit I hope Palermo possesses.”
“And treating them this seriously is the greatest respect for the opponent.”
“Therefore, I don’t think there was any problem with my adjustment.
If Perugia hates us because of this, it only shows they are not a top team like Manchester United.”
“But I believe Perugia can feel this respect from me.”
Clap clap clap!
Many players and reporters at the scene applauded.
(Bayern Munich: ???)
Grosso, who had stopped to listen for a moment, was moved by He Tianqi’s professionalism and spoke up: “Losing the match means our skills were inferior; there is nothing to hate.”
“I hope Palermo can go further in the Coppa Italia.”
He Tianqi immediately went over and hugged Grosso: “Fabio, you are an excellent player; I see the shadow of greatness in you.”
Grosso seemed a bit shy: “Your praise is too high; that’s not me.”
He Tianqi was very firm: “Then work hard to make yourself great!”
Grosso’s pupils shrank.
What did this mean?
Has He Tianqi taken a fancy to me?
Pfft…
does Palermo want me?
Grosso left, deep in thought.
People thought the interviews ended there.
But as the Palermo team bus drove away from the stadium, a convertible Porsche 911 forced the team bus to stop.
Barbara stood in the car, pointing at the bus and hurling abuse, displaying none of the grace expected of Italy’s Second Daughter.
He Tianqi got off the bus and walked towards Barbara.
“Get lost, don’t touch my car!” Barbara suddenly felt a bit scared looking at the silent He Tianqi.
Bang!
He Tianqi sat in Barbara’s passenger seat: “I ordered dinner for the team; they just went through a tough battle and deserve to be rewarded.”
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends.