World First Church started from the 02 World Cup

Chapter 74 A Slap in the Face Is Necessary

The referee blew his whistle.

Thunderous applause erupted once again throughout Goodison Park!

This is dedicated to this brand-new Everton team, and also to Ye Xian, who single-handedly created this brand-new Everton team!

Today's match showed all the fans in the stadium a different Everton.

With a fierce attack, aggressive pressing, and solid defense, they are simply perfect!

Many media outlets initially thought this was a relegation-threatened team versus a mid-table team, and even if an upset was possible, the process would be very difficult.

But that's not the case at all.

After Everton's young players had adapted for more than twenty minutes, Tottenham were constantly under pressure.

The 3-0 scoreline perfectly illustrates the course of the match – it was an easy, crushing victory!

When Ye Xian led Moyes and the rest of the team to the front of the stands to thank the crowd, the fans in every stand cheered and applauded them once again!

Even the local TV commentator couldn't help but sigh once again:

"Now I finally understand how the Chinese team achieved their World Cup bronze medal miracle. It's because they had Ye Xian! If our England team had Ye Xian as their coach, I believe we definitely wouldn't have lost to Brazil!"

"Exactly! He managed to draw with Brazil twice in 90 minutes, even with a team like China. If you gave him Owen, Beckham, Scholes... wouldn't he bring the World Cup home?"

"Well, never mind. If he were the England manager, he wouldn't be our Everton manager now. Thank goodness, thank goodness, our Chairman Kenwright has the foresight!"

"Yes, in just over a month, the team has undergone tremendous changes. Did you notice? From the pre-match warm-up to the end of the match, they were all smiling, which is something rarely seen with Everton in the past."

"I now have complete confidence in this Everton team. Staying in the league this season will absolutely not be a problem!"

"Staying in the top ten? I heard from the inside that Ye Xian's internal goal is at least a top-ten finish, and he even wants to win a cup championship!"

"Really? Then I'm even more excited..."

The two commentators were chatting happily, having long forgotten that they had initially been questioning Ye Xian and Chairman Ken Wright...

Inside the VIP box, Kenwright was still excitedly talking to those around him about the match that had just taken place.

He felt like the happiest person in the world!

Kenwright has been an Everton fan since childhood, became a member of the club's board of directors as early as 1989, and became chairman in 1999.

His dream is to make Everton a truly strong team!

In 1995, he seemed to see a glimmer of hope.

That year, Everton defeated the mighty Manchester United in the FA Cup final to lift the trophy.

In the 1995-1996 season, they also achieved a sixth-place finish in the Premier League!

But this was just a flash in the pan.

Everton quickly returned to their original position, fighting to avoid relegation year after year.

For several consecutive seasons, they started the season with a loss and then struggled to secure a single victory...

But this season looks a little different.

This is a fantastic start!

Moreover, Kenwright could see that compared to last season, this team, not to mention its tactics and techniques, has improved by more than one level in terms of its overall spirit and morale.

This improvement was directly reflected on the field and in the score.

Kenwright knew, of course, that Ye Xian was behind all of this.

He also believes that under Ye Xian's leadership, Everton will only get better and better!

……

Ye Xian attended the post-match press conference in person for the first time.

Although he is not the official "head coach" of Everton, he is qualified to participate as the "team manager" and "tactical director".

This time, he didn't use the excuse of "I'm not the head coach" to avoid the press conference because he wanted to personally prove him wrong.

Before a match, you can refrain from trash-talking your opponent, but you absolutely cannot allow them to boast and then run away!

Ye Xian also brought Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney along to the event.

This can be seen as an affirmation of their performance today—generally, the head coach will bring the players who played well to the press conference.

Moreover, young people should be exposed to more of the world, so they won't be stage-frightened in the future, and it will also be good for their psychological development.

You can also learn how to deal with reporters and cameras!

As soon as they sat down, the reporters below raised their hands one after another, their enthusiasm almost bursting the entire press conference hall.

Ye Xian randomly picked one, and the reporter quickly asked:

"First of all, congratulations on your first Premier League victory. This is also your first win as a manager in your professional career. Did you expect it to be such an easy win before the match?"

"I haven't thought about it." Ye Xian shook his head and replied, "After all, I'm a rookie coach who can't lead a team. How could I possibly beat Tottenham? Their head coach is the best local coach, Mr. Hoddle..."

The press conference room erupted in laughter.

They all knew that this was Ye Xian's rebuttal to Hoddle's pre-match comments.

Ye Xian wouldn't let this classic moment of being slapped in the face pass by, and neither would the reporters.

Countless journalists filled their notebooks with notes.

Tomorrow's headline is here!

Another reporter pressed on, asking, "So, what do you think of Mr. Hoddle's coaching ability? Or, how would you rate his tactics in today's game?"

"Tactics? I didn't see any tactics," Ye Xian replied calmly. "If this is what he calls the 'refinement' of local coaches, then I advise him to sink down and stop floating around."

The reporters burst into laughter again.

Ye Xian's sharp retorts were so intense that they excited the reporters.

Before today, Ye Xian had always presented himself to everyone as a gentle and refined person.

Some even compared him to Arsenal's Wenger, considering them both to be "gentlemen-like leaders."

Unexpectedly, if anyone dared to mock him, Ye Xian would not hesitate to slap them back!

"Football is a global sport that requires people around the world to communicate and improve together."

At this point, Ye Xian began to summarize his remarks:

"If we cling to the concept of 'local' or 'not local' and refuse to learn from the advanced technologies and tactics of other countries, we will only become stagnant and eventually be buried by history."

"Look, the England national team is now coached by the Swede Eriksson!"

"That applies to building my team as well. I don't care what country someone is from; as long as they fit Everton's team-building philosophy, they can come!"

"I can only say that Mr. Hoddle's ideas are outdated!"

Applause erupted in the hall.

Then another reporter asked, "You brought Ronaldo and Rooney to the press conference today, are you going to praise them to their faces?"

Ye Xian smiled: "You predicted it. Yes, today was their first time participating in the professional league, but they both delivered phenomenal performances. They deserve praise in any language!"

Reporter: "Do you have high hopes for them? What level do you think they will reach in the future?"

Ye Xian's answer was brief and firm: "They will definitely become world-class stars, the kind who can win the Ballon d'Or."

The reporters all gasped.

That's too confident, isn't it? Isn't that a bit too optimistic?

Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney on stage seemed a little embarrassed.

However, Ye Xian is not afraid to praise them.

Given Ronaldo and Rooney's personalities, the more they are praised, the more likely they are to be motivated to fight and perform better on the field.

This is determined by their mental attributes; they will never become complacent or lose their ambition after being praised.

If a player is prone to complacency, you shouldn't praise them indiscriminately; instead, you should be even stricter with them.

In general, different approaches should be used for different players.

This is what individualized instruction is all about!