Volume 1: Playing football with me will break your legs Chapter 36: It's Not Slippery Enough Here

Sometimes, competition between men is really very simple.

A game or a number can cause hostility between two men.

Adre was very keenly aware that there seemed to be something unusual in the locker room these two days, but after talking with the captain, vice-captain, and several key players, the feedback he got was:

"Everything is normal in the locker room."

He could only scratch his head and continue to prepare for the next game.

…

September 27th.

This was the second time that Li Polo went abroad in his life - the first time was when he was a child and moved to England with his parents.

This time, he followed the team and drove 200 kilometers from England to Newport, Wales.

Yes, this also counts as international travel!

As the third largest city in Wales, Newport has a permanent population of 145,000 and is much more prosperous than small towns like Wimbledon.

Because the distance is so close, Wimbledon doesn't even need to arrange accommodation for the players. They can just set out from their base four hours in advance and return along the same route after the game. It is very economical.

Perhaps due to the long journey, Wimbledon could not find the playing form at the Lodney Parade Stadium.

Due to the brutal overtime in the League Cup, many veterans, such as vice-captain Smith, showed varying degrees of muscle fatigue and physical exhaustion, so Li Polo had to play as a left-back again.

Probably because this stadium is also the venue for two local rugby teams, it is obviously not well maintained on a daily basis. The quality of the turf is simply appalling. There is not even a single blade of grass in many places, which seriously affects the normal passing of the football and the movements of the players.

For example, in the 8th minute, Li Boluo wanted to use a fierce sliding tackle to end the opponent's left winger's dribbling breakthrough, but he only slid less than one meter and stopped on a bare ground. He could only watch the opponent break in and then score with a powerful shot!

1:0!

Li Polo climbed up, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth and feeling extremely unhappy.

Since he joined Wimbledon and became a professional player, this is the first time he lost points directly due to his own interception error!

It suddenly occurred to him that the reason why some teams lost because the grass was too short was not impossible...

Wimbledon was not too depressed after conceding the goal. They quickly cheered up and even took the initiative at one point, pressing the home team within half the court.

Since the grass was in poor condition and not suitable for passing and controlling the ball, the Crazy Gang immediately played the most traditional long pass in English football, using Akinfenwa's strong body as a bridgehead, while other frontcourt players inserted from the back row to form an offensive.

But Newport was obviously prepared. After taking the lead, all their players retreated and parked their team in the penalty area. Even if Akinfenwa could kill two defenders with one punch, he could not easily break their iron defense.

After besieging for half an hour, the Crazy Gang finally relaxed, and their overly aggressive formation revealed a huge gap. Newport broke through their defense with only two passes and had a one-on-one duel with goalkeeper Xie!

In desperation, Xie A directly pulled the opponent's striker to the ground with both hands, but the result was a red card for himself!

And a penalty kick!

Adre on the sidelines kicked the mineral water away:

"So what if you let him shoot? Why are you pulling his leg?!"

From a neutral perspective, Shea's foul was completely unnecessary. Even if the opponent scored a goal, the remaining time would be enough for Wimbledon to catch up.

But in the heat of the moment, he still "unhesitatingly" extended his evil hands.

When Ronaldo and Messi get angry, they will dive, kick, scold teammates and opponents, and throw the captain's armband in anger (of course Ronaldo does it more often...). How can you expect a goalkeeper in the fourth-tier league to remain calm at all times?

Shea's red card became the turning point of the whole game. Unsurprisingly, the balance of victory completely tipped towards the home team. Although Akinfenwa and Libolo scored a goal respectively, they still couldn't stop the Crazy Gang from swallowing the bitter fruit of defeat.

2:4!

Wimbledon suffered its first defeat of the new season!

…

"This defeat may not be a bad thing. It also serves as a timely reminder for us. Perhaps because the start of this season was too smooth, we were a little relaxed and careless in today's game. Our coaching staff is responsible for this."

On the way back home, Adley made serious criticism and self-criticism:

"There are 46 rounds in the league, and we have only played 10 rounds now. If we want to be promoted to League One at the end of the season, we should not relax too early."

He looked at the players in the bus, trying to observe their reactions.

The first person responsible for the loss, goalkeeper Xie A who received a red card, took the initiative to stand up:

"Sorry, guys. Today's loss is all my fault. If I hadn't acted on impulse, we wouldn't have played so passively..."

After he finished his review, Adley spoke:

"I won't comfort you, James, because you are not a child anymore and you should learn to pay for your mistakes. I just hope to see you cheer up as soon as possible. This team needs you."

The 23-year-old Xie A nodded vigorously, but still couldn't hide his inner frustration.

The price of his impulsiveness is not just a red card, he will also face a ban of at least three games. The biggest question is, during this period, will his starting position be impacted by competitors?

He subconsciously glanced at the second goalkeeper Ross Wallner who was sitting diagonally behind him. This guy had already clenched his fists impatiently, wanting to let the coach see his attitude and ability!

[This is a damn red card! ]

Adley looked at the schedule and spoke again:

"That's all for the September schedule, boys, you've worked hard. After we go back tonight, we'll have a day off tomorrow. The next training session will be on time at 9 a.m. on the 29th. I don't want anyone to be late. Oh, by the way..."

He glanced at Li Polo again and added:

"This time, I don't want anyone to get accidentally injured by kicking the shot put with their feet!"

With a "boo", everyone burst into laughter.

The serious atmosphere just now disappeared immediately, and the whole bus was filled with joy.

Li Polo rolled his eyes:

“I really went to practice my ball sense!”

"And I was obviously kicking a tennis ball, not a shot put!"

…

There were a total of 7 games played at Wimbledon in September, but Li Polo was affected by injuries and only participated in 4 of them, one of which he played as a substitute. In addition, there was no strong opponent like Manchester United to reap the benefits, so when the settlement time came, his income dropped significantly.

Basic salary: 300x4=1200.

Exit bonus: 20x4=80.

Winning bonus: 20x3=60.

Clean Sheet Bonus: 10x2=20.

Goal bonus: 20x4=80.

Assist bonus: 10x1=10.

Total: 1450.

Compared to August, his income in September dropped by 40%!

Looking at the pitiful numbers on the settlement information, Li Polo suddenly felt that "the hero's breath was short".

It's over now!

What can you do with £1,400?

It’s not even enough money to get a room!