Chapter 86

"Why?!"

In the quiet training ground, a voice of surprise suddenly rang out.

It was Rongguang who spoke.

Although Kaka did not say anything, the surprised expression on his face betrayed his thoughts.

In fact, not only Rongguang, but everyone else also wanted to ask "why."

Could it be that the head coach didn't know about the relationship between Rongguang and Kaka?

They were already being very polite and restrained by not fighting in front of each other. Rongguang had seen Kaka as his enemy ever since he joined the first team, and Kaka, for some reason, now treated Rongguang like an enemy as well.

How could these two possibly work together?

If they were to play at the same time, the team's offense would likely be paralyzed.

Coach, you can't just think that these two have the默契 (chemistry) to work together because they scored a goal together in the previous match... That was purely luck! It was a stroke of luck! If Kaka's shot hadn't hit the post, Rongguang wouldn't have even had a chance to score!

Moreover, that goal was just a lucky break for Rongguang; there was no sign of any chemistry...

Making them work together would be a disaster for the team!

Oswaldo said, "This is a tactical decision, there's no why."

Rongguang turned to look at Kaka, "I don't want to work with him..."

Kaka thought to himself, "Do you think I want to?"

Assistant coach Mauro stepped forward and glared at Rongguang, "Either work together or go back to the youth team, choose!"

This move was surprisingly effective on Rongguang.

He immediately cowered and stopped talking.

Oswaldo turned to Mauro and smiled. It really took Mauro to handle this kid.

After Rongguang had no objections, Oswaldo looked at Kaka.

Kaka seemed to want to say something but finally bit his lip and said nothing.

Oswaldo knew that Kaka, who appeared gentle on the outside, was actually very competitive and stubborn.

He clearly didn't want to partner with Rongguang.

But this was a change that had to be made to improve the team's performance.

"Since everyone has no objections, that's great," Oswaldo said with a smile. "Let's start training now."

※※※

The training exercises were not much different from usual, mainly focusing on various offensive strategies. However, this time there was one more person. With two attacking midfielders on the field, all the players' positioning routes had to be redesigned.

When Kaka had the ball, how should Rongguang and the others position themselves?

And when Rongguang had the ball, how should Kaka and the others position themselves?

"Why is everyone's positioning different when I have the ball compared to when he has the ball?" Rongguang asked, pointing at Kaka after listening to Mauro.

"You two have different technical characteristics and abilities, so the positioning can't be the same. This isn't just a simple difference between you controlling the ball and Kaka controlling the ball!" Mauro scolded. "Kaka can dribble, pass, and shoot from a distance... What about you? When you get the ball, your biggest threat is dribbling! Do you want everyone to treat you the same as Kaka? How should the others position themselves when you dribble? Dribbling and passing are not the same!"

Mauro continued to lecture Rongguang.

Rongguang lowered his head and took the scolding.

He knew his abilities were not as good as Kaka's, but it still made him feel a bit resentful.

He pouted.

The teammates around him couldn't help but laugh. They weren't mocking Rongguang, but found his behavior amusing.

To put it bluntly, Rongguang lacked self-awareness. But on the other hand, wasn't it precisely because of his lack of self-awareness that he could transform from a rookie who had only played football for seven months into a first-team regular?

When Rongguang first joined the first team, his arrogant remarks made him disliked by many first-team players, who thought he lacked self-awareness and found such an arrogant newcomer unbearable.

But as they got to know Rongguang and saw his abilities on the field, their opinions gradually changed. More and more first-team players accepted him, and some even liked his personality and drive. Even his "lack of self-awareness" became a charming trait, symbolizing "high fighting spirit" and "abundant energy."

Oswaldo watched Mauro lecture Rongguang and smiled.

This rookie...

He shook his head.

Let me see what other surprises you can give me.

※※※

While Rongguang and Kaka were training with the team, the fourth round of the national championship arrived.

São Paulo faced Juventude from Rio Grande do Sul at home.

For this match, Oswaldo used a 4-3-2-1 formation, starting both Rongguang and Kaka.

This starting lineup surprised everyone; they didn't expect Rongguang and Kaka to be able to coexist?

But when the match ended, many people sighed in relief—indeed, these two could not coexist!

São Paulo lost 0-1 to Juventude at home.

Their three-match winning streak came to an end.

The main reason for their failure was that Rongguang and Kaka could not work together. In Oswaldo's new tactics, São Paulo's offense mainly relied on the trio of Kaka, Rongguang, and Fabiano.

With two out of these three not functioning well, the system couldn't work.

"... They influenced and interfered with each other. As a result, neither Rongguang nor Kaka could play to their strengths... I know Oswaldo didn't want to waste their abilities, but forcing them together only made both of them less effective than they would be individually... If this was Oswaldo's experiment, it was clearly a mistake!"

After the match, the media's criticism was relentless.

This time, they didn't blame the players but focused their criticism on head coach Oswaldo.

In Brazil, everyone thinks they can be the head coach, and everyone can criticize the head coach's training, lineup, and in-game decisions. This is why being a head coach in Brazil is particularly difficult.

The media's actions clearly fueled the fire.

As a result, Oswaldo faced enormous pressure.

But Oswaldo remained unfazed.

He insisted on continuing to practice the two attacking midfielders' tactics and formation in training.

He adjusted the training content based on the problems that arose in the match against Juventude.

However, technical and tactical issues could be adjusted with technical means.

One thing was not so simple.

That was the relationship between Rongguang and Kaka.

Oswaldo wasn't naive enough to hope that the two would become close friends.

He just needed them to have basic chemistry on the field.

What they did off the field was none of his business.

To force the two to work together and build chemistry, Oswaldo made a decision that shocked everyone!

He was going to use his ultimate move!

※※※

In the fifth round of the league, São Paulo faced Internacional away from home.

After arriving at the away venue, they would, as usual, first go to the hotel to arrange the rooms.

Two players shared a room, and this was usually randomly assigned.

Although no one knew who would share a room with whom beforehand, the answer would only be revealed when the hotel room keys were distributed.

However, this time, Oswaldo called Rongguang and Kaka out first.

"You two will share a room."

"Ah?" Rongguang thought he had heard wrong.

Kaka also looked at Oswaldo in surprise.

The other teammates also looked at the head coach, and for a moment, the hall fell silent.

Oswaldo smiled at them, "Is there a problem?"

Before Rongguang could speak, Kaka said, "Can I change rooms, sir?"

Clearly, he didn't want to share a room with Rongguang.

Oswaldo smiled and shook his head, "Of course, Kaka, no."

When he said "of course," Kaka had relaxed, thinking it was possible. But the final "no" left him with a frozen expression.

"Don't steal my lines!" Rongguang turned and glared at Kaka, "That's what I wanted to say. I don't want to share a room with him either." He pointed at Kaka.

Oswaldo still smiled and shook his head, "No, Rong."

"Why not? Isn't the room assignment random?" Rongguang asked.

"It is for the others, but not for you two," Oswaldo pointed at them.

Even a fool could see this was specifically targeted at them.

Kaka lowered his head in silence.

Rongguang wanted to say something, but assistant coach Mauro glared at him, "If you don't agree, you won't play. We'll go back to a single attacking midfielder with Kaka alone!"

Rongguang couldn't agree to that.

He quickly straightened up, "I have no objections!"

Oswaldo smiled, "That's the right attitude. Now, take your keys."

He gave each of them a key.

The teammates watching this scene shrank back, wondering if the two would end up fighting in the room.

If São Paulo lost a match because their main players fought in the hotel room, it would be a laughingstock across Brazil!

Watching the two carry their luggage to the elevator without giving way to each other, the teammates exchanged glances, thinking it was very possible...

Reinaldo also saw this scene and was surprised.

Where was the Kaka who, when he heard that the rookie Rongguang wanted to challenge him, smiled and said, "It's good to have someone set me as a goal"? Where was the Kaka who, when Rongguang challenged him face-to-face, smiled and said, "Sure"?

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