After the match, Coach Zhao brought Haaland, the goal-scoring hero, and Assistant Coach Alan Tate to the press conference.
Haaland was chosen because, compared to other young players, he has a more outgoing personality, and journalists are also more interested in him.
Bringing Alan Tate was to have him answer some questions on his behalf, as sometimes the journalists' questions were just too boring…
As soon as they took their seats, the packed room of journalists eagerly raised their hands, their enthusiasm threatening to burst the entire press conference hall.
After all, Zhao Zhao is currently the most popular figure in the Premier League!
And today, Zhao Zhao led Sunderland to a winning start in this Premier League season, so there would certainly be a lot to talk about.
A journalist from the Daily Mail immediately began to ask, "First, congratulations on winning your first Premier League match of the season. The score of this match was 3:0. Did you expect to win so easily before the match?"
"No, I didn't," Zhao Zhao shook his head, "After the preseason ended, I had already been given a death sentence by some media friends, and some even said that there were shady dealings and insider information in my player purchases… With these problematic players on the field, I was already scared to death, so how could I have thought I could win?"
There was a moment of silence in the press conference hall, and then some people started to laugh.
At first, everyone didn't understand what Zhao Zhao meant by those words, but after realizing, they understood that this was a counterattack against some of the media criticizing him!
Truly worthy of being Zhao Zhao, he really holds a grudge!
Another journalist from the Sunderland Echo said, "The performance of our young players today has fully proven their value, and also proven that your vision is completely correct. So, can you tell us how you found them? I mean, many of them had basically no professional League experience before, which would make them very difficult to discover."
Zhao Zhao said mysteriously, "This is a secret of our club, and it's not good for you to ask that. In short, we have a very excellent scouting organization, and I would like to thank Mr. Houston here! Oh, Mr. Houston is our chief scout."
This was something Zhao Zhao couldn't easily explain to the public; he couldn't possibly say that he had transmigrated and knew in advance the heights these players could reach, right?
Previously, some newspapers also said that he didn't rely on the scouting system and just found players himself, so today he would give all the credit to his scouts. Anyway, praising his own people is fine, everyone can be happy together.
As for whether the chief scout would blush upon hearing this, he didn't know.
Because he knew that the scout reports he submitted to Zhao Zhao simply didn't include any of the players Zhao Zhao signed in the summer window…
And since Zhao Zhao said it was a "club secret," the Sunderland Echo journalist, as a local newspaper, wisely did not press further.
At this moment, a journalist from The Guardian asked again, "Several of your new signings are from Manchester City, and they performed exceptionally well in today's match. Mr. Zhao, can you tell us how you managed to finalize these deals?"
Zhao Zhao smiled and said, "This is, of course, due to my good relationship with Guardiola, and such a deal is clearly beneficial to all parties. We got good players, Manchester City's loanees got experience, and young players got opportunities to play, so why not?"
"Speaking of players," the journalist pointed to Haaland, who was sitting next to Zhao Zhao, "Are you satisfied with his performance today?"
"Satisfied, extremely satisfied," Zhao Zhao smiled as he looked at Haaland, "He scored a goal in his very first Premier League appearance today, what more could you ask of him?"
And the journalist directly asked Haaland, "I noticed you spent a lot of time battling against the opponent's strong center-back Van Dijk. Was this something the Coach asked him to do?"
Haaland nodded, "Yes. The gaffer's task for me today was to fight him to the death! I just didn't expect to score too, haha! But after scoring, I was still defended, I still need to work harder."
Zhao Zhao then took over, "However, even though Haaland seemed to be defended after scoring, he still tied up the opponent's defense and made an outstanding contribution to the team's victory. And his ability to do this is inseparable from his usual hard training."
Upon receiving direct praise from the Coach, Haaland's grin was so wide even an AK couldn't hold it back, and he burst into laughter.
He also understood that the Coach saw his efforts.
Otherwise, how could he have gotten a starting opportunity today and even scored a goal!
So… he will continue to train and play even harder!
However, when Haaland smiled like that, the journalists sitting in the front row couldn't help but shrink back.
This kid, he was so good sitting there quietly, why is he so creepy when he smiles!
"So, what heights do you think Haaland can reach in the future?" another journalist asked.
This question…
Zhao Zhao was pondering how to answer, when Alan Tate, beside him, couldn't hold back anymore.
He lightly tapped the table and said:
"He is only 17 years old this year and has already scored in the Premier League. And you are still asking what heights he will reach?"
"Even Cristiano Ronaldo only scored his first individual goal in the Premier League when he was 18!"
"Let me put it this way, if it were up to me, I wouldn't even trade Haaland for Lewandowski!"
As soon as he said this, the journalists gasped, but also became excited.
This evaluation was truly high.
Mentioning Cristiano Ronaldo's goal record was one thing; that only represented whether a player was "precocious" or not, and there were plenty of players who became famous young and then faded away.
But Alan Tate said he wouldn't trade Haaland for Lewandowski?
Who is Lewandowski? The Polish national team's top star, the top scorer for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
In recent seasons, Lewandowski has scored over 40 goals in all competitions for Bayern, making him arguably one of the best center-forwards on this planet, perhaps even the best.
And Haaland was just a kid who played in Norway before, and only just stepped onto the Premier League stage today. To be compared with Lewandowski can be said to be the highest praise a newcomer can receive.
However, this was said by the Assistant Coach, could it be believed?
The journalists turned their heads to Zhao Zhao again, only to find Coach Zhao nodding with satisfaction at Alan Tate.
Yes, what you said is exactly what I wanted to say! It was indeed correct to bring you to the press conference! This way, I don't have to personally organize words to deal with these journalists… This was Zhao Zhao's inner monologue at the time.
As for whether to praise a newcomer like Haaland so much…
No big deal!
This guy has a very carefree personality; if he plays well, he should be praised, and praised to the extreme!
This will instead motivate him to strive for higher, faster, and stronger goals.
Take Lewandowski, whom Alan Tate used for comparison; he is a role model for Haaland to learn from.
This Polish forward combines speed, technique, agility, strength, jumping, and all the qualities a forward needs, one could say he is pretty much a perfect center-forward template!
If Haaland could acquire Lewandowski's shooting and heading abilities in the fastest time, Zhao Zhao would be smiling in his dreams!
Of course, whether to praise or not, this still depends on the individual.
Some players have a more introverted personality, and external influences will have a greater impact on them. If they are praised indiscriminately, it may have the opposite effect.
He will have too high expectations for himself and will bear too much pressure, eventually being crushed.
Bojan, the talented youth player from Barça's academy, is a very typical example.
And some other players are not very psychologically mature, just like ordinary children.
After being praised, he might become "complacent," or even "a bit arrogant," and then his professionalism will plummet, eventually becoming "lost among the crowd."
There are too many such examples; one could say many people are like this, and some even disappear from public view before they even have a chance to be widely known.
Hmm, players of FM Football Manager games should encounter this situation more often.
In short, praising Haaland is definitely not a problem; he is the kind of player who gets stronger the more he is praised!
"Can you comment on the other two goal scorers today?" a journalist asked.
This was asking Zhao Zhao to talk about Foden and Rice.
Zhao Zhao thought for a moment and said:
"Rice's long-range shot was excellent, and I also really like his organizational ability in midfield. However, he had relatively little playing time today, so he still needs more opportunities to perform."
"As for Foden, I loaned him from Manchester City, and he is also a young player highly regarded by Guardiola. He also played very well today, but I think he still has a lot of room for growth."
For these two, Zhao Zhao did not blindly praise them.
Especially Foden, this was also treating him with Guardiola's method.
Although he was a loan player, Zhao Zhao still had to fulfill his promise to Guardiola, which was to develop Foden!
In Zhao Zhao's previous life, Guardiola was very cautious during Foden's growth process.
When later asked by Ferdinand if Foden was the most talented player he had ever coached, Guardiola once said, "First, I have to say that Messi is the best player, but I haven't coached a 17-year-old Messi. But I have coached a 17-year-old Foden, and at that age, I haven't seen a more potential player, his attitude, his calmness. When Foden makes a mistake, he quickly forgets it, and he is constantly growing."
This shows that even at this time, Guardiola had already seen Foden's potential, and his evaluation of him was even close to Messi.
And for such a "genius player," Guardiola did not cultivate him in the way he would a regular player.
Foden's position in the first team was not fixed; this was both Guardiola's tactical requirement and the focus of his development.
This non-fixed position playing style allowed Foden to develop comprehensively and gradually find his own positioning. This "determining ability development direction based on match performance" is far superior to "determining match position based on youth academy ability," and can also develop players in multiple aspects.
Additionally, during Foden's growth, Guardiola did not give him excessive "praise" to prevent him from becoming arrogant due to favoritism.
Even when Foden was dominating for Manchester City later, Guardiola would still say, "He's great now, but he hasn't reached Messi's level."
He is different from Haaland.
Haaland is somewhat like a wanderer, while Foden is a true "Prince."
A "Prince" grows up being pampered, with everyone around him caring for and protecting him, which also makes him more prone to getting cocky and more susceptible to outside temptations.
In fact, Foden has made very serious mistakes.
Initially, two "Princes" from Manchester, Foden and Greenwood, made a mistake together while with the England National Team and were expelled from the team for "soliciting prostitutes."
Later, Foden turned over a new leaf under Guardiola's guidance, while Greenwood could no longer play for Manchester United due to domestic violence. Their market values, which were once similar, changed dramatically: one is now worth over 100 million euros, while the other is only around 10 million…
These examples all illustrate how important a Coach's guidance and tailored teaching are for young players!
Finally, Mr. Zhao jokingly said, "I wonder if Foden still remembers that when he appeared as a Manchester City ball boy at the Etihad Stadium, there was also a Chinese player next to him, his uncle Sun Jihai. This shows that he has a great connection with us Chinese people. So, I also hope that this season, he can work with me, a Chinese Coach, to help Sunderland achieve even better results!"
-----------------
After achieving a winning start to the League, public opinion naturally looked at Mr. Zhao and his newly formed "Zhao Family Army" with new eyes.
Some of the previous skeptical remarks naturally vanished into thin air.
Now everyone finally understood that the preseason warm-up matches were indeed just warm-up matches; they were just used by Mr. Zhao for training, with no reference value at all!
Pellegrino, the Coach of Southampton, clearly took Sunderland's warm-up match tactics and lineup too seriously, which led to a bit of underestimation, and as a result, he suffered the bitter consequence of a three-goal defeat!
Therefore, the public opinion environment around Sunderland suddenly improved significantly, and everyone began to re-examine Mr. Zhao's relegation comments before the season started.
"A team that can heavily defeat Southampton, their goal is merely relegation? Who believes that?"
Many media outlets and fans shared this view.
However, Mr. Zhao did not respond to these voices.
After the match, he, as usual, gave the players a day off, but the coaching staff remained at work.
The Coaches also gathered in the training center's conference room the next day to discuss the upcoming matches.
That was because, after the first round, the next second-round match was a normal week later.
But from the second round onwards, due to the inclusion of the League Cup, the match schedule suddenly became dense, and there was even an international break coming up soon!
This required everyone to discuss the upcoming training plan, including the physical fitness Coaches and team doctors, who also needed to arrange corresponding player recovery, massages, physiotherapy, and other procedures in conjunction with such a schedule, in order to ensure match results while guaranteeing player health.
They first listed the team's schedule in the conference room.
Alan Tate pointed to the projection on the big screen and said, "Our next two opponents are very important. One is a home match against Liverpool, and the other is against our arch-rival, Newcastle.
And in the middle of next week, there's also the League Cup second-round match. If we advance smoothly, then in mid-September, we'll face the League Cup third-round match."
Mr. Zhao looked at the first-team schedule projected on the big screen and fell into deep thought.
This series of upcoming matches will indeed be a considerable test for Sunderland.
Although this year's Liverpool is not yet the complete team that will contend for the Premier League and Champions League titles in the future, the team already has the "Red Arrow Trio," and at least their attacking line is already at a top Premier League level.
Under Klopp's leadership, this new Liverpool has already shown strong combat power and willpower. Even at home, it's not so easy to overturn them.
And Newcastle United goes without saying; they are Sunderland's primary arch-rival, with the level of animosity between them exceeding even the rivalry between Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
This match can be said to be absolutely unforgivable to lose!
Between these two matches, there is also a League Cup match, and the opponent is not strong, coming from the EFL Championship team Sheffield.
But this means playing three matches in eight days, which places quite high demands on the players.
And after these three matches, there will be a two-week international break.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Sunderland's team is now mostly young players; most of them will be called up during the international break!
Players like Defoe, an England international; Khazri, a Tunisia international; Robertson, a Scotland international; Kone, a Cote d'Ivoire international; McNair, a Northern Ireland international—these are all expected to go.
The main point is that even Foden, Sancho, and Rice are regulars in various England youth teams, and now they have both been selected for the U21 National Youth Team.
Including Haaland, who is with the Norway U18 Youth National Team, Brahim Díaz, who is with the Spain U19 National Team, and so on.
So they also have to participate in national team events, either playing friendly matches or European Youth Championship qualifiers, etc.
In other words, during international breaks, Sunderland is actually not relaxed; more than half of the team's players are involved.
This indeed requires Mr. Zhao to coordinate things so that everyone does not become overly fatigued during such frequent matches, otherwise it will certainly not be good for the team's future.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "First, we need to establish one thing: our main goal this season is still the League. So, for the League Cup, I will arrange a substitute lineup. We'll play as far as we can. As for the next two League rounds, whether it's Liverpool or Newcastle, I will go all out for the win!"
As soon as he said this, the Coaches' faces showed a hint of surprise.
Alan Tate then said, "We will certainly try our best to win against Newcastle, but won't it be too difficult to take down Liverpool? Wouldn't it be more realistic to aim for at least one point first?"
"No." Mr. Zhao waved his hand and said, "Although Klopp's Liverpool team has a very strong offense, their defense still has obvious weaknesses. As long as we can exploit their flaws, it is possible to defeat them. I will discuss this in the upcoming tactical meeting."
Everyone nodded, no longer having any objections.
Since the boss said he has a way, then he must have his own ideas, and they would understand later.
Breswell, however, had another question: "Since we won't prioritize cup competitions, wouldn't it be better to just give up on the League Cup directly?"
But Mr. Zhao still shook his head and said:
"No, I can let the substitute players play, but I still want them to try their best, not to deliberately lose. This is not conducive to cultivating a team's character."
"Think about it, our team's average age is very low right now, with many players even under 20 years old. They can withstand failure, but they definitely cannot accept such a predetermined failure; it's too damaging to morale!"
"If we lose a match under such circumstances, it might be accompanied by doubt, distrust, disappointment, and loss of motivation, and the players' focus will be dispersed. In this crucial stage of building confidence and mutual trust, it could be the biggest taboo!"
"But if we let them give their best on the field, then they can go as far as they can. This, on one hand, helps cultivate the confidence of young players, and on the other hand, it allows substitute players to get more official match opportunities, keeping them in game shape."
"So, whether it's the League Cup or the FA Cup, I will maintain the same attitude."
Mr. Zhao's words also made the coaching staff members look at each other, then nod repeatedly.
There was nothing they could do; what Coach Zhao said simply made so much sense!
At this point, Mr. Zhao turned his gaze to his two physical fitness Coaches and team doctor, Eva:
"After the international break, our players might be very tired. This will be up to you."
Gabriel Jesus Pérez spoke first: "You can count on me for this. I will closely monitor the running data of these players in international matches, and upon their return, I will tailor the most suitable recovery plan for them."
Lafuente then added, "I will work with Eva to develop appropriate physiotherapy methods, and for players with a history of injuries, I will focus on targeted treatment to minimize the possibility of recurrence."
At this point, Alonso asked with a bit of curiosity, "Can you explain how it's done specifically? When I was a player, I was really afraid of old injuries recurring!"
Lafuente explained with a smile, "Through a lot of research, I've found that many players' habitual injuries in a certain area are closely related to nerve damage. Whether it's muscle injury or a fracture, it will simultaneously cause damage to the nervous system. The transmission process of brain signals from neurons to muscles will be interrupted, and it cannot be synchronously repaired in modern sports medicine rehabilitation…"
Mr. Zhao raised a hand to interrupt: "…Speak in plain language."
Lafuente cleared his throat and continued, "Simply put, it means your injury is healed, but your brain and nervous system think you're not yet. You want to exert force, but your muscles can't activate properly, which in turn increases the risk of recurrence."
Mr. Zhao: "Understood, continue."
Lafuente went on to say, "So, based on this theoretical research, when I massage players, I use various different devices to vibrate the players' injury-prone areas and surrounding muscles to help reorganize neural circuits. Specifically, it's like this…"
Under Lafuente's explanation, although not all Coaches necessarily understood it, they all felt deeply impressed and nodded in admiration.
Mr. Zhao was also more convinced that finding such professional physical fitness Coaches was truly finding the right people!
As long as the players can remain lively after a week of multiple matches and the international break, he will be even more confident about the upcoming Premier League season!
Then, Mr. Zhao clapped his hands and said:
"Alright, next we'll study how to deal with Liverpool. They're not as easy to handle as our 'hometown' Southampton…"