In fact, the media always have this idea - if you play with a weak team in a very embarrassing way, then you play with a strong team will definitely be worse. This idea is very marketable, but you have never considered the mentality of the players and the fighting spirit of the team. It is easy to have problems when playing with a weak team. Most players will feel that the weak team is easy to deal with, and they will underestimate the enemy if they relax psychologically. Once they find that the facts are not like that, they can't even get tight, so they will play even more embarrassingly. When they face a strong team, because they attach great importance to it from the beginning, and their mentality is different, they will naturally not perform. The same, the scene is even more different, even the results are... So Hoffenheim and Borussia Mönchengladbach play very ugly and embarrassed, which does not prove that they will play worse against Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Dortmund and Werder Bremen next time. Of course, even if they play well in the last game, it does not mean that they can still play well in the next game, even if they face the last in the league... Although Rangnick said at the post-match press conference that the team was happy to equalize the score at the last moment, he did not have this expression when he returned to Hoffenheim.

The first thing that started Monday's training camp was to all the players stand on the training ground and then accept Rangnick's criticism.

When the team performs poorly, Rangnick will do this. No matter how good you perform in the game, there is no special treatment at this time. You have to accompany the teammates who make mistakes with the whole team. This is a way for Rangnick to cultivate team spirit. If the team performs poorly, it is the responsibility of the whole team. No one should be out of the matter. Even if you are elected the best player in that game. If the team wins the ball, the honor belongs to the whole team. No one can stand up and say "winning is the credit of me alone, and it has nothing to do with others."

So today, the entire team, including Chu Zhongtian, was scolded by Rangnick.

Rangnick scolded him for thirty minutes before he announced the start of training.

The team's training intensity is very strong, but this is not to punish them. No matter what, the team can equalize the score at the last moment, it is still very morale-enhancing, so there is no need to punish. The training intensity is Rangnick's tradition, and Hoffenheim's training intensity is almost twice that of other teams. In Germany, high-paying players usually train for five to six days a week, and the training time per day is no more than ninety minutes.

This is why Hoffenheim is often able to score goals in the last moments of the game and always maintain a fast-paced and high-intensity offense.

※※ Before the game against Leverkusen, the media have been repeating this argument - Hoffenheim's state is about to begin to enter a downturn, and their last round of losing against Borussia Mönchengladbach is proof of this. And what's more terrible is that the team ushered in a four-round devilish schedule under such a mental state, and the first opponent is Leverkusen, who once defeated Hoffenheim 5:2 at Bayer Arena.

"When Hoffenheim hears Leverkusen's name, his heart will be stumbled!" On the TV show, the experts invited were expressing their views on the game.

"Yes, they have a shadow on this opponent. The loss to Leverkusen was their failure in the Bundesliga game. The first game was so badly lost. Leverkusen left a deep mark in Hoffenheim's heart. In this game, Leverkusen had a psychological advantage..."

"But Hoffenheim remained unbeaten at home, and the result of nine wins and one draw is amazing. I think Hoffenheim won a lot in this game because they were eager to beat Leverkusen in the game and avenge the first half of the season. In terms of game motivation, Hoffenheim has no problem." Some guests raised objections.

"I'm also optimistic about Hoffenheim's winning goal. You should know that they scored 48 goals before the winter break, and Barcelona only scored 44 goals at the same time. Hoffenheim is the strongest attacking team in Europe and is at their home court. This season they still maintain an unbeaten record at home. These favorable factors can make Hoffenheim defeat Leverkusen."

"The number of goals is just the data of the past. It depends on the recent game against Borussia Mönchengladbach's attack lineup and they don't score. Hoffenheim seems to have problems breaking through dense defense. Chu is a very talented player, but he is not a striker. He is not good at scoring. He cannot shoot up repeatedly when the forwards of the team cannot score the ball, so that they will have a position conflict. In addition, as for the 'home advantage' you mentioned, I think this is the most critical factor that hinders their victory - this record has become a rope that binds them.

It may take their lives at any time when they are stuck on their necks. They care too much about this record, which will make them bear psychological burdens and tighten their hands in the game. I must point out that although this team is still ranked first in the league, their psychological qualities are actually very average. If they fall behind in the game, they can easily panic. In the 17th round, they played Schalke 04 at home. Perhaps the winter champion is close to them and they lose their normal mind. The first half of the first half of the game was very ugly..."

Chu Zhongtian found it funny when he watched these experts and celebrities making various remarks in front of the TV. But he still liked watching. He watched this entertainment program... The team was bound by the record of unbeaten at home?

I am the captain, why don’t I know?

We do want to take revenge, but this is not burden, but motivation.

※※ On February 13, the 20th round of the Bundesliga kicked off at Hoffenheim's home court Rhineka Stadium.

Hoffenheim will face Leverkusen, who humiliated them in the first half of the season.

"This is the time for us to take revenge!" A Hoffenheim fan walked past the premiere TV station with the latest issue of "Rhine-Neckar" in his hand, and the TV broadcast gave the newspaper a close-up title.

The reporter didn't say anything, and this shot has already explained the voices of Hoffenheim fans.

There were fine snowflakes floating in the sky, and a layer of them had accumulated on the ground. The snow started writing since early this morning and has been falling until now. It has passed by 8 o'clock in the evening and has not stopped yet.

But don't worry, Rhine Neka Stadium has advanced geothermal systems and drainage facilities, and there will be no snow on the turf, which will affect the excitement of the game. Hoffenheim is a team that is used to cooperating on the ground, so they have high requirements for the venue. As their home court, they naturally strive to be perfect in this regard. Mr. Hope spent 60 million to build this stadium, and it was impossible for him to not even have geothermal heat.

The temperature had dropped below zero on the cold winter night, but the fans who came here to watch the game still filled the stadium.

German fans are known for their enthusiasm. Although there are no big-name stars in the Bundesliga, the league's attendance rate is the highest in Europe. So far this season, the average attendance rate of the Bundesliga by statistical agencies is 39,000, which is nearly 5,000 higher than the Premier League, which is known as the first league, and about 11,000 more than the La Liga, which is also known as the number one in the Premier League. Even under the attack of the financial storm, the Bundesliga still maintains an extremely high attendance rate.

As a new high this season, Hoffenheim has been sought after by many people. Hoffenheim's jerseys are now the most popular sports equipment nationwide, and many children want to get a blue jersey from Hoffenheim. Even Hoffenheim's jerseys are completely out of stock. Even Hoffenheim Club's fan supplies store only has children's jerseys for sale. Karstadt, the largest chain retailer in Germany, directly canceled the option of Hoffenheim's jerseys on the jersey sales page because they were out of stock. In Hoffenheim's club's own online fan store, all the fan supplies were sold out. On the eBay trading website, a Hoffenheim jersey was sold out to more than 100 euros, and even the team's training suit price reached 70 euros, exceeding the prices of authentic jerseys from other clubs.

Whenever the team's manager Rothouse saw this scene, he would remember what happened when the team had just been promoted to the First Division. At that time, they were still worried about whether the rented Carl Mercedes-Benz Stadium could be filled, which had a capacity of only 26,300 people.

Now this scene is like a dream, and it really happened. Just as Rangnick said to him after joining the team at Chu Zhongtian - one day, as our results get better and better, more and more fans will support us!

"Hoffenheim! Hoffenheim! We are Hoffenheim!" Such shouts resounded over the Rhine-Neka Stadium.

When the bus Hoffenheim took arrived outside the stadium, he could hear the shouts in the stadium. Although there were still snowflakes in the sky, this could not stop the fans' enthusiasm.

※※※Because it is a snow battle, the team must be extra careful and pay attention to it when warming up. Any player who does not focus on or does not take the warm-up seriously will be punished quickly.

Hoffenheim players do not need assistant coach Zeidler to remind them that they work hard when warming up because they have long been full of desire for this game.

As the media said before the game, Hoffenheim regarded this game as a battle of revenge. Last season, the team's first defeat in the Bundesliga was given by Leverkusen, and he lost 2:5, which was a crushing defeat. After that game, everyone once thought that the newly promoted team was finally defeated. Fortunately, Hoffenheim did not sink, otherwise everyone would never see the inspiring "rural miracle".

Despite this, Hoffenheim players were still worried about the defeat in that game. Even if they won the attacking championship and tied Manchester United away, they still couldn't let go of this crushing defeat. They were also fed five goals in the game with Bremen, but they also scored four goals, and they were tied 4:4 when they were three goals behind. Although they were defeated, they were still honored.

Only in the game against Leverkusen, they lost no way to fight back, and there was no way to do so. Such a failure was the most unwilling failure of Hoffenheim. Now Hoffenheim is doing well and won the league winter championship, so he naturally wants to take revenge.

Leverkusen fans are using this failure to mock Hoffenheim and put psychological pressure on them.

"Last time 5:2, this time 5:0!!"

Slogans like this can be seen everywhere in the stands of the visiting team fans.

※※※After the warm-up, the players on both sides returned to their respective locker rooms.

The locker room at the new stadium Rhineka Stadium is much larger than the locker room at the Carl Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Eighteen players, as well as various coaches and staff, appearing in the locker room at the same time will not appear crowded.

Chu Zhongtian's position is still at the door, which is Hoffenheim's tradition - the captains are all sitting near the door.

Eduardo screamed strangely when he came in: "How long will it take to start the game? I can't wait!"

"Half an hour left, Carlos, are you so anxious?" Some teammates answered him.

"I'm worried that after half an hour, my body will get cold again." Eduardo said.

"Then you keep running!" Chu Zhongtian said.

"Uh..." Eduardo didn't say anything, while other teammates burst into laughter. Eduardo was not very physically strong. If he was asked to run like Chu Zhongtian, he would be afraid that he would fall down after halftime.

After being tossed by Eduardo, the atmosphere in the locker room became warmer again.

After all the players came in, not long after, head coach Rangnick and two assistant coaches also pushed the door in.

First, assistant coach Marichi pushed the door and said to everyone: "Okay, guys. Be quieter, he's here."

He didn't say who "he" was, but everyone knows who "he" was.

So the music in the locker room was turned off, chatting and talking to each other stopped, everyone calmed down, looking at the entrance, waiting for his arrival. Rangnick was not good at dealing with big-name stars when Schalke was in 04, but he was very good at managing young players. The young people in Hoffenheim love him and are afraid of him.

Soon, head coach Ralph Rangnick and another assistant coach of the team, Zeidler, walked in.

After Rangnick came in, he stood in the middle of the locker room and looked around the players. Some were looking at him, while others looked down at their toes.

It seems that the players are in a normal mood. Although this is a battle of revenge, they did not scream before the game to flatten the opponent. This is no different from before any Bundesliga game. This is the best, both the motivation to play, but not too excited. Now this is Hoffenheim, like a wolf lurking in the dark, and there is no threat. But as long as the prey relaxes, it suddenly jumps out of the opponent's vital points and bites it. This bite is likely to be fatal.

"Young guys, I have nothing to say. I said everything I should say last night. You just need to remember to score the goal as soon as possible..."

"What if they score first, sir?" Obasi asked with his hand raised.

"If they score first? Then we will get it back as soon as possible." After answering Obasi's question in a joke, Rangnick turned to the players and said, "I still can't forget that game. We lost to Leverkusen 2:5. Now is a good opportunity. We were tied by Borussia Borussia last game, which must have given Leverkusen an illusion that we were in a bad state recently, and it would be great if they really thought so. After the game, don't have any temptation and launch a fierce attack on their goal! Fight for the first goal, as long as we score first, the initiative in the game is in our hands!"

"Remember, the first goal team will take the initiative in the game, and we have the ability to score first!"

※※※After the players came on the court, snowflakes were still floating in the sky, and the snow seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. Chu Zhongtian looked up at the night sky and was fascinated by the flying snowflakes.

This is not the first time he has played snow battles. Whether in Hoffenheim or in Metz before, he has played snow battles. Metz is in northeastern France, and there are a lot of snow every winter. Chu Zhongtian has already adapted to it.

He changed his long shoe nails today to deal with such a scene. When he first started fighting in the snow, running on the field was like skating. He fell as the core of offense and defense, and the number behind him was almost invisible. He could not control the football calmly in such a slippery environment. When the opponent pressed the football, the football was lost. At that time, he was in a mess.

It is still very difficult to play football in the snow now, but Chu Zhongtian is no longer the rookie he used to be.

Last year's game was also a shame for Chu Zhongtian. He was a strong person and was unwilling to admit defeat easily in anything he did. He always wanted to win and be a winner. But he didn't expect that when he was ambitious at Hoffenheim, he was beaten to the ground by Leverkusen. His own performance was definitely not good in that game. As the core of the team, he performed poorly and it was natural for the team to lose the game.

So Chu Zhongtian kept blaming his poor performance for the failure of that game. Now he met Leverkusen again, and this game was his battle of revenge. He could not tolerate a team who killed his team in a season, which would be a complete failure for him. He lost the last time, and he had to win back no matter what.

"You need to score first!"

The voice of head coach Rangnick echoed in his mind.

Chu Zhongtian withdrew his gaze and found that the referee and Leverkusen's captain were already waiting for him to go over and take the side.

Leverkusen's captain was simon_rolfes. After seeing Chu Zhongtian coming up, he took the initiative to extend his hand and hold on to him.

Until now, they are not enemies, so they can shake hands like this. Once the referee blew the whistle, in Chu Zhongtian's eyes, those who wear red jerseys will be enemies.

Chu Zhongtian got the kick-off right after picking the side. After Chu Zhongtian ran back, he summoned his teammates to surround him.

"I'll just say one word." He raised his right index finger and reached the center of the circle.

"You need to score first!"
Chapter completed!