Chapter 21: Crisis

Chapter 21: Crisis

The knockout opponent of the Belgian Cup has been confirmed by drawing lots. It is Bill Short, who ranks in the middle of the league. This is undoubtedly a top draw, because no one wants to face Anderlecht or Bruges in the quarter.

The Belgian Cup is the only honor Genk can get. As last season's defending champion, it is related to the face of the team, so Genk is very nervous from top to bottom, and the league schedule from the end of January to mid-February is relatively tight. Intensive training, so the coaching staff are worried about the state of the players.

At the end of January 2000, Genk played against Lokeren at the Luminas Arena. Soon after the start of the game, Genk intercepted the ball in the backcourt and passed it to Karl Bess in the middle. Karl Bess accurately found Wang Feng through a long pass.

Wang Feng quickly started to form a counterattack. Lokeren's defensive player caught up with Wang Feng on the wing, so he made a one-on-one pass to the left.

Following up, Caspar Blanche seized the opportunity, calmly pushed and sent the ball into the opponent's goal.

1:0! Genk took the lead, and Wang Feng also successfully scored an assist. This was his third assist in four consecutive games. Under his performance, Genk's side attack was fully activated.

Towards the end of the first half, Wang Feng seized another opportunity to defend and counterattack. He passed the defensive player who fell to the ground with a shove, and faced the attacking goalkeeper.

2:0! In the first half, Genk almost sealed the victory, so during the intermission, the players walked into the locker room laughing and playing noisily. The head coach didn't have any new arrangements, just to let everyone focus, to stabilize the defense, and to ensure the fruits of victory.

Shortly after the start of the second half, Wang Feng was replaced by the head coach out of protection. When Wang Feng left the field, he received warm applause from the fans of the home team. In just a few games, he successfully conquered the fans of Genk.

Bobby April came on as a substitute. He was always uncomfortable with Wang Feng replacing him as the starting striker. He wanted to prove that his ability was not inferior to Wang Feng, so he was very eager to enter the game after he came on the field.

This praise is very heavy, and it also revealed Genk's league goals this season.

But apparently the media doesn't care about this, they just want to hype Wang Feng's early departure, some media analyzed that Wang Feng's recent popularity has caused dissatisfaction among the other players, especially the original striker Bobby April. Therefore, the coach had to make compromises for the harmony of the locker room.

Some media were even more outrageous. The report claimed that Wang Feng had a quarrel with the head coach, and because he didn't want to follow the head coach's tactical arrangements, he was replaced early, and he wouldn't even play in the next game.

There are also media reports that Genk is evaluating the technical route without Wang Feng, and they plan to sell Wang Feng to Mainz to make a fortune.

These reports were all groundless. On the second day, team manager Bill Albert and head coach Antonis called Wang Feng to the office and explained to him that the team wanted him to rest properly so that he could have a better intent to fight.

"Wang, you are undoubtedly our trump card. We will never sell you, and we do not want to reduce your playing time. It's just considering that you are still young and you have been playing for a long time. The schedule can cause problems for your body," Albert said.

Wang Feng said that he fully understands the team's decision, but he is in good health and should be able to take on more. He can have regular physical examinations by the team doctor. "This is a good way." Albert agreed with this suggestion. At the same time, Antonis also expressed the need to rely more on Wang Feng. "Your role on the court is not as simple as scoring goals."

The team and the coach's attention made Wang Feng feel the responsibility. Although he came here for a short time, he has gradually become the core now, and the team's goals and achievements have become issues that he must consider.

Wang Feng didn't feel oppressed in his heart, but he was very firm. This is the only way for a star to grow. How fortunate I am, in Genk, in the small stage of the Belgian First Division, to achieve this transformation is much better than those young talents who have sunk in the five major leagues.

So Wang Feng added ball-handling training to his training. His ball-handling foundation was good before, but as his popularity increased, the opposing defenders paid more and more attention to him, and he would be restricted in many cases.

Therefore, Wang Feng needs to practice his ability to break through with the ball. Stepover, deep-fried meatballs, oxtails, and Marseille turns, one by one fancy ball-handling movements are completed under his feet. Gradually he managed to engrave them into his muscle memory one at a time.

Sometimes he is very thankful for his adventure in Virton Park. Although he doesn't know what it is, it obviously gave Wang Feng excellent ball sense and football intelligence, allowing him to use the most correct method.