At the post-match press conference, Mr. Zhao naturally became the focus of the reporters' attention once again.
This Coach is a talented person and speaks well, so they all like him very much.
However, at first, the reporters still focused their main questions on the next round of matches.
After all, the current relegation situation is really quite delicate, and as reporters, they are more concerned about what the Coaches think about it.
"In the final round, if Sunderland draws with Watford, both teams can successfully avoid relegation. Mr. Zhao, do you think such a thing will happen?"
Hearing such a question, Mr. Zhao frowned:
"In football, anything can happen, and it is certainly possible for us to draw with Watford. But I assure you, this will definitely be a result based on the performance of both players on the field."
"If you think there will be any tacit understanding between me and the opponent, then there is no need for that."
"Firstly, I will not do this, because it would be an insult to the sport of football and an insult to the opponent. Only by going all out will we live up to the expectations of the Sunderland People!"
"Furthermore, this is also disrespectful to Swansea. They did not give up when they were on the brink of despair, which reminds me of our early days. If we think from their perspective, how angry would I be if our efforts were intentionally undermined by external designs?"
"Yes, I know you will think that when we played against Swansea before, Mr. Clement, their Coach, and I seemed to have some conflict, and this is a good time to hit them when they are down."
"But what I want to say is, one thing is one thing. I don't like Mr. Clement's remarks, so I will defeat him head-on in the match, instead of playing tricks behind his back or even doing something against sportsmanship."
"Now do you understand what I mean? I believe Mr. Mazzarri, the Coach of Watford, will also agree with my view."
"So, please stop asking me such questions. My answer is only one: let's see the truth on the field!"
Mr. Zhao truly detests such "fixed match" behavior.
Such things actually happen in major World Cup tournaments.
During the 1982 Spain World Cup, the match between West Germany and Austria was called the "Disgrace of Gijón."
In this match, the two teams reached a 1-0 score shortly after the start, and then both sides began to run down the clock, with almost no attacking, finally ending the match 1-0.
This result led to the elimination of the Algerian team in the same group, despite having the same points, due to a smaller goal difference.
Despite widespread controversy and appeals from the Algerian Football Association, FIFA ultimately did not find enough evidence to prove the existence of a fixed match agreement.
However, in 2007, a party involved admitted to the fixed match incident that year…
And a more memorable fixed match incident occurred in the 2004 European Cup.
At that time, Denmark and Sweden drew 2-2 in the final round of the group stage, which resulted in the elimination of the Italian team from the same group, even if they won.
Since only this score could allow these two Nordic brothers to advance together, and such a score indeed appeared in the end…
After this match, many fans and media also questioned whether it was a fixed match.
In short, if you are the beneficiary, you feel comfortable, but if you are the victim, it feels as bad as swallowing a fly.
Moreover, in such tacit agreements, the most deeply hurt are the fans and the sport of football!
So Mr. Zhao certainly would not make such a statement.
Seeing Mr. Zhao speak so resolutely, the press conference hall immediately fell silent.
Subsequently, the reporter who asked the question could not help but applaud.
This applause instantly spread throughout the hall, and everyone stood up and applauded!
After all, as football reporters, they also make a living from football.
If the football field is full of match-fixing and fixed matches, the ultimate result will be to drive fans away from the stadium, and then where would these reporters find their livelihoods?
Mr. Zhao explained why he could not play a fixed match from a height of five stories, and it really resonated with them!
So in the subsequent questions, the reporters no longer dwelled on this issue, but instead focused more on the match itself today.
A reporter asked: "Today's match against Hull City, how do you think the players performed?"
Mr. Zhao smiled and said: "They played very well. I am very fortunate to have such excellent players, and it is really easy to be their Coach."
The reporters all laughed.
This is Mr. Zhao praising his players to boost their confidence, which everyone understands.
However, this group of Sunderland players might indeed be good, but everyone understands even more that without Mr. Zhao, they certainly would not be playing at their current level.
It's a very simple comparison.
With the same group of players playing, why could they only get 20 points in the first 30 rounds, but then rack up 18 points in the recent 7 rounds?
It's precisely because of Mr. Zhao's guidance!
And there are reporters who understand football, and they can certainly see the changes in Sunderland's playing style in both the front and back lines.
Just look at today's three goals; each one was a fluid tactic, and each one showed traces of team practice. Who else but the Coach could have orchestrated this?
So a reporter then asked: "Coach Zhao, in fact, we can all see that under your leadership, Sunderland, a team that had been at the bottom for a long time, has undergone a complete transformation. Do you have any secrets? For example, any special training methods?"
Mr. Zhao waved his hand and said: "I haven't been paying much attention to training recently. Our coaching team is very professional, whether it's Mr. Breswell or Mr. Tate, who just joined, they have helped me a lot. All I do is formulate some basic tactics."
In such occasions, it is necessary to appropriately praise the players, and the same goes for the coaching team working diligently behind the scenes.
They are somewhat like the executive director, lighting designer, cinematographer, stylist, and other positions in a film crew, with far less exposure than the director (Coach) and actors (players).
So, timely public recognition of their work results is also very helpful for the atmosphere of the entire team.
Who likes to always be a little transparent?
This is also a high emotional intelligence that an excellent Coach must possess.
Just like Guardiola, he often mentions his team members during interviews…
However, for Mr. Zhao, he still feels a bit tired of questions like "What do you think of this match?" and "How do you conduct training?" which he encounters before and after every match.
So he even thought:
"Otherwise, let Alan Tate replace me at future press conferences?"
"That way, I won't have to face these boring questions every time."
"With Alan Tate's temper of pounding the table at the slightest provocation, he might even be more popular with reporters…"
"Never mind, there's only one match left this season, let's talk about it after it's played!"