Chapter 1273: Within the Rules, but Unethical—Brother Lu Explodes (Part 4)

To be honest, what Mebarak did looks like something a captain would do, and fans may support and understand it.

But the team coach Gudiola thinks he was utterly stupid.

This yellow card once again enraged the Barça players.

Ava and Burgos immediately rushed toward the main referee.

Mateo, Canisell, Hernandez, Ortiz, and others were also walking over, expressing their dissatisfaction with open hands.

Forget Clement, he did take action.

We conceded a goal that shouldn’t have been allowed, and now you’re giving our complaining player a yellow card?

The atmosphere on the scene looked increasingly tense.

Lu Yang intervened just in time.

He quickly embraced Ava, the left-back closest to the main referee.

Don’t judge Ava by his small stature; his temper is quite fiery. He’s straightforward and says whatever he thinks.

“Calm down! We can’t afford more cards! Everyone stay calm!”

Lu Yang stood in front of the main referee, blocking his teammates.

Ava broke free from Lu Yang’s restraint and angrily said to Lu Yang, “Which side are you on, really?”

The atmosphere instantly changed.

This was a questioning of outsiders by the local faction!

Once these words are spoken, it seriously hurts the dignity of foreign players.

Canisell’s face turned dark at that moment.

What does it mean to ask that?

No matter what, whose side could Lu Yang possibly be on?

If it were Canisell, he’d leave feeling dejected, forever remembering this incident.

He’d become estranged from Ava, then from the local faction, and finally look for an opportunity to leave Barça.

Because he feels that outsiders are hard to be genuinely accepted here.

In some ways, it’s too narrow-minded here.

But Lu Yang has never been timid.

He looked at Ava and shouted loudly, “If you don’t need your eyes, you should donate them to those who do.”

“Can’t you see the red and blue jersey I’m wearing?”

“I just scored a goal for Barça, and you’re asking whose side I’m on?”

“Fighting, huh? Guys like you, I can take on ten!”

“But what’s the use?”

“This is Camp Nou Stadium, not Camp Nou Boxing Ring! People are here to watch us play soccer!”

“It’s just one to one, right? We have nearly eighty minutes left in the match; can’t we score a few more goals?”

“Get back to your position and stay calm. Whether for our teammate’s yellow card or to punish that unethical goal, we must win this match!”

“Do you understand?”

As Lu Yang spoke, Ortiz and Hernandez began pulling back their teammates.

Ortiz directly lifted Ava away.

The main referee avoided an attack.

Secretly, he gave Lu Yang a thumbs-up in his heart.

This Lu Yang doesn’t seem to be as terrible as those in the Referee Association say.

He understands the big picture quite well.

He’s highly competent!

Could it be the UEFA referees are wrongly blaming Lu Yang?

After stabilizing his teammates’ emotions, Lu Yang approached the Mallorca left-winger who scored and said, “That’s your teammate!”

The Mallorca left-winger quickly left, pretending not to hear.

But inside, he was probably cursing, “Mind your own business.”

Subsequently, the game resumed.

But Barça seemed unstoppable.

Gudiola couldn’t help but express his feelings from the sidelines.

Lu Yang truly is a natural captain!

He does tasks that are thankless but truly constructive for the team.

If Ava and others had exploded just now, Barça might have ended up with two more yellow cards.

The dissatisfaction of the fans and players toward the main referee would also escalate.

But is it really necessary?

Is one to one that scary?

It’s not scary!

Is it possible that Barça can’t win this match?

They’ll likely win because Mallorca isn’t strong.

So why incur such a high cost over that conceded goal?

Barça should certainly punish that left-winger, but not by recklessly accumulating yellow cards.

After the game, that left-winger will receive much more condemnation than everybody gives him now.

As a player, his reputation is completely ruined.

His future career doesn’t look promising.

Is it worth stopping what we should be doing for an unimportant conceded goal or for an unimportant player?

At least in this match, it’s not worth it.

Compared to Lu’s big-picture approach, Mebarak’s efforts to please fans, redirect blame to Clement, and the resulting intense negative emotional wave doesn’t qualify as true captaincy.

He should be the fans’ captain because his focus is on serving the fans, not his teammates and the team.

Of course, you have to acknowledge that although Lu Yang temporarily suppressed the team’s anger, if it’s not vented, it will still negatively affect Barça over time.

Barça players might increase their actions, making the match more explosive.

Blocking is just one method of emotional management.

Further measures should follow.

During halftime, Gudiola will emphasize this part, releasing and channeling players’ emotions and dissatisfaction.

At least during this halftime, he won’t scold anyone.

Deciding halftime tasks based on player status is also a sign of a good coach.

But soon, Gudiola finds he might not need to prepare.

Because…

Less than three minutes after kickoff.

Lu Yang moved from the central forward to the attacking midfielder and even midfield position to receive the ball.