You won a match and gained 5 Simulation Points.
The moment the final whistle blew, Zhao Zhao saw the familiar system prompt appear before his eyes.
With the conclusion of all matches this season, his Simulation Points had once again reached 10, just like at the beginning!
Perhaps this was a kind of cycle.
Then more prompts appeared:
This season has ended. Based on the performance, the team is still in the relegation zone, and the system will not upgrade temporarily.
Note: This judgment is made once every half-season.
"Hmm? Upgrade?" Zhao Zhao hadn't quite understood yet when the real-time team standings appeared on the display screen above the Stadium of Light, which were also the final Premier League standings for this season!
1. Chelsea, 93 points.
2. Tottenham Hotspur, 86 points.
3. Manchester City, 78 points.
4. Liverpool, 76 points.
5. Arsenal, 75 points.
6. Manchester United, 69 points.
...
...
...
13. Stoke City, 44 points.
14. Sunderland, 41 points!
15. Crystal Palace, 40 points.
16. Burnley, 39 points.
17. Swansea, 38 points.
18. Watford, 38 points.
19. Hull City, 34 points.
20. Middlesbrough, 28 points.
This meant that with the victory in today's match, Sunderland not only successfully avoided relegation but also jumped straight to 14th place!
Don't underestimate this ranking; the prize money difference between each rank in the Premier League is about two million pounds, which is quite a lot.
Of course, the most crucial thing was successfully avoiding relegation!
Zhao Zhao probably understood what the system meant.
It should be that the system's rewards would be determined by the team's performance.
Perhaps in the future, as his coaching level improves and the team's performance gets better, the system will become a bit more "stingy"?
But it didn't really matter.
When that day truly arrived, whether there was a system or not wouldn't be a big problem.
After all, aren't true world-renowned Coaches the ones who lead their teams to the top of the world through their own efforts?
The Sunderland fans who also saw this league table certainly didn't think as much as Zhao Zhao.
Although almost all Sunderland fans had always firmly believed their team could successfully avoid relegation, when this moment truly arrived, the entire stadium immediately erupted in cheers!
Fans in the stands hugged each other, not even caring who the other person was, or if they knew them.
And on the field, all of Sunderland's players and Coaches jumped up.
Those on the field ran towards the sidelines, and those on the bench ran onto the field…
Anyway, no matter what, running was the right thing to do.
Then they grabbed someone, anyone, hugged them, jumped with them, and kissed them!
Zhao Zhao also first stood up and hugged Breswell and Alan Tate next to him, then rushed onto the field with the excited crowd.
Finally, everyone gathered below the stands, singing and dancing for the Sunderland fans in their red and white jerseys.
"Dear viewers and friends, it might be difficult for us, far away in China, to truly experience their feelings at this moment, but we will certainly be as happy as them."
"If we only look at this match, the 4-0 score and the dominant performance throughout might give people the illusion that they easily avoided relegation."
"But from the faces of the Sunderland fans, from the tears in their eyes, one can understand how long they have yearned for this day."
"Less than two months ago, they were still at the bottom of the league table, 8 points away from the relegation zone, and almost everyone had written them off."
"But it was under Coach Zhao Zhao's leadership that Sunderland fought back match by match, ultimately achieving a brilliant record of 7 wins in 8 matches, securing 21 points and successfully avoiding relegation!"
"This is simply a relegation miracle in Premier League history! And Zhao Zhao is the miraculous Coach who led the team to achieve this miracle!"
"It can also be said that without Zhao Zhao, there would be no Sunderland as it is today!"
"He brought rich tactical approaches to the team and also contributed many memorable on-field commands. It can be said that at 25 years old, he is already a rising star in the coaching world!"
"Let us pay tribute to Sunderland, and to Coach Zhao Zhao!"
Amidst James Jun's slightly emotional commentary, Chinese fans watching the live broadcast also expressed their feelings at this moment.
"Tears in my eyes, family. Football is truly infectious. Seeing the Sunderland fans so excited, I couldn't help but get excited too."
"My tears even flowed uncontrollably. From now on, I am a thirty-year Sunderland fan!"
"Don't speak too soon, what if Zhao Zhao isn't at Sunderland anymore…"
"Haha, indeed, if Zhao Zhao keeps performing so well at Sunderland, it's very possible other big teams will try to poach him."
"I hope he can stay at Sunderland forever and build his own dynasty!"
"We'll see about that later. I can't wait for the Premier League to kick off next season! …"
At this moment on the field, the interaction between Sunderland players and fans had come to an end, and Zhao Zhao suddenly shouted:
"Everyone, come over here."
The Coaches and players immediately stopped their commotion and gathered in a circle around Zhao Zhao.
Everyone knew that this young Coach probably had something to say to them.
Sure enough, Zhao Zhao immediately said, "Brothers, do you all feel great today?"
"Great!" Everyone answered in unison.
"Yes, we finally avoided relegation, and I feel great too," Zhao Zhao said. "This is the result of our hard work over the past two months. It's an honor to have spent these two months with you and ultimately completed this fantastic season!"
"Yeah!" Everyone cheered together, jumping again, looking from afar like a constantly shaking red circle.
"However," Zhao Zhao suddenly changed his tone, "if it's just about avoiding relegation, it's not that great for me."
This sentence temporarily quieted the players' excitement.
Everyone stared at Zhao Zhao, listening to what he would say next.
"Napoleon said, 'A soldier who does not wish to be a general is a bad soldier.'"
"Similarly, a team that only thinks about avoiding relegation cannot be considered an ambitious team."
"Do you only want to fight for relegation every season?"
When Zhao Zhao asked the latter question, everyone answered in unison:
"No!"
Zhao Zhao nodded with satisfaction, then emphasized his tone:
"Me too."
"I just want our ranking to climb as high as possible, no longer worrying about relegation."
"In fact, I want to climb even higher, perhaps to participate in European competitions!"
"Don't you want to go to the European continent and compete with those excellent teams?!"
Everyone's eyes lit up again, and they shouted in unison:
"Yes!"
As professional players, of course, they all want to go to a bigger stage to show themselves.
Why is it that for a top player, sometimes the appeal of the Champions League even outweighs the temptation of money?
And teams with Champions League qualification also have an advantage over ordinary teams when recruiting players.
The World Cup is even more so.
This is because playing higher-level matches and winning more and higher honors is always a player's dream!
"I want it even more than you, because I'm a rookie Coach and have never played in European competitions," Zhao Zhao said with a smile.
"But I believe we can do it. Because we are a strong team, a united team!"
The players first burst into laughter, then shouted passionately again:
"We can do it!"
"We can do it!"
At this moment, when everyone's morale was at its highest, Zhao Zhao undoubtedly added fuel to the fire!
And the Sunderland fans in the distant stands, although they couldn't hear what the Coach and players were saying on the field, they could see Zhao Zhao giving a speech and the players responding.
They could also see the spirit of unity and ambition displayed by this team!
So, they once again waved the scarves in their hands.
The fans sang "sunderland 'til i die" and even sang "The Zhao Zhao Song"!