The first round of the league lost and the second round of the league. Metz lost to Lille 1:2 at home, and the third round of the league lost to Monaco 0:2 away.

There was a three-game losing streak at the beginning of the league, which was not a good start for Mess, who won the League Cup championship last season.

For a time, criticism from fans and media gradually sounded. Pjanic was the starter in all three games, but he did not integrate well into the team and did not perform his level in the youth team. Now this Metz has been deeply imprinted by "Chu Zhongtian", and the whole team is full of Chu Zhongtian's football style. This is the result of Fernandez's efforts for three seasons, but he has now become a cocoon. Once Chu Zhongtian is gone, the team's performance will plummet.

In this way, it seems that it is the right way to keep him, but I can only keep him for one season. What should I do next season?

He turned his attention to the young Pjanic. Although there were a lot of criticisms of Pjanic in the media, Fernandez still withstood the pressure and supported Pjanic. As long as Chu Zhongtian did not return to the team for one day, Pjanic would be the team's starting midfielder for one day.

"I think Fernandez's idea is good. He wants to give a player absolute trust. But this approach also requires a person to see the partner. He can do this for Ribery and Ibisevic, because Ribery and Ibisevic are both adults, but Pjanic is still a child who has just celebrated his seventeenth birthday. He is a main player in three consecutive rounds of the league, and the team has not performed well in three consecutive rounds. Can Pjanic bear such pressure?"

The media analyzed this.

But Pjanic himself was not grateful. He seemed very confident in football. This confidence came from the seven centimeters he grew taller in a year, and his body was getting stronger little by little. It also came from Chu Zhongtian beside him. During training, Chu Zhongtian and Pjanic were assigned to a group, and they often discussed topics about how to organize attacks on the court. Pjanic increased his experience by chatting with Chu Zhongtian and watching videos.

In the fourth round of the league, Metz played against Paris Saint-Germain at home. Before this game, Fernandez found the team doctor and Chu Zhongtian himself. After learning about Chu Zhongtian's recovery in detail, he decided to include Chu Zhongtian on the roster.

When seeing this big list, all the media listed Chu Zhongtian on the starting list they predicted without hesitation.

"The good days for Pjanic are over." A media outlet even said that. Everyone knows the importance of Chu Zhongtian to Mes. As long as Chu Zhongtian comes back, Pjanic will definitely sit on the bench.

But they all guessed wrongly. Pjanic still started in this game, but Chu Zhongtian sat on the bench.

This game is a live TV game. During the game, the live TV broadcast frequently gives close-up shots to Chu Zhongtian.

Perhaps Chu Zhongtian was sitting on the bench, inspiring Pjanic. The Bosnians performed much better in this game than before. He actively ran and worked hard to integrate into the team.

Finally, with his efforts, Metz tied Paris Saint-Germain 0-0 at his home court, finally ending his losing streak and preventing the team from continuing to decline.

Pjanic performed well in the game and made many threatening balls, but unfortunately his teammates were wasting the opportunities he created.

After the game, the media sang praises to Pjanic again. They all claimed that even if Chu Zhongtian leaves the team next season, Pjanic can perfectly replace the vacancy left by Chu Zhongtian. His stingy look seemed to have never criticized Pjanic for being too young and unable to bear the heavy responsibility before.

Chu Zhongtian did not get a chance to play in this game. Fernandez was still very cautious when it came to let Chu Zhongtian return to the court.

On August 25, in the fifth round of the league, Mess challenged Rennes away. In this game, Chu Zhongtian appeared on the roster. Then in the 86th minute, he got a chance to play. The person he replaced was Pjanic, who at that time had already led Rennes 2:1.

Fernandez's task to Chu Zhongtian is to organize counterattacks on the premise of solid defense, and to counterattack Rennes's chance to equalize the score.

Including injury stoppage time, Chu Zhongtian played for nine minutes and passed a penetrating long pass, creating a chance for Obetan. Unfortunately, he was not sure. It was his only performance in nine minutes of playing. Other times he was still looking for the feeling of the game. Although he was still running hard, he looked more like running around and had no purpose. It was completely different from the feeling before the injury.

Fortunately, Metz did not concede the ball, and they finally defeated Rennes 2:1 away and won their first victory in the new season.

One of Meskin's two goals was assisted by Pjanic. Although he was under 18 years old, he attracted more attention with his outstanding performance in these two games. Now there are no criticisms about him.

Just two rounds of league games, when Chu Zhongtian was on the roster, the media gloatingly said, "Pjanic's good days are over." Now they are speaking out for the "bad days" that Pjanic may come.

"I think Fernandez can find a way to make Pjanic and Chu coexist. They are all excellent. If one of them is asked to be the substitute, I think it is really a waste of resources."

Pjanic himself also hopes to play with Chu Zhongtian because this is one of his goals.

"I can coexist with Chu, and it's okay to let me play the wing!"

Media claims Pjanic has sent hints to Fernandez.

But Fernandez doesn't think that Pjanic himself said he had no problem playing on the wing, so it was really no problem. In his plan, the day when Chu Zhongtian returned to the starting lineup was also the day when Pjanic lost his starting position.

Because Chu Zhongtian has not played a systematic game since last season's League Cup final. He didn't participate in the warm-up match for a minute before the season, so the comeback plan formulated by Fernandez for Chu Zhongtian is very conservative. Chu Zhongtian's condition has not recovered to the point of injury, he will not let Chu Zhongtian start.

Even if that game was the European Super Cup, it was no exception.

※※The sixth round of the league is on the night of August 28. After this game, Metz will rush to Monaco to compete with last season's UEFA Champions League champion AC Milan at Monaco's home court.

At the same time, their seventh round of the league was scheduled to make up for November 29 due to the conflict between schedule and Super Cup time.

In the sixth round of the game, Chu Zhongtian was still only selected for the roster, but did not appear in the starting list. In this game, Metz lost 0:1 to Bordeaux at home. Chu Zhongtian appeared in the 65th minute and got twenty-five minutes of game time. He was still trying to find the state and rhythm of the game. He had not played for too long, making him feel that his body did not belong to him.

Of course, he has no way to help the team equalize the score and then reverse and win.

After losing the fourth of the six-round league match, Metz left France to travel to Monaco, preparing for the first European Super Cup in their careers.

The opponent is the powerful AC Milan.

Since their arrival in Monaco, French media, Italian media and Chinese media have been concerned about a question - will Chu Zhongtian start in such an important game?

Judging from the previous two league games, Chu Zhongtian's physical condition has completely recovered. The problem he faces is that he feels like the game. He has been away from the field for almost four months and he is not very adaptable to the game.

The reporters went to ask Chu Zhongtian, and Chu Zhongtian said: "My body is ready, but it depends on the head coach..."

So the reporters asked the head coach Jean Fernandez again.

Fernandez told the truth: "Chu will not start in this game."

This is the truth, but the Italian media doesn't think much of it.

"... Maybe it's Fernandez's suspicious plan? I see that Chu's starting lineup is very likely to play in this game. The team without him lost four games in six rounds of the domestic league, only winning one. If Metz wants to compete for this championship, then Chu will not be able to continue to sit on the bench!" A reporter from "Milan Sports" swears to analyze.

For them, Pjanic, who has gradually improved in the French league in recent rounds, did not take it seriously at all. France produces a genius in one or two rounds every year, but in fact it is a meteor. If Chu Zhongtian had not performed well in the French Ligue 1 and the League Cup for three consecutive seasons, he would probably not be taken seriously by the Italian media.

Now that Ribery has left, Chu Zhongtian is naturally the number one star in their minds. Apart from Chu Zhongtian, they don’t care about other Metz players at all.

On AC Milan, the preparations made were also on the premise that Chu Zhongtian will start.

The AC Milan players have never heard of Chu Zhongtian, or to be precise, they may have heard of this name on some occasions, but they will not have any impression of this name. Until now, because they are going to play against Metz, the names of Chu Zhongtian and others have been raised.

Head coach Ancelotti told them in the pre-match preparation meeting that Metz's primary dangerous figure was China's No. 8. Originally, it was Ribery's, but the French Scarface had already transferred to Bayern Munich.

"He is the core of Metz. Although he plays in the midfield, he is responsible for passing and organizing the offense and can often penetrate forward. He is a threatening person..."

When Ancelotti was telling everyone this in the tactical class, someone suddenly laughed and said, "Isn't that the same as Andre?"

Everyone looked at Pirlo.

Pirlo is also a midfielder and is also good at organizing offense.

Ancelotti shook his head: "It's not exactly the same. He is very strong and has good ability to fight. You should consider this when playing." He quickly thought that he was saying this as if he was implying that Pirlo's physical confrontation was not good, so he quickly changed the subject and did not continue to compare with the two.

"Anyway, this is a contest between two European champions, don't take it lightly. Unless you want to lose the game yourself."

Ancelotti instilled in the idea that "Chu Zhongtian is equal to Metz is the most threatening player", which automatically transformed into "Chu Zhongtian is equal to Metz" in the minds of the players.

So much so that when they were interviewed by reporters later, they would say this: "Mess is a very strong team and an opponent that cannot be despised. Especially their No. 8..."

But how powerful is their No. 8? Apart from the few videos, I can't see it anymore. Ancelotti actually doesn't know much about this opponent. If he knew very little, how could the players know more?

This is also normal. Although both are in European football, and although France and Italy border, the Champions League and the League Cup are still completely different worlds. Teams targeting the Champions League will not pay attention to the League Cup, and teams targeting the League Cup will not think about the Champions League. They have the leisure to do so, but it is better to think more about how they can go further in the League Cup.

Therefore, it is normal for Italian European champions not to understand French European champions.

This is definitely not considered underestimation - they don’t know how to pay attention to it if they want to pay attention.

Moreover, AC Milan also attaches great importance to Metz. At least he pulled Chu Zhongtian out and talked about it alone, which means they also knew that Metz had a Chu Zhongtian, not just a Frank Ribery.

But although they attached great importance to Chu Zhongtian, the Chinese media and fans were psychologically satisfied. Fernandez did not cooperate at all.

With twenty-four hours left before the game on the night of August 31, Jean Fernandez announced the starting lineup for this game.

No matter how Chinese journalists and fans turned the eleven-person roster several times, they could not find Chu Zhongtian's name, but Pjanic was still high above.

So where is Chu Zhongtian’s name?

Sitting on the bench.

※※※Originally, CCTV's Olympic Channel (formerly sports channel) bought the rights to broadcast the Super Cup, but unexpectedly, Chu Zhongtian did not start, which really disappoints. If Chu Zhongtian is not up, what else can the Chinese watch?

Only AC Milan fans expressed their emotions as stable, because even if Chu Zhongtian did not play, they could cheer for the AC Milan team they supported and appreciate the wonderful performances of their idol Kaka and others.

But more people plan to watch the Super Cup because of Chu Zhongtian.

After the starting list was announced, during the adaptation field training the day before the game, Fernandez and Chu Zhongtian attended the pre-match press conference together.

Chu Zhongtian naturally became the protagonist at the press conference. Fernandez also took this into consideration, so he brought Chu Zhongtian together.

What the reporters are most concerned about is of course whether Chu Zhongtian's body has healed and how he is in his condition.

"I have no health problems." Chu Zhongtian said.

This is the truth. Since he first entered the team roster, his body has been fine. Whether it is his fractured right hand or his strained left thigh, he has been cured. In the words of team doctor Tang Ji, it is "like a heavy tank filled with oil!"

"But I'm still looking for a game feel. I think that's the only reason why I haven't started yet."

Fernandez also said: "I need to use the continuous increase in game time to make Chu find the feeling of the game. In the past three months, he has not played a minute of the game, not just a formal game, but also a warm-up game..."

"Don't you think that letting Chu starter give him more opportunities for the game?" A Chinese reporter asked aggressively. Since Chu Zhongtian became Metz's main force, CCTV Channel 5 has ranked the priority of broadcasting Ligue 1 before La Liga and Bundesliga, second only to Serie A. As a result, the new season has begun a month, and Chu Zhongtian's shadow has not been seen yet, which has made many Chinese people very dissatisfied.

"So I'm gradually increasing his participation time, and although it's important to make Chu find the game, it's just as important to pursue victory in the game."

"But Messe has lost four games in the past six rounds of the league..."

“The situation is getting better.”

"Is it really okay to make Chu Zhongtian's substitute in the Super Cup with AC Milan?"

"We still have Pjanic."

Fernandez never lost his grace when he asked Chinese reporters, but answered the questions patiently. On the contrary, Chu Zhongtian couldn't help but interrupt.

"Sorry, I understand your thoughts. But I don't think Mess is not my team alone, and it doesn't mean it won't work without me. I believe my teammates, just as they believe me." Chu Zhongtian interrupted one of the Chinese journalists' question without hesitation.

It seems that since he announced that he would stay in Metz, the Chinese media have had some resentment towards Metz Club. Maybe they thought it was Metz Club that forced themselves to stay... They think there is no future for staying in Metz. Many people believe that they made a very stupid decision at the beginning?

Chu Zhongtian had no choice but to argue about this, and he didn't want to argue. Why did he argue? He didn't play football himself to get their affirmation.

"I hope I won't ask this question anymore. You can ask some questions related to the team, and I will be happy to answer them." After that, Chu Zhongtian leaned on the chair with his arms folded and his face stood up.

He rarely gives the media a look, and once he does this, it means he is really angry.

Chinese journalists looked at each other. They were fighting for power for Chu Zhongtian. Why was Chu Zhongtian still unhappy?

Chu Zhongtian's words to Chinese journalists were in Chinese. Fernandez couldn't understand, but he could guess from Chu Zhongtian's expression. Sure enough, another Chinese journalist asked a question soon, asking about some more normal questions such as "What are your countermeasures when facing AC Milan?" "Kaka is a very threatening player. Does your team have a way to defend him?"

After the press conference, Fernandez and Chu Zhongtian walked towards the bus parked outside together. The team's training was over. After the players took a shower and changed clothes in the locker room, they also returned to the bus one after another.

"Chu. This is your first European Super Cup match, but you are playing as a substitute. Don't you have any regrets?" Fernandez asked.

Chu Zhongtian shook his head and replied in a very normal tone: "It's nothing. I believe I will have such a chance in the future."

Hearing his answer so firmly, Fernandez laughed.

"Well, I don't know if Metz has such a chance, but for you... I believe there are."
Chapter completed!