Merry did not tell Chu Zhongtian that the personal assistant he was looking for was Mathilde, and he planned to give Chu Zhongtian a surprise.

Mathilde has reached an agreement with Meili on issues such as personal agreements. She has the last level left, which is to meet Chu Zhongtian. As Chu Zhongtian’s personal assistant, Chu Zhongtian’s opinion is of course the most important. If he does not agree, even if Meili likes it, there is no way.

However, Merry was not worried about this. He couldn't think of why Chu Zhongtian refused such a suitable candidate - he obviously didn't know the entanglement between Chu Zhongtian and Mathilde.

Mathilde seemed very nervous. Merry told him that after the league started again, he would take her to see Chu Zhongtian. Then he would give him a surprise.

Mathilde thought to himself, is it not certain that he was surprised...※※※ Chu Zhongtian was completely unaware of these things. After he handed over all the personal assistant affairs to Meili, he stopped caring about it. Most of the time he even forgot that he was still looking for a personal assistant.

On January 3, Hoffenheim began training camps. Because the second half of the league will begin on January 15, the team did not go to Spain for training, but chose to train in Hoffenheim locally. On the day of gathering, more than a thousand Hoffen fans came to Ditma Hope Stadium to cheer for the team and watch the team's first day of training.

Weiss has not recovered from the flu and is still in quarantine at home. However, even if he gets a cold, he cannot return to the team because he has to undergo knee surgery. He has undergone a knee surgery this season and removed the mucosa folds of the knee. However, since the operation, Weiss always feels uncomfortable with his knees. He missed many games in the first half of the season and only played eight games in total. So the high-tech clinic in Hoffenheim conducted a detailed examination of Weiss, diagnosed his knee scar tissue inflammation, and recommended surgery.

Weiss will miss the team's entire January game.

The third goalkeeper Ozjan left the team. I thought that the team could not play, and Ozjan had wanted to leave the team for a long time, but he had never found a suitable team. This time he found it. Besiktas, who was assigned to the same group in the Champions League group stage with Hoffenheim, actually had a goalkeeper drought, so they decided to loan the Austrian goalkeeper Ozjan with Turkish descent in Hoffenheim. The loan contract includes a priority refusal clause. After the end of this season, if they are satisfied with Ozjan's performance, they will consider buying Ozjan.

Chu Zhongtian also left Hoffenheim after swaying to the team. He will fly back to China to participate in a key game that concerns whether the Chinese team can qualify for the Asian Cup - the Chinese team will face Syria at home.

Weiss' injury made Hoffenheim's midfielders even more stretched. On Hoffenheim's three lines, the forwards and defenders have enough personnel reserves, but the midfield is a bit thin. Fortunately, there are four people in the midfield, Chu Zhongtian, Sana, Wosa and Zukulini, but there are fewer offensive forwards. Only Eduardo, Salihovic and Weiss can take on major responsibilities. Usually, Rangnick also lets these three take turns to play. Now that Weiss is injured, Salihovic and Eduardo can start at the same time, but they lack a high-level substitute. Vukoccevic is not yet twenty years old and is too young. Apart from Vukoccevic, there are no other substitutes... So during this winter break, Rangnick decided to introduce one or two midfield attacking players of sufficient level to strengthen the team's strength to prepare for the Champions League knockout stage.

After negotiations, Hoffenheim finally brought Mimoun_azaouagh from Bochum for 3 million euros to Rhineka Stadium. This midfield all-round player was very in line with Rangnick's requirements for midfield rotation players - he must be versatile and able to play multiple positions. He played versatilely from the left, center and right.

When Bochung signed him from Schalke 04, he valued his excellent adaptability and could adapt quickly no matter where he was. For him, he had no problem with the diamond midfielder, four midfielder parallel position or the 4321 Christmas tree formation. He could do it on the left, right, or midfield organization. Such an all-around player would have many opportunities to play even if he was a substitute.

This Moroccan-born German midfielder has played for two Frankfurt teams, as well as Mainz, Schalke 04 and Bochum. He performed well in Bochum last season and has also performed well this season with highlights. In the first game of the season, he attracted everyone's attention with two world long-range shots in Bochum vs. Bochum Mönchengladbach in one minute.

Although he can play the main player in Bochum, Hoffenheim's identity as a strong contender for the Champions League and domestic league championships still attracted Hazawag. So when Hoffenheim made a offer, everything seemed natural.

Bochum spent 700,000 euros when he brought him back from Schalke 04, but now he sold him for three million. This is a very good deal for the Bundesliga team, which has always been cautious in operations.

Azawag also took his career to a higher level through this transfer. On January 7, he passed the physical examination and officially joined Hoffenheim, wearing the No. 22 jersey.

On the day Hazawag joined, Hoffenheim played a warm-up match, and they defeated Kaiserslautern 2-1 at the Rhineka Stadium.

On the day before, Chu Zhongtian played against Syria on behalf of the national team. With his help, the team won 2:1 and advanced early. Chu Zhongtian did not score or directly assisted in the game, but he all initiated the two goals of the Chinese team.

After playing this game, there is no need to participate in the last round of the match against Vietnam, so Gao Hongbo let Chu Zhongtian go back and no longer has to go back to China to participate in the away game against Vietnam. This also made Hoffenheim club relieved. There are three Bundesliga games in January, all of which are against strong opponents. If Chu Zhongtian still wants to participate in the match against Vietnam on the 17th, it will kill Hoffenheim... Now Chu Zhongtian is equivalent to half of Hoffenheim. If he is in poor condition and is too tired, Hoffenheim will be in trouble.

※※Although Chu Zhongtian did not have to participate in the match against Vietnam, Hoffenheim fans were relieved, but for Hoffenheim, the game this month was not easy to play.

First of all, they will meet three strong teams in a row within half a month. They will go to Allianz Stadium to challenge Bayern Munich on January 15, face the winter break champion Leverkusen on January 24, and challenge Schalke 04 away on January 29. These three teams are currently ranked in the top three in the league, Leverkusen first, Schalke 04 second, and Bayern Munich third. Therefore, this is also called the "devil schedule" by the media - the schedule is not dense, but the opponents are all very strong, and they are also considered devils.

In addition to the unfavorable schedule for them, the large number of team reductions also gave Rangnick a headache. Weiss happened to go to the operating table when he caught a cold, while Obasi happened to go to the Nigerian national team to report. Wosa also left the team with him. Wosa went to the Ghana national team to report. They were going to participate in the African National Cup.

These are not the most important ones. Hoffenheim's bad luck continues.

On January 10, five days left before the first round of the second half of the season, Rangnick received bad news that his father was seriously ill. He had to temporarily put down his team's work and rush home to take care of his seriously ill and elderly father. Before leaving, he handed over the team's work to the coaching staff. At the same time, he also chatted with Chu Zhongtian alone, asking him to help the coach more and manage the team well.

Rangnick's departure has hit the team the biggest blow. Although assistant coach Caidler, the coaching staff, and Chu Zhongtian worked together to maintain it, the team still felt like "losing the backbone".

Is Hoffenheim really going to usher in the devil's schedule under such circumstances? Everyone has a hint of doubt.

※※※ Chu Zhongtian received a call from Meili, telling him that his personal assistant had already chosen him and would take him to see him in two days, and let him take a look. If he had no objection, he would sign the contract, and then he could hand over the matter to his personal assistant and liberate himself.

Then Chu Zhongtian remembered that there was another personal assistant.

But now he has no time to check out any personal assistant. Rangnick is not here. His responsibilities on the team are similar to those of a coach, and he is busy. So he told Merry that he would talk about personal assistants after the three games in January.

He just wants to help the team safely through this "devil schedule".

※※※ "Ah, I'm sorry, our plan needs to be changed..." Merry and Mathilde called and told her that the meeting time would be changed. "Let's go to Germany after January."

Mathilde was very nervous at first, but after hearing that he didn't have to meet that person so quickly, he couldn't help feeling disappointed.

"What's the reason, Mr. Merry?" In disappointment, the question blurted out.

"Well, he's too busy these days, and the team's situation is not very good. As the captain, he probably doesn't have time..."

"That's right..."

The disappointment in Mathilde's tone was even heard by Merri, who was passing through the phone, and he smiled. "It's okay, it's only half a month, Miss Mathilde."

Merry himself was very anxious about this matter. He was eager to throw all the messy things to Mathilde so that he would have more time to do other things, naturally including accompanying his wife and children.

Mathilde said: "Okay, I can wait, it's okay, Mr. Merry."

I have been waiting for nearly five years. What does waiting for another month mean?

Since she decided to serve as Chu Zhongtian's personal assistant, she has started to pay attention to Chu Zhongtian again, so he knew that Chu Zhongtian's team had indeed encountered many difficulties during this period, but she did not expect that these difficulties would affect her and Chu Zhongtian's reunion.

I wonder if Mr. Meili told Chu that she was the new personal assistant. If she knew it was her but still postponed the meeting, would it mean that Chu was also struggling like her?

She started to think about it again...※※※Rannick came back one day before the game and seemed very tired. But the good news was that his father's condition finally stabilized, so he was able to return to the team to prepare for the match against Bayern Munich.

It is said to be "preparing for war", but in fact the preparation process has ended.

Hoffenheim finally lost 1:2 at Manchester United Stadium. Although Ibisek scored a goal for the team, Chu Zhongtian had an assist. Against the backdrop of the team's loss, the goal and assist were just one to add to their data.

Seven rounds of defeat were Hoffenheim's worst result since participating in the Bundesliga. Even if they were interrupted last season, they were cursed by the media, but they were unable to win in two rounds and lost intermittently. However, they are now unable to win in seven rounds. Since defeating Freiburg 2-0 in the 11th round of the league, the team has never won the ball in the league again.

In the seven rounds of the league, three draws and four losses, the league ranking also declined from the initial first, second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth after losing to Bayern.

It seems that they are not only getting further and further away from the defending champion, but also getting further and further away from the European qualifications for next season.

Hoffenheim's crisis has also caused heated discussions among the media.

"Rangnick was not good at two-line combat when coaching Schalke 04. At that time, he led Schalke 04 to the Champions League. As a result, not only did he not advance in the Champions League group stage, but his results were mediocre in the league, but he also lost 1:6 to Frankfurt in the German Cup. Until now, his problem of not being good at multi-line combat has not been improved..."

"Hoffenheim's performance in the Champions League was eye-catching, but their poor record in the league has put more and more pressure on the whole team. This shows that this team still lacks foundation and is too young."

"I think Rangnick should think about it seriously. If the team reaches the semi-finals of the Champions League this season - this is of course a very, very good result worth celebrating. But at the same time, the team is in the relegation circle, is it worth it?"

"Chu Zhongtian's performance is still outstanding, but the whole team is in a sluggish state, so he has no choice. It is hard to support himself and can't be heard alone. This is the best adjective to describe Chu Zhongtian now."

"The reason why Hoffenheim was able to succeed last season was inseparable from their united overall and the good team atmosphere. But now, this team is facing the threat of internal disintegration - Salihovic criticized his teammates for lack of discipline and a scattered attitude in an interview..."

This is really not a fabrication of the media, it is indeed Salihovic's own original words. He said this in an interview with German "Kickers". The original words are: "Everyone must understand that after the holidays pass, they must prepare for the upcoming game, but some of us have not been able to do this."

What he said is the fact that such a thing did happen within the team. During the winter break training, the three players, Comper, Vukocchevic and Eduardo, were late when participating in the physical fitness test, reflecting the players' shortcomings of weak discipline.

But the problem is that he should not say these words publicly, as this will greatly affect the unity within the team.

So after training, Chu Zhongtian found Salihovic alone and talked to him.

Salihovic said that this is entirely for the team's sake: "If I don't make it public, will anyone pay attention to this issue? We have lost so many games, and it is not until now that someone realizes that something is wrong. What did you do before?"

Facing Salihovic's questioning, Chu Zhongtian was a little speechless. He admitted that he, the captain, had done some dereliction of duty in this matter... "Of course I care about the unity within the team. But this cannot be at the expense of our discipline and combat effectiveness. To be honest, I don't like Eduardo's recent performance." Salihovic continued to say to Chu Zhongtian.

In addition to being late for physical fitness tests, Eduardo also claimed after returning to the team that he would rather stay on the Brazilian beach and play football with his friends. This remark did make Salihovic very unhappy. Hoffenheim had "recreation" for Salihovic, so he was very loyal and loved the team. At that time, Demba Ba wanted to put pressure on the team with Stuttgart, but Salihovic publicly scolded him in an interview with reporters. From this, it seems that this is not the first time he publicly expressed his views on his teammates in the media... Salihovic's love for Hoffenheim is not even comparable to Chu Zhongtian, and it is precisely because of this love.

, so he had very strict requirements for his teammates. When Chu Zhongtian joined the team, he aroused Salihovic's hostility. In fact, it was not that he hated Chu Zhongtian for robbing his core, but that he was worried that such a person of unknown origin would suddenly become the core of the team, which would cause great damage to the team. The team would be destroyed under the leadership of this inexplicable core. In such an emotion, he was full of hostility towards Chu Zhongtian. He made Hoffenheim for his favorite, and he could not tolerate the slightest insult and grievance of this favorite, so he was disgusted with his teammates' lack of discipline and scattered attitude, so he made it public and made the contradictions surface.

In fact, what he said is right. If he doesn't be a bad person and makes things clear, how could everyone pay so much attention to Hoffenheim's internal problems? It is impossible for internal problems to never have any problems. The key is what attitude is to deal with these internal problems? Do you want to think that there is no problem if you hide them and hide them without seeing them? Or should you face the problem bravely and generously, and then try every means to solve the problem? Chu Zhongtian is not a fool. He should only choose the latter if he doesn't need to toss a coin for this multiple-choice question.

The conversation with Salihovic made Chu Zhongtian realize that the relationship between the players is not as harmonious as it seems on the surface. If you want to save the defeat, you must make everyone work together. The coaching staff was in a meeting to study the tactical issues, so he couldn't help. As the captain, the player's psychology, and the locker room atmosphere are the areas he is responsible for, and he should contribute in these places.

So after discussing with the other two captains, he convened all members of the team committee to hold a meeting together to discuss how to solve the problems currently facing the team.

Salihovic still said that at the meeting, discipline issues must not be tolerated and must be corrected, otherwise the seven-round defeat is just the beginning.

Finally, I decided to gather everyone and hold a closed-door meeting in the locker room to solve the problems of wrong atmosphere, scattered attitude and lack of discipline in the team.
Chapter completed!