Manchester United's heir apparent, but can't play football.

Chapter 69 Newly Promoted Team - Cologne (Transitional Chapter)
Post-match press conference.

Black Gold was in high spirits.

"Winter break? Many Asian countries have invited me to come and exchange ideas on football."

"I have longed for Eastern culture since I was a child."

"When my parents' generation took walks in the mountains and forests, they would carry a copy of Nietzsche's Zarathustra in their arms. What do we carry? German literary works created by Goethe and Schiller by integrating Eastern thought, or German translations of Eastern works."

"During that special historical period, some great works helped me to no longer feel lost."

"My childhood dream was to travel to the East."

Followed by.

Wolfsburg's manager quoted extensively from classical texts in front of the media.

The press officer was dumbfounded.

A few minutes later.

Mazzarri appeared in the auditorium, looked around at the modern equipment and huge logo, and felt a pang of envy as he gazed at Wolfsburg's home ground through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"A crushing defeat."

"It's all the coaching staff's responsibility."

"I believe that Inter Milan will one day be able to return to the top of Europe."

Beckenbauer has just participated in the "Football Friendship" World Children's Football Forum.

A large number of reporters flocked to the scene.

Someone then handed over a tablet computer to the football emperor to watch the video.

"Li's outer instep is exactly the same as mine when I was young."

Decades ago, Beckenbauer used the outside of his foot to his fullest extent in official matches. Some of his techniques were improved and optimized to form his own style, such as the "Beckenbauer pass," which has benefited countless players in later generations.

"I don't want to say much, you'll just write 'Li Luo is a Virgin' again."

Everyone laughed.

A busty female reporter asked, "Pogba and Li Luo are the two most watched talented midfielders of the new generation. If you were to take the reins again, who would you choose as the core player?"

Beckenbauer adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses.

"Pogba's physical talent is historic."

"Li's vision, tactical understanding, and thinking speed are very similar to mine."

"With all the personnel and starting lineup remaining unchanged, Li's team can defeat Pogba's team."

“I don’t mean to belittle Pogba. He’s still very young and growing rapidly. His tactical thinking is like a blank sheet of paper, a pure and innocent virgin.”

clap clap clap!
There was thunderous applause.

Reporters furiously wrote: "Pogba is a virgin, Li Luo is not."

Sky Sports, Germany.

As always, Matthäus was "criticizing" various famous coaches and star players.

When he saw Li Luo's recent match videos, his tone softened slightly:
"Putting aside his offensive talent, Li made significant contributions on the defensive end, such as positioning and anticipation, but these aspects are rarely publicized by the media."

"I'm looking forward to the Asian Cup. As far as I know, the Chinese team isn't very strong. I'm really looking forward to Li's performance in adversity. He might be forced to unleash his physical potential."

"Just like when I met Maradona."

Matthäus has always considered the young Chinese player as his midfield template: only that, based on that template, Li Luo's style and skills are different from his own.

A bottle of Coca-Cola comes in original, vanilla, and sugar-free flavors.
Li Luo returned home.

Put down your schoolbag.

[The injury recovery rate module has finished operating.]

Stamina: 95
His powerful attributes gradually helped him overcome his physical fatigue.

If the Europa League and Champions League ever go to extra time, the stamina of Chinese teenagers will surely amaze everyone.

With 95 stamina points, Li Luo's endurance is definitely superior to those large models.

Mental fatigue is inevitable, and it's necessary to relax the brain.

He strode to his desk and began writing in his diary.

"The opponents we faced before the winter break were relatively weak in terms of tactics and overall strength, so Wolfsburg may not have to go through a tough battle."

"Mr. Black Gold's tactical deployment may be more open. I've seen fans calling him the Black Saint on the internet, which may be a description of his tactical mastery reaching a saintly level."

"Inter Milan's central defensive line confirms our previous predictions. No matter how we improve it, the lack of match-up advantages will expose more and more weaknesses. Tonight's game is gradually becoming simpler."

“The media reporters have been mentioning Pogba to me more and more often. I have watched his games and I think he has great physical talent and ball control.”

Put down the pen.

A cold, mechanical, synthesized voice quietly began to play.

[National Team Main Quest: The Summit of Asia.]

[Mission Summary: Donning that jersey, carrying the dreams of countless compatriots, and writing your legendary chapter in the national team's history, you must lead the Chinese team to the pinnacle of Asian football. You seem to be getting stronger lately, and have learned how to think quickly during matches, but these things won't significantly reduce the difficulty of winning the championship. Please be mentally prepared.]

[Mission Reward: International Cup All-Star Blind Box]

[Exchange Cost: 100 million Shock Points.]

Any reward from this blind box will give you a significant boost.

[Prize Pool Preview:]

[Maradona's "ball control" module.]

[Pele's "Samba Dancer" module.]

【.】

Li Luo was slightly surprised.

He had just typed the words "Pogba's ball control" when the system's preview of the prize pool showed a "Maradona's ball control" module.
If I get selected.

Wouldn't that make me: Matthäus template + Maradona's ball control?

Take back your thoughts.

Li Luo started watching the video of his next Bundesliga opponent: Cologne.

Open the tablet: Leverkusen 5:1 Cologne.

Since Hecking took over Wolfsburg, he has had a rule: players must rest the day after a match.

The next morning.

The cold wind howled.

The ryegrass covered in frost looked as if it were frozen, only swaying slightly when the wind blew, making a soft, shivering sound.

The doghouse by the gate was softly made, and two Collies were curled up inside. One buried its head in its companion's fur, while the other curled its tail around itself, its ears drooping, too lazy to even look up at the sounds from the outside world.

Li Luo walked out the door with the soccer ball in his arms. After hesitating for a few seconds, he decisively chose to go back inside, lie on the bed, and scroll through his phone.

it's too cold.

Rest is also part of exercise.

The phone screen was filled with a dense array of information notifications.

He didn't want to reply at all; he would just glance at the message, type a few words, and then copy and paste them.

Oops, I sent it to the wrong person.

[Teaching Assistant: Li, are my eyes as beautiful as stars?]

2 p.m.

Li Luo, Maranda, and several young teammates gathered in the base's recreation room.

They sat around the TV, eating snacks and playing games.

"What's there to be afraid of? I've been self-disciplined all morning, I'll continue to be self-disciplined tomorrow."

"Li, my sister's classmate really likes you; you're quite pretty."

"Forget it, Li only likes Asian girls."

"I don't know any Asian girls yet."

The group chatted idly.

Li Luo sat on the sofa, holding a tablet computer. He had come along because he was too scared to watch a new horror movie when he was home alone.

However, with so many people around, the movie is no longer scary, which makes him lose the enjoyment of watching it.

I actually prefer to watch comedies.

Little Blackie suddenly remembered something, paused for a long time, and then excitedly said, "I've finally been officially selected for the Belgian national team! We're going to South Africa for training on the 9th of next month!"

"The national team is now paying a lot of attention to me and De Bruyne. They have specially assigned someone to accompany us throughout the trip, and there are also drivers and cars to pick us up and take us to the airport."

"I was originally thinking of renting a car myself."

Several young German players looked on with envy.

They may never be selected for the national team throughout their entire careers.

Competition for a place in a football powerhouse is too fierce. For example, during Brazil's peak years, many famous Samba stars did not have the opportunity to be selected for the national team.

The Bundesliga has a long winter break, and people can't help but wonder where they'll go for fun during that time.

Li Luo calculated it carefully.

If I play all the matches in the Asian Cup, I'll only have a few days of vacation left.

Night falls quietly.

Instead of ending the gathering, the group went to the Alar River to board a boat for a night cruise.

Four days later, the Bundesliga match day arrives.

Cologne, the Bundesliga's "Goat," has arrived in Lower Saxony with great momentum.

"Zhuangdianertai! Zhuangdianertai! Good evening, viewers!"

"We are now broadcasting live the 14th round of the 2014/15 Bundesliga season."

Wolfsburg will host newly promoted Cologne.

"A wolf meets a sheep."

"Tonight we will once again enjoy a battle of wits between renowned coaches."

"Cologne coach Stöger's tactics are based on efficient defense, simple attack, and stable lineup. He is good at taking mid-table teams to a higher level."

"Yes, in the last round, Cologne conceded a 5-1 victory to Leverkusen!"

Cheers echoed throughout the arena.

Beep!
Accompanied by the referee's whistle.

The game officially begins.

Wolfsburg has possession of the ball.

Bendtner kicked off and passed the ball back to his own half.

"Now we will introduce the starting lineups of both sides."

"Wolfsburg's formation is 4-2-3-1!"

Goalkeeper:

"Gustavo has recovered from his injury and will field his full strength team."

"Cologne's formation is 4-1-4-1!"

Goalkeeper: Horn.

"Defenders: Hector, Wimmer, Maro, Olkovski."

Defensive midfielder: Matias.

"Central midfielders: Yuya Osako, Yannick, Kazuki Nagasawa, Halfa."

Forward: Ujah

Studio.
-
[It's basically a 901 formation. Don't touch them in this match. Cologne is too sneaky. Don't be fooled by their thrashing by Leverkusen last round; tonight they might be a tough nut for Wolfsburg to crack.]
-
[Why are there so many unpredictable days in the Bundesliga? Li Luo encountered two more.]
-
This is why Li Luo is also well-known in Japan and South Korea.

There were no complex tactical maneuvers involved in the match.

Black Gold sat quietly on the coach's bench.

Cologne coach Steger stood in the command area, quietly observing Wolfsburg's passing lanes and formation changes.

"Cologne has a bus."

Wolfsburg controlled possession, pushed their formation forward, and launched a pressing attack.

"Even if you don't usually watch the games, if you watch for a few more minutes, you'll feel that Li Luo is Wolfsburg's midfield core."

Li Luo played with ease.

They encountered an unusually low defensive line.

He has ample room for organization and sorting.

Positioning.

A kick to the ball.

Capture the strong and weak sides.

In coordination with De Bruyne's long passes and distribution.

Gradually build up the offensive chain of positions.

Snap! Snap! Snap!
"Hey? Here it comes. Li Luo has entered the 30-meter zone. Cologne is about to increase the intensity."

Kazuki Nagasawa started his career as a college student player, playing in the J-League while attending school. He eventually joined the 2. Bundesliga at the age of 22 and was promoted to the Bundesliga this season.

His tackling was fierce.

Standing at 172cm tall with a low center of gravity, he moves faster than many tall German players within a short distance.

In the Cologne system, "logging" begins when the other side enters the 30-meter zone.

Force without seizing?
No.

They had to both force and rob.

now.

Nagasawa Kazuki charged madly toward Li Luo, who was advancing.

Li Luo gently flicked the ball to the right.

Turn half a circle.

Adjust to face sideways.

One person, one ball, suddenly stopped in place.

Xiao Rizi missed his target mid-game, lost his balance, and staggered a couple of steps.

"Pretty!"

"Can I stop abruptly like that to get away?"

"The upper body leans back, and in that instant, the center of gravity shifts backward—that's..."

The commentator hadn't finished speaking.

Having abruptly stopped and shaken off Li Luo, he had already made his next move. The Cologne defense was still unaware of the problem.

They surrounded De Bruyne.

Snapped!
Suddenly seeing Li Luo send out the pass
The ball pierced through Cologne's midfield barrier and rolled towards the wing.

"Bentner moved to the side."

"Quite skillful?"

"Zhang Fei, a tall man over 1.9 meters, played quite well on the wing."

"He has Wenger to thank for forcing him to hone his winger skills at Arsenal."

Bendtner can still deliver a crushing blow against Cologne's full-backs.

He strolled leisurely along the side of the road for a few steps.

He made a move as if he was about to charge into the opponent's penalty area.

and so on.

one second.

two seconds.

When the Cologne defenders moved closer to him.

He decisively dribbled the ball towards the sideline.

Snapped.

The pass was passed back to Ricardo, the Wolfsburg full-back who had moved up.

Ricardo didn't think much of it and had already observed the runs of Li Luo and De Bruyne.

Then, smoothly move the ball to the middle.

I don't know who it's meant to be sent to.

Whoever receives it will receive the message.

"Pass it on from a point, not from person."

"Bendtner draws the defense on the wing, which opens up space in the middle."

"Ricardo's thinking is very clear."

"Pass it to the middle lane."

"De Bruyne".

Before receiving the ball, De Bruyne worried: 'Bendtna is on the wing, Wolfsburg's attack has no finishers.'

The moment the ball stops.

The Belgian midfielder noticed that Li Luo had rotated to the top of the formation.

"The vertical distance between the two is very short."

De Bruyne turned and passed the ball forward.

"Li Luo is surrounded by two Cologne center-backs."

"Spin around!"

The arena erupted in thunderous applause.

Li Luo received a pass from De Bruyne at the edge of the penalty area.

Cut the ball and turn.

They bypassed the attack from the two tall Cologne players.

next moment.

Give it a gentle push.

The football skimmed along the grass, precisely piercing Cologne's last line of defense.

This put Caligiuri, who had been positioned, in a one-on-one situation.

"too easy!"

"Break the door!"

"Why are you still making adjustments?"

The relentless, fluid attacks thrilled the audience.

pity.

Caligiuri miscontrolled the ball inside the penalty area and took an extra step.

The Cologne defenses, which had been disrupted by Li Luo, were quickly rebuilt.

Snapped!
The Italian winger, having lost his shooting angle, decisively passed the ball back.

"Return it to where it came from?"

Li Luo, who was originally "positioning" himself, took two steps back and swung his leg slightly.

Bah!
The rolling football was instantly imbued with a violent power.

They blasted open the gates of Cologne.

1:0! ! !

The whole crowd cheered.

The entire offensive process was incredibly smooth.

"Pretty!"

"The ball is in!"

"Li Luo, who was rotating to the front line, easily turned and got rid of the defender, and delivered a wonderful diagonal pass."

"Calijuri didn't take credit for himself and gave the shooting opportunity back to Li Luo."

"Watching the replay of the attack, the entire Cologne defense was turned upside down."

"At the start of the match, Li Luo launched an offensive and easily finished the game."

"An assist from Caligiuri."

"The two players helped Wolfsburg take the lead."

Li Luo spread his arms and ran all the way to the corner flag area, where he jumped up and waved his fist.

Wolfsburg teammates rushed forward one after another.

De Bruyne was the most excited, his mind constantly replaying Li Luo's sudden stop and turn to get rid of him.

'It's different from before.'

'Although he still relies on spatial awareness and distance prediction, Li's ball control accuracy has improved significantly.'

'Perfect combination of plucking, pulling, and cutting for center of gravity control.'

Studio.
-
[Li Luo is playing better and better; his ball control skills are finally starting to return in the Bundesliga.]
-
Wolfsburg's attack right now is even more fluid and aesthetically pleasing than Leverkusen's.
-
[Li Luo and De Bruyne are definitely better than Calhanoglu.]
-
[Bendtner, this center, is pretty good at beating weaker teams; he's reliable.]
-
De Bruyne had it much easier; he made a simple forward short pass, leaving the rest to Li Luo to do in circles.
-
[Invincible Wind and Fire Wheels.]

Courtside.

Black Gold and the teaching assistants celebrated excitedly.

"Boss, it seems that the suggestion from the Volkswagen Group's senior management makes a lot of sense."

"What do they have to do with giving unqualified advice to experts?"

The other side.

Cologne coach Steger remained calm.

He was thrashed by various strong teams in the Bundesliga several times this season, which honed his resilience.

They won't make a fuss about falling behind.

"Continue to maintain low-post defense."

"Wait patiently for the opportunity."

Stöger is not a "cheerleader" who does nothing on the sidelines. He has a keen eye for observation and can always turn the tide of the game through on-the-spot adjustments.

The game restarted in the middle circle.

Cologne's attack was very pragmatic.

"Pass the ball to dangerous areas in the attacking third with simple and direct passes."

"Yuya Osako, dribbling the ball down the wing."

Away stands.

A group of young fans held up a manga poster that read "I can't stand Osako's half-heartedness".

In the comic, there is a mournful face.

Here's what happened: In the 2009 Japanese high school league, Yuya Osako performed exceptionally well, making the opposing captain cry and shout, "Osako, half-baked!"

pity.

The Bundesliga is not the Japanese high school league.

Xiao Rizi was avant-garde, but Maranda squeezed him out of bounds.

"A brilliant interception."

"Dark and tough, it's currently the nemesis of East Asian technical styles."

"Looking back at the World Cup a few months ago, the South Korean team faced a team composed mainly of Black African players."

"The strategy is clear, Maranda quickly passed the ball to Li Luo in the middle lane."

Li Luo was positioned at the very front of Wolfsburg's formation, forming a "tall and fast" attacking duo with Bendtner.

The moment of receiving the ball.

Two Cologne midfielders are close together.

Snapped!
The football was lifted up, gracefully tracing an arc in mid-air.

Bendtner, who was back to Cologne's center-back, nudged him with his head.

"Wow!"

"The ball was brushed behind Cologne's defense."

"Li Luo broke through the defense line."

"He just flicked the ball and then accelerated, which made this happen."

"Single-handed sword."

Li Luo held nothing back.

Sprint with all your might.

He had learned about the characteristics of Cologne's two center-backs before the match: their ability to track back was average.

In the public arena, the cheers grew even louder.

After calculating the distance, the Cologne goalkeeper decisively chose to rush out.

"The goalkeeper who won the 2. Bundesliga title last season!"

"Horn!"

The spotlight seemed to shine only on the two of them.

Li Luo vs. the Wall of Sighs in the German Second Division.

Bah!
The football was instantly imbued with violent power, skimming along the grass and grazing Horn's crotch!
The white net was lifted again.

2:0! ! !

The atmosphere in the arena reached its peak.

All the home fans were chanting the name of the Chinese boy.

"In again!"

"too easy!"

"Ground Slash!"

"Li Luo!"

"Two goals!"

"Horn made the judgment in the blink of an eye, and his center of gravity was also very low, but unfortunately he didn't grasp the timing of squatting down well."

Li Luo didn't expect scoring to be so easy.

He jogged to the corner flag area again, and in his excitement, he accidentally pulled up the corner flag.

The stands erupted in even more enthusiastic applause and cheers.

Courtside.

Black Gold didn't want to stand in the command area.

He was afraid that his poor command would disrupt the team's smooth offensive momentum.

The other side.

Stöger looked ashen.

They were thrashed by Bayer Leverkusen last week.

In this week's Bundesliga match, Wolfsburg scored two goals early on.

A little skeptical about life.

Next game.

with no doubt.

After taking a two-goal lead, Wolfsburg did not adopt a low-block defensive posture.

Instead, Li Luo was in charge of organizing and controlling the pace.

"Cologne should consider a narrow defeat a victory and continue to patiently wait for an opportunity to counterattack."

"Therefore, we had to give up a large amount of space."

"Li Luo is becoming increasingly adept at positional attacks."

"These players, who were promoted from the 2. Bundesliga, can hardly put pressure on him in the 30-meter zone, and cannot affect his passing, positioning, or organization."

"Weaving a net".

"Li Luo once again demonstrated his core position as the midfield commander and midfield brain in tonight's game."

"Control the ball."

"Use passing to break through the defenses."

finally.

The referee blew the final whistle.

Wolfsburg 6:2 Cologne.

Li Luo and Bendtner each hit the crossbar once and the goalpost once.

(End of this chapter)