What is an attacking defensive midfielder?

Chapter 140 Golden Boy Award Winners: Leipzig's Prodigy High School Student (Happy New Year's Eve!)

"Who is that girl?"

On the way to the base, Kimmich kept asking questions.

"She's very pretty! I think she has the potential to be a model!"

Kimmich raised an eyebrow at Hao Ren. "Mr. Goodman has excellent taste!"

'

,

"I told you, Chicken Bro. We're just classmates, just classmates, okay?"

Hao Ren said that he and Mia had only known each other for less than a month.

Moreover, I only go to school twice a week, so I'm not very familiar with my classmates.

"Having known each other for a month isn't enough? It's more than enough. Goode, with your charm, if I were that girl, I wouldn't be able to resist you in a day."

Kimmich used one hand to pat Hao Ren on the shoulder.

"Fuck you!"

"I'm not lying to you! Really, I can tell that girl really likes you!"

"Although you play better than me, I'm older. You know, I'm the older one, so I understand these things better."

"Besides, Goode, she's the same age as you, aren't you going to consider that? She's much prettier than that college girl, Youssef!"

Hao Ren covered his head with his hands.

No wonder reporters are so enthusiastic when they encounter tabloid news.

"Brother Chicken, I think you have a knack for being a reporter. But can you please drive carefully right now? We're both going to get hit and killed!"

"How could that be? My driving skills are terrible! And this is an Audi!"

Drip!

Kimmich honked his horn: "Hurry up, I'm picking my kid up from school, let me go first!"

"Really, so you all think she's attending classes at school, but actually she's developing relationships with female classmates!"

Upon arriving at the base, Kimmich's first action was to tell his teammates about Hao Ren and Mia.

Although nothing actually happened between the two, Kimmich insisted that they were in a relationship.

"Whoa! Goodman!"

Klosterman looked at Hao Ren with a very lewd expression, leaving the latter speechless.

"Don't believe him, really. I'm begging you, there's really nothing to it. I'm focused on the team. I even came here after training was over today, which speaks volumes."

39

"Tell me, Good!"

"No!"

Come on!

Poulsen walked up to Hao Ren: "Your family isn't here, so aren't we team members your half-guardians? Are you even hiding your guardians from us?"

"What the fuck! What am I hiding? There's nothing here at all!"

"Ha ha!"

The news about Hao Ren and Mia quickly spread throughout the team.

Because of this, the Leipzig cafeteria was unusually lively tonight.

"Invite your girlfriend over for dinner sometime! Stop hiding it!"

"Fuck you!"

The players talked about this topic for almost an hour before returning to training.

Having not been to the base all day, Hao Ren was very curious about what the team members had practiced that day.

"It's mainly about defense, all kinds of defense."

Kimmich rattled off some technical terms, glancing once more in the direction of Rangnick in the distance.

"I feel like Ralph has been a bit too stressed lately."

"Actually, I'm a little nervous too."

Hao Ren interjected, "No, don't get me wrong, it's not about academic stress, I'm talking about the competition. So many teams are studying us, and those reporters online are even helping them out. Seriously, it's unbelievable. Do they really enjoy studying us that much?"

Paulsen shrugged.

"Because we haven't lost a single game this season. They're very curious about our tactical secrets, thinking that if they figure them out, we can jump straight to second place in the Bundesliga."

"Haha! That's hilarious, how could that be? They don't have Mr. Goodman on their team."

Hao Ren scoffed at this and immediately made a joke.

"Alright, Goode, stop bragging. The Golden Boy award nominees are announced today or tomorrow. Are you confident?"

""

Sebastian's words once again shifted the topic of conversation among the Leipzig players.

"Golden Boy Award?"

Hao Ren shrugged: "Come on! I'm on the Ballon d'Or shortlist, the Golden Boy award isn't given lightly!"

"Ha ha!"

"What if it doesn't go in?"

"There's no way he didn't make it, Yusuf, just you wait and see!"

Tuttosport

By entering keywords on Twitter, Hao Ren entered the official Twitter account of Tuttosport.

The main news item was a speculation about the injury of a Juventus player on November 6th, which is the most recent one.

"Why hasn't it been updated yet!"

-

Hao Ren kept refreshing the page.

Logically speaking, this list should have been released by now!

The front page of Tuttosport features the shortlist of nominees for the 2015 European Golden Boy award (in no particular order).

1. Rabiot (Paris Saint-Germain).

2. Alli (Tottenham Hotspur).

3. Asensio (Real Madrid).

17. Luke Shaw (Manchester United).

18. Martial (Manchester United).

19. Hao Ren (Leipzig).

20. Kimmich (Leipzig).

21. Timo Werner (Leipzig).

-

22. Klostermann (Leipzig).

40. Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich).

[As expected, guys, Mr. Goodman is on the Golden Boy shortlist!]

[Leipzig is impressive, they have four players, more than Bayern!]

[That's what makes them a dark horse, and Leipzig is full of young players!]

[I feel like Martial and Hao Ren are the most likely candidates, along with Coman. However, I think Hao Ren might not be able to handle Martial; that guy is just too damn overpowered.]

"You think Hao Ren is invincible? There's still a month left. Wait until Hao Ren beats a few more strong teams, then Martial will be finished."

[了]

Because of Hao Ren, this year's Golden Boy Award has attracted extra attention from Chinese fans.

The Dongqiudi app not only forwarded the complete 40-man list, but also collected odds data from foreign betting websites for fans to analyze.

The list has only just been released, so the rankings are fluctuating greatly.

-

However, overall, the top three are roughly as follows: Martial, Hao Ren, and then Coman.

Coman remains firmly in third place, with little change in the odds rankings.

Martial and Hao Ren are two very interesting players, taking turns to reach the top every few minutes.

One is Anthony Martial, the Premier League's star striker, and the other is Edinburgh, the Bundesliga's young powerhouse.

It's a close match!

The Leipzig Evening News front page—Goodman again! Leipzig high school prodigy shortlisted for the European Golden Boy award, with a chance to compete for the trophy!

Daily Sports Deputy Editor: Goodman is at least in the top two for the Golden Boy award, and he is also the only player this year to be shortlisted for both the Ballon d'Or and the Golden Boy award.

"It needs to be emphasized again that, apart from Goodman, none of the other 39 players on the Golden Boy shortlist made it to the Ballon d'Or shortlist. This means that Goodman is very likely to be the best player on the entire Golden Boy shortlist."

"Of course, given the different voting mechanisms of France Football and Tuttosport, there may be some errors in this process."

"But in any case, Goodman is at least one of the top two in the Golden Boy competition."

-

If The Sun wins the Golden Boy award, an additional clause in Goodman's contract will be activated, at which point the player will receive a one-time bonus of 40 euros.

In the 12th round of the Bundesliga, RB Leipzig will host Hamburg.

"Who do you think will win in the end, you or Anthony Martial?"

"After the roster came out, I watched Anthony's (referring to Martial) game tapes. His performance this year has been frighteningly good, and to be honest, I felt a lot of pressure."

Hao Ren told reporters.

Although he was one of the nominated players, he didn't know if he could beat Martial to win the award.

"I have a certain age disadvantage, and I played in the second division last season."

"I really hope I can win an award. Everyone says I can lock in a top-two finish, but the problem is there's only one trophy, and second place doesn't really mean anything."

Hao Ren is still very realistic.

"No need to rush, Mr. Goodman. There's still at least a month and a half until the official announcement of the winner. If you can deliver an even better performance in the coming period, your chances of winning will increase."

-

"Haha, thank you!"

Click, click, click!

"Previously, some media outlets (The Sun) reported that if you win the Golden Boy award, you'll receive a one-time bonus of 40 euros from the club. We all know you currently have a mortgage to pay. Goodman, will you put on an even better performance in the upcoming matches for that bonus?"

y

'

"I don't really like talking about mortgages. I can manage my mortgage regardless of whether I get a bonus or not."

"Better performance? Absolutely. I've always been focused on the game, and I'll play better and better."

If you think Hao Ren is just bragging in front of the media, you're sorely mistaken.

The facts of the last two seasons have proven enough.

Grandpa Niu is growing up at a breakneck pace!

"CCTV! CCTV!"

"The match has begun!"

C6

Hamburg (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Adler; Defenders: Osculek, Spahic, Djourou, Sakai; Midfielders: Gregoritsch, Holtby, Marcelo Diaz, Nicolai Müller; Forwards: Schiplock, Lassoga; Coach: Labbadia. "Hamburg is a traditionally strong team in the Bundesliga."

"However, they are facing RB Leipzig today, the biggest dark horse in the league this season! And they are playing away from home, which will definitely put a lot of pressure on the Hamburg players."

"Leipzig fans, as well as Bayern and Dortmund fans, are paying close attention to this match."

"Yes, especially Dortmund fans. Because Leipzig has to lose a game now, otherwise Dortmund won't be able to keep up in third place. Haha!"

"6

10th minute!

Spahic hit the ball out!

"I'll do it!"

Hao Ren sprinted forward, using his body to block Diaz's position.

Spahic was originally looking for Diaz, but Diaz is now unable to get the ball!

"Pull it!"

A teammate reminded him.

Diaz was a beat too slow to react.

He let Hao Ren run past him!

"Wow!!"

Hao Ren charged into the penalty area.

Look left and right!

Werner is in a very good position!

Snapped!

A pass is made to the past.

Werner was surrounded by defenders.

Pass the ball to Poulsen on the wing!

Snapped!

Poulsen delivered a high cross from the byline.

Hao Ren and Forsberry rushed in together!

The goalkeeper was right in front of him, but Hao Ren was not afraid at all. After taking a running start, he jumped up.

"ah!!"

boom!

The goalkeeper's hand hit Hao Ren's forehead, but Hao Ren had already completed his header a second before.

Goal!

1: 0!

"Hao Ren scores!"

"But we need to check if Hao Ren is injured!"

Hao Ren fell to the ground in the penalty area.

I thought he was going to lie there and wail for a while, but to my surprise, he just stood up.

"roar!!!"

Although Adler's glove hit the Leipzig midfielder on the head, it did not cause any actual injury.

Good man!

'

Good man!

'

"viva Goodman!"

Clap clap clap clap!

Hao Ren clutched his heart with one hand and pointed to the fans in the stands with the other.

"Wow!!!!"

39 minutes.

Sabitzer dribbled the ball and charged down the left flank.

Snapped!

The pass was intercepted by Spahic.

However, Spašić was quickly double-teamed by Poulsen and Werner.

This Hamburg defender was literally turned into a hamburger by Leipzig's pressing!

Snapped!

Werner kicked the ball out to Kimmich.

Kimmich passes the ball to Hao Ren!

Hao Ren pushed it to Halstenberg!

Halstenberg dribbled the ball into the penalty area, using many subtle footwork techniques to give the opponent no chance to intercept.

When Djourou pressed forward, Halstenberg decisively passed the ball to Forsberg.

boom!

Goal!

Leipzig's second goal!

"Wow!!"

[Mission Progress: Points (1/12) / Winning Streak (1/3)]

During the celebration, Hao Ren took a moment to check his task panel.

3 points + 1 winning streak.

It looks like it's not far off!

Live match report: Sakai Gotoku crossed from a 45-degree angle, and Lassoga headed the ball into the net, but it was ruled offside.

"Beep beep beep!!!"

"Shh!!!"

Hamburg players are complaining to the referee.

However, their offside was so blatant that even the Hamburg player who complained was mocked by the home fans.

Irony.

"Gotcha! Offside!"

"Garbage! Terribly bad!"

"Just wait, it'll be 3-0 soon!"

'

""

Snapped!

Kimmich played a through ball past Hao Ren, who accelerated and easily collected the ball.

Just give it a good whack on the outside of your foot!

"Oh!"

Goalkeeper Adler leaped out, and Hao Ren's shot ultimately hit the post.

duang!

"That was a shot with the outside of your foot. The power was great, and it even had a nice curve. But it just lacked a bit of luck!"

"Yes, if you gave it a little more spin, the ball should have gone in—"

Hao Ren swung his hands upwards, and he and Kimmich looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Damn it!"

"Forget it, good luck! Keep going!"

Around the 70th minute of the match, seeing that his team had a clear advantage, Rangnick suddenly made three substitutions.

Not only that, he also changed the team's overall formation!

"Oh, Rangnick, what is this—"

"We can see that Leipzig's tactics now are significantly different from those before the substitutions."

"Hao Ren is no longer primarily responsible for offensive tasks."

"Yes, Hao Ren is now moving closer to a center-back. I think this might be an adjustment Rangnick made to counter the strategies employed by their league opponents."

"But doing that would significantly reduce Leipzig's attacking pressure."

This was just a simple experiment by Rangnick, but it stirred the emotions of countless fans at the scene.

Among them, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund fans lurking in front of their screens were the most nervous.

If Rangnick really does figure out a way to solve the defensive problem, then —

hiss!

I can't believe it!

Please, Ralph, stop researching this!

Holtby played a through ball, and Hao Ren decisively retreated into the penalty area.

Leipzig's five-man defense is now complete, and they're ready to begin their defensive work!

At that moment, Rangnick was standing off the court, holding a small notebook, ready to record some details of the game.

This is the first time Leipzig has tried a 5-defender formation in a real match!

Diaz spikes the ball!

Inside the penalty area, Spahic!

Hao Ren and Sebastian rushed over together, trying to block Spahic's position.

But they didn't realize that their defensive targets overlapped with those of their teammates!

Spahic passes back to Schiplock!

"They're about to fight!"

"Shiplock, unleash a long-range shot from outside the box!"

"Goal!"

"Beautiful!"

"Hamburg opened the scoring for Leipzig in the 82nd minute of the second half!"

Hamburg's previous goal was offside, but this goal in the 82nd minute was perfectly legitimate.

1: 2!

"Depend on!"

Rangnick cursed from the sidelines and tore a page out of his notebook.

His worst fears came true.

Although Hao Ren has excellent defensive abilities, he is ultimately a midfielder.

If you let him play defense entirely in the backcourt, a lot of problems will definitely arise.

Should we gradually hone his defensive skills?

No!

Leipzig doesn't have that much time.

What they need is a solution that can solve the problem quickly!

,,

"Beep, whoosh!!!"

"Alright, with the referee's whistle, the match is over."

"RB Leipzig ultimately defeated Hamburg 2-1 at home."

"Yes, Leipzig has extended their unbeaten run. However, it will be quite difficult for them to catch up with Bayern."

"Bayern Munich currently has one more point than Leipzig, but they have played one game less."

"This means that if Bayern also wins their 12th round match, the points difference between the two teams will remain unchanged."

[Mission Progress: Points (4/12) / Winning Streak (2/3)]

[Match results in progress————]

[League Points +16]

[Path to Success: Gold Tier 172 LP (LP required for advancement: 350 LP)]

Before we knew it, we were almost halfway through the Golden Rank.

In other words, I'm now one foot in the Platinum rank?

Hao Ren felt a surge of satisfaction, but Kimmich's words quickly pulled him back from his reverie.

"Hurry back to the locker room, Ralph has something to say!"

"Oh, here it comes!"

"I don't think a five-defender formation is the answer for us. Although we only tried it for a few minutes in actual matches, I feel we should abandon this approach."

Back in the locker room, Rangnick's first words were to tell the players all his thoughts.

"So, Goode, do you have any ideas?"

Hao Ren looked up when he heard Rangnick call his name.

-

"I'm not sure, but—I really don't like staying in the penalty area to defend; I always end up bumping into other people."

As he spoke, Hao Ren pointed at Sebastian, who helplessly shrugged and said, "So why did you hit me?"

"I'm not used to it. I prefer close marking and sticking to the defense, preferably one-on-one. It gets chaotic when there are multiple opponents."

Rangnick nodded: "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. It would take too much time for Goodman to get familiar with defensive positioning, so let's just abandon that approach."

"What will you do after giving up?"

Hao Ren pressed for an answer. He didn't want the team's defensive problems to remain unresolved because of his own technical habits.

"As long as you don't keep going down the wrong path."

"We'll always find a way."

After defeating Hamburg in the 12th round, Leipzig will travel to Ingolstadt for an away game.

When it comes to the Ingolstadt team, Leipzig is very familiar with them.

My buddies who got promoted from the German second division together!

-

However, there is a strange relationship between Ingolstadt's coach and Hao Ren.

"He (referring to Hasenhüttl) is a very good coach, I acknowledge him, he has a good eye for talent."

Hao Ren had a very high opinion of Hasenhüttl, just as Hasenhüttl had a high opinion of him.

After all, this guy proposed to sign Hao Ren during the winter transfer window last season, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a "prophet".

"But you didn't go to Ingolstadt."

"Haha, too late. By then, I had no reason to leave Leipzig."

Click, click, click!

"Ingolstadt is currently ranked ninth in the league, making them one of the best-performing newly promoted teams in recent years."

You're playing against them next week. Is there anything you'd like to say to your old rivals?

Hao Ren held the microphone and sat on the stage in silence for a long time.

"Actually, there's not much to say. Well, I don't think it's a good thing that they're being promoted to the top division along with us. Because we know Ingolstadt too well."

"You know, I don't think they have a chance of winning."

""

Match Preview: Bundesliga Round 12, November 22nd, Ingolstadt vs RB Leipzig, a fateful battle between two newly promoted teams!

Rangnick: Five defenders might be a mistake, and perhaps it's time to abandon them.

The Munich Evening News' front page headline read: Bayern Munich thrashed Hannover 96 5-0, maintaining their top spot in the league standings.

More than half of Leipzig's local fans watched Bayern's match on television.

They are the group that most wants Bayern to lose, and they gather together to pray for Bayern's opponents whenever Bayern plays.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend!

However, Bayern Munich is just too tough.

Leipzig fans have been praying for three weeks straight, but Bayern Munich hasn't lost a single game!

"CCTV, CCTV—"

Hao Ren sat in front of his computer. On the left side of the screen was a live stream of online classes from Chengdu No. 7 High School, and on the right side was a Bayern Munich match recorded by Bilibili.

Global replay.

"That's fucking amazing!"

As Hao Ren's understanding of Bayern Munich deepened, he gained a new appreciation for the team's strength.

Two months ago, Leipzig snatched a last-minute equalizer against Bayern Munich away from home, and the players celebrated extensively at the time.

But now it seems—

If Lewandowski had played in that match, the outcome might have been very different!

With that in mind, Hao Ren took out his phone and searched for the match times of the German Cup online.

December 16, 3:30 AM, Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig. (*Hao Ren)

The football expert was thoughtful enough to include his own name in parentheses after the match schedule.

Clearly, everyone is eagerly anticipating the second encounter between Leipzig and Bayern Munich.

But as a player, Hao Ren now only feels immense mental pressure.

[Mission Progress: Points (4/12) / Winning Streak (2/3)]

The task needs to be completed as soon as possible!

Complete the task quickly by winning three consecutive games, and then take on a new task.

He needs to get two more templates before the match against Bayern!

>