After Paris Saint-Germain was removed from the list, I led England to victory!

On the last few training days before the new season, the lights in Hoffenheim's tactical meeting room shone brightly in the evening.

Today, the coaching staff is holding an important tactical meeting to discuss the lineup for the first round of the German Cup.

In previous seasons, there wouldn't have been much to discuss; you could have just fielded the starters.

But this season is different. Hoffenheim also has the Champions League to play this season, competing on three fronts: the Champions League, the league, and the domestic cup. They must come up with a new rotation lineup.

Nagelsmann stood in front of the tactics board, his fingers lightly tapping the remote control of the projector. The screen displayed a defensive heatmap of Erford Red and White's last five games.

This is their opponent in the first round of the German Cup.

At this moment, the coaching staff also arrived. Assistant coach Kramer, strength and conditioning coach Schmidt, technical analyst Keller, and scouting director Wilt sat around a long table, each with a notebook and data sheet spread out in front of them.

Nagelsmann got straight to the point.

"In the first round of the German Cup, our opponent is Erfurt Red-White in the third division."

He pressed the remote control, and the screen switched to the weak points of the opposing goalkeeper's positioning when making saves: "According to the data, what they fear most is high crosses and quick counter-attacks."

Cramer nodded: "Coach, we'll be using a 4-2-3-1 formation in the preseason, which will be a good opportunity to test the effectiveness of this system in actual gameplay."

"The problem is personnel arrangements." Fitness coach Schmidt adjusted his glasses. "Liverpool's Champions League qualifier is just three days after the cup competition ends, and we need to consider the fatigue of our key players."

There was a brief silence in the meeting room.

Nagelsmann walked to the coffee machine, poured himself a cup of black coffee, and the steam quickly dissipated in the air-conditioned room.

"My idea is rotation." He took a sip of coffee, his tone calm but undeniable. "For this German Cup match, we'll keep the four key positions for the starters, and field all the substitutes for the rest."

Head scout Wilt immediately frowned: "Coach, although the opponents in the first round of the German Cup are weak, quite a few strong teams have been upset. Are we sure we want to do this?"

"So we're keeping four starting positions." Nagelsmann drew a triangle on the tactics board with a marker. "Captain Vogt anchors the defense, Kramaric controls the midfield tempo, Gnabry is responsible for the decisive strike, Uth plays as the striker, and the other positions are all given to the substitutes."

Technical analyst Keller suddenly realized something: "Coach, you want to start that Asian kid, right?"

Nagelsmann did not deny it: "You all saw Yan Yuan's performance in the friendly match; he needs to gain experience in official matches."

"It's too risky," Wilt shook his head. "He's only 17. The intensity of the German Cup is completely different from that of a friendly match."

Nagelsmann put down his coffee cup, the bottom of which made a crisp sound as it hit the table: "Do you remember how the media initially described Thomas Müller when he first started out? Too young, inexperienced, until he delivered a stunning performance at the German Cup."

The meeting room fell silent again.

Assistant coach Bremer flipped through the data sheet and suddenly looked up: "Actually, there's a set of data that's quite interesting. Yan Yuan's steal success rate in scrimmage is third in the team, only behind Vogt and Posick."

"That's right, and his 12-minute run data is even higher than Kramaric's, so there's absolutely no problem with his physical fitness," the strength and conditioning coach added.

Nagelsmann walked back to the tactics board and circled the left-back position in Erfurt's red and white formation with a red pen: "Look at this again, their left-back's turning speed is the second to last in the 3rd division. If we let Yan Yuan take turns attacking on the right flank..."

Wirth's expression relaxed slightly: "Let me double-check, Coach, are you sure you want to use the German Cup for practice?"

"It's not training," Nagelsmann corrected, "it's investing in the future." He pulled up a compilation of Yan Yuan's training videos.

"Look at this kid's off-the-ball movement and passing choices. He doesn't look like a 17-year-old at all. He's more like a seasoned veteran who's been playing in the Bundesliga for ten years."

The video is showing Yan Yuan's assist in a scrimmage: he first pretends to cut inside, then suddenly flicks the ball with his heel to Gnabry on the wing, while making a run and drawing away two defenders.

This seasoned kicking style earned a slight nod from everyone in the conference room.

"I think the coach's idea is correct, and there is an advantage to doing it this way," technical analyst Keller suddenly said. "Liverpool is definitely collecting information on our tactics right now. If we field our full-strength team in the first round of the German Cup, it will be like revealing our tactical intentions for the Champions League in advance, which will be very disadvantageous for us."

This statement finally provides the best evidence for Nagelsmann's idea.

Wilt sighed and closed his notebook. "Alright, Coach, I reserve my opinion but will abide by the decision, however..." He looked seriously at Nagelsmann.

"I still want to say that if we can't break the deadlock by halftime, we must bring on our starters immediately."

"Deal." Nagelsmann smiled.

He then pulled up a data chart showing the number of days between the Champions League qualifiers and the German Cup. "Remember, this season, our ultimate goal is the Champions League."

As the meeting ended and everyone began to leave, Nagelsmann called Kramer aside and said, "Starting tomorrow, give Yan Yuan extra training on set-piece tactics. I want the Erfurt red-white defense to remember this kid's name."

……

In the afternoon, the door to Nagelsmann's office was ajar. Yan Yuan stood outside and knocked three times gently. He didn't know what the coach wanted to say to him, but he was somewhat expectant.

"Come in," a voice came from inside the office.

Yan Yuan pushed open the door and entered, seeing Nagelsmann frowning at the computer screen, his fingers rapidly typing something on the keyboard.

"Coach, you wanted to see me?"

The office was filled with the smell of coffee and tactical drawings, and several player reports and data sheets were scattered on the table.

"Sit down," Nagelsmann said without looking up, his fingers continuing to tap on the keyboard.

Yan Yuan sat down in the chair opposite the desk, his back ramrod straight.

From the side, he could see that Nagelsmann's computer screen was showing a video of a match, their friendly against Stuttgart last week, with the frame frozen on the moment Yan Yuan assisted Gnabry.

"Do you know why I called you here, Yan?" Nagelsmann finally looked up and adjusted his glasses.

Yan Yuan asked somewhat uncertainly, "Um... Coach, is it the German Cup?"

Nagelsmann turned the computer screen towards him: "That's right, in the first round of the German Cup against Erfurt Red-Wei, I plan to start you."

Yan Yuan's pupils contracted slightly, but his expression remained almost unchanged. He nodded: "Thank you for your trust, Coach."

"Don't thank me yet," Nagelsmann leaned back in his chair. "This isn't a reward, it's a test. The defense of third division teams is much fiercer than in the warm-up matches. They won't go easy on you just because you're a newcomer. This season we have to compete on three fronts, so no one can fall behind, including you."

"I understand." Yan Yuan's voice was calm, but his fingers unconsciously tightened on his knee.

Nagelsmann stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed: "You're quite composed, kid. Any other 17-year-old would have jumped up by now."

Yan Yuan smiled and said, "Actually, my heart has jumped up and down several times...hehe, but you can rest assured, I will get past every line of defense."

This made Nagelsmann burst out laughing: "Okay, that's the attitude I want."

He tapped the table. "The left-back at Erford is as slow to turn as a rusty truck. You and Gnabry keep attacking their defense. I want to see at least three effective crosses."

"No problem at all, Coach," Yan Yuan said.

Nagelsmann raised an eyebrow: "So confident?"

"It's not about confidence," Yan Yuan thought for a moment, then continued, "it's about having to do it."

Nagelsmann nodded thoughtfully, took a USB drive from the drawer and tossed it to him: "You're a good kid. Here you go. This contains the complete recordings of Erford's last five matches. I've already prepared the video explanations. Focus on their defensive positioning and counter-attack routes. Ask me anytime if you don't understand anything."

This could be considered Nagelsmann giving Yan Yuan special training. Yan Yuan took the USB drive, and his mind was already working on a training plan.

Starting in the German Cup was just the first step. Just now, out of the corner of his eye, he saw another document on Nagelsmann's desk, which had Liverpool's crest on it.

This is something that Nagelsmann has been having a major headache lately.

"Any more questions, Yan?" Nagelsmann asked.

Yan Yuan shook his head, got up to leave, but stopped at the door: "By the way, coach, if I perform well enough in this German Cup match..."

Nagelsmann, without even looking up, interrupted Yan Yuan's question: "Let's focus on the German Cup first."

Yan Yuan actually wanted to ask about the Champions League qualifiers, but it was clear that Nagelsmann hadn't considered him for the Champions League squad yet.

"Understood..." Yan Yuan didn't say anything more, gently closed the door and left.

Back in his apartment, Yan Yuan immediately turned on his computer and inserted a USB drive.

He pulled up the Erfurt game video and quickly jotted down notes in his tactical notebook.

As Nagelsmann said in the video, the opposing left-back was indeed extremely slow to turn and had limited tactical fit. However, Yan Yuan noticed a new detail: the player habitually moved inwards when defending, leaving large gaps on the flanks.

"I can do a few more fake inside cuts and real bottom cuts..." Yan Yuan muttered to himself, drawing a dotted arrow in his notebook.

On the training field, Yan Yuan's training regimen has clearly changed. He has reduced the regular passing and receiving drills, and instead focused on practicing breakthroughs on the wings and crossing the ball.

Gnabry would occasionally come over and offer a few words of guidance, but most of the time, Yan Yuan would practice the same movement repeatedly in front of the training wall, feinting with his right foot and then suddenly changing direction and accelerating with his left foot.

"Yan, are you obsessed?" After training ended, Gnabry asked Yan Yuan, who was still doing extra practice.

Yan Yuan wiped his sweat: "I'm not obsessed, I just want to perform well."

"Don't hurt yourself," Gnabry shook his head. "It's just the German Cup, it's not difficult, it's not the Champions League final."

Yan Yuan didn't reply, but continued practicing.

He knew in his heart that a crazy idea was becoming clearer and clearer in his mind:

If he can shine in the German Cup, he might actually earn a starting spot against Liverpool.

Kylian Mbappé, who is almost the same age as him, can represent Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. Is it possible for him to do the same now?

Yan Yuan's ambition was a bit too great, but fortunately he didn't let it swell to an uncontrollable level. He was well aware of the difference between himself and Mbappe, so he was still focusing on improving himself.

Back at his apartment that evening, Yan Yuan took a shower and immediately entered the system training space.

In the system space, Yan Yuan didn't practice anything else today; he mainly focused on improving his game reading ability, as the system provided detailed tactical simulation functions.

Yan Yuan pulled up Liverpool's Champions League match data from last season and focused on studying their weaknesses in high-pressing.

"The space Robertson creates after his forward run..." Yan Yuan drew a red circle on the virtual tactics board, "And Arnold's center of gravity when defending..."

The time in the training space is similar to real time. Yan Yuan repeatedly simulated various competition scenarios until he had enough sleep in the real world, at which point he reluctantly logged out.

The alarm clock rang in reality. At 6:30, Yan Yuan opened his eyes, the images of the tactical simulation still lingering in his mind.

He rolled out of bed and jotted down a few more key points in his notebook. This kind of regular and monotonous training life was what Yan Yuan experienced every day, truly living up to his nickname "Robot".

Yan Yuan was the first to arrive at the training ground in the early morning. He repeatedly practiced the wing breakthrough moves that he had simulated in the system the night before on the empty field.

By the time Nagelsmann's car pulled into the training ground, Yan Yuan had already completed over a hundred cross-passing drills.

"This kid's insane, he's absolutely insane," Nagelsmann said to his assistant coach, looking at the training data on the monitor. "This kid's training in the past 48 hours is equivalent to someone else's week's worth."

Teaching assistant Cramer frowned: "Should we remind him to take a break?"

Nagelsmann shook his head: "Not for now. The competition is coming up soon, and I want to see how much he has improved recently. Suddenly changing his training frequency at this time would actually affect his performance. But we can increase the proportion of his recovery training."

On the training field, Yan Yuan once again broke through and delivered a precise cross.

The ball arced through the air and hit the training markers in the distance. He wiped his sweat and his gaze drifted involuntarily toward the main building. Nagelsmann's office window faced the training field.

Yan Yuan knew his idea was crazy.

At 17, having just joined a new team, he wants to start in the Champions League qualifiers? Most people wouldn't even dare to dream of that.

But he was no ordinary man; he longed to stand at Anfield and hear the cheers of the Liverpool fans for his performance.

No 17-year-old in the world who loves football can resist the possibility of playing in the Champions League.

"Take it one step at a time," Yan Yuan told himself. "First, tear Alford apart, then..."

He didn't finish speaking, but kicked the ball again, sending it whistling towards the far corner of the goal.