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

On the morning of the match, Hoffenheim's team bus slowly drove into the dedicated passageway of the Rhein-Neckar Arena.

When Yan Yuan got out of the car behind his teammates, the security personnel were clearly taken aback.

He saw the young man in a training jacket, dressed neither like a player nor a staff member.

"Uh, sir, what are your identification documents?" The security guard stopped him.

Vogt put his arm around Yan Yuan's shoulder from behind: "Hey, this is our team's 'special observer,' the coach's precious apprentice."

He winked at the security guard. "You mean the one who scored four goals in the German Cup, remember?"

The security guard suddenly realized and smiled, letting him through: "Of course I remember! Good luck, young man!"

Yan Yuan's four goals were scored at Erfurt's home stadium, so the Hoffenheim home security guards didn't remember him very well.

However, I remembered it after being reminded.

Upon arriving in the locker room, while his teammates were busy changing their gear, Yan Yuan quietly took out a pen and notebook from his locker.

Gnabry tossed Yan Yuan a pack of chewing gum: "Hey, superstar, if you have time today, remember to write down the defensive habits of Liverpool's 19-year-old star, Arnold."

"Get lost, the coach told me to mark Robertson, Arnold, figure it out yourself." Yan Yuan laughed and cursed as he stuffed his chewing gum into his pocket.

Ute, who was wrapping his bandages, looked up when he heard this: "Then you'd better watch carefully, Yan. That guy's speed in chasing back is like he has an engine, although you're not slow either."

"Absolutely, I will observe carefully," Yan Yuan said, indicating that he was okay.

The locker room fell silent the moment Nagelsmann pushed open the door and entered.

The coach's gaze swept over everyone, lingering on Yan Yuan for half a second before walking over to him: "Kid, the observation seat is ready. It's on the right side of the podium. Remember to bring this; it'll give you a better view."

The assistant coach handed over a pair of professional tactical binoculars.

When Yan Yuan took it, Kramaric whistled and teased, "Wow, VIP treatment."

"You can shut up now, Kramaric," Nagelsmann stopped his teasing, then said to Yan Yuan.

"Yan, I want you to record the changes in Liverpool's defensive positioning every fifteen minutes. Remember, you're not an ordinary spectator, nor are you an ordinary player."

Then, Nagelsmann straightened Yan Yuan's collar again: "Watch carefully, learn well, kid."

"I understand, Coach, I understand perfectly." Yan Yuan nodded solemnly.

As Yan Yuan left the locker room and arrived at the stands, the commentator immediately recognized him.

"Look who's here! Yan Yuan, Hoffenheim's rising star from the first round of the German Cup! But he's not wearing a jersey today; he's found his place in the stands. Looks like Nagelsmann has given him a special mission tonight."

His partner laughed and said, "It's a very smart decision. Rather than rushing this kid onto the field, it's better to let him digest this kind of high-level game with a tactical perspective first. By the way, Hoffenheim's entire team is in excellent form tonight. Nagelsmann's rotation strategy has been successful."

When Yan Yuan found his seat, the surrounding fans immediately stirred.

A little boy wearing a Hoffenheim scarf timidly tugged at his sleeve: "You...you're that four-goal scorer from the German Cup?"

Yan Yuan squatted down to look the child in the eye: "It's me, little friend. Just call me Yan. Today, let's cheer for the team together."

"Yan! It really is you!" The middle-aged man in the back row excitedly pulled out his phone.

"Can we take a photo together? I've been following you since the friendly match!"

"Of course, sir."

After Yan Yuan cooperated with the photo taking, an elderly fan next to him suddenly handed him a bag of chocolates:

"Kid, have some candy. I've been watching football for thirty years, and that long-range shot of yours is the best debut goal I've ever seen. Believe me, you'll be a star."

"Thank you, sir," Yan Yuan said with a smile as he accepted the candy. "But today I'm here as a student." He waved the notebook in his hand.

The old man nodded knowingly: "Coach Nagelsmann never misjudges things. His decision to have you sit here has a deeper meaning than letting you play."

The match time is drawing near.

The stadium lights suddenly came on, and the players from both teams began to enter the field.

Yan Yuan adjusted the focus of his binoculars and drew a diagram of Liverpool's 4-3-3 formation in his notebook.

His position was directly opposite Liverpool's left flank defense, giving him a clear view of Robertson's every move.

"It's about to begin," he whispered to himself, his fingers unconsciously tracing the edge of the notebook.

Nagelsmann's final words of advice before the match echoed in my mind: "Remember, watch their first reaction when they are countered."

The stands erupted in deafening cheers as the players lined up, but Yan Yuan's attention was completely focused on the figure wearing the red number 26 jersey.

Liverpool's left-back, Robertson.

For Yan Yuan, tonight was not a night for him to watch the game as an ordinary spectator; tonight was another invisible training session for him.

As soon as the starting whistle blew, the commentator's voice came through the stadium loudspeakers: "Ladies and gentlemen, the first leg of this Champions League qualifier is about to begin!"

Liverpool will be missing Coutinho, Lallana, and Sturridge for this match, while Hoffenheim will be at full strength and in top form. The outcome of this game may surprise many!

His partner chimed in: "That's right, under Nagelsmann's tutelage, Hoffenheim's counter-attacking style is quite sharp."

But Liverpool's young players should not be underestimated. Just look at their squad: 19-year-old starlet Trent Alexander-Arnold started at right-back today.

Yan Yuan adjusted the focus of the tactical binoculars and laid the laptop out on his lap.

His position directly faces Liverpool's defense, allowing him to clearly see the central defensive pairing of Lovren and Klavan.

Less than three minutes into the performance, he noticed a detail.

Whenever Hoffenheim advances with the ball, Liverpool's full-backs Arnold and Robertson quickly move inside to form a three-man defense with the center-backs.

Meanwhile, the two wingers, Mane and Salah, dropped very deep, almost forming a five-man midfield.

Yan Yuan was taking notes quickly in his notebook as he read.

"Their defensive positioning was incredibly fast; Arnold and Klavan communicated very well when defending the flanks..."

His concentration while taking notes rivaled that of Nagelsmann's teaching assistant.

In the 12th minute, Gnabry made a beautiful change of direction on the left wing, directly bypassing Lovren.

In his haste, the latter tripped Gnabry, and the referee pointed to the penalty spot without hesitation!

The commentator's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"Penalty! Hoffenheim has a golden opportunity! Lovren's foul was blatant; Gnabry completely beat him!"

The Hoffenheim fans in the stands erupted in cheers, and Yan Yuan involuntarily stood up as well.

But when he saw Kramaric carrying the ball toward the penalty spot, his heart suddenly tightened.

Although Kramaric is the team's primary penalty taker, he hasn't been practicing penalties much in training lately.

Kramaric takes a run-up and shoots!

Liverpool goalkeeper Mignolet guessed the right direction and made a diving save to block the ball!

"Saved! Mignolet saved Liverpool! Kramaric's penalty was poor quality, the angle wasn't sharp enough!" the commentator exclaimed.

Nagelsmann, standing on the sidelines, suddenly kicked a water bottle away, his face turning ashen.

After the penalty was awarded, Liverpool quickly began to organize a counter-attack.

Yan Yuan had never seen the coach so irritable before, and quickly wrote it down in his notebook: After our penalty was saved, Liverpool's defense immediately pushed forward 10 meters, maintained a high-pressure style of play, and began to attack the flanks.

Hoffenheim's players were clearly affected by the missed penalty.

In the following games, passing errors increased, and even the usually composed captain Vogt made several misjudgments.

Yan Yuan bit the pen cap, watching his teammates become increasingly impatient on the field, while he couldn't help them at all. His heart ached as if it were being torn apart.

In the 35th minute, Hoffenheim committed a foul from 30 meters out, giving Liverpool a free kick.

No one expected that 19-year-old Arnold would stand in front of the ball.

The commentator's tone was tinged with surprise.

"Oh, young Arnold is taking the penalty? That kid does have a record of scoring directly in the youth team..."

Yan Yuan observed carefully again through the binoculars and noticed that Arnold's position was quite unusual.

Arnold's backward steps are two steps longer than those of regular players, and his approach run is also more skewed, showing that he has his own routine.

The whistle blew, Arnold began his run-up, and unleashed a bizarre, curved shot with the outside of his right foot!

The ball sailed over the wall and plummeted downwards, heading straight for the top right corner of the goal! Baumann dived with all his might, barely managing to touch the ball with his fingertips, but he couldn't stop it from going into the net!

1-0! Liverpool break the deadlock!!

"GOOOOOOAL! Arnold! The 19-year-old defender's first professional goal! What a spectacular free kick! Liverpool are in the lead away from home!" The commentator almost shouted himself hoarse.

Klopp jumped up like a child on the sidelines, rushed to the sidelines to hug each of the assistant coaches, and then punched the stands three times.

Nagelsmann, with a gloomy face, called Kramaric to the sidelines for a reprimand.

Yan Yuan saw Vogt pounding the turf after losing the ball, while Gnabry stood with his hands on his hips, panting heavily.

Hoffenheim's defense looked shaky, and the home fans in the stands fell silent instantly, with only the Liverpool fans who had come with the team chanting "You'll Never Walk Alone".

"This is troublesome," the old man next to him said worriedly. "We look completely stunned."

Yan Yuan forced himself to calm down and quickly jotted down notes in his notebook: "Liverpool's free-kick tactics: When Arnold takes the free kick, Henderson and Matip are lurking behind the wall, possibly preparing for a follow-up shot. Our goalkeeper Baumann is positioned slightly to the left, leaving a blind spot in defense of the upper right corner..."

For the remainder of the first half, Hoffenheim's players were clearly out of sorts.

Uth received a yellow card during a challenge, Gnabry was warned for complaining about the referee, and Nagelsmann kept yelling on the sidelines, but to little avail.

When the referee blew the halftime whistle, the score was 0-1.

Hoffenheim's players walked quickly toward the locker room with their heads down, while Liverpool's players chatted and laughed, and Arnold was celebrated by his teammates in turn.

At the end of the first half, Yan Yuan closed his notebook and found his palms were sweaty.

It turns out that watching a game is no easier than playing it, especially for someone like him who is a "professional" viewer.

His notes had filled three pages:

Liverpool's defensive strengths:

1. The full-backs tuck in extremely quickly, forming a three-man defense with the center-backs;

2. When defending the flanks, defensive midfielder Henderson will drop back to the center-back line;

3. When countered, Robertson's recovery route tends to favor the inside...

All in all, Yan Yuan has already recorded quite a few insights and experiences.

Watching his teammates leave dejectedly, Yan Yuan felt as if a stone was lodged in his heart.

He wished he could be on the field helping out, instead of just sitting in the stands recording.

As Nagelsmann walked into the players' tunnel, he glanced at Yan Yuan's spot and saw him taking notes, which brought him a slight sense of relief.

"The second half will be better, right, Yan?" The little boy in the front row turned his head, his eyes red.

Yan Yuan forced a smile and ruffled the little boy's hair: "Of course, Coach Nagelsmann's forte is midfield adjustments."

That being said, Yan Yuan knew in his heart that it would be no easy task to reverse the score against an experienced team like Liverpool.

Nagelsmann was the last to enter the players' tunnel, his back slightly hunched over than usual, a testament to the immense pressure of this match.