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

Hoffenheim training base.

"Alright, Yan, Frankie, you can take a break now," teaching assistant Kramer called out to the two of them.

Sweat streamed down Yan Yuan's face, dripping onto the grass.

He and De Jong had just finished their last practice session. The two walked side by side, and Yan Yuan was reminiscing about the tacit understanding in their last group scrimmage, with their runs and passes perfectly synchronized.

Suddenly, a cold notification tone rang in his mind without warning:

[Host's interaction with Frenkie de Jong has reached 100%. Skill unlocked: Space Decompression Master. Skill compatibility assessment: 83%]

A concise textual description followed, etched into Yan Yuan's consciousness: [Within a small, densely populated area, through precise footwork and feints, break free from entanglement, tear open narrow gaps, and create opportunities to advance. The core principles: ball control precision, balance, and instantaneous decision-making.]

Yan Yuan paused for a moment.

"What's wrong, Yan?" De Rong noticed his slight pause and turned his head to ask Yan Yuan.

"It's nothing," Yan Yuan quickly adjusted his expression, trying to force a relaxed smile, but fatigue made the smile look somewhat stiff.

"It's just... I'm too tired, my legs feel a bit heavy." He gently stomped his foot on the grass.

De Jong nodded knowingly, his deep blue eyes also showing signs of being completely drained.

"I understand. Cramer's aim today is to squeeze every last drop of blood out of us." He wiped the sweat from his eyes and took a deep breath.

"However, the teamwork felt great today, didn't it?"

"Of course, Frankie." Yan Yuan looked at De Rong, his eyes shining with an indescribable light, and said to him.

"Having you as a teammate is really great."

De Rong smiled and bumped fists with Yan Yuan.

As soon as the training session ended, Yan Yuan said he had something to do and declined his teammates' invitations to play games.

After returning to his dormitory, Yan Yuan immediately locked the door.

He didn't even bother to take off his mud-covered training clothes. He just wiped the sweat that was almost dried on his face with a towel, and without even untying his shoelaces, he collapsed heavily onto the sofa, his body trembling slightly from exhaustion.

With his eyes closed, Yan Yuan was perfectly conscious. He entered the system space and planned to try out this new skill from De Rong right now.

He stood near the center circle of the virtual turf.

The system prompted a direct shot in front of him: [Simulation Activation: High-density pressure environment, 3 defenders, Intensity: Mid-table Bundesliga]

The thought had barely crossed his mind when a flash of light appeared in front of him, and three expressionless, mechanically moving humanoid shadows instantly materialized, pouncing towards him in a triangular formation with a precise sense of oppression.

Yan Yuan's body tensed up instinctively, and he touched the virtual ball in front of him with the instep, trying to change direction with the simplest push.

The figure on the left took a large step to the side almost as soon as the ball left his foot, his long legs like a precisely calculated gate, and with a "snap," effortlessly blocked the ball.

"Tsk!" Yan Yuan frowned as he watched the ball on the ground being sucked away by the virtual arena and then re-formed in its original position.

The sensation of being blocked just now still seemed to linger on the instep.

He stared at the re-condensed ball of light, no longer in a hurry to move, forcing himself to recall the rhythmic details of De Jong's breakaways during training.

Is De Jong quick to start?

It wasn't very fast; in fact, they paused.

Yan Yuan tried to control the ball again and approach the area surrounded by shadows.

Just before the opponent stretched out his leg to intercept, Yan Yuan's body suddenly slumped to the left, the movement was slight, and his center of gravity shifted slightly.

Then push the ball to the right with the outside of your right foot.

The shadow in the middle, which was positioned to defend, was indeed slightly shifted by his feigned shoulder drop.

He followed up with his right foot, dribbling the ball and squeezing past the shadow as his body couldn't adjust in time.

Just as he squeezed past one person, the shadow of the defender on the left side blocked his path.

Yan Yuan failed once again.

The skill of a space decompression specialist is quite difficult to learn.

Yan Yuan stopped and started controlling the ball again in place, dribbling the ball in small circles, repeatedly studying the successful shoulder drop and feint pass he had just executed.

"When the opponent makes a mistake, you need to connect your body quickly, but you need to be able to stop when you touch the ball..." Yan Yuan muttered to himself, his right foot instinctively making different spiking and flicking motions in different directions, searching for that subtle feeling of tightness in his ankle when the ball leaves his foot.

He began to make targeted adjustments.

In one simulation, instead of moving forward immediately, he first used a small sideways flick with his left foot to attract the defender on the right to shift his center of gravity slightly. In that almost imperceptible instant, he used the outside of his right foot to very subtly flick the ball, which slid along the grass just behind the defender's supporting foot, while he took a small hop to get around it.

This time it was a success!

This time he broke free from the double-team and advanced two steps.

And so, the virtual turf beneath his feet resembled a giant green sandbox, densely covered with the transparent stud marks left by his repeated stomping, sudden stops, and turns.

Through his own exploration and the replays within the system, Yan Yuan had become quite familiar with the basics, but compared to De Jong, he still lacked some of the essence.

"This is...this is really difficult...De Jong's skills...are much harder than Amiri's," Yan Yuan said, leaning on his knees and panting heavily.

Indeed, although Amiri and De Jong are both midfielders, their skills are not the same type.

Amiri's midfield skills focus on vision, while De Jong's midfield skills focus on dribbling and advancing the ball.

Therefore, the difficulty of the two midfield skills is not even in the same league.

"I must find De Rong and ask him about this after tomorrow's training." After making his plans, Yan Yuan continued practicing.

……

The scene shifts to the tactical analysis room at the Kearney training ground, where all the players have gathered.

Professor Wenger stood in front of the tactics board. He wasn't wearing a suit jacket today, just a dark V-neck sweater, and his expression was more serious than usual.

Newcomers Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan sat in the front row, their eyes filled with the curiosity of newcomers and a hint of barely perceptible nervousness.

Ramsey, Xhaka, and Cech are all familiar faces.

Wenger didn't waste any words and immediately tapped the tactics board:

"Gentlemen, the meeting is in session. Time is short, so I'll get to the point."

He picked up a marker and drew a large number "6" behind the red magnet representing Arsenal, then drew a "4" next to it, connected them with a thick line, and labeled it "-6".

"We're currently sixth in the league." Wenger's voice wasn't loud, but every word resonated in the quiet room.

"We are six points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, and with thirteen rounds left in the league, our only goal is to finish in the top four and qualify for next season's Champions League. There are no other options."

He surveyed the room, his gaze sharp: "To achieve this goal, we must change immediately."

"First, tactics." Wenger quickly fiddled with the tiles on the tactics board.

"From today onwards, we will abandon the style of 'beautiful football.' That style of play is not efficient enough at this stage. We need to be pragmatic, with winning the game as our first priority and the overall performance as our second priority."

Wenger quickly adjusted the tile position and continued:

"On the defensive end, abandon the high defensive line, retreat the entire formation deep, and make the backfield like an iron barrel."

Then, the professor placed Xhaka and a magnet representing young players on the defensive midfield position and said to Xhaka.

"Xhaka, you need to take on more sweeping and interception. I'll use a three-man defense if necessary." He laid out Mustafi, Koscielny, and Chambers in a defensive formation.

"Increase coverage in the penalty area and protection of high balls. The core idea is to compress space and reduce mistakes. Our possession rate can be low, but our defense must be solid."

"On the attacking end," Wenger pointed to the newly arrived Aubameyang,

"Pierre (Aubameyang), you are our arrow, your speed is our greatest weapon, and the core of our tactics is to attack behind you."

He then pointed to the positions of Mkhitaryan and 272.

"Your task is to get the ball into his sprint path as quickly as possible. Keep it simple, direct, and fast. Use his speed to break through defenses one-on-one, and don't get bogged down in midfield."

"Next up are set pieces," Wenger emphasized.

"We need to strengthen both offense and defense. On the defensive end, we absolutely cannot afford to make any more basic mistakes that give away points! When marking a man, jumping, or clearing the ball, we must be 100% focused."

In attack, Mustafi or Kochesrny, your height is an advantage; create threats from corner kicks and free kicks.

After giving his tactical instructions, Wenger put down his marker, placed his hands on the edge of the podium, leaned forward slightly, and scanned each face with his gaze:

"I know many people are tired of hearing the phrase 'fighting for fourth place,' but this time it's different."

His voice suddenly rose, carrying an unprecedented sternness:

"This time, there's no turning back in the race for the top four. A top-four finish is the absolute minimum! It's a do-or-die situation! Failing to achieve that means failure! Utter failure!"

The meeting room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even Aubameyang, who usually had a relaxed expression, sat up straight.

"I only have two words for you: fight with all your might!" Professor Wenger's eyes were like knives.

"Every minute on the field, every confrontation, every run, we must give it our all."

His gaze lingered for a moment on the faces of star players like 272.

"Remember this: if certain star players don't perform up to par, they'll be on the bench, or even in the stands. I won't hesitate any longer; the team's interests come first!"

Wenger softened his tone slightly, but the pressure remained unabated.

"Wilshere," the professor said, looking at Wilshere.

"If you're physically fit, I need you to step up. The midfield needs your fighting spirit and your playmaking. This is your team; play like a key player!"

"Iwobi, Niles," he said, turning to the younger players, "your running and energy are crucial. If you lack technique, make up for it with running and tackling! The opportunity is right in front of you, seize it!"

Wenger concluded by emphasizing that

"From now on, our focus will be primarily on the league. Although our chances of advancing in the Europa League are good, we cannot rule out the worst-case scenario. In the next few rounds of the FA Cup, we will face strong opponents such as Manchester City, which will be even more stressful than the Europa League."

Therefore, compared to the two cup competitions, the league offers a better chance.

Upon hearing this, several soft gasps were heard from below.

"I know some people are unwilling to accept this," Wenger said firmly.

"But the reality is, we don't have the resources to compete on three fronts simultaneously. In the cup competitions, I will make significant rotations. My only goal is to ensure the health and fitness of our starting lineup in the league. I want you all to be at full strength for every Premier League match! No excuses!"

Wenger stood up straight, his eyes piercing:

"To summarize, solidify our defense, launch quick counter-attacks, and strengthen our set-piece offense and defense; don't push yourself too hard on the field, but have zero tolerance off the field; moderately strive for cup competitions, and go all out for a top-four finish. Understand?"

"Understood, Boss!" came a few scattered replies, some of them hesitant.

"Louder!" Wenger slammed his hand on the table. "Get your attention! Tell me, what's the target?!"

"Top four!!" This time the voices were much louder and more unified, filled with a surge of fighting spirit.

"Very good." Wenger nodded, his face still devoid of a smile. "Remember what I said, meeting adjourned!"

The players gradually got up and left the meeting room, the atmosphere heavy.

Wenger watched their retreating figures, his usual gentle expression gone.

He picked up the information about the next opponent from the conference table, his fingers turning slightly white from the force, probably due to the emotional outburst just now. He adjusted his glasses.

To secure a top-four finish and crucial summer signings, the professor has staked everything; this season is crucial to his coaching career.