Jurgen Has a Kind of Magic

"Faster! Faster! Even faster!"

"Pass! Anno! Watch the pass!"

"Marco! Faster! Yes, that's it!"

"Hey! Pierre... did you skip lunch? Want me to have the cafeteria send you a plate of pasta?"

On the training pitch at the Brackel training base, Klopp's voice had barely stopped for a second.

Chen Anno was honestly worried he might shout his throat raw.

The Bundesliga schedule was not as packed as the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, but their training was much heavier than it had been at Sao Paulo.

Today counted as Chen Anno's first full day of training after joining Borussia Dortmund.

He felt as if the workload was greater than three days combined back at Sao Paulo.

He had no idea whether all training in Europe was like this, or whether it was simply down to the head coach's different demands.

Out on the outdoor training pitch, Borussia Dortmund was running a 4v4+4 attacking and defensive transition drill.

According to Klopp's requirements, the players had to keep playing continuous one-touch passes, combine quick passing and movement, and rapidly penetrate through every attacking lane.

In short, everything had to embody one word: "fast"!

Just now, captain Kehl had told Chen Anno that this was Dortmund's core tactic: training high pressing and rapid attacking-defensive transitions.

"Good! Ten-minute break! Then we move on to the next drill!" Klopp shouted, holding a tactics board in his hand.

"Huff... huff..."

Chen Anno gasped heavily for breath and dropped onto the grass.

"Anno, how does it feel?"

Klopp walked over and sat down beside Chen Anno.

"Hoo..." Chen Anno tried to steady his breathing, then smiled at Klopp. "I'm all right, sir. I can keep going."

"Heh..." Klopp laughed as well and reached out to pat Chen Anno on the shoulder. "Of course I believe you can keep going!"

"Anno, I need to talk with you for a moment." Sitting on the ground, Klopp rested both hands on his knees and turned to look at Chen Anno.

"Sir, please go ahead."

Chen Anno suddenly pinched the corner of his shirt. A slight unease crept into his heart; he did not know whether his performance today had dissatisfied the head coach.

"Don't be nervous, Anno. It's a perfectly normal conversation."

"You may have developed this habit in Brazil. After receiving the ball, you always like to take a touch and carry it a little. That's how most Brazilian players are used to playing. Of course, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with your dribbling. In official matches, once we run into a stubborn low block, we'll definitely need a dribbling expert like you to use your dribbling to tear open the opponent's defense. But Anno, most of the time, we need to get the ball moving with passes. Only by passing constantly, passing quickly, can we give our opponents no time to think or set up their defense. Do you understand what I mean? No matter how strong an individual's ability is, no matter how fast an individual's speed is, you can never be faster than the speed of the ball rolling. Football is a team sport. It emphasizes coordination and cooperation within the team, and it also emphasizes the overall tactical operation. When we attack, we should try to make the ball at our feet move, using quick passing and running to do everything we can to send the ball into the opponent's goal. That requires the cooperation of every player on the pitch."

As Klopp spoke, he gestured with his hands. Worried that Chen Anno might not understand, he also drew on the tactics board in his hands and explained as he went.

Chen Anno was not only extraordinarily talented; his understanding of tactics was also very thorough. He understood what Klopp meant.

After thinking it over seriously, Chen Anno nodded. "I understand, sir. I'll do everything I can to meet your demands."

"Very good!" Klopp stood up. "Anno, I believe in your ability!"

Chen Anno kept turning over what Klopp had just said in his mind, and he gradually began to understand Dortmund's tactical philosophy.

To be honest, it gave him a deeper understanding of the football cultures of South America and Europe.

If, on the stage of the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, players were more free-spirited and preferred to rely more on individual ability to play, then European football placed more emphasis on cooperation between the team.

Whether in matches or in training, that point was clear.

"Hey! Anno, what are you thinking about?" Captain Kehl walked over. "Heh... what did Jurgen say to you just now?"

Kehl plopped down beside Chen Anno. "Jurgen is an outstanding coach, especially for young players. His understanding of football can help you grow quickly."

"Yes, captain." Chen Anno nodded in agreement. "And there's a kind of magic about Jurgen. He always makes me think deeply about what he says without even realizing it. He lets me learn so much."

"Haha..." Kehl reached out and put an arm around Chen Anno's shoulders. "You're right. All of us think the same way. Everyone believes that under his leadership, we can stay together forever and win every honor there is."

"Anno, you're a genius! No one can deny that. Everyone sees your performances. Believe me, it won't be long before you're fighting alongside us, defeating every enemy that stands in our way!"

Listening to Kehl's words, Chen Anno clenched his fists and took a deep breath.

The scent of grass from the pitch rushed into his nose. He felt his entire body fill with strength, as if the fatigue from the high-intensity running earlier had been washed clean away.

"All right, lads! Break time's over!"

Klopp's voice rang out again. On the training pitch, the four mini goals from before had already been cleared away.

"Next, we need to drill live attacking scenarios. The focus of training is combining the wings and the middle, and finishing in front of goal!"

"Groups of three plus a goalkeeper. Fast attacking and defensive transitions. One group attacks until they get a shot off, then one player rotates each time!"

After assistant coach Zeljko Buvac finished dividing them into groups, Chen Anno stood behind the goal as the second rotation substitute.

Marco Reus quickly dribbled toward the goal ahead. Henrikh Mkhitaryan came to support him, then passed to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

They were all one-touch passes, precise and quick, and not a single defender managed to intercept the ball.

In the end, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang got the shot away.

Then Piszczek, behind the goal, nudged the ball at his feet forward. Attack and defense switched!

The three who had been attacking became the defending side.

"Faster! Pick up the pace!" Klopp's voice rang out again.

After Jakub Blaszczykowski took his shot, Chen Anno likewise pushed the ball into the field. Marco Reus came off, replaced by Chen Anno, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

When Chen Anno met a defender, he knocked the ball to Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who then gave it to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sent in a high ball. Chen Anno first nodded it with his head, preparing to force his way past Jakub Blaszczykowski, but Jakub Blaszczykowski stayed tight to him.

Just when everyone thought Chen Anno was about to slow down, he suddenly stepped forward with his left foot, blocking Jakub Blaszczykowski off on his left side, then swiftly flicked his right heel.

The ball flew from behind the two of them, landing precisely in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's path.

This time, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did not waste Chen Anno's brilliant pass. He met the incoming ball with a header, and the ball hit the net!

"Woo...!!"

Gasps of surprise instantly rang out from his teammates on the scene!

Clap, clap, clap...

Klopp could not help but applaud him as well.

"Beautifully done, Anno!"

"Lads, don't stop! Come on, get the tempo up!!"

"Pass! Quickly!"

And so, one player was replaced after every attacking sequence, which meant everyone had to take part in two attacking and defensive transitions.

On the training pitch, Klopp's voice, the players' panting, and their sweat scattered across the grass of the Brackel base under the sunlight.