Wow, What a Cool Kick!

"Frankfurt lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with two Japanese players in the starting eleven: Takashi Inui and Makoto Hasebe."

"I hope that, in the future, many Chinese players will also be able to make their way to Europe's top five leagues, establish themselves, and earn starting spots."

Beep!

With the referee's whistle, the match officially began.

Wolfsburg had possession.

Bendtner kicked off and passed the ball back.

Frankfurt's attacking players charged excitedly past the halfway line, launching a frenzied high press.

The ball rolled swiftly across the grass.

Wolfsburg's passing at the back was steady, and they made no mistakes despite the opposition's pressure up front.

On the sidelines, Hecking looked utterly composed, his arms folded across his chest.

Last night, he had watched a local cartoon with his son, East German Youngster Breaks into the Bundesliga. The cartoon claimed that Wolfsburg played some kind of wolf-pack tactic—fierce, relentlessly attacking, charging headlong into battle against their enemies.

Fake.

A lie.

In the real world, Wolfsburg had so many attacks in the highlights because De Bruyne and his teammates ensured the quality of their transitions.

To put it simply: Wolfsburg's tactical system in this era had put all its attribute points into defense. They were not savage hungry wolves baring razor-sharp fangs, but well-fed fat wolves with clear, innocent eyes.

After Tuchel cracked their flexible "bully the weak, fear the strong" system last season, Hecking had reflected deeply and worked constantly to refine the setup, making Wolfsburg more cautious and more solid.

The chubby wolf had put on metal armor, armed to the teeth.

Starting with Maxed-Out Defense: Bayern Munich Can Only Beat Me by One Goal in the Bundesliga Opener.

On the other side, Frankfurt's manager, Thomas Schaaf, remained calm.

He was no unknown figure.

In 2004, while managing Werder Bremen, he had achieved the double of winning the Bundesliga and the German Cup.

He had studied under Rehhagel.

Rehhagel's story was more dramatic than any film.

As his third disciple, Thomas Schaaf... had absorbed Rehhagel's football philosophy from the 1980s: give everything, apply relentless pressure to the opponent, and once possession was won, attack madly at all costs.

In the CCTV-5 broadcast booth, the commentator and Coach Zhang were both puzzled. Why did Wolfsburg look far smoother under a high press than even Van Gaal's Manchester United?

Even comparing the opponents' strength, Frankfurt were more "crazy" than Swansea City.

"Something's off."

"Look, Wolfsburg are very good at withstanding pressure, but their ideas when playing out from the back are too one-dimensional."

"I get it now. Frankfurt's manager really knows what he's doing. Their front-line press is extremely targeted—they're mainly focusing on Guilavogui."

"The reason Guilavogui couldn't make it at Atlético Madrid wasn't his physical ability or his technique. It was that he was too conservative mentally. Whenever he dealt with the ball, he always liked to choose the safest route: passing it back to the ball-playing center-backs. That made the whole team's transition attack too predictable."

"There's nothing wrong with finding the ball-playing center-backs, but now the opponent has targeted that. They need to change their approach."

Comments:

-[What are they babbling about?]

-[Frankfurt's manager, Schaaf, is the third disciple of Saint Rehhagel? No wonder he's so damn good—slowly picking apart the fat wolf's armor.]

-[It's mainly Guilavogui. The moment he gets the ball, even an idiot knows he'll pass back to Knoche or Naldo... and let Wolfsburg's two center-backs hit long balls.]

-[Schaaf's goal isn't to break through their defense. He wants to exploit the flaw in Wolfsburg's buildup phase. Once he catches it, he'll strike hard. For example: force that fat wolf onto a single narrow path home after school, then block that path and beat it senseless.]

-[What do they do?]

-[Try their luck and see whether Wolfsburg's players can suddenly explode.]

On the pitch, Wolfsburg's buildup from the back was forced back by Frankfurt again. Gustavo, with his wealth of experience, won possession back.

The camera occasionally cut to the halfway line.

Frankfurt had pushed forward in force.

Bendtner and Li Luo prowled the space between the opponent's lines.

Frankfurt midfielder Makoto Hasebe stuck to Li Luo like glue.

Slowly muttering trash talk.

Li Luo could not understand him. Looking at the Japanese player's serious expression, he guessed it was some cringeworthy line from a hot-blooded manga.

The Spatial Awareness module in his mind spun furiously.

"Everything is under control?"

The match reached the 12th minute.

Wolfsburg's back line finally sent out an exquisite long ball.

"This is the trend of the times. A center-back with good passing ability can solve so many problems."

"The camera follows the path of the ball."

"Haha, Bendtner is over 1.9 meters tall. His physical advantage is too obvious! He wins the aerial duel and flicks it on with a header!"

Smack.

The falling ball struck Wolfsburg's target man on the head.

It deflected and bounced backward.

Li Luo had moved right into the spot where it would land.

Frankfurt's defensive line was jolted: This kid's vision and anticipation of the ball's path were too strong, weren't they? His timing to accelerate off that adjustment step was practically perfect—he had easily shaken off Makoto Hasebe!

At the sidelines, Frankfurt manager Schaaf remained calm: This kid's brain was faster than everyone else's. Fortunately, we had made specific preparations before the match.

Frankfurt center-back Zambrano reacted quickly.

He charged forward aggressively.

He tried to prevent Li Luo, who had turned sideways to receive the ball, from linking into his next dribbling move.

Then something unexpected happened!

Smack!

The Chinese teenager's instep did not linger on the ball.

They touched lightly, then separated.

Like a dragonfly skimming the water.

The ball flew toward the vulnerable area on the right side of Frankfurt's defensive line.

Zambrano stared blankly.

Hecking's mouth fell open in surprise.

Schaaf looked stunned.

"What?"

"One-Touch Passing!!!"

"An antelope hanging its horns!!!"

"Wow! That was so elegant!!!"

"Look at his posture when he struck the ball, that movement... so cool!"

"The whole world thought he would control it, dribble past his marker, and break through Frankfurt's defense."

"Who would've thought..."

"Vision! Li Luo's one-touch pass seized upon the weakest, weakest side of Frankfurt's defense."

"The perfect combination of Spatial Awareness and One-Touch Passing caught the opponent completely off guard."

"World-class from the neck up!"

"This breathtakingly talented Chinese teenager—his talent and gifts are practically overflowing!"

The close-up camera followed the ball's trajectory.

De Bruyne came into view.

As he ran, he struggled to suppress the shock in his heart:

"That was on another level."

"Under pressure in the Bundesliga, Li managed to use one touch to precisely pierce the weak side of their defense."

"No."

"There's something wrong with the weight and line of the pass... he put too much lead on it, Li..."

"I get it, Li did it on purpose!"

"He figured Frankfurt's defense could also anticipate that route, so he deliberately made the pass less consistent! His pass even took into account the opposing defenders' turning speed and recovery speed..."

"A master!"

Amid the cheers of the Volkswagen Arena.

De Bruyne struggled to bring the fluttering ball under control on the wing.

Then he knocked it forward.

Raised his arm and swung his leg.

Smack.

The ball traced a rainbow-like arc through the air.

It dropped straight toward the edge of Frankfurt's penalty area.

Wolfsburg's forwards had already surged up fiercely.

The six-foot-three Bendtner brutally barged Frankfurt's center-back aside.

He swung his leg at the ball in midair.

Bang!

The ball fluttered into the stands.

Thunderous applause erupted throughout the stadium, and tens of thousands of eyes focused on the Chinese teenager.

The LED screens overhead replayed the attack.

Li Luo took a quick preparatory step, burst past Makoto Hasebe, accurately judged the ball's landing point, precisely anticipated the opposing center-back's defensive tendency, and with one-touch passing, tore apart Frankfurt's defense.

The Volkswagen Arena once again erupted in screams and cheers.

[Shock Value +1]

[Shock Value +1]

[Shock Value +1]

[...]

Bendtner gave De Bruyne a thumbs-up.

De Bruyne raised a thumb toward Li Luo.

Li Luo applauded his teammates as well.

The Spatial Awareness module had already grasped every piece of information about the opponent's movements.

The model it constructed was very simple.

Li Luo still did not understand many strategic matters, but right now, it felt like fighting a boss in a game—following the mechanics.

"When our teammates in the middle and back hold the ball, the opponents always disrupt our passing options. As long as we solve that problem, this match should be easy, right?"

In the VIP box.

The Volkswagen Group executives and Wolfsburg's higher-ups wore blissful expressions, their voices brimming with excitement:

"This elegant style of football."

"This midfield conductor's presence—linking up quickly, tearing open defenses with a single pass..."

"Combined with that face."

"And his identity as a Chinese player."

"The most perfect loan signing in Bundesliga history! The commercial value Li has brought us..."

In the CCTV-5 livestream.

Comments flew across the screen.

-[So handsome.]

-[My Luo is fucking awesome.]

-[That one-touch pass was insanely cool.]

-[I always thought Li Luo was the kind of genius midfielder who spins and spins to shake off defenders, then charges forward with consecutive dribbles, and finally slices open the defense with a surgical pass. I never expected his brain to be this smart too!]

-[Wolfsburg's problems are still severe. Hecking can't compare to Schaaf. Schaaf is a direct disciple of the Thunder Saint and made targeted adjustments... Even if Wolfsburg knows what's going on now, it'll be hard for them to break the deadlock on such short notice.]