Hoffenheim's fans did not leave in anger.
Their eyes burned with passion as they loyally used their club anthem to encourage the players:
"We come from the countryside, we have nothing~"
"We are incredibly strong, we worship freedom~"
"We are Hoffenheim! Taste our football~"
The stirring melody embodied the unyielding spirit of a small-town club.
Gustavo was deeply moved. If he had not joined Bayern Munich back then and had remained at Hoffenheim, what would his life have been like? Shaking himself from his thoughts, the Brazilian could not help pulling the nineteen-year-old Arnold beside him aside to tell him about Hoffenheim's history.
Arnold said he had heard enough and turned to thank the Wolfsburg fans who had traveled with the team.
The Wolfsburg crown prince suddenly asked curiously, "Why did Hoffenheim become so aggressive as the match went on?"
After pondering for a moment, the older players gave all kinds of answers related to tactical adjustments.
In the end, Bendtner said, "Their head coach got anxious. For lower and mid-table clubs in the top five leagues, some older coaches just don't have the right mentality for matches."
No one took it seriously.
But Li Luo felt that Bendtner's words made some sense.
Why would a team built around a deep defensive block counter-press on the spot in the final third instead of quickly dropping back into shape?
The answer might not have been that complicated.
The head coach was simply "running an experiment." ...
De Bruyne suddenly stepped forward, his expression serious. "In the upcoming Europa League match, we'll be facing an even stronger Everton."
The Belgian midfielder had a strong desire to win and could sometimes get anxious.
He was not a bad person; he just occasionally failed to realize that he was putting pressure on his teammates.
Bendtner wore a complicated expression and said nothing.
The two "Premier League castoffs" both wanted to prove themselves against a Premier League side.
Gradually.
As the Wolfsburg fans in the away stand left, everyone returned to the locker room.
Li Luo walked at the very back of the group, watching the lights of Neckar Arena gradually dim.
[Would you like to spend 100,000 Shock Value to exchange for a Bundesliga Stars Blind Box?] [Exchanging...]
Rumble!
A massive card suddenly rose before him!
A figure slowly emerged from within the card.
Every box opening was a little nerve-racking and exciting.
What would it be this time?
Li Luo felt that drawing another one of Müller's abilities would not be bad either, such as linking up shooting movements.
Or perhaps the ability of "Leverkusen midfield core—Çalhanoğlu"... He had accidentally recalled one of his dribbling escape tutorial videos during tonight's match, and it had actually worked.
Come on.
Müller.
Or Çalhanoğlu.
[The Blind Box is opening...] [A proud figure stands tall, one foot on the ball, raising a finger...] [The East German midfield engine that ran as steadily as a machine.] [Germany's missile delivery man.] [The art of speaking: Don't lose because of how you express yourself.]
[Congratulations, you have obtained: Kroos' "Front-Facing Reception Escape" module.] [A top-tier static dueling concept that allows escape without relying on ball control attributes.] [A static technique centered not on flashy tricks, but on physical balance, shifts in center of gravity, and Spatial Awareness.] [The simplest and most efficient static escape method—easy on the body, calm and unhurried.]
What?
The back of Li Luo's head tingled slightly.
Countless scenes flashed through his mind: dozens of front-facing, under-pressure situations from different match scenarios, along with eleven effortless ways to escape.
A high, high, high... high-end version of Çalhanoğlu?
"Another module that can be combined with Spatial Awareness!"
"This escape philosophy... is far too useful for midfielders."
"Why does Kroos' shirt color keep changing inside the card? Leverkusen one moment, Bayern Munich the next, then the Germany National Football Team?"
Post-match press conference.
Hecking looked calm as he quietly accepted the media's praise.
Secretly delighted inside.
His tone remained composed:
"Li's two goals were crucial. He is on the road to conquering the Bundesliga."
"However."
"What surprised me even more... was how cleverly he dismantled Hoffenheim's counter-pressing tactics."
"As long as he is on the pitch, Wolfsburg becomes extremely fluid."
"Mm, mm... I can't say it's all my credit, but I did put a lot of thought into it: making Li and De Bruyne the twin cores of the midfield."
A few minutes later.
Marcus appeared in the press hall.
His face was ashen.
"The coaching staff was not adequately prepared, and some players were not in the right condition on the pitch."
"We played very well in the closing stages."
"I do not wish to make any comments about China's Li."
"Yes, he is a genius."
"The entire world is already familiar with his style. For most of the match, he adjusted his body orientation like a Premier League midfielder and passed and received like a Spanish midfielder... Combining those two approaches brings many advantages, but I believe that against a better all-around midfielder, his bad habits will be exposed."
"Li relies too heavily on one-touch play. In midfield, he does not possess top-tier front-facing static ball-handling ability!"
"Against stronger opponents, he will disappear and offer no help to the team at all."
A moment later.
Li Luo finished showering in the locker room, changed into sportswear, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and left with his teammates.
They passed through the mixed zone.
Bundesliga reporters had been waiting for a long time.
"Li! Wait!"
"You scored two wonderful goals tonight and were named Man of the Match by the Bundesliga. Is there anything you'd like to say?"
The crowd pressing forward nearly bent the barrier into a convex shape.
The security personnel wore mild expressions and merely spread their arms symbolically.
After thinking for a moment, Li Luo said, "It's what I should do."
If he spoke this way, Shock Value should come faster in future matches, right?
A tall blonde reporter with big waves continued her questioning:
"In a few days, you will face the stronger Premier League powerhouse Everton in the Europa League."
"In a few months, you will lead the China National Team into the Asian Cup."
"In the first season of your professional career, will these daunting challenges become a source of pressure for you?"
Stronger?
Lead the China National Team into the Asian Cup?
Those were good things!
Li Luo smiled, his thoughts drifting away. Everton were very strong overall, and the teams the China National Team would face in the Asian Cup... were relatively strong as well. When the time came... if he performed a little better, how much Shock Value could he gain?
Perhaps the Star Player Blind Boxes exchangeable through the Europa League and Asian Cup... would have a wider range!
Many outstanding players had competed in the Europa League.
International football history was certainly not lacking in legendary stars.
"I like challenges like this."
Clap clap clap!
Thunderous applause erupted and continued for a long time.
Camera flashes flickered.
Bundesliga reporters scribbled furiously: The smiling Chinese genius grew more excited the stronger his opponent was.
One news item after another climbed China's trending charts.
<The pride of Chinese football: Eighteen-year-old Li Luo scores twice in the Bundesliga!>
<Ghostly movement, elite instincts—the shadow striker form of genius Li Luo.>
<A stunning diving header—the flying Chinese man, Li Luo.>
<In-depth breakdown: How midfield-form Li Luo countered Hoffenheim's tactical adjustments.>
Good morning, Chinese genius Li Luo.
<Matthäus: Li's grasp of the right moment to burst forward is very similar to mine when I was young.>
<Korean media: Li Luo will suffer a heavy blow at the Asian Cup.>
<China National Football Team head coach: It will be difficult for us to fit Li Luo's style as perfectly as the Wolfsburg system does. Other China National Football Team players may struggle to ensure stable passing and receiving, which will dilute Li Luo's strategic impact. The China National Team will design the most suitable tactical system around Li Luo!>
The number of comments, likes, and reposts kept rising.
Video compilations of Li Luo's "ghostly poaching" and "diving headers" swept across the internet.
-[I'm moved. A Chinese player scored twice in a single match in one of the top five leagues.]
-[When I used to see similar clips from other stars, I'd at most say they were awesome. But seeing Li Luo put in this kind of performance in one of the top five leagues... makes me both moved and happy.]
-[So strange—Matthäus actually praises young players too? I remember him always criticizing everyone. Looking through old videos, the feeling of the two of them surging forward from midfield... is a little similar.]
-[He is so talented. I feel that Li Luo is gradually adapting to the Bundesliga, and he will slowly display his real strength and true level.]
-[Yeah, I guess Wolfsburg's coaching staff is afraid Li Luo will get injured and doesn't want him getting kicked all over the pitch like Neymar. That's why he has been given the tactical role of a midfield commander.]
-[What is the China National Football Team coach talking about? Won't having Li Luo at the Asian Cup be great? What does he mean? The other China National Football Team players can't work with him? How could they not?]
-[Think about the Chinese Super League. What kind of foreign players work best there?]
-[I get it. One style at club level and another with the national team. For example, super genius Alaba played as a fullback at Bayern Munich, then returned to Austria to play as an attacking midfielder.]
-[Li Luo, keep it up!]
The next morning.
Wolfsburg gave all the players a day off.
Hecking was mainly concerned about the consecutive away trips and worried that the players' bodies would not be able to take it.
Li Luo quietly trained in the courtyard at home.
Smack.
Front-facing, he retreated to receive the ball.
Smack.
Front-facing, he ran toward the ball and controlled it in the opposite direction.
Smack.
Front-facing, he took a large step and dipped his shoulder to sell the feint, receiving the ball with one foot and stopping it with the other.
"Too simple."
"It really relies very, very little on ball control attributes."
"For ordinary people, the key is to observe in advance, calculate the distance from the opposing player, then choose different ways to deal with the ball."
However, Li Luo possessed the Spatial Awareness module.
Kroos' front-facing escape fit him perfectly and could even conceal Li Luo's weaknesses.
Even more frighteningly.
Li Luo understood that as his ball control attributes improved, his front-facing static ability would keep improving as well.
He had trained for only a little over two hours.
Before Tom arrived and stopped him.
Tom was educated too, having graduated from Loughborough University's sports program.
"Li, we're playing in the Europa League in two days. Your training intensity can't be too high!"
"Don't do resistance training either."
"Let's watch some footage together."
Li Luo took the dry towel and wiped away his sweat. "Everton's footage? I've watched it."
"No, not Everton's footage—Bolt's Australian A-League trial footage!"
Bolt was a legendary Jamaican track sprinter, famous around the world for the 100-meter dash.
The pinnacle of human sprinting.
A moment later.
After showering, Li Luo walked into the living room and sat on the sofa with Tom to watch Bolt's trial footage.
"It'll definitely help you."
"Many players developed through Premier League youth academies have Bolt's sprinting habits."
On the large screen.
Bolt's speed... simply could not be fully unleashed.
Football was not a 200-meter acceleration race.
It required constant changes of direction and repeated runs back and forth according to the situation on the pitch.
"I noticed that."
"After Bolt finishes sprinting, he needs to take so many steps just to slow down."
"Li, Premier League youth academies have gradually begun paying attention to this issue this season."
Li Luo picked up his phone.
<Who Says Speed Can't Be Improved Later in Life? Giroud Shares His Secret: Speed Training Method.>
Tom added seriously, "Many players who come up through Premier League youth academies have this flaw. Southampton is an exception. French youth academies have a clear advantage in this area—they've produced several young speedsters in batches."
"The boss told me to remind you to take this seriously. This is your only weakness."
What?
The Manchester United Crown Prince had a weakness too?
Li Luo realized that the study materials he had collected really were useful.
The Giroud Speed Training Method provided a detailed analysis of sprinting posture under different match situations, down to the differences in which part of the foot touched the ground.
His Speed attribute in the system panel was 86.
He had never been slow to begin with.
As long as he gradually learned the most advanced training methods, he would be able to fully unleash his speed.
Of course.
Li Luo did not deny Bolt's ability. In a counterattack without the ball, Bolt's straight-line sprinting speed was the pinnacle of humanity.
Another two hours passed.
He discovered that Giroud's instructional videos devoted very little time to explaining speed.
Most of the content was about how to protect one's body.
The teaching material should have been renamed <Giroud Teaches You How to Protect Your Body: How to Sprint Without Getting Injured>.
"Enough watching."
"Time to write my diary."
He returned to his bedroom, shut the door, opened his notebook, and began summarizing.
"Hoffenheim's tactical adjustments, crossed out."
"In the second round of the Bundesliga, I learned how to deal with teams that set up in a low block. My stamina distribution during matches has also become more reasonable. Words can't describe how much my match experience has improved. Crossed out."
"Firmino is an excellent player, but I don't need to spend too much time thinking about how to contain him. I need to put more energy into helping the team relieve pressure and launch attacks. Football isn't boxing. Crossed out."
"Kroos's body feint to escape pressure, huge improvement."
"In a few days, the Europa League group-stage opponent, Everton, will be very strong. Wolfsburg may be at a disadvantage on the away trip."
"In the upcoming matches, I need to pay attention to the issue of speed."
He closed the notebook.
Li Luo stood up and left the desk, then flopped onto the bed.
Before he knew it, he had drifted into sleep.
He dreamed that Everton was the final boss of the beginner village, grinding Wolfsburg into the ground and ultimately crushing the armor-stripped Wolfsburg 4–1.
Great Britain, Merseyside.
Everton's training base.
The football moved swiftly between blue shirts.
Head coach Martínez stood quietly by the pitch, making notes in a small notebook.
He was Spanish. Last season, he had led Everton to fifth place in the Premier League, and his ability was not to be underestimated.
"Competing on multiple fronts is truly troublesome."
"As the schedule progresses, the team will gradually suffer more and more injuries. Our bench depth is far behind that of the other Premier League teams."
The assistant coach consoled him. "Don't worry. It's only the beginning of the season."
Martínez put away his notebook and said evenly, "Then we must beat Wolfsburg at home."
Most of Everton's key players were currently healthy.
A fully fit fifth-place Premier League side was practically a powerhouse in the Europa League.
Before you continue