The Famous Coach Hecking's False Nine Formation?

In mid-September, before the morning mist had fully cleared from Lower Saxony, the Elbe River had already awakened. Its waters wound through the reeds, wrapped in pale golden dawn light, while dew-laden willow branches hung along the banks, trembling softly as if complaining about the autumn wind's chill.

"Oh! The hillside blooming with marigolds is scattered with clouds."

"Those aren't clouds. They're sheep."

"Li, you really have no sense of romance..."

"To be precise, they're Heidschnucke sheep. Tom told me last time. He said they were introduced from England, but the Volkswagen Group people believe they're an ancient native German breed."

"Thanks, Li. I'll remember that. Next time, I'll share this with a girl I like. She'll definitely think I'm very knowledgeable."

On the plane.

Malanda and Li Luo were seated beside each other, chatting idly.

De Bruyne couldn't get a word in. He was eager to talk about the match, yet these two always managed to drag the conversation off-topic.

Captain Benaglio felt that something was missing. He looked around, then asked in puzzlement, "Where's Bendtner?"

The assistant coach yawned, still bleary-eyed. "He went to the red-light district yesterday and got arrested. Don't worry, the club will send someone to bail him out."

"Isn't Liverpool's red-light district legal?"

"Yeah. He got drunk and peed on someone else's car door..."

"Alright."

Benaglio's tone was somewhat melancholy. The club had entered a period of fighting on multiple fronts, and in two days they would face Bundesliga powerhouse Leverkusen... Yet with the squad already fatigued, they had lost a target man to an arrest.

During this summer transfer window, Wolfsburg had desperately wanted to buy a reliable center forward:

They first made an offer to Real Madrid for Morata... but failed to reach an agreement, and the talented striker was taken by Juventus;

Then they tried to buy back Mandžukić from Bayern Munich, but the Croatian chose Atlético Madrid;

They then turned their attention to Balotelli, only for his agent to look down on them, and the Italian star striker went to Liverpool;

In the end, Wolfsburg could only settle for second best and bring in Arsenal's emperor—Bendtner.

Among the five major leagues, mid-table clubs were far less appealing to players than elite giants.

Hecking began to feel anxious again.

Since taking over Wolfsburg, he had often spoken to his friends about his anxiety, and then his family and friends had leaked the matter to the media.

"Bendtner's been arrested. He may not get out anytime soon."

"Dost... that guy doesn't like setting Li up in training."

"Olic is injured again."

The assistant coach suggested, "Boss, we could play without a striker and let Li... play like Fabregas or David Silva."

"No."

Hecking hesitated. "Then again, maybe it's not impossible."

The assistant coach was eager to try. "Matthäus and Beckenbauer were on the media again last night, saying, 'Li is a lot like me when I was young.' Both of them played up front when they were young too!"

"They say things like that whenever they come across a young talent..."

The plane passed through the thick clouds and slowly descended at the airport.

Wolfsburg's local supporters had been waiting for a long time.

They excitedly welcomed home the Europa League heroes.

They had crushed Everton. Next, they would crush Inter Milan, then crush them again at home in the second leg, and their hopes of advancing would be secure.

As for Russian Premier League powerhouse Dynamo Moscow?

When the time came, even Europe's top giants might not be able to conquer that devilish stadium amid the ice and snow.

"Li!!!"

"De Bruyne!!!"

"Heroes!!!"

Looking at the crowds on both sides of the security line, their smiling faces, and the swaying posters, the Wolfsburg players felt fulfilled. Their value had been recognized.

Beep, beep, beep.

Li Luo noticed that his phone was ringing.

He unlocked the screen and saw a message from Lauren. It roughly read: "The Sun says you gave a little girl your match-worn shirt at Everton. I want one too."

He ignored it.

One should have a proper understanding of taking the initiative with the opposite sex.

<Neymar: You have to stay disciplined. After joining Barcelona, I broke up with three Brazilian girls.>

Beep, beep, beep.

His phone rang again. Lauren had sent him a sexy photo of herself wearing Wolfsburg's number 10 shirt. It looked like she wasn't wearing any pants.

Li Luo hesitated briefly before typing a reply: "Find some time to come watch a match in person next time. I'll give you a match-worn shirt."

When he had joined Wolfsburg on loan, he had inherited the number 10 shirt, which had originally belonged to his teammate, Hunt.

Hunt was a good person and was currently recovering from an injury. He did not care much about the number, and would occasionally send Li Luo messages congratulating him on an assist or a goal.

The club had just returned from an away trip. Worried that the players would not be able to handle the physical strain, Hecking waved his hand and gave everyone a day off.

Li Luo returned home.

He found Tom directing workers as they removed the turf.

"The weather's getting colder and colder. We need to gradually replace it with seasonal turf to keep you from getting injured."

After saying that, he handed over an unopened phone box. "A Chinese phone brand wants to work with you. They sent over a phone for you to try."

"Alright."

Li Luo could not experience the effects of the two new modules during training, so he returned to his room and began watching footage of Leverkusen, Wolfsburg's opponent in the next Bundesliga round.

Leverkusen were a very strong side in the Bundesliga and had UEFA Champions League football to play.

"Why isn't their midfield core, Çalhanoğlu, as strong as he was in the tutorial videos?"

"He goes down the moment he gets touched in the middle."

"Why is his passing success rate so low? Zero successful dribbles? His number of times losing possession is also the highest on the pitch?"

"Under high pressure..."

"Why is he about as good as me?"

North Rhine, Leverkusen training base.

Footage of Wolfsburg's matches played on the screen in the meeting room.

"Why is he about as good as me?"

Çalhanoğlu spoke gravely. "Li and I are both talented midfielders of the new generation."

His teammates showed no reaction, as if they had long since grown used to his arrogant remarks.

Kießling, nicknamed the "Heading Monster," wore an equally serious expression. "Li's heading ability seems to be just a little stronger than mine."

Leverkusen and Wolfsburg's head-to-head record often produced high-scoring matches. Once the two teams went crazy, neither cared about defending, attacking with reckless abandon.

The assistant coach reassured them, "Don't worry. They've just played in the Europa League and have very little time to rest. They'll definitely be exhausted."

"What about Son?"

"Son was dragged off by his father for extra training."

At a small training ground near Leverkusen's base.

The young South Korean player, Son Heung-min, was being relentlessly pushed by Old Son from South Korea.

"Nine hundred and ninety-six, switch to your left foot."

"Nine hundred and ninety-seven, switch to your right foot!"

"..."

"One thousand. Rest."

The Leverkusen forward lay painfully on the turf.

His father, Son Woong-jung, picked up a South Korean newspaper he had been sitting on and said with a stern face, "Your performance in the next Bundesliga match must be as eye-catching as China's Li! Football fans across all of South Korea are watching you with expectant eyes! That is a source of encouragement!"

Son Heung-min did not quite understand the mindset of the South Korean public.

He had entered Germany's youth training system at a very young age.

"Dad, all the football fans in South Korea... might not even number as many as the fans in a single Chinese city? The encouragement Li receives should be even greater, right?"

"Ah, fuck! Stop talking nonsense. Get up and practice another thousand times!"