Little Note (Combined)

As time passed.

Tuchel's little notes gradually began to work their magic.

Mainz's positional attacks gradually grew more threatening.

The Rhine cannons seemed to have gained a commander raising his sword, striking the armored fat wolves with precision.

The atmosphere at Coface Arena grew increasingly intense.

The home fans were thrilled to see the familiar style of play.

The traveling Wolfsburg supporters were trembling with fear.

It looked like a goal could come at any moment...

"A game of space."

"Mainz's ideas in positional attack are becoming clearer and clearer."

"Soto!"

"That was close! A crucial clearance from Wolfsburg's defensive midfielder, Gustavo."

Mainz's attacking firepower was fierce.

But the Wolfsburg players were no fools.

During a stoppage, De Bruyne tried hard to review the way their opponents built up their attacks:

"The variations in Tuchel's 5-4-1 during positional attacks..."

"Mainz's two center-backs spread wide, while the remaining center-back pushed up to the forward line."

"The two full-backs moved to the very front of the formation, shifting into winger roles."

"The two midfielders occupied the half-spaces, while the other two deeper midfielders also spread wide, supporting second-wave attacks and providing passing and running connections for their teammates."

"Then came wide-central rotations, front-back rotations..."

"The key was to constantly create local numerical advantages in the half-spaces and strengthen the second-wave attack!"

"Li, he must have figured out the key to breaking this deadlock, right?"

He turned his head.

Only to find Li Luo making the gesture for "keep parking the bus."

"..."

"Not doing your homework again?"

On the sidelines.

Hecking looked utterly lost.

Sitting in the coaching area, he kept moving the little magnetic markers on the tactical board.

He looked rather aggrieved.

Pitifully aggrieved.

Last season, Wolfsburg's manager had taken great pride in his tactical system of "bullying the weak and fearing the strong." Tuchel had been the one to crack it, and other clubs soon copied the approach... dragging Wolfsburg down by force.

The assistant coaches wore equally grave expressions.

Against Tuchel's Mainz, a lead of only one goal was far from secure.

In the stands.

Mainz manager Tuchel, who was serving a suspension, crossed his arms over his chest and looked toward the Chinese teenager on the pitch.

"His awareness doesn't only shine in attack; it is equally outstanding in defense."

"Every cover is crucial."

"His individual defensive ability is average, but his positioning, grasp of defensive spacing, and command of the back line... can be called exceptionally talented."

"What a pity..."

"A true genius midfielder must possess the ability to break a deadlock..."

In the livestream chat.

-[Why hasn't he scored yet? Shoot a three-pointer, Li Luo!]

-[Mainz really aren't pushovers. Their morale at home is high, their positional attack is incredibly fierce, and the continuity of their second-wave attacks is getting stronger and stronger.]

-[Tuchel is really capable. Maybe one day he'll manage a European giant and win the UEFA Champions League.]

-[Wolfsburg are being pinned back.]

-[No way, is Mainz about to equalize?]

-[The result has nothing to do with me, I just want lots of goals!]

A gloom from being on the back foot quietly spread across the pitch.

The defending side naturally expended more stamina.

Li Luo remained calm.

Not the least bit flustered.

Wolfsburg were one goal ahead.

Through the geometric model within Spatial Awareness, he grasped all the dynamic information.

Everything was under control.

It was not that he could not break the deadlock.

During the phase without possession, his abilities could not support the kind of dismantling methods used by Matthäus and Beckenbauer, much less allow him to oversee the entire system like Cruyff and break down the opponent's attacking chain.

"Here it comes!"

"Shinji Okazaki."

"Wow! An overhead kick! What a stunning display!"

"Ohhh, he missed it. He whiffed completely."

"Knoche controls the ball—clear it, quickly!"

"Hehehe, he passed it to Li Luo... Mainz are quickly forming their counter-pressing shape."

Mainz's attacking unit had no time to regret the Japanese player's mistake.

Instead, they ran with all their might, strictly carrying out the coaching staff's instructions.

The commentator only felt that Mainz were ferocious. They did not sprint frantically back or drop into a defensive shape; instead, they continued to press forward in force.

Director Zhang stared at the scene, unable to process it for a moment.

De Bruyne charged forward with all his strength, trying to stretch the width of the counterattack and provide Li Luo with an outlet.

His mind raced.

"How do we dismantle Mainz's counter-pressing formation..."

"The wings?"

"No, the space on the wings was deliberately left open. The two wing-backs in Tuchel's back-three system..."

"The center-backs who had originally pushed up to the forward line, the moment the team lost possession... immediately ran straight back to reinforce the high defensive line."

"Li?"

"Li's hand signal!"

"Li is about to do his homework!"

"Right, having the ball is the foundation for breaking the deadlock!"

On the sidelines.

Hecking was at his wits' end, anxiously fiddling with his small tactics board.

In the stands.

Tuchel, serving a suspension, looked composed.

Everything was under control.

The key to Mainz's counter-pressing shape was to disrupt Wolfsburg's counterattacking rhythm, ultimately depriving them of the time and space to transition into attack.

The next moment.

The Mainz manager's face filled with astonishment.

"Li Luo drives forward!"

"He doesn't drive forward. Seeing Brosinski closing in to press him, he passes the ball to Malanda, who has pushed up through the middle."

Malanda's fundamentals were excellent.

He did not need to think.

Seeing Li Luo's hand signal, he advanced slightly before switching the ball to the other side.

"Ricardo."

"He burst down the wing..."

Ricardo had also noticed Li Luo's hand signal in advance.

He did not choose to go head-to-head with Park Joo-ho.

Smack.

He passed to De Bruyne, who had cut diagonally into the middle.

The Belgian prodigy, in the midst of his muscle-gaining phase, switched into brutal driving mode!

Tuchel could not help but rise to his feet.

His seat in the stands was high up, giving him a slight bird's-eye view of the entire pitch.

In his sight, Wolfsburg's transition attack moved the ball swiftly with diagonal passes, drawing Mainz's counter-pressing net toward both flanks.

Like a blade slashing sideways several times, it cut apart the counter-pressing net.

"The central barrier has been weakened."

"It's fine, there's still a chance..."

"No!"

"The finishing point isn't in the middle!"

Li Luo had already taken a quick preparatory step, accelerating with all his strength.

He sprinted desperately along the channel between the flank and the center.

Smack.

A crisp sound of the ball being struck came through the close-range microphone.

"De Bruyne."

"This through ball... it bends!"

"A rainbow!"

"Li Luo!"

"He's onside!"

Bendtner had thought De Bruyne was going to pass to him.

Only as he turned and accelerated did he see that, after the ball had bypassed Mainz's high defensive line... it curved.

Still, he had conveniently pulled one of Mainz's center-backs away with him.

De Bruyne's pass was exquisite to the extreme.

The instant Li Luo touched the ball, he knew he needed no unnecessary adjustment.

He pushed it forward.

Two Mainz center-backs were about to close him down.

Facing the goalkeeper Karius, who was trying to rush out.

75 shooting.

Peak Chinese Super League foreign signing.

His body leaned slightly forward.

A small swing of his leg.

Smack!

The ball was gently chipped up, sailing over Karius's head and lightly tracing a high "∩" arc through the air.

It finally dropped softly into the net.

0:2!!!

The whole stadium gasped in amazement.

"Beautiful!"

"Another one!"

"Li Luo has broken through Mainz's goal once again with a stylish chip!"

"Two goals."

"That was so effortless."

"A beautiful curve."

The commentators could not stop praising him.

Director Zhang, meanwhile, began listing the high-scoring midfielders in football history—Simeone, Lampard...

Volkswagen's executives were over the moon.

Every goal Li Luo scored increased his commercial value.

Wolfsburg's fans felt wonderful.

They were so happy.

In the away stand, they waved enormous team flags and cheered themselves hoarse.

Li Luo applauded, then turned and gave De Bruyne a thumbs-up.

Beneath his feet, he could feel the most advanced under-soil heating system.

[Shock Value +1!]

[Shock Value +1!]

[...]

The Wolfsburg players excitedly gathered around him.

"Li, you're amazing."

"Li, the man who lowers the difficulty of matches!"

"I thought you wouldn't know how to solve the problem this time. Turns out you knew everything."

Li Luo high-fived and hugged his teammates one by one, then said seriously, "The credit doesn't belong to me alone. It belongs to the whole team."

That was true.

It was not modesty.

Wolfsburg's players were far from weak by Bundesliga standards.

He provided the solution, and his teammates had the ability to execute it efficiently.

Throughout the entire process, team chemistry, passing stability, tactical understanding, individual ability, and many other factors were all indispensable.

Malanda did not think that much. He only knew that he had to pass the ball to Li Luo.

Bendtner was the same. He knew that his most important task was to pin down the opposing defense.

De Bruyne could not help sighing. "Li, we're really incredible."

By the sideline.

Hecking was glowing with pride as he rushed to the edge of the pitch with his assistants, both fists raised high.

"I knew it."

"We'd definitely extend our lead."

"Whatever flashy tactical adjustments Tuchel made, they would look utterly powerless in the face of the gap in strength."

In the stands.

Tuchel blankly rubbed the top of his slightly thinning head.

"So that was it?"

"When Wolfsburg didn't have the ball, Li patiently waited for his chance."

"When Wolfsburg had possession, Li started solving the problem..."

"Unparalleled vision."

"Unbelievable speed of thought."

Karius dejectedly punched the turf.

His handsome face was filled with despair.

Muttering to himself, he complained:

"That kid isn't good at shooting. He didn't have any foreplay... pfft, pfft, pfft, any feints at all."

"No feints at all."

"His shooting posture didn't change..."

"I fell for it—no, I didn't! I still fell for it..."

Livestream chatroom.

Slow-motion replays showed Li Luo's goal from every angle.

Comments flew across the screen.

-[So handsome.]

-[He actually went for a chip—so elegant.]

-[As calm as a stroll through a garden, light as drifting clouds.]

-[After adapting to Wolfsburg's system, our Luo was gradually showing reliable finishing.]

-[That's normal. He has the level of a reliable Manchester United Crown Prince. But who knew whether Li Luo would still perform normally after returning to Manchester United? That Van Gaal guy had fielded a different center-back pairing in every Premier League match lately. I'm dying laughing.]

-[When Wolfsburg and Manchester United meet in the UEFA Champions League next season, Li Luo might not be able to beat his old Wolfsburg teammates, haha.]

-[Karius is so pitiful.]

-[What's pitiful about him? Every one of his girlfriends is beautiful, with pretty faces and hot bodies! <How Much Have European and American Socialites Sacrificed to Win Genius Goalkeeper Karius?> He'll have even more girlfriends in the future.]

In the ensuing match.

The Mainz players did not show much negativity. Instead, their morale rose even higher.

The cheers at Coface Arena did not diminish.

Mainz was not a traditional powerhouse, but its fans were exceptionally loyal and preferred to support the team in a positive manner.

Their grandfathers, their grandfathers' fathers, and even their grandfathers' grandfathers had supported the club.

Assistant coach El received two more little notes and quickly relayed the instructions onto the pitch, making tactical adjustments.

On the other side.

Hecking beamed.

Standing by the touchline, he loudly reminded his players.

"Two goals behind, and the Mainz players have reined in their challenges quite a bit."

"They don't dare commit infringements anymore."

"Of course. They need to keep the match flowing, reduce stoppages, and focus on scoring."

"During this dead-ball phase, the director's camera pulls back, giving us a bird's-eye view of all Mainz. Coface Arena looks like a ruby."

"The boats along the Rhine gleam with light, while many spectators have gathered on both banks."

"In the fifteenth century, people here would send madmen and criminals onto boats and expel them from the city."

"Back to the match."

"Hm? Jara even took the initiative to help Li Luo up."

The commentator's tone was complicated.

Mainz's Chilean defender, Jara, smiled as he tried to pat Li Luo on the backside.

Li Luo hurriedly dodged aside.

In the Bundesliga, patting someone's backside was a friendly gesture.

But.

But Li Luo had looked into Jara's history before the match... You had to understand not only an opponent's playing style, but also their habits.

Jara's defending was not merely dirty. He was famous for being "obscene" in defense.

Last year.

Chile versus Uruguay.

Jara had marked Suarez closely throughout the match and made an incomparably obscene move... It was not the sort of casual hugging and grabbing—it was genuinely obscene.

Suarez suppressed the urge to bite him and viciously slapped Jara across the face.

At the time, the referee thought it was perfectly normal for the two of them to do such things and did not show a card.

Jara was very gentle with players, but extremely vicious toward fans.

If a fan ran onto the pitch during a match, this guy would enthusiastically help security by charging over to flying-kick them.

Before they knew it, the match entered its final stoppage-time phase.

De Bruyne took the corner.

Knoche received the ball, took a few steps to adjust, then lofted in a cross.

Naldo rose high and headed the ball into the net.

0:3!!!

Coface Arena echoed with helpless sighs.

In the end.

Beep! Beep-beep~

The referee blew the final whistle.

Li Luo took off his shirt and tossed it to the Wolfsburg fans who had traveled with the team.

They answered him with a cheerful children's song:

"Li, Li, Li~"

"Our commander, Li, Li, Li~"

"Our midfield maestro, Li, Li, Li~"

"Clap clap clap!"

"Li~ Li~ Li~, who leads Wolfsburg to victory~"

Competing on multiple fronts and winning continuously across every battlefield.

Had made Wolfsburg's fans deeply fond of the Chinese youngster on loan from Manchester United.

They had spontaneously created "The Song of Li Luo" and taught it to children, hoping they would never forget Li Luo's journey with Wolfsburg.

Karius looked dejected as he walked over to the GG board to accept an interview from the reporters.

He courageously took responsibility for the loss.

"Li's finishing is only average. I just made a mistake."

"For his first goal, there was nothing wrong with my positioning, reading of the play, or save. I got a touch on the ball, and it deflected into the net."

"For the second goal, I thought he would make a shooting feint like other geniuses do, but he didn't... Fine, he read my read."