Chapter 20: What? This Time It Is an East German Module? (Two-in-One)
The Hoffenheim fans did not leave the stadium in anger. Their eyes burned with passion as they steadfastly encouraged the players with their team anthem:
“We come from the countryside, we have nothing at all~”
“We are incredibly strong, and we cherish freedom~”
“We are Hoffenheim! Let you taste our football~”
The stirring melody blossomed with the resilient spirit of a village team. Gustavo felt deeply moved: what if he had never joined Bayern and had stayed in the village all along? Snapping back to reality, the Brazilian couldn’t help but pull the 19-year-old Arnold beside him, recounting the story of the Hoffenheim club.
Arnold, growing tired of the tale, turned away and joined the others in thanking the Wolfsburg fans who had traveled with the team.
The Wolfsburg prince suddenly asked with curiosity, “Why did Hoffenheim’s style become so aggressive midway through the match?”
The older teammates pondered for a moment before offering various tactical explanations.
Finally, Bentner said, “Their coach got anxious. Mid-to-lower tier clubs in the Big Five leagues often have older coaches whose mindset during matches isn’t quite up to par.”
The group was indifferent to the remark.
But Li Luo found Bentner’s words somewhat credible.
Why would a team set up in a deep bus formation still choose to press aggressively in the opponent’s half rather than retreat quickly to defend?
The answer might not be so complicated.
It was simply the coach ‘experimenting.’
...
De Bruyne suddenly stepped forward with a serious expression: “In the upcoming Europa League, we’ll face a much stronger Everton.”
The Belgian midfielder’s competitive spirit was fierce, and sometimes anxious.
He wasn’t a bad person; he just occasionally failed to realize he was putting pressure on his teammates.
Bentner’s expression grew complicated but he said nothing.
Two former “Premier League rejects” wanted to prove themselves when facing a Premier League team.
...
Gradually, as the Wolfsburg fans in the away stands filed out, everyone began returning to the locker room.
Li Luo walked at the end of the line, watching as the lights of the Neckar Stadium slowly dimmed.
[Do you want to spend 100,000 Shock Points to redeem a Bundesliga star blind box?]
[Redemption in progress.]
Rumble!
A giant card suddenly rose before him!
The figure within the card slowly materialized.
Every time he opened one, there was a small thrill of nervous excitement.
What would it be this time?
Li Luo thought it wouldn’t be bad to keep drawing more of Müller’s abilities, such as his shooting technique transitions.
Or the skills of the “Leverkusen midfield core—Çalhanoğlu”... Tonight, he had unintentionally recalled a tutorial video of his dribbling moves during the match, which surprisingly proved useful.
Come on.
Müller.
Or Çalhanoğlu.
[Blind box is opening...]
A proud figure stood tall, stepping on the ball, raising a finger...
[An East German midfielder operating as smoothly as a machine.]
[The German missile transporter.]
[The art of speech: Don’t lose in communication.]
...
[Congratulations: You have obtained Toni Kroos’s “Body-Facing Ball Control and Escape” module.]
[An elite static duel concept that doesn’t rely on ball control attributes to evade opponents.]
[Not dependent on flashy skills, but centered on body balance, center of gravity shifts, and spatial awareness.]
[The simplest and most efficient static escape: unhurried, uninjurious to the body.]
What?
Li Luo felt a slight tingle at the back of his head.
Fragments of numerous scenes flooded his mind: dozens of pressured situations in body-facing positions, eleven kinds of casual and effortless escapes.
A high-end version of Çalhanoğlu?
“Another module that can integrate with spatial awareness!”
“This escape concept... is perfect for midfielders.”
“Why does the jersey color of Kroos in the card keep changing? One moment Leverkusen, the next Bayern Munich, then the German national team?”
...
At the post-match press conference,
The Black-Gold remained calm and silently accepted the praise from the media.
Inside, he was quietly pleased.
He spoke with composure:
“Li’s two goals were crucial; he is on the path to conquering the Bundesliga.”
“But,”
“What surprised me even more was... his intelligent dismantling of Hoffenheim’s counter-pressing tactics.”
“As long as he’s on the pitch, Wolfsburg’s play becomes extremely fluid.”
“Yes, yes... It’s not entirely my credit, but I did put a lot of thought into pairing Li with De Bruyne as a midfield double core.”
A few minutes later,
Markus appeared in the auditorium.
His face was ashen.
“The coaching staff was unprepared, and some players were out of form on the pitch.”
“But in the final stages of the match, we played very well.”
“I don’t want to comment on China’s Li.”
“That’s right, he’s a genius.”
“The whole world is already familiar with his style of play. For most of the match, he adjusted his posture like a Premier League midfielder and passed and received like a Spanish midfielder... Combining these two approaches has many advantages, but I believe that when facing a more outstanding all-around midfielder, his bad habits will be exploited.”
“Li relies too much on the first touch. He lacks top-tier static ball-handling skills while facing opponents directly in midfield!”
“When up against stronger opponents, he tends to disappear and fails to contribute to the team.”
...
Moments later,
Li Luo finished showering, changed into his sportswear, slung his bag over his shoulder, and left with his teammates.
Passing through the mixed interview zone,
Bundesliga reporters had been waiting for a while.
“Li! Wait a moment!”
“You scored two brilliant goals tonight and were named the best player of the match by the Bundesliga officials. Do you have anything to say?”
The crowd pressed forward, nearly pushing the security line into a hump.
The security personnel smiled gently and spread their arms symbolically.
Li Luo thought for a moment and said, “It’s what I’m supposed to do.”
Speaking like that, the Shock Points in future matches should come faster, right?
...
A tall, blonde-haired female reporter with wavy hair pressed on:
“In a few days, you will face the much stronger Premier League powerhouse Everton in the Europa League.”
“In a few months, you will lead China’s national team in the Asian Cup.”
“This is your first season as a professional. Will these daunting challenges become pressure for you?”
Stronger?
Leading China in the Asian Cup?
That’s a good thing!
Li Luo smiled, his thoughts drifting: Everton is a formidable team, and the teams China will face in the Asian Cup are also strong. If he performs well, how many Shock Points could he earn?
Maybe the star blind boxes redeemable through the Europa League and Asian Cup will have an even wider range!
Many outstanding stars have played in the Europa League.
Legendary figures are far from lacking in international competitions.
...
“I enjoy such challenges.”
Applause thundered on-site, long and unending.
Flashes of camera light flickered.
Bundesliga reporters scribbled furiously: The radiant Chinese prodigy grows more excited the stronger the opponent.
...
News headlines soon trended on Chinese social media:
“Pride of Chinese Football: 18-year-old Li Luo scores two goals in the Bundesliga!”
“Phantom runs and top-tier instincts—the shadow striker form of genius Li Luo.”
“Astonishing diving headers, the soaring Chinese—Li Luo.”
“Deep analysis: How Li Luo’s midfield role countered Hoffenheim’s tactical adjustments.”
“Good morning, Chinese prodigy Li Luo.”
“Matthäus: Li’s timing for starting plays reminds me of my younger days.”
“Korean media: Li Luo faces heavy blows at the Asian Cup.”
“China national team coach: It’s difficult to align other players’ passing and receiving to Li Luo’s style like Wolfsburg’s system does. His strategic role will be diluted. The Chinese team will design tactics most compatible with Li Luo!”
Comments, likes, and shares surged.
Li Luo’s “ghostly positioning” and “diving header” highlight reels went viral.
- “So touching—a Chinese player scoring two goals in a Big Five league match.”
- “I used to just say ‘awesome’ when I saw other stars do this, but seeing Li Luo perform like this in a Big Five league is both moving and delightful.”
- “Amazing, Matthäus praises young players too? I thought he only criticized others. Watching old videos, their midfield play before starting the run is somewhat similar.”
- “So talented. I feel Li Luo is gradually adapting to the Bundesliga and will soon show his true strength and level.”
- “Yeah, I guess Wolfsburg’s coaching staff fears Li Luo getting injured, so they don’t let him get knocked around like Neymar. They’ve assigned him the tactical role of midfield commander.”
- “What is the national coach saying? Having Li Luo at the Asian Cup isn’t great? What does he mean other players can’t support him? How is that possible?”
- “Think about the Chinese Super League—what kind of foreign players are useful?”
- “Got it, the club plays one way, the national team another. For example: the super genius Alaba plays as a full-back at Bayern but as an attacking midfielder for Austria.”
- “Li Luo, keep it up!”
...
The next morning,
Wolfsburg gave all players a day off.
Black-Gold mainly considered the toll of consecutive away matches, worried the players’ bodies wouldn’t hold up.
Li Luo quietly trained alone in his backyard.
Snap.
Body-facing, stepping back to receive the ball.
Snap.
Body-facing, moving towards the ball, stopping it off to the side.
Snap.
Body-facing, large stride with shoulder drop feint, single-foot control and stop.
“Too simple.”
“The reliance on ball control attribute is indeed very low.”
“For ordinary people, the key is to observe in advance, calculate the distance from the opponent, then choose different ways to handle the ball.”
But Li Luo had the spatial awareness module.
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Kroos’s body-facing escape fit perfectly, even masking Li Luo’s shortcomings.
More terrifying was the realization that as his ball control attribute improved, his body-facing static ability would also continue to develop.
...
After only two hours of training,
Tom arrived and called it off.
Tom was also a cultured man, a sports science graduate from Loughborough University.
“Li, the Europa League match is in a couple of days; training intensity can’t be too high!”
“Don’t do resistance training either.”
“Let’s watch some videos.”
Li Luo took the dry towel, wiped his sweat: “Everton’s videos? I’ve seen them.”
“No, not Everton’s. Bolt’s trial footage in the Australian league!”
Bolt, the Jamaican legendary sprinter famous for the 100-meter dash.
The pinnacle of human sprinting.
...
Moments later,
Li Luo finished showering and sat in the living room with Tom to watch Bolt’s trial footage.
“This will definitely help you.”
“Many players who come through Premier League academies have Bolt’s sprinting habits.”
On the big screen,
Bolt’s speed... was never fully unleashed.
Football isn’t a 200-meter dash—it requires constant changes in direction and quick stops.
“I noticed something.”
“After Bolt finishes his sprint, he takes many steps to decelerate.”
“Li, the Premier League academies have begun paying attention to this issue this season.”
Li Luo pulled out his phone.
“‘Who says speed can’t be improved? Giroud shares his secret: speed training methods.’”
Tom earnestly added, “Many young players coming through Premier League academies share this flaw, except Southampton; the French academies have a clear advantage in this area, producing many young speedsters.”
“Jazz asked me to remind you to focus on this. It’s your only weakness.”
What?
The Manchester United heir also has a weakness?
Li Luo realized the learning materials he had collected really were useful.
Giroud’s speed training video meticulously analyzed different sprinting postures and even the distinctions in foot contact with the ground.
The system panel showed a speed attribute of 86 points.
Not slow at all.
As long as he gradually learned the most advanced training techniques, his speed could be fully unleashed.
...
Of course,
Li Luo did not deny Bolt’s unparalleled straight-line speed in counterattacks—truly the pinnacle of human ability.
Another two hours passed.
He found that the speed section in Giroud’s instructional videos was quite brief.
Most of the content focused on how to protect one’s body.
The manual’s title should be renamed: “Giroud teaches you how to protect your body and sprint without injury.”
“Not watching anymore.”
“Time to write a journal.”
He returned to his room, closed the door, opened his notebook, and began summarizing.
“Cross out Hoffenheim’s tactical adjustments.”
“Second round of the Bundesliga: learned how to deal with teams playing deep defense, better energy distribution during matches, cannot express in words how much my game experience improved—cross out.”
“Firmino is an excellent player, but I don’t need to spend too much thought on how to limit him. I should focus more on helping the team relieve pressure and initiate attacks. Football isn’t boxing—cross out.”
“Kroos’s body-facing escape, major improvement.”
“A few days from now, the Europa League group stage, Everton is a strong opponent. Wolfsburg’s away trip might be at a disadvantage.”
“Need to pay attention to speed issues in upcoming matches.”
Closing the notebook,
Li Luo stood up and lay on his bed.
Unconsciously, he drifted into sleep.
He dreamt that Everton was the big boss of the newbie village, crushing Wolfsburg 4-1, leaving the armored Wolfsburg team battered and broken.
...
Little Britain, Merseyside.
Everton’s base.
The ball rapidly moved between players in blue jerseys.
Coach Martinez silently took notes on the sidelines.
He was Spanish, having led Everton to fifth place in the Premier League last season—a force to be reckoned with.
“Competing on multiple fronts is really troublesome.”
“As the schedule progresses, injuries will increase, and our bench depth is far behind other Premier League clubs.”
The assistant comforted him: “Don’t worry, it’s still early in the season.”
Martinez put away his notebook and said calmly, “Then we must take down Wolfsburg at home.”
Everton’s main players were mostly healthy now.
The peak-form fifth-place Premier League team was the undisputed powerhouse of the Europa League.
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