Chapter 10: What is Positional Play?

Leverkusen's dressing room.

Old Top stood in the Leverkusen locker room, holding a list, continuously drawing on a small blackboard. His tone was anxious.

"Ever since Guardiola took over Bayern, there have been significant changes in their youth team's tactical system. It's no longer just the high-pressing fast football of the past; it's now Positional Play!"

"The most important thing to note is that on the field, there won't be more than four players on the same horizontal line, and not more than two players on the same vertical line! This level of structure is beyond our comparison!"

"Don't understand? Let me explain. If their Kurt cuts inside, the full-back will step out!"

"Their players' positions will undergo frantic rotations in both attack and defense to gain the advantage. Kurt is their core!"

The young players were a bit overwhelmed. They couldn't digest this sudden influx of knowledge in such a short time.

The assistant glanced at Old Top and then said, "It's okay, everyone, just play well."

The players responded with a nod.

Old Top sighed and meticulously assigned tasks to the young players.

In the development of modern football, there are only three factors for gaining an advantage in a match: the number of players in specific areas, individual skills, and positioning. All of this is achieved by players occupying specific vertical and horizontal areas on the field.

It's clear that our young players can't compare to Bayern's rising stars.

In any case, as long as we have possession of the ball, we can expand the attack by moving collectively.

The young players understood this. All they had to do was pass the ball to Li Kang, and Li Kang would make a through pass to Havertz, provided they could get the ball.

Ten minutes later, both teams' players entered the tunnel, lining up in two columns, preparing to enter the field.

Bayern's players exuded confidence and relaxation on their faces. The young Leverkusen players, hearing the resounding cheers from outside the tunnel, furrowed their brows.

They rarely played matches like this away from home. Remembering the boos of the tens of thousands of Bayern fans last season when they came here was distressing.

In the Youth Champions League, encounters with such a "hellish" stadium were extremely rare!

Kurt looked indifferent. He felt that playing in the youth team was a waste of his time.

His gaze swept through the Leverkusen lineup, pausing on Li Kang. Asian? Wearing the number 10 shirt? Is this the key player who defeated Monchengladbach?

Kurt withdrew his gaze, showing a hint of disdain on his face.

The game was about to begin. The referee team led both sets of players out of the tunnel.

The Säbener Stadium roared to life. Bayern fans rhythmically chanted the names of their young players. Among them, Kurt's name was like the main theme. He was their future!

As both sets of players stepped onto the pitch, some of Bayern's fans noticed the black-haired Asian.

"Leverkusen's youth team actually has an Asian player? When did this happen?"

"Don't you know yet? It's been all over Westphalia! A new star signed from La Masia! He's a dragon descendant!"

"A dragon descendant... that's really something. Don't let those idiots from Dortmund find a topic again!"

The reason some Bayern fans disliked people from the Dragon Kingdom was simple: during the Asian tour, Borussia Dortmund's executive Walz claimed that people from the Dragon Kingdom were ***.

In 2013, after losing to Bayern, then Dortmund coach made a public statement: Bayern is like a Dragon Kingdom merchant, greedy ***!

This led to some Bayern fans disliking people from the Dragon Kingdom, and they wanted their team to distance themselves from them.

Soon, the Säbener Stadium's four stands erupted in a chorus of boos and insults, directed at the Dragon's blood youth on the field.

Old Top was furiously pointing at the stands, cursing vehemently. Bayern's coach, Orgen Taller, also turned to silence the fans' inappropriate comments, but his voice was soon drowned out by the bottles and popcorn thrown from the stands.

Li Kang was deaf, not mute. His expression remained calm.

In the Dragon Kingdom's live broadcast room, although the commentator didn't understand German, he could tell it wasn't pleasant.

"These foreigners are cursing our brother Li!"

"Darn it! It happened in the last friendly match too! These foreigners are hanging ** flags and banners in the stands!"

"Brother Li, give it to them!"

[Comment: "Stay calm, even Messi and Ronaldo often face insults and things thrown at them during away games. What's the use? In youth matches, these comments won't be punished by FIFA!"]

[Comment: "Let me translate it for you; you won't be able to stay calm."]

[Comment: "These foreigners really have the nerve, insulting a youngster like that!"]

[Comment: "Football is war in peacetime, and scoring is the best way to fight back!"]

BEEP!

The main referee's whistle sounded, and the game officially began. Bayern's youth team kicked off.

Right from the start, their overall formation pressed forward aggressively. The young players in the central and forward areas frequently exchanged positions, displaying a terrifying level of pressure.

The ball maintained a very fast pace of circulation.

Bayern's fans erupted into deafening cheers, making the young Leverkusen players nervous. They couldn't hear Coach Top's instructions at all.

In just two minutes, Leverkusen

's defense had been breached. Two center-backs were pulled out of position by Bayern's forwards, leaving a gap open. Kurt received a pass from a teammate on the right edge of the penalty area. There was no one marking him. He struck the ball with the inside of his foot, producing a perfect curling shot towards the top left corner of the goal.

The Leverkusen goalkeeper reacted two seconds too slowly. The ball hit the crossbar with a resounding thud and bounced out of play.

The entire stadium sighed in unison. "That was close! Guys, this Bayern number 10 has some skills!"

"Don't panic! The game has just started!"

Kurt didn't show any disappointment and gave a thumbs-up to the teammate who had passed him the ball. The Bayern youth team players ran back to the center circle, seemingly confident that Leverkusen was too weak, and this game was destined to be a "slaughter."

The Leverkusen young players gradually adapted to the external distractions. None of their young faces showed signs of discouragement.

On the sideline, Coach Top had an expression of helplessness. He rubbed his face and returned to his coaching seat. In truth, the suspense of this game was limited; it was mainly about how many goals Leverkusen would concede.

On the other side, Orgen Taller, the coach of Bayern, wasn't focused on the match on the field. He was busy waving his hand, trying to silence the nearby fans' inappropriate comments.

The assistant coach felt that his head coach's image had improved significantly.

He was about to compliment him when Bayern's coach shook his head and said, "Damn it, these foolish fans. We've already won the game, so why insult a weaker opponent? We'll end up paying the fine to the Football Association for their actions."

The assistant coach: "."