The Unique Joining Ceremony

The White Star team was currently in a bit of a dilemma.

Today was July 20th, and in the five preseason friendlies they had played, the team had won one, drawn two, and lost two. For a newly-promoted team, this performance wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either.

The team's lineup had gradually stabilized over these preseason matches, but at this critical moment, their star defensive midfielder, Baptiste, had suffered a knee injury in the last friendly game. After a medical examination, it was determined that he had torn his knee ligament, and he would be out of action for at least three months, plus an additional month for recovery training. In total, he would be absent from the league for four months!

Four months!

That essentially meant half of the season was lost!

If the team had a suitable replacement for Baptiste, it might not have been a big issue. However, the team couldn't find anyone to fill his shoes.

Faced with this harsh reality, Head Coach Mazu and Assistant Coach Philip had discussed it for a long time, but they couldn't come up with a good solution. They had no choice but to temporarily change the formation, switching from a 3-5-2 formation with two defensive midfielders to a 4-4-2 formation with a single defensive midfielder in a diamond shape.

However, in the 4-4-2 diamond formation, even though it added an extra defender and strengthened the defense, looking at the midfield:

Four midfielders, one attacking midfielder, two wingers, and only one defensive midfielder – Driss. He not only had to organize the team's attacks but also take on the responsibility of midfield defense.

This placed higher demands on Driss's physical fitness, which was not an easy task for an almost 30-year-old veteran.

Moreover, Driss was the team's playmaker, the core of the team. He would undoubtedly be the target of the opposition's attention. If the opponents assigned one player to cut off Driss's connection with the defense, it would expose the entire defense to enemy attacks. Despite having four defenders, losing the defensive midfielder as a shield was a significant concern.

So, Driss needed someone to protect him from the side, but unfortunately, there was currently no one for that role.

In the end, Mazu and Philip could only smile bitterly and give it a try!

As for Zhang Xu, neither Mazu nor Philip had considered him at all. The reason? A player who had almost failed his trial – could they really expect him to shoulder such a significant responsibility for the team?

After the last friendly game, to help the team adapt quickly to the new formation, Mazu and Philip had focused on practicing the 4-4-2 diamond formation in intra-squad matches.

However, the results were not very satisfactory.

July 21, 2011, was a memorable day for Zhang Xu because on this day, he officially joined the Belgian Second Division club, Woluwe White Star.

At eight in the morning, the club conducted a routine medical examination for Zhang Xu and then held a simple signing ceremony.

During the signing ceremony, the club only invited a local small media outlet, and on the club's official website, they posted photos of Zhang Xu wearing the number 15 jersey and provided a brief introduction to his background.

And so, Zhang Xu officially entered the ranks of professional football!

Although he had entered the realm of professional football, Zhang Xu still had a long way to go before reaching the first team. Therefore, he obediently followed Assistant Coach Philip to the U21 training ground.

In the English league system, the reserve team right below the first team was called the reserve team, but in other countries' leagues, there was no term for a reserve team, only U21.

U21 teams were typically composed of first-team substitutes, recovering main players returning from injury, and talented young players, among others.

"Guys, we have a new teammate joining you!" Philip brought Zhang Xu to the side of the U21 training ground, gathered the U21 players, and stood with Zhang Xu in front of the team. He smiled and said, "I think it's best to let Zhang introduce himself."

Zhang Xu didn't hesitate and cheerfully stepped forward, introducing himself in a serious tone, "Hello, everyone, I'm..."

Before he could say his name, many of his U21 teammates burst into laughter, saying, "You're Zhang, the Chinese scholar from Paris Sixth University, right? Everyone knows that, right?"

"Oh, you all know?" Zhang Xu pretended to be surprised and chuckled. Then, he combed his hair with exaggerated motions and said, "It seems my scholarly charm is truly irresistible. Even you guys know about it!"

"Haha..." His teammates were initially stunned by Zhang Xu's antics but then burst into collective laughter.

Philip was pleased to see Zhang Xu quickly integrating into the team. He clapped his hands and said, "Alright, guys, Zhang is our only new addition this year, so let's welcome him with the most esteemed joining ceremony of the White Star team!"

"Wow! Roger that, Mr. Philip!" His teammates chuckled mischievously, giving Zhang Xu a sense of impending mischief.

As expected, his teammates swarmed around him, lifted the still-frightened Zhang Xu, and chanted, "One, two, three, victory! Victory! Victory!" as they tossed him into the air, caught him, and repeated this three times before finally letting the startled Zhang Xu down.

"Almost gave me a heart-attack!" Zhang Xu imitated a woman, bashfully patting his chest. His playful antics once again sent his teammates into fits of laughter.

"Haha, guys, Zhang isn't just a scholar; he's also a strong and robust monster, currently playing as a holding midfielder in the team," Philip said with a smile to ease the situation. "Shouldn't you all introduce yourselves as well?"

"I'm Marco, the attacking midfielder!"

"I'm Kevin, and you can tell from my long arms that I'm the goalkeeper! Haha!"

"I'm Jeremy, the forward."

"I'm Laurent, and I'm a versatile player, from the back to the front, I can do it all!"

After the joyful introductions, U21 team training officially began.

Since the league was approaching and the team's tactics were not fully developed yet, most of the training sessions each day focused on tactical drills, with recovery training and specialized exercises mixed in.

As soon as training started, the playful and relaxed atmosphere among the players instantly turned serious. They followed Philip's instructions meticulously and completed their training tasks.

Philip, who was usually kind and grandfatherly, became exceptionally serious on the training ground. His stern face was somewhat intimidating.

During training, whenever a player made a mistake, no matter how minor, they would face Philip's scolding like a torrential rainstorm. Zhang Xu was no exception and ranked first in terms of being scolded.

Furthermore, once training started, the Super Midfield Training System was immediately activated. The alluring voice prompts in the training modules were mixed with Philip's angry reprimands, causing Zhang Xu to feel tormented inside and out.

But was Zhang Xu the only one to receive this special treatment? Of course not!

During one of the breaks as the players rested, Philip called Zhang Xu aside and handed him a stack of printed papers. "Zhang, this is your training plan. Your physical abilities are outstanding, but your knowledge and skill level in terms of tactics and technique, I won't sugarcoat it – they're quite low. So, in addition to completing the same training tasks as your teammates, you'll need to follow the extra training plan I've prepared for you."

"Of course, this additional training will take place during the others' rest periods. Are you willing?" Philip looked at Zhang Xu seriously.

"I'm willing!" Zhang Xu answered decisively.

"Very well!" Philip nodded in satisfaction, then opened the training plan Zhang Xu held and explained, "Your main issue is tactical, and your ability to coordinate with teammates is problematic. So, I've prepared a lot of match videos for you to watch and learn from."

"Furthermore, you need to improve your tackling, marking skills, and work on your positional sense. I've also assigned a dedicated training coach for you, and that coach is..." Philip paused dramatically before revealing, "me!"

"What? You? Isn't that inappropriate, and it'll take away your rest time for my sake!" Zhang Xu was surprised but touched.

"I'm a 46-year-old geezer; missing a little rest won't hurt me. If I can see you grow under my guidance, I'll be satisfied!" Philip waved it off, seemingly unconcerned.

"Thank you!" For someone who had wholeheartedly devoted himself to helping Zhang Xu, Zhang Xu could only express his heartfelt gratitude.

"Alright, kid, go train with the others now. When it's time for a break, come find me. You know, during my training sessions, I don't hold back, so be careful! Haha."

"Alright, Mr. Philip!" After a quick bow, Zhang Xu hurried back to the team.