Chen Yingxiong was depressed; the feeling of being given the cold shoulder during training had returned.

When it came to utilizing his heading advantage, he became a mere foil for his teammates. He felt it was normal for his teammates not to understand him, but surely the head coach Dick Advocaat and assistant coach Cor Pot had seen him in those two youth team league matches. Didn’t they know how his header was used?

He decided to talk to Advocaat.

As a player who had just entered the first team, Chen Yingxiong didn't seem to have any awareness of keeping a low profile. Talking to the head coach seemed like something to be taken for granted, something he could do whenever he wanted.

While studying Russian in the evening, Chen Yingxiong told Yesenin about his plan.

He was now used to asking Yesenin for his opinion. After all, he wasn't human… No, after all, besides himself, only Yesenin was always with him and could talk to him. The evening hours were a little easier to bear, otherwise, he could only stare at the ceiling and count the squares on it.

After spending two weeks with Chen Yingxiong, Yesenin had gradually figured out his temperament. This eighteen-year-old boy possessed the confidence, optimism, and liveliness common to his peers. At the same time, perhaps because he was close to being a post-90s generation, he had a strong sense of autonomy and didn't like others arranging things for him. He always had his own ideas and wanted to express them.

This was something Yesenin had gradually noticed during their time together.

"How do you plan to convince him?" Yesenin asked in Russian.

Chen Yingxiong was stunned for a moment, knowing that he was practicing his Russian speaking skills, so he also tried to answer in Russian: "Uh, tell him… my header… is, um, for attacking, not for feinting…"

"Will you need me to translate for you then?"

Chen Yingxiong originally wanted to say no, but then he thought again. This negotiation was related to his future destiny. If the understanding between the two parties was flawed because of his listening and speaking problems, it would be terrible. He didn't want to cause Advocaat any misunderstandings—although he sometimes tampered with the head coach's arrangements, he was actually very careful to grasp the degree so it wouldn't be too much or have no effect at all.

"Yes, I do," he nodded in Russian.

After training the next day, Chen Yingxiong, through Yesenin, asked Advocaat if he could talk to him alone.

Advocaat seemed unsurprised and agreed to the request.

The conversation was arranged in his office. In the huge head coach's office, besides him, there were only Chen Yingxiong and his translator Yesenin. There was no one else, not even assistant coach Cor Pot.

"Is there anything you want to say to me?" Advocaat asked.

Chen Yingxiong had thought about it many times on the way here, how he should talk to the head coach about this issue.

He chose a way that was less aggressive and didn't make him seem particularly arrogant, and talked to the head coach: "Uh, I have some doubts about Mr.'s use of me in some set-piece tactics, and I hope to get some clear answers from Mr."

Advocaat sat in his chair, crossed his legs, and placed his hands together on his lower abdomen. After listening to Yesenin's translation, he tilted his head: "Is it about the arrangement of only letting you feint, not letting you attack?"

Chen Yingxiong nodded: "Yes, it is!"

"Hmm… You want to be the main attacker?" Advocaat asked, tapping his fingers on the table.

"I am confident in my heading ability, sir." Chen Yingxiong glanced at Yesenin. Of course, I'm confident, this non-human gave it to me!

Advocaat stared at Chen Yingxiong for a while. Chen Yingxiong did not back down, but chose to face the head coach frankly. He was making a legitimate request, and his attitude was correct and his methods were peaceful. He didn't think there was anything inappropriate about it.

Wasn't it said that in European football, communication between players and coaches was very frequent? The head coach would communicate with the players at any time to understand what they were thinking.

His initiative to talk to the head coach was just in line with their habits.

Advocaat considered it for a while, then nodded: "Okay, as you wish!"

It was Chen Yingxiong's turn to be surprised…

He didn't expect it to go so smoothly. He only said three sentences and it was done… He even wondered if it wasn't real, but he was dreaming—was this head coach so easy to talk to?

Even Yesenin was a little surprised. In fact, before coming, he had simulated this scenario in his mind, and then felt that the probability of Advocaat rejecting Chen Yingxiong's request was as high as ninety-four percent—he was the team's head coach, with absolute authority in the team. Chen Yingxiong was just a small role player who had just been transferred from the youth team. Why should a big shot listen to a small role player? If Chen Yingxiong was the team's top scorer, he might be able to threaten the head coach with a transfer or something. What qualifications did Chen Yingxiong have to sit down and negotiate terms with Advocaat?

Who would have thought that this big shot would actually agree to the request of a small role player!

He couldn't figure it out.

Chen Yingxiong was also quite surprised, but a good result was a good thing. He got what he wanted. After happily thanking the head coach, he said goodbye with Yesenin.

Chen Yingxiong quickly felt the change that the head coach had promised him.

In the next corner kick and attacking free kick tactical training, he was assigned as the main attacking point.

Chen Yingxiong was eager to try and show his new teammates his ability in heading.

As for what the main attacking point should do, Advocaat didn't make too many arrangements, just told him to "head the ball in."

As a center forward, as a center forward with excellent heading ability, heading the ball in was simply a basic requirement.

After listening to Yesenin's translation, Chen Yingxiong turned his head to look at the opponent's defensive lineup. He easily found the Korean midfielder Lee Ho, who was only twenty-one years old, acting as a defensive midfielder.

He smiled at Lee Ho.

Lee Ho was confused by the smile. He didn't know why the Chinese guy, who was of average strength and disobedient, was smiling, and why he was smiling at him.

But he soon knew the answer…

When the football was kicked out, Chen Yingxiong rushed towards him like a train!

Lee Ho just wanted to jump up to meet the challenge, but Chen Yingxiong had already jumped up in one stride!

Then he was pressed under Chen Yingxiong and became a "stepping stone"…

Chen Yingxiong, who overpowered Lee Ho, headed in his teammate's pass.

The main goalkeeper, Kontofalskis, didn't even make a save, just watched the football go into the net.

Someone on the field gasped in surprise.

But many first-team coaches were not surprised by Chen Yingxiong's goal. They had already seen Chen Yingxiong's power in the air…

He just rushed over like this, then jumped up one step ahead, and then collided head-on with the defensive player. As a result, in all likelihood, the defensive player fell to the ground in frustration, and he arrogantly headed the football into the goal in the air.

Chen Yingxiong, who landed on the ground, did not shout and celebrate. This was not a match, this was just training. He smiled and leaned over to extend his hand to Lee Ho, who had been knocked to the ground by him.

Lee Ho had an expression of depression that he couldn't vent—it's not good to hit a smiling person… Since the other person took the initiative to show goodwill, as a senior, he couldn't possibly get angry at him.

He could only take the hand Chen Yingxiong handed over and was reluctantly pulled up.

After being pulled up by Chen Yingxiong, Lee Ho remembered the smile he had before the header—this kid was definitely not kind!

If one header could easily be interpreted as "this kid is lucky" or something like that, then Chen Yingxiong, who kept heading the ball into the goal, was changing the way his teammates looked at him—the teammates who didn't know what ability this kid had to enter the first team before, had found the reason why he could enter the first team. It was this domineering heading skill!

When facing the defense of the substitutes, Chen Yingxiong could win eight out of ten headers, and then four of them could score. A 50% goal rate was already very impressive.

Chen Yingxiong was very satisfied with his performance in training. He had already felt that the way his teammates looked at him was changing.

This was exactly the effect he needed!

In this team, as a newcomer, there was nothing better than showing his strength if he wanted to quickly integrate into the team. Only by letting his teammates recognize his strength could he stay in the first team for a long time.

However, Chen Yingxiong's good days seemed to be over.

Advocaat then asked Chen Yingxiong to change camps, and the people defending him were replaced by Martin Škrtel, Erik Hagen, and other defenders from the main lineup.

Hagen patted Chen Yingxiong on the shoulder and said to him in English: "Good header, Hero. So even in training, I won't show mercy. I don't want to be pressed under by a young man who just came to the team, ha!"

Erik Hagen kept his word.

In the first header, he used his experience to prevent Chen Yingxiong from jumping up, and could only watch Škrtel jump up and head the ball out.

Several times after that, the experienced Norwegian international Hagen and the talented Škrtel caused him trouble…

And his headers were always judged as fouls by assistant coach Pot because of bumping into people.

"Foul!"

"Charging foul!"

"I said, look for openings! Don't just bump into people…"

Seeing that Chen Yingxiong was in trouble, Lee Ho smiled. This guy who had just humiliated himself was also being humiliated by others!

Chen Yingxiong wasn't happy for long. His brows gradually furrowed, and the expression on his face became more and more solemn. The previous smugness disappeared without a trace.

Yesenin, as his translator, stood on the sidelines watching the training. After seeing Chen Yingxiong encounter setbacks, he turned to look at Advocaat, who had made the adjustments.