Chapter 1 The Parting

"Is there anything I can do for you, Qiu?" Adriaanse asked Qiu Suhui with a smile.

"I've come to say goodbye, teacher," Qiu Suhui said slowly.

The smile on Adriaanse's face froze. After a long while, he asked with confusion, "Say goodbye? Where are you going? Continuing your travels? Your abilities no longer require you to wander around…"

"No, teacher, I'm going home."

"Go… home? What home?"

"China, teacher, back to my homeland, my home."

"China? China!" Adriaanse suddenly became agitated. "You're going back to China? What are you going back there for? That's where you ruined your feet. Do you want to ruin your coaching career as well? That's a wasteland unsuitable for the growth of football! Qiu, do you understand?"

Qiu Suhui smiled and nodded. "I understand, teacher. That's why I'm going back, to be a pioneer."

"That's very dangerous. You're betting your glorious future! Your thinking has been Europeanized. It's no longer suitable for that Eastern country!"

"It wouldn't be pioneering without danger. Teacher, Chinese football is indeed backward, but someone has to change it, someone has to try." Qiu Suhui shifted his gaze to the clear blue sky outside the window. "More than ten years ago, I came to Europe from China to find ways to change Chinese football, to find the answer to why Chinese football can't rise. To that end, I traveled almost all over Europe, saw all kinds of football, and thought a lot."

"Did you find the answer?"

"Yes," Qiu Suhui nodded.

"When?"

"That round of cup matches, when Zhang Jun scored a hat-trick." Qiu Suhui looked at his somewhat puzzled teacher and smiled. "Because I saw the live broadcast of Volendam against Eindhoven where you were, so I found my way here. Seeing hope in Zhang Jun and Yang Pan strengthened my determination to return to China."

"Zhang Jun, Yang Pan… I never thought I'd picked up the future hope of Chinese football…" Adriaanse shook his head self-deprecatingly. "To be honest, I'm still worried about their future in China. But, now that you're going back, I seem to be able to rest assured… But, can't you wait? Wait until the winter break to leave?"

"I'm sorry, teacher. Time is too short. The Athens Olympic qualifiers are about to begin. The hope of Chinese football must start with this Olympics."

Looking at Qiu Suhui's face, Adriaanse never imagined that the boy who came to Zruwa to study years ago had become a man who ventured alone into Europe for the sake of his homeland's football. His eyes became firm, his voice became calm, and his heart became incredibly strong…

"Alright! Everyone has their own ambitions. I won't force you. You're far away in China, and I can't help you much. I can only wish you good luck!" Adriaanse sat back in his chair and said with some helplessness.

The moment Qiu Suhui's teacher sat down, he suddenly realized that his teacher had really aged. Silver hair covered his temples, and wrinkles crisscrossed his face. When he came to Zruwa to study eighteen years ago, his teacher was still very young, strong, and energetic. Now… He knew that his presence here would relieve his teacher of a lot of burden, and that with his departure, the burden on his teacher would become even heavier. At that moment, Qiu Suhui softened and almost decided to stay in Volendam until the winter break. But when he thought of the approaching Olympic qualifiers, Qiu Suhui still chose to return to China, right now.

However, he decided to do one last favor for his teacher before leaving.

"Teacher, I'm about to leave, and I haven't brought you any gifts this time. But, I'd like to make up for it now."

Adriaanse looked up at the student in front of him.

"Volendam has been playing very well in the recent matches, winning one after another. But I think the team's performance can be even better. Right now we're facing teams of average strength, but when we finally face strong teams like Ajax, I think we'll encounter a lot of trouble."

"Continue."

"Our defense is only at the middle and lower level of the league. The victories in these few games are only because our offense has suppressed the opponents. The opponents don't understand Zhang Jun and Yang Pan, which is why we have a chance to take advantage. But as the league progresses, opponents will definitely focus on studying them, and once they're frozen, our offense will lose its effectiveness. From training, it can be seen that you, teacher, intend to place the core of the offense on these two young men, but do you think Hiddink will make the same mistake again?"

"No," Adriaanse shook his head.

"Then, someone like Koeman certainly won't. I think the best thing for the team is to return to the defensive counter-attacking style from the beginning of the season. The 5-4-1 formation can increase the thickness of the back line, strengthen the defense, and at the same time, look for opportunities to counter-attack. Zhang Jun has proven that he's the first choice for the center forward position, and for Yang Pan, I don't think he's suitable to be a striker."

"Yang Pan?"

"Yes, teacher. You let Yang Pan play striker as a last resort, right? The team's striker strength is really… But have you noticed? Yang Pan rarely shoots in the penalty area, and what he does most is rely on his speed to get to the baseline and cross—a typical Chinese-style wingback."

Adriaanse carefully recalled Yang Pan's performance in the recent games, and then nodded. "You mean…"

"Yang Pan's powerful shot is indeed a very effective weapon, but he always has to swing his thigh around to shoot, so his best shooting distance is in the area thirty to twenty yards from the goal, where, when he swings his foot to shoot, the ball won't be easily intercepted by the opponent's defender. According to my observation, Yang Pan is a player who exerts his strength in the later stages. His acceleration is average, and his explosiveness isn't as outstanding as Zhang Jun's, but he can show an amazing side of speed when dribbling, all because he's a person who runs faster and faster. In the penalty area, which is such a narrow space, Yang Pan's lifting his leg to shoot will easily be intercepted in advance by agile defenders. This is a congenital reason that restricts him from becoming a top striker. He's not suitable for playing at his best in a narrow space, and the midfield with enough space is the best place for him to play. In this respect, he and Zhang Jun have completely opposite performances. Therefore, I suggest that you, teacher, let Yang Pan switch to playing as a right midfielder. In this position, he can rush forward, and whether it's dribbling to assist or scoring from a long shot, he can exert his full power. Yang Pan is a natural winger!"

When Adriaanse announced to all the team members that Qiu Suhui, who had only been an assistant coach for two weeks, was officially leaving, everyone was very surprised. Although the time was short, Qiu Suhui gained the trust and love of these young people with his ability and affinity for young players. He was responsible for the team's detailed training plan every day, and his training was the key to ensuring Volendam's recent strong performance. He was doing so well that the players didn't understand why he was leaving?

However, Adriaanse didn't explain too much to them, only saying that it was because of some personal reasons of his. Foreign countries attach great importance to personal privacy. Since Adriaanse said so, he also dispelled the players' desire to ask the reason. There was still a Dutch Super League match coming up soon, and if the team continued to win, they could get rid of the relegation zone.

The most surprised and regretful Zhang Jun and Yang Pan met Qiu Suhui at the door of the apartment after training.

When they saw the coach, he was sitting on the steps at the entrance of the apartment waiting for them.

"Coach?" Zhang Jun called out. Qiu Suhui turned around, saw the two of them, stood up, and patted the dust off his buttocks.

"Are you really leaving?" Yang Pan asked.

Qiu Suhui nodded.

"Is it something urgent?" Zhang Jun continued to ask.

Qiu Suhui nodded again.

Then there was a moment of silence, until Zhang Jun suddenly realized that the three of them were still standing outside, so he hurriedly invited the coach into the house.

But Qiu Suhui just shook his head. "There's not much time left. I still have to visit a few friends. I had a lot of thoughts on the steps just now, but now I suddenly don't know what to say. I think I'll give you some advice, after all, I've been your coach for a while."

"Yang Pan, to be honest, if you were to race Zhang Jun in fifty meters, who would win?" Qiu Suhui's question stunned Zhang Jun.

Yang Pan thought for a while. "I'd be slightly ahead."

Qiu Suhui nodded and then asked, "What about thirty meters?"

Yang Pan thought again. "It'd be a tie."

"What about fifteen meters?"

Yang Pan didn't even think. "I'd definitely lose."

"I've noticed that you cross more than you shoot in the game, and you shoot more outside the penalty area than inside the penalty area. Have you also realized this problem?"

"Yes."

"Then the coach lets you play striker, tell me your true thoughts, what position do you like?"

Yang Pan said, "Striker and midfielder are both fine."

"The position you like the most." Qiu Suhui emphasized the word "most" very heavily.

This time Yang Pan thought for a long time before answering, "I think it should be right midfielder."

"Haha!" Qiu Suhui laughed. "Then why don't you go and tell the coach, tell him that you feel most comfortable in the right midfielder position, not the striker."

Yang Pan was a little embarrassed. "Everything is subject to the coach's arrangements. I think he has his reasons for arranging it this way. Besides, I played striker for two years when I was in high school, so I can adapt."

"No." Qiu Suhui shook his head. "You still have a long way to go in the future. Remember, in professional football, communication and exchange are very important. Always tell the coach what you think. It's not good to keep anything bottled up in your heart. If this position isn't suitable for you, just say it, otherwise the only one who suffers is you."

Yang Pan nodded. "I understand. I'll pay attention to it in the future."

Qiu Suhui nodded approvingly, then turned his gaze to Zhang Jun on the side. He looked at him for a long time, then suddenly shook his head. "Tsk! I can't seem to see through you clearly. I can't see what you'll become in the future, whether it's success or failure. But I always have some kind of expectation for you. It's really strange…"

Zhang Jun was confused by these words, but he didn't ask Qiu Suhui why he said that.

Qiu Suhui looked at his watch and then looked up. "One last question, what are your goals in playing football?"

"Goals?" Zhang Jun and Yang Pan looked at each other.

"To play for the national team one day," Yang Pan replied.

"Yeah, anything else?" Qiu Suhui looked at the two of them.

"Anything else?" Zhang Jun scratched his head and said a little embarrassedly, "I don't know if this counts… We had a very good friend in high school. When he graduated from high school, he left China and went to Brazil. At that time, we made an agreement that we would meet again on the football field in the future."

Qiu Suhui laughed. It was really in line with Zhang Jun's personality to say this. "What's your friend's name?"

"Kaka."

"Kaka? That's a rather strange name… Oh, that's about it, I have to go. If everything goes well, you should still be able to see me in China, hehe!" Qiu Suhui winked at the two of them. "No need to see me off. Go back and take a good bath. Pay attention to your bodies after training." Qiu Suhui waved at the two of them and then disappeared behind the trees.

As Qiu Suhui walked towards the car parked in the club's parking lot, he kept muttering the name that Zhang Jun had told him, "Kaka, Kaka, Kaka… Kaka from Brazil? Kaka from the Brazilian national team!" Qiu Suhui suddenly jumped up. He was startled by his discovery.

"Good heavens! What kind of people are they!"

The day after tomorrow was the league match against Excelsior. In this morning's training session, Adriaanse had originally planned to focus on set-piece tactics, but Qiu Suhui's words made him decide to make some changes. He also did see that Yang Pan, although a striker, often dribbled along the wing in the game and then crossed to create scoring opportunities for Zhang Jun, acting as a winger in the name of a striker.

Zhang Jun nudged Yang Pan, reminding him to talk to the coach about his position.

"In today's training, we won't practice set pieces. We'll play a scrimmage instead." Adriaanse briefly explained a few words and then left the rest of the work to the assistant coach, Sterr. He handed out the yellow vests representing the starting lineup to the players who were likely to start in the next game. Zhang Jun and Yang Pan also put on yellow vests.

After both sides were ready, Adriaanse, who had been standing on the side with his arms crossed, spoke. "Yang, go to the right. You'll play right midfielder!"

Yang Pan was stunned for a moment, and then moved from the center circle to the right side of the midline. The starting side's formation also changed from 5-3-2 to 5-4-1.

Everyone was a little strange, not understanding the meaning of the coach's arrangement, but Zhang Jun understood, and so did Yang Pan.

At the very beginning of the game, the starting side created a chance to score. Kozeer made a long pass from the backfield, crossing half the field. Yang Pan sprinted with speed. As a winger, Yang Pan had developed the skill of receiving long passes from a young age. His eyes were fixed on the incoming ball, his eyes and feet were coordinated, he stretched out his right foot, used the inside of his foot to cushion the ball, and then immediately crossed!

Zhang Jun jumped up while running, a powerful header!

The football flew into the net past the goalkeeper's fingertips! The starting side took the lead!

After scoring, Zhang Jun gave a thumbs up to Yang Pan, who was still standing at the passing point, but Yang Pan smiled and pointed back to Kozeer, the meaning was obvious: "The initiator of the attack is him, thank him."

Seeing this scene on the field, Adriaanse thought of Qiu Suhui, who had already left Volendam. The student will eventually surpass the teacher.

"Qiu, your gift is quite heavy!"