Chapter 15 When Summoned, He Finally Appears!

While Zhou Yi was warming up, Chinese fans online were also spreading the news that Zhou Yi was about to play.

Fang Shuai, a college student, couldn't watch the game in his dormitory, so he was watching it in an internet café. When he saw Zhou Yi warming up, he stood up excitedly, but forgot his headphones were still on, so he clutched his ear in pain and sat back down...

But he was still smiling, feeling happy inside.

Everyone in the QQ group was waiting for Zhou Yi to appear, but some were also worried and asked, "What if Dortmund scores while Zhou Yi is warming up? Wouldn't he not get to play again?"

"Hey, don't talk nonsense!" someone sent a "shut up" emoji.

Everyone seemed a little superstitious and cautious at this moment, afraid of saying the wrong thing and jinxing it.

※※※

During the time Zhou Yi was warming up, Dortmund's situation did not improve, as the Chinese fans had hoped.

On the field, Hoffenheim continued to suppress Dortmund.

Şahin looked very lonely in midfield, isolated by Hoffenheim's pressing.

Großkreutz is a relatively well-rounded player, but "well-rounded" also means "uniformly mediocre." Großkreutz seems capable of many things, but he may not do any of them particularly well, only just barely passing.

Asking him to share Şahin's work was completely beyond him. The requirements for players in Şahin's position are exceptionally high.

"Şahin needs support," said Marcel Reif.

Schulze, watching on TV, thought of Zhou Yi warming up earlier.

He was right, Zhou Yi was really going to play in this game!

So, would the other half of his prediction come true?

Instant fame?

He felt both anticipation and bitterness in his heart, perhaps he was destined to miss this genius.

He knew that at this moment, there must be many sharp eyes in front of the TV preparing to stare at Zhou Yi.

※※※

The five minutes of warm-up felt particularly long for Zhou Jianliang, Li Cuiyun, Fang Shuai, and other Chinese fans watching on TV.

Finally, they saw Zhou Yi standing on the sidelines, next to Klopp and assistant coach Buvac.

Buvac was giving Zhou Yi last-minute instructions. As the "tactical king" of the team's coaching staff, Buvac was responsible for explaining the tactical requirements to the players entering the field, ensuring they understood what they were going to do.

And Klopp was listening next to him.

"Zhou Yi, if you come on, you'll replace Zidan. But you're not going to play as a forward, you're standing in front of Şahin." Buvac drew a circle on the tactical board with a marker, marking Zhou Yi's position. "You're responsible for supporting Şahin. If he's under heavy pressure from the opponents, you must ensure he can always find you and pass the ball to you. Then you'll pass the ball forward."

Zhou Yi nodded after listening: "I understand, coach."

But Buvac was still a little worried: "Then repeat my requirements."

Zhou Yi said simply: "Between Şahin and the forward line, I'll be there to receive and support him, responsible for transferring the ball to the front."

Hearing Zhou Yi say this, Buvac nodded: "Yes, that's it. Remember to stay calm, no matter what situation you face, stay calm. If there aren't any good opportunities ahead, pass the ball back..."

Klopp patted Buvac on the shoulder: "He understands these things, Željko."

Then he pulled Zhou Yi to his side and, without saying too much, just said: "Kid, the stage is ready, go on!"

Then he pushed Zhou Yi towards the fourth official.

※※※

"Dortmund, in an unfavorable situation, is going to make an adjustment. Klopp is using... number 23, Zhou Yi, to replace number 10, Zidan. This is not a like-for-like substitution. Zhou Yi was promoted to the first team from the youth team this season, along with Götze. The two of them won the German Youth Cup and the Youth League title last season in the Dortmund Youth A team. They were both absolute mainstays in that team. Götze has already played in the last league game, and now it's Zhou Yi's turn. But Zhou Yi is getting much more playing time than Götze..."

On television, Marcel Reif was introducing the upcoming Zhou Yi to the audience. He couldn't be considered unfamiliar with Zhou Yi because he had commentated on the German Youth Cup final, and Zhou Yi's performance had left a very deep impression on him.

In front of the TV, Götze clenched his fists tightly as he watched Zhou Yi come on.

His feelings for Zhou Yi were complicated. On the one hand, he and Zhou Yi were friends, and the years they spent together in the youth team had created a friendship between them. But on the other hand, he also regarded Zhou Yi as a rival.

In Dortmund's youth academy, Mario Götze was considered a genius who appears once every thirty years. No one in the entire Dortmund youth academy, regardless of age group, could compare to him.

Götze had always been like a lonely genius, forced to move forward on his own. But because he lacked a frame of reference, he didn't know how well he was doing. Being promoted to the first team once made him think he could play in the first team, but after sitting on the bench for several months, he was returned to the U19s. He realized he was still far from the world of professional football in the first team...

It was at this time that he met Zhou Yi.

A genius he recognized.

Once he had a frame of reference, Götze suddenly knew how to work hard.

In this way, he and Zhou Yi won two championships together in the U19s, and were then promoted to the first team together, training with the team and working hard to stay in the first team. In the end, they both got their wish and stayed in the first team together.

After staying in the first team, they worked together to get into the squad and get playing time.

Did they seem like teammates working together side by side?

In reality, Götze was secretly competing with Zhou Yi in his heart.

Zhou Yi was selected for the squad earlier than him, which stimulated Götze to train even harder. Finally, in the last league game, he not only successfully made the squad, but also successfully came on as a substitute, completing his league debut.

In this respect, he was already ahead of Zhou Yi.

But now, seeing Zhou Yi being sent on in the sixty-fifth minute of the game, Götze understood what this meant.

Unlike his own appearance in the eighty-eighth minute to experience the atmosphere, Zhou Yi's appearance at this time really carried the mission of changing the team's situation! Klopp really had high hopes for him!

This reminded Götze of what Zhou Yi had repeatedly said during training.

"I'm someone who's valued by the coach!"

He wasn't kidding...

He'd been surpassed by Zhou Yi again!

I need to work harder, Mario!

※※※

When Zidan left the field, he gave Zhou Yi a high five and said in his ear: "Be careful of their pressing, they tackle quickly."

The Egyptian kindly reminded Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi said to him, "Thank you, Mohamed."

After speaking, he ran onto the field.

"Zhou Yi! Has been brought on! Viewers! You may be witnessing history! This is the first appearance of the young Chinese player Zhou Yi in the Bundesliga!" Duan Xin shouted excitedly in the studio behind the scenes. "At the age of just eighteen, Zhou Yi is the youngest Chinese player to play in one of the top five leagues!"

"He's on, he's on, he's on!" Zhou Jianliang shouted excitedly.

Li Cuiyun didn't say anything, but she was smiling as she stared at the TV screen.

"Good!" Fang Shuai, wearing headphones in the internet café, shouted loudly and slapped the table hard, startling the man next to him who was watching little h-films all night, and his little brother immediately went soft...

"Zhou Yi is on!" Mark's mother, Mrs. Wagner, slapped her thigh excitedly and shouted.

"Yay yay yay!" Mark shouted next to her, waving his fist. "Zhou Yi, go go!!"

Kottana, curled up on the sofa, rolled her eyes. She didn't understand why her whole family had to watch the live broadcast of Zhou Yi's games. She wasn't a fan, so why did she have to come back?

In the bar, Hannah, wearing a Dortmund jersey, pointed at the TV screen and shouted: "That's my friend!! Woo—! Zhou Yi! Go!!"

※※※

After stepping onto the field, Zhou Yi ran straight to Şahin and said to him: "The coach wants me to support you. If you're surrounded, pass the ball to me, I'll always be by your side."

Şahin, panting, nodded. He really needed someone to support him now, and Zhou Yi was indeed a good choice.

"How is it?" Klopp asked Buvac after seeing Zhou Yi and Şahin's exchange.

"It's alright." Buvac said, "At least the kid didn't fall as soon as he came on."

Klopp rolled his eyes at his partner: "Don't think of him as so weak, okay?"

"But he almost tripped when he was warming up just now." Buvac shrugged.

"Maybe that's not nervousness, but excitement."

"No matter which one it is, if he falls as soon as he comes on the field, he'll become the laughingstock of Germany, which will put a lot of pressure on him. Fortunately, he didn't." Buvac said.

"I think..." Klopp said, pinching his chin, "Even if the kid becomes the laughingstock of Germany, I'm afraid it won't cause him any trouble..."

"Jürgen, I'm curious, where does this confidence and understanding you have of him come from?"

Klopp smiled without saying a word.

※※※

After explaining things to Şahin, Zhou Yi went to his position.

Although assistant coach Buvac had explained it on the tactical board, the so-called "in front of Şahin" was actually a very vague concept.

First of all, "in front of Şahin" is a very large range. Şahin is a defensive midfielder, so in front of him includes the midfield and the forward areas, and can even extend all the way to the opponent's goal, but Zhou Yi obviously can't go all the way to the front line. In what range does he actually move? If he wants to go forward, how far can he go? Zhou Yi needs to grasp these things himself.

Secondly, can he only be in front of Şahin? Can he go to the right, can he go to the left, or even behind Şahin? The assistant coach won't say these things either, the players need to judge for themselves.

Some players have very rigid positions. If they're told to be on the wing, they really won't step out of line. And some players have flexible movement and often switch positions with their teammates.

Both of these types of performance have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Rigid positions lack support, flexible positions are prone to displacement.

But Zhou Yi isn't worried about these things. He has experience in this game because he has played many games against Hoffenheim in the virtual world.

He has accumulated a lot of experience.

He could only play in the virtual world before, but now he can finally put the experience from the virtual world into the real world.

After Zhou Yi stood in his position, he began to turn his head back and forth, looking around.

He was scanning the situation on the field with himself as the center. Soon a plan of the field was generated in his mind.

He knew exactly where each player was.

With a whistle from the referee, the dead ball state ended, Dortmund threw in a throw-in, and the game continued!

Zhou Yi's first official league game of his career also began!

※※※

ps, um, at this time I just have one thought - after a thousand calls, he finally appears!

Not just the fans in the book...