Chapter 1 North Rhine

New Year customs in North Rhine are somewhat similar to the Spring Festival in Dragon Country.

On the night of December 31st, firecrackers crackled and brilliant fireworks streaked across the night sky.

The staff at Leverkusen banged drums and shook bells throughout the club, symbolizing the dispelling of demons and ghosts.

On the training ground.

Teacher Berenata secretly took a double-barreled shotgun from his bag, cocked it, loaded the ammunition, and tossed it to Li Kang.

"Fire a shot at the sky! It's a custom from my hometown, don't be nervous..."

Before he finished speaking.

Li Kang pulled the trigger!

Bang!

The gunshot was quickly drowned out by the sound of firecrackers and fireworks.

The air was filled with a pungent smell of gunpowder.

Teacher Berenata quickly helped Li Kang up, who had been knocked over by the recoil, and laughed, "When I was a kid, the thing I looked forward to most was firing a shot on New Year's Eve!"

....

The club cafeteria was decorated with a fir tree and a horizontal tree, with silk flowers tied among the branches.

After dinner, Voller reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a thick stack of envelopes.

"Happy New Year!"

Everyone eagerly took the envelopes, secretly opened them, and found Euro banknotes inside.

This custom was exactly the same as Spring Festival red envelopes.

The little assistant clasped his hands together: "Thank God for giving us..."

Suddenly.

The TV made a noisy sound, it was an emergency news bulletin!

In Cologne, twenty miles away from the club, a vast number of ragged goblins had appeared!

Teacher Berenata gripped the double-barreled shotgun in his hand and muttered, "God has dozed off..."

The security guards didn't even have time to wipe their mouths before scattering to the various entrances and exits of the club.

Voller lit a cigar and smiled, "Looks like we'll have to spend New Year's Eve at the club tonight."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The New Year's atmosphere was so harmonious that the heaviness brought by the goblin incident vanished in an instant.

According to custom, everyone would gather together until midnight.

Li Kang glanced at his phone, most of the messages were New Year's greetings from teammates in the national team and club.

Old Man Topp said his car had been smashed.

Kramer said his house had been burglarized.

Brandt said his pork sausages had been stolen.

Havertz said he had caught two goblins.

...

As midnight approached.

Voller led everyone to stand on chairs.

The clock struck twelve.

Everyone jumped down.

This New Year's custom was a bit strange, its meaning was: to shake off the disasters of the past year and jump into the new year.

....

On January 6th, the chaos in North Rhine was completely quelled.

The little assistant took Li Kang, carrying several boxes of club souvenirs, to visit the Feltins for the New Year.

After all, the endorsement fees they had given over the past six months were too high, they had to go through the motions.

It was cold and biting.

The business car with the Leverkusen team emblem drove along the snowy mountain road.

"Li, the director doesn't want you to take on too many advertising endorsements, there are many reasons..."

Li Kang nodded, indicating his understanding.

Young players were different from stars, their most important task was to play well.

The tablet was replaying the 1/8 elimination match: Benfica vs. Juventus.

It had to be said, there were no weak teams in the Champions League.

Benfica's strength was terrifying, if it hadn't been for the crossbar, they would have almost come back and reversed the situation.

On the Juventus side, the Old Lady was no longer the strong team that had reached the peak of Europe in the previous season, they were in the painful period of generational transition: Pirlo had gone to America, Pogba was too individualistic, Morata was weak against weak opponents, Dybala was not yet mature, Cuadrado liked fancy moves, and Marchisio was prone to madness...

They were relying entirely on the defensive trio of Buffon, Chiellini, Barzagli, and Bonucci.

Fortunately, Chiellini scored a header at the end of the match, completely killing any suspense about advancing.

Li Kang couldn't help but wonder, if he were the sporting director of Juventus, which players should he buy to solve the problem...

...

Unconsciously.

The business car drove into the ancient town of Feltins.

Snow adorned the wooden houses and sculptures, and the fountain pools were covered with ice.

Ms. Sandra gave Li Kang and the little assistant each an envelope, based on the thickness and width, it could be judged that there was a lot of money inside.

The New Year's visiting customs in North Rhine were a bit long.

The little assistant was chatting enthusiastically with the Feltins staff.

Li Kang pushed Claudia's wheelchair, walking around and around the ancient town.

He had already memorized the street map, and would never get lost again.

Although the two had reached the legal marriage age in Germany, there was no transgression in their communication or behavior.

It was simply the woman talking, and the man nodding or shaking his head from time to time.

Gradually, the cold wind blowing on their bodies didn't feel so cold anymore.

Until night fell.

They finally said goodbye.

.....

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, the Bundesliga winter break was coming to an end.

Van Dijk arrived at the Leverkusen club, and after completing his medical examination, he followed the staff towards the training base.

After all, he was still a relatively unknown young defender, even if the club wanted to hold a welcoming ceremony, not many fans would come to the scene.

Although Li Kang's joining ceremony only cost a few thousand Euros to hire a lot of extras, Voller was reluctant to spend money on the Dutchman.

Van Dijk looked at Leverkusen's training facilities, his expression relieved.

He had originally thought that this mid-to-upper Bundesliga club would be very poor, of course, it was far worse than Southampton.

But deep down, he also cherished this loan opportunity.

He must perform well and strive to be on the Champions League stage...

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Loud explosions stimulated everyone's ears!

The little assistant looked at his watch and explained with a smile, "Li comes to the training ground every morning, but to avoid affecting the staff's rest, he doesn't start practicing shooting until ten o'clock in the morning."

Van Dijk was a little incredulous, he tentatively asked, "He didn't go on vacation during the entire winter break?"

The little assistant shook his head.

The Dutch center back was inexplicably fed a bowl of chicken soup:

Li Kang was a super rookie famous in Europe, shouldn't he have gone to Dubai to enjoy the warm sunshine during the winter break?

....

As they arrived at the training ground.

Voller suddenly stopped and said, "Go and steal Li's ball!"

Van Dijk nodded seriously and rushed onto the training ground excitedly!

Li Kang was a little surprised.

His left foot stepped on the ball.

After the Dutch center back got close, he didn't show any tendency to tackle.

His eyes were not fixed on the football, but on the opponent's eyes.

....

A one-on-one offensive and defensive drill began!

Li Kang dribbled the ball forward!

Van Dijk maintained a certain distance and began to retreat!

Voller frowned and praised, "Very cautious, he is observing Li's rhythm changes and step frequency, waiting for the right moment to make a move! The distance just blocks Li's passing space."

"The speed of retreat is very fast!"

Dino couldn't help but exclaim, "His defensive awareness is perfect! He puts Li at a disadvantage, unable to easily break free, his nickname in the Eredivisie was..."

A few seconds later.

Li Kang stopped the ball again!

Van Dijk decisively made a move!

Now is the time!

Pa!

Perfect tackle!

Looking down.

He found that he was actually standing outside the baseline.

Everyone had a dark expression.

Voller spread his hands and turned to leave.

Dino shook his head helplessly, he had only finished half of his praise!

The little assistant asked, "What was his nickname in the Eredivisie?"

"Retreating center back!"

....

Van Dijk looked embarrassed and reached out to apologize to Li Kang.

Then he took the ball back to the thirty-meter area, signaling to start again.

As the sun set.

The two of them were on the training ground, engaging in intense offensive and defensive drills again and again.

.....

The winter break ended.

All first-team members returned!

Son Heung-min recovered from his injury.

Brandt had gained weight.

Li Kang's dormitory living room was filled with local specialties, such as kimchi and pork sausages...

Çalhanoğlu didn't carry back a whole roasted lamb, he put down a Star-Moon Country handmade carpet.

On the training ground.

It was filled with Old Man Topp's roar: "Where's Papadopoulos? Where's our starting center back?"

Dino explained helplessly, "He sprained his foot on mossy stones while celebrating the New Year in Greece... He can't train for the time being, but we still have Van Dijk!"

Old Man Topp was stunned for a moment, then slapped his forehead, remembering the Dutchman the club had signed.

Then he blew his whistle.

He divided the first-team members into two groups and started an intra-squad training match!

.....

Four days later.

The Bundesliga returned to the audience's attention.

The wonderful matchday had arrived.

Li Kang and his teammates boarded a plane together to northern Germany - Lower Saxony!

The world-famous Volkswagen headquarters!

Leverkusen was heading to an away game, challenging the Bundesliga powerhouse - Wolfsburg!

The league standings and historical records of the mid-to-upper Bundesliga teams in the past two years were completely useless and had no reference value!

Wolfsburg had De Bruyne last season, and their performance was extremely amazing!

They were simply the second overlord of the Bundesliga!

Leverkusen, Monchengladbach, Schalke 04, and other powerhouses had suffered greatly!

....

The plane pierced through the thick clouds.

It landed at a corporate airport in the Brunswick area, few airlines opened routes here, mostly for private use.

Everyone walked out of the arrival gate, there wasn't even a cordon: because no fans could enter this area.

After getting on the club bus.

Li Kang looked down and flipped through the map of the Wolfsburg area, and had a general impression of the clubs in Lower Saxony, looking at the majestic Cliff Mountains.

Kramer put down his game console and said, "Wolfsburg was very strong last season, they sold a lot of stars in the summer transfer window! But they won't be easy to deal with! They're a tough nut to crack!"

Bender nodded: "Draxler is excellent, he and De Bruyne are talented midfielders with different styles, and there's also Dante, the former Bayern starter!"

Wolfsburg could be said to be Leverkusen's nemesis.

Every encounter between the two teams in recent years, the outcome had no reference significance, but there was never a shortage of goals.

Last season, they even played a super high score of 4-5, frantically reversing each other, making fans on both sides want to take rapid-acting heart pills!

.....

Two hours later.

The Leverkusen bus slowly drove into the Volkswagen Arena.

Compared with the BayArena, the capacity of this stadium could only be said to be about the same.

It could only accommodate 30,000 spectators, and occasionally hosted large auto shows!

But Wolfsburg's fan culture was much richer than Leverkusen's, especially after they defeated Bayern Munich in the German Cup final last season, the number of registered members skyrocketed.

The green and white themed elements filled the underground parking lot!

Old Man Topp skillfully walked towards the press conference.

He even patted the opponent's mascot - the Big Bad Wolf Wofie!

....

Pre-match press conference.

Hecking shook Old Man Topp's hands enthusiastically.

The two had a deep connection.

During his playing days, Hecking was Old Man Topp's disciple.

After obtaining his coaching certificate, his first job was as Old Man Topp's assistant.

Reporters asked questions enthusiastically.

"Mr. Topp, Leverkusen has lost to Wolfsburg for two consecutive years! Are you confident in getting away unscathed at the Volkswagen Arena today?"

"Mr. Hecking, can you defeat this season's Bundesliga mid-season champion?"

The two coaches' answers were very consistent.

"We will win!"

........

In the player tunnel.

The players from both sides greeted each other warmly.

There wasn't the slightest bit of hostility.

Perhaps there was an atmosphere of life-and-death competition in the past two years.

But now, many players in both teams had forged deep friendships during their youth training.

Draxler and Kramer were very close in private.

For example: Schürrle and Kramer were good buddies all the way through the German national youth teams.

Li Kang looked at the opponent's line-up and found many familiar faces from the classic match videos.

.....

"Ctv5! Ctv5! Good evening, viewers!"

"Welcome to the fourteenth round of the 2015/16 Bundesliga season!"

"Wolfsburg at home against Leverkusen!"

"Every meeting between the two clubs will present the audience with a hearty and enjoyable offensive battle!"

"I am the commentator for this match, Duan Xuan!"

"I am He Wei!"

"Next, we will introduce the starting line-ups for both sides!"

"Wolfsburg's line-up is 4-3-3!"

"Goalkeeper: Casteels!"

"Right back: Träsch!"

"Center backs: Dante partners with Knoche!"

"Left back: Rodriguez!"

"Single defensive midfielder: Gustavo!"

"Central midfielders: Arnold, Guilavogui!"

"Forwards: Kruse, Draxler, Schürrle!"

....

In the live broadcast room.

The audience was a little confused when they saw Wolfsburg's line-up.

-[Draxler as a center forward? Is Hecking throwing in the towel? Don't mess around!]

-[It's normal, De Bruyne played as a midfielder last season, and he often rushed to the front line!]

-[Draxler should be playing as a false nine! Creating space for the midfield to fight through his retreat! In short, the attack power is very strong!]

-[Don't talk so much nonsense! This is just an offensive battle!]

-[I miss Draxler under Magath so much! Hecking doesn't know how to use people!]

.....

"Leverkusen is also using a 4-3-3 formation!"

"Goalkeeper:...."

"We see a new face! The Dutch center back from the Premier League club - Southampton, Van Dijk!"

"He will replace Papadopoulos, who cannot play in this match!"

"We look forward to the performance of Leverkusen's new defensive addition!"

-[What did Leverkusen buy! A waste of money! Wasn't Van Dijk's performance in the European Cup qualifiers disastrous enough?]

-[Friendly reminder: The Dutch team is very likely to fail to enter the 2016 European Cup!]

-[To correct, it's not a buy, it's a loan. I estimate that Van Retreater is at least one level better than Papadopoulos! The competition intensity of the mid-to-upper Bundesliga is not as good as the Premier League.]

-[What's wrong with the transfer market? Why are excellent defensive players getting more and more expensive in recent years? They've even disappeared! We'll never see defensive superstars with distinctive characteristics like Cannavaro, Maldini, Nesta, and Baresi again!]