The football was eventually cleared out of bounds by Maya Yoshida, who came to help defend.

Hazard looked a little dazed and turned to give Li Kang a thumbs up.

Van Dijk gestured to his teammates a few times before clenching his fist and waving it forcefully.

The Saints fans erupted in cheers again.

"Dominating aura."

"Leadership qualities."

"An indomitable barrier."

"Even against the red-hot Chelsea, he will defend the dignity of their home ground."

"Commander!"

"Talented, Van Dijk has earned everyone's respect with his performance, the defensive commander of Southampton!"

On the sidelines.

Dino frowned: "His instantaneous reading ability is close to Li's."

Tuchel's eyes were full of admiration.

When his desire for control receded, the Chelsea manager's tactical gene lock seemed to be opened.

"This kid is the most perfect center-back in the mainstream tactical environment of European clubs!"

"But he was torn apart in the national team."

"Although some of his basic skills are poor, he knows where to stand before the opponent launches an attack."

"But he was torn apart in the national team."

"Although he can't integrate tackling and passing, as long as he has time to adjust, he can become an above-average initiator of attacks."

"But he was torn apart in the national team..."

"Enough, as long as he's paired with players of Southampton's level in positional defense, Van Dijk's strengths can be fully utilized."

In 2017, football fans gradually learned from the news that Van Dijk would be very expensive.

The imagined "World's Best Defender": perfect defensive skills, one-on-one marking, fierce fighting, divine tackles, extreme step frequency, telepathic passes, a mobile fortress...

One man stands in the way, ten thousand cannot pass.

The actual "World's Best Defender": Why does he look so silly? How are his basic defensive skills so much worse than Baresi, Maldini, and Nesta? Wow, he defends just by retreating!

Delaying, pressuring, and forming a complete defensive matrix with the goalkeeper and teammates who come to help defend.

23rd minute of the match.

Li Kang, in a withdrawn position in the formation, once again found a flaw in Southampton's high defensive line.

A rainbow-like trajectory stunned St. Mary's Stadium.

"Wonderful!"

"The Golden Ball winner's cruise missile!"

"Morata!"

"He's not offside!"

Morata and Van Dijk started almost simultaneously.

The former, with the blessing of the legendary connection, judged the landing point of the ball more accurately.

No muddying the waters with a stop to adjust.

While sprinting, he flicked the ball up with his heel.

The football leaped lightly in front of him.

Second burst of speed!

"Flick over in one go."

"This is Morata!"

"A one-on-one!"

"Wow! Van Dijk is actually catching up!"

The ultimate Dutch center-back has a peak 100-meter speed of 10.4 seconds.

Even after losing his position, he can still rely on his explosive physical qualities to regain the balance!

The audience couldn't help but hold their breath.

Their eyes were fixed on the one-on-one duel on the field.

"One man is a defensive line!"

"He can even calmly raise his hand to direct goalkeeper Forster to block the near post!"

"Too scary!"

"Morata is dribbling towards the penalty area!"

"Oh no!"

"Morata's dominant foot is blocked by Van Dijk's body!"

"No shooting angle!"

The Chelsea striker slowed down.

Van Dijk, with his hands behind his back, was staring intently into his eyes with a determined gaze.

That's right.

The "defensive characteristic" of the strongest center-back in the current version.

He doesn't observe step frequency, step rhythm, or body lean.

He just observes the changes in your eyes.

Morata sensed that the Southampton players in the retreat were about to arrive.

He couldn't delay any longer!

He couldn't shoot with his dominant foot!

Sudden stop and dribble.

Creating space.

Small swing of his left leg.

Bang!

The football left the ground, flying towards the goal like a heavy cannon!

Van Dijk looked relaxed: Everything is under control.

He had already directed Forster to block the near post.

"Wow!"

"The crossbar near the goal post!"

"Oh, a deflection!"

"Goal!"

"What exquisite shooting skills, turning the impossible into the miraculous!"

"He turned the impossible into the possible!"

"He blew past top center-back Van Dijk head-on!"

"This is Morata!"

The score on the big screen quietly changed to 0:1!

The Saints fans couldn't quite accept the reality before them.

Clearly...

Van Dijk glanced at his own goalkeeper in confusion; Forster was on the verge of tears.

Morata paused for two seconds, looked around, and only after confirming that he had really scored did he start celebrating wildly!

Li Kang didn't expect the goal to be so simple... He was even prepared to participate in the second attack after the clearance.

-

[The most underrated top striker: Morata.]

-

[Morata: I will let Li know that assisting is a very simple matter.]

-

[Van Dijk's physical fitness is really abnormal, and his ability to read the game is also strong. He can always find the most suitable defensive position, and he can compete with top strikers in the final burst!]

-

[There's nothing he could do about this ball; Van Dijk deserves a better goalkeeper.]

-

[He's going to Liverpool next season; that's where he has the most suitable configuration for him.]

On the sidelines.

Tuchel couldn't help but look puzzled in his excitement.

Half a season... He didn't seem to have figured out Morata's true shooting level.

Dino pulled Cahill and David Luiz on the bench to celebrate wildly.

There weren't too many injuries in the main lineup.

They were just too tired.

Fighting on four fronts.

Traveling back and forth.

Made the Blues look exhausted.

On the other side.

Mauricio loudly encouraged the players.

His tactical style was very aggressive; he wasn't afraid of losing the ball, but he was afraid that his disciples would lose the courage to attack when facing strong teams.

The game continued.

Time flew by quickly.

Southampton's high defensive line pressed deeper and deeper.

However, Chelsea's attackers didn't get too much of an advantage against Van Dijk.

Instead, the high-altitude duels near the center circle made the audience realize another of the Dutch center-back's divine skills: High defensive line - strategic commander!

Chelsea's transition attacks were repeatedly resolved.

"You can feel that the Blues, fighting on four fronts, are full of fatigue."

"Players are not robots."

"They get tired and fatigued."

"They can't perfectly execute the tactics deployed by the head coach."

"..."

The enthusiasm of the Saints fans melted the winter night in Southampton.

The mighty momentum encouraged the red and white jerseys on the field.

Even if the team was still behind.

But they saw the hope of equalizing.

The tired Blues will eventually bow their heads in the land of the Saints!

Of course, the above is from the home team's perspective.

The actual game: The tired Blues still firmly controlled the ball, and various data were far ahead of the home team.

Li Kang's vertical running distance was not much.

According to Tuchel's deployment, he spent most of his time in the withdrawn position of the formation.

God's perspective deconstructed Southampton's defensive system.

The Eye of Truth observed the center of gravity changes of the ultimate Van Dijk.

78th minute of the match.

Azpilicueta's movement was deformed, and he brought down Redmond in the left half of the 30-meter area.

The referee showed a yellow card.

Boos rang out at St. Mary's Stadium.

Azpilicueta shook his head and took the initiative to help up the Southampton attacker known as "Little Henry."

"A very good position for a free kick in the frontcourt."

"Southampton must seize the opportunity to equalize."

Mauricio waved his hand vigorously on the sidelines, signaling that the team's high points should all press forward, including Van Dijk.

Almost every top center-back in history has one characteristic: the ability to score from set pieces.

Beep!

The referee blew his whistle.

Romeu took a three-step run-up.

Bang!

The football left the ground and spun into the Chelsea penalty area.

Van Dijk leapt high, overpowering Christensen, and headed for the goal!

Buffon anticipated the opponent's shooting path three seconds in advance.

He jumped up and caught the ball firmly in his arms.

The whole audience sighed.

"What a pity!"

"A little bit away from equalizing the score."

"Buffon didn't lie down... he wanted to launch an attack as soon as possible. Hey, Redmond's interference is suspected of being a foul!"

Redmond deliberately stood slowly in front of the Chelsea goalkeeper.

There was no other way.

This was the best way for mid-table teams to interfere with Chelsea's transition attack.

Buffon wasn't angry, and smiled as he patted the junior's head.

The game was nearing its end.

Mauricio's hair was messy as he excitedly directed his teammates to attack with all their strength.

The momentum of the Saints fans became even more mighty.

Defend the dignity of their home ground!

"During this period, Southampton has no fancy moves, just long passes and crosses, bombing the Chelsea penalty area!"

"Interesting, Van Dijk is now a center forward, pressing to the front."

"Li Kang has retreated to the defensive line; his connection with Buffon is too tacit."

"Tuchel may want to win this game easily. He has made large-scale rotations on the defensive line. In the upcoming European Round of 16, Chelsea's defense will face the terrifying front line composed of Mbappe, Cavani, and Neymar!"

-

[Li Mingdeng is too lazy, as lazy as Messi. Look at his coverage; he doesn't rush forward and always participates in defense.]

-

[He has to help defend the left area and make up for Christensen's weakness. No problem; look at Chelsea's possession rate, which is still far ahead.]

-

[Kante has run Li Kang's share.]

-

[They're going to play against PSG soon; Tuchel's idea of conserving strength in the league is understandable.]

The 90 minutes of regular time ended.

The score was still 0:1.

The fourth official raised the number plate: 3 minutes of stoppage time.

After Buffon resolved the danger again, the players on both sides quickly took their positions.

Li Kang returned to the left half.

Van Dijk also returned to his own defensive line.

The football passed quickly between the blue jerseys.

It passed the center circle.

"92nd minute."

"Kante passed the ball to Li Kang."

"With so little time left, Chelsea, leading by one goal, should control the ball... They won't invest too much force in the attack."

"Does our Golden Ball winner still want to attack?"

"Tadic quickly intercepted, bending over and lowering his center of gravity. Well, this forward's basic defensive skills are very solid."

The red lines from God's perspective contracted into a point, deconstructing the situation.

The Eye of Truth throbbed violently, extremely excited.

Li Kang flicked the ball with his left foot, pretending to cut into the middle.

Tadic took small steps, adjusting his position laterally, blocking the Chelsea core's path forward.

The space on the outside was given up.

Li Kang suddenly pulled the ball back and started to accelerate.

"The Golden Ball winner's explosiveness!"

"Tadic can't keep up, he's laid his hand on him!"

"Huh?"

"The Best in Europe slowed down again?"

"This beat of slowness means he won't crash into Van Dijk and Cedric's frontal interception!"

"But now he's trapped in a three-man sandwich!"

"Let's see how the World Footballer handles this..."

"Li Kang has been forced to the sideline."

Chelsea teammates quickly approached to support.

Van Dijk was in the "middle" position of the sandwich, staring intently into Li Kang's eyes.

He and his teammates formed a triangle.

He deliberately left gaps on his left and right sides.

No matter which direction Li Kang dribbled, the Southampton defenders were confident that they could complete the interception.

"Li Kang's left foot gently flicked the ball, perfectly avoiding Cedric's tackle."

"He's still being closely entangled."

"Besides passing back, there's no space to pass forward."

"Wow!"

The next moment.

An unexpected scene occurred.

Li Kang pushed the ball with his right foot.

The football passed through the narrow gap between Van Dijk and Tadic...

The whole person exploded with terrifying starting speed again.

He forcibly passed through the gap between Van Dijk and Cedric.

The whole audience was stunned.

Three-man sandwich? Nutmeg!

"Incredible!"

"Unbelievable!"

"Too imaginative!"

"The great Golden Ball winner!"

Tadic and Cedric stood there dumbfounded.

Van Dijk turned around and chased after him immediately!

Fight!

Fight for the last bit of explosiveness!

St. Mary's Stadium was filled with thunderous applause.

Two seconds later, Li Kang received the pass he had given himself.

Van Dijk pressed forward.

The two were on the left diagonal of the penalty area.

Bang!

Under the frantic interference of the Dutch center-back, Li Kang sent out a scalpel-like diagonal pass.

"A deadly pass!"

"Willian!"

Bang!

Saints goalkeeper Forster failed to stop the Samba winger's close-range push.

The football went from bottom to top, stirring up the back of the net.

0:2!!!

"Goal!"

"Willian did not disappoint the opportunity created by the Golden Ball winner!"

"There's no time left."

"Chelsea expanded their lead at the last moment, killing the suspense!"

"An epic individual performance!"

"The visual spectacle was too great."

"Worthy of being the World Footballer, two assists to secure the victory!"

Li Kang was hugged by his teammates in turn.

Van Dijk lay painfully on the grass, cramping...

The World's Best Defender, who had fought the whole game, attacking, dueling for headers, and defending, was exhausted.

He felt that it was time to leave Southampton to pursue his dreams.

He had already made up his mind: Liverpool! That was the stage for him to show his talent!

-

[Too handsome.]

-

[If Van Dijk was one-on-one with Li Kang, maybe he could have delayed for a while.]

-

[Too sudden, Southampton never expected Li Kang to dribble all the way down.]

-

[Li Kang is too lazy, his running distance is similar to Messi's, how can he still send out two assists?]

-

[Golden Ball winner!]

-

[World Footballer!]

Premier League referees are a little more dedicated than Bundesliga referees when it comes to stoppage time.

The football was placed back in the center circle.

The game continued.

Even if it exceeded stoppage time, Southampton would be given the opportunity for a final attack before the game was declared over.

Beep! Beep beep~

The whole game ended.

Southampton 0:2 Chelsea.

Tuchel subconsciously patted his chest and hugged each of the main defenders on the bench.

Champions League Round of 16.

Chelsea will be able to challenge Paris Saint-Germain's "four hundred million reckless" with a fully fit defense.

(End of this chapter)