Chapter 66

Lei Hu's former position in the team was a defensive midfielder, standing relatively far back, serving as a barrier in front of the defense. He was very active in his positioning, with excellent endurance, and his interception range was not limited to the center but also extended to the sides. He often worked with the full-backs to implement double-team tackles and pressure the opponents, making him an outstanding defensive midfielder.

During last autumn's league, when Lei Hu was in the team, Guanglin Middle School had a solid defense and maintained a perfect record. At that time, Fushui Middle School was two points behind them in the standings due to a draw. Unfortunately, Lei Hu lost his eligibility to play in the final match against Fushui Middle School due to a disciplinary action, which directly led to Guanglin's defeat and a one-point deficit in the standings. Thus, they lost the autumn league championship at the last moment.

This year, with Lei Hu's departure, the team's performance has been worse than before. The number of goals conceded has increased, and their record is now five wins, one draw, and one loss, with a total of six points behind Fushui Middle School over the two seasons. Therefore, a strong defensive midfielder is crucial for the team.

With Lei Hu's return, the second team's formation changed to 3-5-1. Wang Bai, following the coach's instructions, positioned himself very far forward, continuing to play as an attacking midfielder as he did in the previous league match. Another midfielder, Xue Zhichao, played in the center to link the play.

Coach Zhang Guangda also instructed the two wing midfielders to cut inside and work with Wang Bai to break through the center, avoiding the wings to reduce aerial balls. The coach's intention was clear: to practice the team's central attacking strategy in this match and to use this opportunity to train Liu Haichuan, who had recently switched to a defensive position, in his man-marking skills.

Before the kick-off, Wang Bai instructed the forward, Yan Weiming, to run into space and that he would pass the ball to him whenever the opportunity arose.

At the start of the training match, the first team faced a numerical disadvantage in midfield and quickly lost possession under pressure. Xue Zhichao, upon receiving the ball, immediately passed it to Wang Bai without hesitation.

Unfortunately, Wang Bai was still near the midfield. After taking a few steps forward and assessing the first team's defensive positioning, he realized there was little chance of a breakthrough. He therefore passed the ball back to Xue Zhichao and ran forward. However, Xue Zhichao misunderstood his intention, thinking he was trying to draw the opponents out, and passed the ball back to Lei Hu in the backfield.

Lei Hu, though excellent in defense, was not very skilled with the ball at his feet. He quickly passed the ball to the left wing. Zhao Jianbin of the first team immediately pressed forward to regain possession.

The second team then entered a defensive stance. This time, Zhao Jianbin's breakthrough was successful, leading to a cross. However, the quality of the cross was poor, and no one managed to head the ball, which went out of bounds. After signaling to the center-forward Hao Bin for the mistake, Zhao Jianbin walked back.

The throw-in went to the second team's right wing midfielder. He turned and, facing the opposition's interception, chose to pass the ball horizontally. The ball returned to Lei Hu's feet, who then passed it to Xue Zhichao and said, "Be bold, go forward, I've got your back."

Xue Zhichao then took the ball forward with renewed energy. The first team's midfielders abandoned their marking of Wang Bai and moved to intercept Xue Zhichao's breakthrough. Seeing this, Xue Zhichao immediately found a gap and passed the ball to Wang Bai.

"Great!" Wang Bai shouted, receiving the ball and turning to run a few steps forward. He looked up towards the goal, seemingly searching for a shooting opportunity. Lu Guanghe, knowing Wang Bai's strong long-range shooting ability, immediately rushed out of the penalty area to block him. As he moved, a gap appeared in the penalty area, and the full-backs had not yet moved to cover.

Yan Weiming, not blind, immediately dashed towards that area. Wang Bai chipped the ball over Lu Guanghe's head into the penalty area! The timing was perfect, and Coach Zhang, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but exclaim, "Great pass!"

However, Yan Weiming underestimated Liu Haichuan's man-marking ability. Upon receiving the ball with his back to the goal, he calmly turned, only to feel as if he had hit a wall. Liu Haichuan, reacting quickly to Yan Weiming's sudden start, followed him closely and, as he turned, immediately pressed forward, using his long legs to poke the ball away.

Lu Guanghe, receiving the ball from Liu Haichuan, kicked it to the wing and gave him a thumbs-up, praising his timely man-marking. In most cases, facing a speedster like Yan Weiming, a tall and heavy center-back would find it difficult to keep up, almost always giving the opponent a chance to shoot. However, Liu Haichuan was fast and had excellent explosive power, making him well-suited to handle such situations.

The training match continued with rapid transitions between attack and defense, and the students watching from the sidelines couldn't help but comment, "The school team is really good, playing with a solid structure." "Yeah, they say they're not doing well this year, but they're still pretty good." "Maybe the other schools are just stronger."

"Really? If so, the matches must be exciting. I want to go watch the next one. Is their home ground at the sports center?"

Someone who knew a bit more replied, "Their home ground is at the sports center, but this week they're playing away. Their opponent is Yimin Middle School, which drew with Fushui Middle School last year and is currently in second place. They're very strong."

"Yimin is that strong? Last year, didn't Guanglin lose to Fushui, and they managed to draw with Fushui?"

"You don't know anything," the knowledgeable one explained, "Do you see that big guy who looks like a thug on the field? He's the starting defensive midfielder. When we played Fushui, he was indefinitely suspended, which is why we lost. When Yimin played us last year, they lost 0-1 to us."

"Indefinitely suspended? Damn, the school is really screwing over their own team. Isn't that just making things worse for themselves?"

"Exactly," the knowledgeable student sighed, "If not for that, the spring league wouldn't have turned out this way. They couldn't even beat Lushan Middle School, and I doubt they'll do much better against Yimin this week."

He then explained to the interested students, "Yimin is currently in second place with six wins and one draw, 19 points, just two points behind the undefeated Fushui Middle School. They haven't played Fushui yet, so they still have a chance to overtake them. In the autumn league, Yimin was third, just three points behind Fushui. If they get lucky, they might even win the championship. So, they'll definitely go all out against us this week."

"Too bad it's an away game, otherwise I would have gone to watch."

As they were discussing, a goal was scored on the field. Hao Bin of the first team received a low cross from Zhao Jianbin and poked the ball into the second team's net, making it 1-0.

The knowledgeable student, seeing this, began to list the team's stars, "The best players on the team right now are these two, Zhao Jianbin and Hao Bin, both in the second year. They are classmates and have great chemistry. One can pass, and the other can shoot. The team's offense mainly relies on them."

After the restart, he noticed Wang Bai with the ball and said, "This player with the ball seems new; I haven't seen him before. I didn't come to watch the training last week, so he must have joined then. I wonder how good he is; that chipped pass was quite clever."

A person who had been silent all along suddenly spoke up, "Didn't you go to the sports center to watch the game last week? This guy is amazing. He came on in the second half and turned the tide, scoring two goals and providing one assist, completely dominating Nanding Middle School."

"Damn, is that true?" Last week, he had been preparing for the mid-term exams, and his parents had kept him at home, so the school team's all-knowing fan really hadn't been to the game.

The person who had spoken earlier kept his eyes on Wang Bai and said impatiently, "Do you think I'm lying? Go ask around. Everyone at the sports center knows that Guanglin is building a new core around this guy, number 19, Wang Bai!"

The spectators began to murmur, as Wang Bai's name was not unfamiliar. He had been a hot topic recently, especially after his impressive performance at the cultural festival. Although they couldn't see his face from the stands, they knew of his existence.

At that moment, the second team's right wing midfielder, following the coach's instructions, cut inside. Because this was different from his usual breakthrough route, the first team's left-back was caught off guard and was left behind. When he reached the edge of the penalty area, Lu Guanghe moved to block him, and he passed the ball to an open space in the center. Wang Bai then quickly started, making a run to shoot from distance, and Liu Haichuan rushed to block his shooting path!

However, Wang Bai gently controlled the ball and then passed it behind Liu Haichuan. Yan Weiming, sprinting forward, easily received the ball and, from the edge of the small penalty area, pushed the ball into the net, equalizing the score!

"Beautiful!" The spectators cheered, as the second team's attack completely tore apart the first team's defense, and Wang Bai's fake shot and real pass were unexpected.

Someone asked, "Why was the defender so tense when he pretended to shoot? At that distance, it shouldn't be a big threat, right?"

The person who had watched the game last week replied, "This guy's long-range shots are incredibly powerful. If he had taken that shot, there was an 80% chance it would have gone in. But he was probably executing the tactical plan, so he passed the ball."

The second team's players gathered to celebrate, then returned to their half to restart the game. Coach Zhang, from the sidelines, instructed the first team's full-backs to focus and mark their opponents tightly, avoiding letting the center-backs have to cover for them.

Subsequently, the first team's defense became more stable, but the second team's central penetration strategy also became more proficient. The coordination between the midfielders and the forwards was no longer as simplistic as before, and the tactical drills had achieved their purpose.

Especially the second team's left wing midfielder, who was right-footed, found himself at ease with the inside cutting strategy, making it difficult to defend. Even Song Jieming, who was a decent player, was somewhat flustered. He and Wang Bai, along with Yan Weiming, executed several brilliant combinations in the left-wing area, penetrating the first team's defense. If not for Liu Haichuan's timely man-marking, which often disrupted Yan Weiming's shots, the score would have been different.

The first team's attacks were repeatedly broken up by Lei Hu's tireless running and interceptions. Although the score was still 1-1 at halftime, the first team seemed to be on the back foot.

The second team's triangular attack formation made Coach Zhang, watching from the sidelines, stroke his chin in thought, seemingly contemplating new tactics.