Chapter 45

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

In fact, the essence of the development of all things is a process of returning to simplicity, and football is no exception.

The development of football saw the positions on the field initially being vague. By the late 1980s, they began to be refined. The central midfielder evolved into the attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder, and traditional central midfielder. The attacking midfielder further evolved into the classical attacking midfielder and the modern attacking midfielder. Technically, they could be categorized as playmaking attacking midfielders, box-to-box attacking midfielders, and supporting attacking midfielders. The defensive midfielder could be divided into defensive defensive midfielders, playmaking defensive midfielders, and all-around defensive midfielders, such as Guardiola, Redondo, Ballack, and Yaya Touré.

Similarly, the types of forwards and the responsibilities of wingers also became more specialized. It's not hard to notice that the specialization of positions on the football field has become increasingly detailed. But what happens when specialization reaches its peak?

The size of the pitch is limited, and perhaps a few more lines can be added between the three lines, but there are only 11 players in total. The ultimate specialization is inevitable. So, how will the responsibilities be divided at that time?

In fact, in 2004, world football began a further transformation—position blurring.

The emphasis shifted from specialized position divisions to the interplay and cooperation between players, allowing players to take on different responsibilities in different positions on the field. In this scenario, when a defensive midfielder moves to an attacking midfielder position, they naturally take on the responsibilities of an attacking midfielder. When a full-back moves to a winger position, they naturally push forward to break through and participate in the attack.

Jowan Xian was very clear that with the advent of the information age, everything in the world, including football tactics, was developing at an accelerated pace. In the past two decades, football positions had become more specialized, and in the next two decades, after reaching the peak of specialization, they would begin to blur. For example, the concept of a reverse-footed winger, the role of a full-back as a winger, the false forward, the false winger, and the no-striker tactics—all these stemmed from the effect of position blurring.

The technical differences between forwards and defenders are too great, making it difficult for defenders to break through and score like forwards or for forwards to defend closely like defenders. However, how significant are the technical differences between forwards, wingers, and attacking midfielders? Or between center-backs, full-backs, and defensive midfielders?

The reason Messi and Ronaldo became the world's top two players is that they had thoroughly understood the significance of position blurring. They could contribute in any position on the field! Yes, perhaps Ronaldo as an attacking midfielder is a bit selfish, and perhaps Messi as a center-forward is a bit short, but these flaws do not overshadow their brilliance. In the development of position-blurred football, both were pioneers.

Perhaps in the next hundred years, total football could truly be realized, where all players could play in any position on the field, and players could switch positions freely in tactical changes, represented by the A11 numerical combination. How many tactical variations would there be on the field?

Why are Ronaldo and Messi so difficult to defend? Because the tactical variations built around them have surpassed the football development of other players in this era. Pursuing extreme freedom within constraints is total football!

Boas listened carefully to Jowan Xian's understanding of football, thoroughly impressed by his foresight. He realized that once positions became blurred, the tactical design of the team could be a thousand, ten thousand, or even more times richer than it is now!

Jowan Xian, with 30 years of foresight in football knowledge, knew that after 2030, the concept of total football was reintroduced by the Dutch football genius Gudiyolas, causing a sensation in the world of football.

However, some football experts believed that such a theory was too abstract, like the communism proposed by Marx, existing only in fantasy. For 11 players on the field to be able to play in any position, not to mention the constant running, the physical endurance would be unsustainable. Are they superhumans?

However, Jowan Xian was quite pleased to have convinced Boas, and he said with a smile, "Villas, you are 26 years old this year, but I can assure you that if you continue to learn and understand from me, by the time you are 40, you will definitely be able to lead a team independently and become a world-class head coach!"

"By the time I'm 40?" Boas was very excited, not even noticing the 14 years of being confined by Jowan Xian, but rather thrilled that he would be a genuine young head coach by the time he was 40!

Jowan Xian wiped a cold sweat, feeling a bit guilty, and said, "Alright, that's it for today's lecture. Do you know what to do on the training field?"

"I know!" Boas nodded excitedly, then suddenly remembered something and chuckled, "Wanxian, I finally understand why you don't treat Makelele very well!"

"Ah?" Jowan Xian was startled. You know? Don't think I'm a racist, that would land me in jail!

Boas said seriously, "As a midfielder, Makelele's defensive ability is extremely strong, but his offensive ability is almost zero, which does not fit the concept of total football. So, he is out of place in the team, right?"

Jowan Xian's eyes widened, his face turning red, and he extended a thumb, praising, "Very smart, that's exactly the reason!"

On September 25, Chelsea will face Middlesbrough at Riverside Stadium, and there will be a Champions League match in the middle of the week, challenging the defending champions Porto. Fortunately, both teams are not strong.

On September 23, he published the starting lineup for the next match in his column in The Times: Cech, Bridge, Terry, Cannavaro, Ramos, Makelele, Rooney, Kaka, Lampard, Joe Cole, and Owen. It was an absolute first-choice lineup, showing no signs of holding back for the Champions League. After seeing the lineup, Middlesbrough's head coach Mclaren was so angry that he tore the newspaper to shreds.

Because the team's reverse-footed wingers and dual attacking midfielders' penetration system still needed to be integrated, Jowan Xian did not rest the key players, aiming to help the team quickly adapt to this advanced style of play. After all, the current Porto was a shadow of its former self, a mere minnow.

However, on the afternoon of September 24, Chelsea's official team gathered the media in the press conference hall, announcing that the team's head coach, Jowan Xian, had a very important announcement to make to the journalists.

Jowan Xian had become a favorite of the English media, not because of his good relationship with the media, but because any article about him would cause a surge in fan purchases. Who would turn down money?

The press conference was scheduled to start at 13:00, and by 12:40, the press conference hall was already filled with journalists from various media outlets, including correspondents from Spain's As, Italy's Milan, and Germany's Kicker. They had realized that such an urgent press conference meant that Jowan Xian had something very important to say!

With 20 minutes to go before the press conference, familiar journalists began to whisper and speculate about what Jowan Xian would announce today.

"Rumor has it that Jowan Xian only signed a one-year contract with Chelsea. Is he going to announce that he won't renew his contract to prompt other top clubs to contact him?"

"What a fool, it's only September. Contract talks won't start until December! I think Jowan Xian is getting married! There's something you might not know, he has already bought a mansion in the outskirts of London and spends his days with Cheryl!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Jowan Xian is gay. He would marry Cheryl? I think Jowan Xian is so impressed by Mourinho's success at Real Madrid that he is going to apologize for his recent provocations!" The As journalist's English was a bit clumsy, and this comment immediately drew cold stares from the English journalists.

The Times journalist immediately countered, "Nonsense! Mourinho has only achieved 4 wins and 1 draw at Real Madrid, while Jowan Xian has won six consecutive league matches. How can Mourinho compare to Jowan Xian? The arrogant guy, England doesn't welcome you!"

The Sun, though usually critical of Jowan Xian, stood up for him on a national level: "You Spanish media have no right to comment on Jowan Xian! Mourinho? Ha! The arrogant one, Rijkaard will definitely teach him a lesson with Barcelona!"

"Quiet, quiet, I have some insider information!" The Daily Mail journalist's words immediately silenced the noisy journalists, who looked at him curiously.

"Recently, there has been a major conflict between Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson and Roy Keane, and it all started at Stamford Bridge! I got this information from a Chelsea insider, who said that Jowan Xian has already announced that he will do his best to sign Manchester United's captain, Roy Keane, in the winter transfer window!"

"God, if Keane leaves Manchester United, I won't be a Red Devil fan anymore!"

"Roy Keane may be over 30, but he is still the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League. I believe Sir Alex Ferguson will recognize this and resolve the conflict. After all, Keane has been at Manchester United for 11 years!"

"Brother, I can't agree with you. Wasn't Beckham the best right-winger in the Premier League? Wasn't he the backbone of Manchester United? At Manchester United, there is only one king, and that is Sir Alex Ferguson! Whether it's Beckham or Roy Keane, if they dare to challenge Ferguson, they will be sold!"

"Sell him, then. If Keane goes to Chelsea, he might perform even better! Look at Chelsea's current momentum. If it continues, they will definitely win the league!"

"Idiot!"

"Daydreaming!"

...

Amidst the endless speculation and noise from the journalists, Jowan Xian finally entered from the side door, led by the press officer. He was dressed in a stylish Armani suit, with a slicked-back hairstyle, looking suave and charming. Many journalists whistled and shouted, "Cannon, Cannon, I'm gay too, let's live together!"

"Ha ha..."

The press conference hall erupted in laughter.