Chapter 75 The Missed Opportunity

Barrios, who had been lingering around the center line, saw Sahin look up to find him and swing his left foot. He assumed Sahin was going to launch a long pass directly to him, so he first moved horizontally along the center line, then suddenly changed direction and ran towards the front!

At that moment, he turned to look at the ball and saw Zhou Yi swinging his foot for a long pass.

He was startled - how did the ball get back to Zhou Yi's feet?

If he hadn't just started running, making an emergency stop wouldn't have been easy. Barrios wanted to stop completely because he knew it meant he was going to run for nothing again...

Zhou Yi wasn't good at long passes. Barrios knew this very well from previous team training, without having to wait for this game.

But since he had already started running, it wouldn't be good to give up halfway.

Barrios didn't slow down and continued to run towards his initial target.

Behind him, the football spun in the air, flying towards him.

As it approached Barrios, the football dropped and landed not far in front of him.

Barrios didn't expect the ball to land so well. He accelerated slightly, lifted his foot, and stopped the ball!

After stopping the ball, Barrios looked up and found that he wasn't far from Freiburg's goal, and in front of him were only one Freiburg center-back and a goalkeeper.

This was simply a perfect opportunity!

※※※

"Zhou Yi's long pass!" Duan Xin shouted when Zhou Yi passed the ball, but he didn't have much hope in his heart.

But when he saw Barrios actually stop Zhou Yi's pass, he was surprised and then shouted, "Beautiful long pass! Accurate long pass! He accurately found Barrios! This is a great counter-attack opportunity for Dortmund!"

Marcel Reif also shouted in the commentary box, "Zhou Yi's long pass is very accurate! Dortmund has a great chance!"

Gasps and boos rang out from Freiburg fans in the Mage Solar Stadium.

The other Freiburg players were desperately trying to get back on defense.

Zhou Yi didn't run up anymore. At this time, Barrios was too far away from him. With his stamina, he couldn't do anything by running up, and it would only be a waste of energy.

He chose to watch from behind, watching how Barrios would use the ball he passed to him.

Barrios stopped the ball and took two steps forward. But perhaps because he had been playing for more than seventy minutes and his stamina had declined, he didn't choose to break through the defender, but only made a feint, opened up an angle, and then shot directly from outside the penalty area.

But this shot was slightly below Barrios' usual standard, and the football eventually went over the crossbar...

"Aiya!!" Duan Xin shouted regretfully. He had hoped that Zhou Yi's long pass could lead to a goal!

This was a rare opportunity for Zhou Yi to pass a long ball accurately!

Unfortunately, Barrios wasted this opportunity.

This might be the problem with being a midfielder: no matter how good your pass is, it might be squandered by your teammate, the striker.

But there was nothing you could do. That was football, and mistakes and regrets were part of the game.

If you wanted to turn mistakes and regrets into something good, you could only make yourself stronger and create more opportunities.

Marcel Reif also felt sorry for Zhou Yi: "What a great counter-attack opportunity for Dortmund, but Barrios missed it! They could have used this counter-attack to overtake the score..."

Barrios, who lost his balance after the shot, lay on the ground and watched the whole process of the football flying over the crossbar. He turned over and covered his face with his hands in regret.

Then he got up from the ground and gave Zhou Yi a thumbs up again.

This wasn't just stadium etiquette. He was really cheering for Zhou Yi's pass.

The pass was indeed good.

Zhou Yi waved his hand at Barrios, seemingly not minding that he had wasted the opportunity.

On the other hand, Sahin, who was behind Zhou Yi, seemed even more regretful than Zhou Yi, as if he had made the pass. Seeing Barrios shoot the football high, Sahin held his head in his hands.

What a beautiful long pass... What a pity!

※※※

"What a pity!" Buvac on the sidelines also shouted. "Barrios used too much force!"

Klopp shook his head: "He's probably out of energy. Let's replace him."

Five minutes later, Barrios was replaced by Valdez.

Zhou Yi, on the other hand, played the entire game.

In the end, Dortmund drew 1:1 with Freiburg on the road. If Barrios hadn't wasted Zhou Yi's pass, Dortmund might have taken three points away from home, ending this eventful season with a victory.

But that's football.

Sometimes, it doesn't always roll and fly according to the trajectory you hope for. It will deviate a little.

So, in order to prevent the football from always deviating a little at crucial moments, you need to put in more effort to train.

After the game, when a Chinese reporter asked Zhou Yi if he felt regretful that Barrios had wasted that opportunity, Zhou Yi shook his head and said, "There's nothing to regret."

"But if Barrios had scored that goal, you would have won the game..." the reporter asked.

"Well, we actually had some other opportunities that could have led to a goal, so we wouldn't have needed to rely on Barrios' goal to win the game." Zhou Yi's answer left the reporter unsure how to continue asking.

Seeing that the reporters weren't asking any more questions, Zhou Yi waved his hand at them and left.

And just like that, Zhou Yi finished all his official matches in the 2009-2010 season.

His season was over.

※※※

However, just as Zhou Yi was looking forward to returning home in glory, Klopp poured a bucket of cold water on him just as he entered the locker room.

"Hey, Zhou Yi." Klopp stopped Zhou Yi.

"Hello, Coach. Is there anything I can do for you?" Zhou Yi stopped.

"It's like this... What are your holiday plans?"

"I plan to go home."

"Well, you should go home." Klopp nodded, then changed the subject. "But can you postpone your plan to go home?"

Zhou Yi looked at him in surprise, completely not understanding what Klopp meant by saying this.

"It's like this, the coaching team has developed a special training plan for you, which takes time to complete. This training is used to improve your physical fitness, including stamina and strength. We plan to use the holiday time to train you..."

"But my stamina is already getting better. Didn't I play for the entire ninety minutes in this game? And I'm not very tired..." Zhou Yi spread out his hands and said, his breathing was very even.

"Yes, but after you use all your strength to finish a game now, can you still play ninety minutes in the next game with the same state?" Klopp asked.

Faced with Klopp's question, Zhou Yi didn't know how to answer. He knew his stamina very well, and he certainly couldn't, but he didn't want to admit it publicly. He really wanted to go home. From November 2008 to now, it had been a year and a half. He hadn't been home and could only see his parents through online video calls.

After the initial excitement of leaving home for Germany, the emotions of missing his hometown and parents gradually accumulated. He had originally planned to go home after the end of the season. As a result, he was suddenly told that he might not be able to go home. How could he accept this?

"Next season, we will not only participate in the domestic league, but also in the Champions League. But with your current stamina, it is difficult to play ninety minutes continuously in the league, let alone fighting on two fronts. Or do you want me to exclude you from the registration list for one of the competitions? Then you choose one, not playing in the league or not playing in the Champions League?"

Klopp used his trump card.

For Zhou Yi, the Champions League was a dream stage. When he was just a student fan, he could only watch live broadcasts of Champions League matches on TV and online. For him, the Champions League was the top stage for clubs, and the highest honor for a professional player besides the World Cup.

Being able to play in the Champions League? That was something that would make him excited just thinking about it. How could he give it up?

He certainly couldn't give up the league either. The league was the foundation, and how many games were there in the Champions League in a year? The league had thirty-four games...

More importantly - why should I choose to give up one?

Since he didn't want to give up either, Zhou Yi was afraid that he had to accept Klopp's arrangement.

Seeing that Zhou Yi was still hesitating, Klopp lowered his voice and said to Zhou Yi: "Let me tell you some news, Sahin is leaving next season."

However, Zhou Yi wasn't surprised.

"You knew?" Klopp was a little surprised.

"I guessed it." Zhou Yi said. "Before this game, Nuri suddenly told me to let me take charge of the core in this game, and he would be the vice."

Klopp stroked his chin upon hearing this: "No wonder..."

The situation seen in the game had all the answers.

"So do you know why Sahin did this?" he asked.

Zhou Yi nodded.

"Next season, we will have a single core, and you will be the core of the team. If the core of a team can't even be a continuous starter, such a core and a team that uses this kind of person as the core will only be laughed at." Klopp said while the iron was hot. "Dortmund, which is fighting on two fronts, needs a core with sufficient stamina, so I have to prepare a set of training plans for you in the summer."

After speaking, he looked at Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi was speechless. What else could he say?

Could he refuse?

No.

He couldn't say to the coach who trusted him: "I'm sorry, I can't be the core. I just want to go home to see my parents, so you should find someone else."

Wasn't that nonsense?

What was the reason he left his hometown to come to Dortmund, Germany?

Wasn't it to realize his ambition in professional football?

Now that the opportunity was in front of him, how could he not seize it?

Under Klopp's gaze, Zhou Yi sighed: "Okay, Coach, I'll listen to you and stay to train."

Seeing that Zhou Yi had agreed to his training plan, Klopp excitedly hugged Zhou Yi in his arms: "I like kids like you, Zhou Yi! I guarantee that this holiday will benefit you for life!"

Zhou Yi was almost suffocated in Klopp's arms... He struggled and said: "But... Next summer, Coach, you must... Let me go home!"

He sounded as pitiful as a prisoner locked in a prison, and coupled with his struggling movements that made him breathless, it was truly pitiful...

Klopp patted Zhou Yi on the back with a big laugh and said, "Of course, no problem!"

And so, Zhou Yi's 2009-2010 season ended, but his 2010-2011 season had already begun ahead of schedule...