Chapter 1 With Training

As the players who participated in the World Cup gradually returned to the team, Borussia Dortmund's lineup was complete, and training was returning to normal.

The whole team was working hard for the new season.

Of course, physical fitness was still valued by Klopp, and there was a lot of running training.

Climbing training was also still arranged.

It was during a chat with Yang Muge that Zhou Yi learned that Schalke 04's coach, Magath, also loved taking his first team players mountain climbing.

So mountainous Austria and Switzerland were popular training locations for Bundesliga teams.

Only then did Zhou Yi realize that German coaches liked mountain climbing so much…

However, mountain climbing was indeed a good way to train, as it could not only improve physical fitness but also strengthen the players' willpower.

Because in the end, mountain climbing was not about physical fitness, but about willpower—when exhausted, one would look up and see the towering mountain peak and the difficult slopes, and many would feel a sense of frustration, feeling as if the finish line was forever out of reach.

At times like these, only those who did not give up could ultimately reach the end.

※※※

After physical training, it was time for the team's tactical training phase.

On the first day of tactical training, Klopp arranged a closed-door internal training match.

He divided the players into two teams for an eleven-on-eleven, ninety-minute game.

He used a match to kick off tactical training, using this internal match of not-so-high intensity to allow the players to find their rhythm as much as possible, while the coaching staff could also carefully observe each player.

Especially those new players who had just joined the team.

Originally, Klopp wanted to observe the new players more, such as Shinji Kagawa, Robert Lewandowski, and the young players who had been called up from the second team.

But soon, his gaze fell on Zhou Yi.

Klopp had led Zhou Yi’s physical fitness and strength training during the vacation.

Klopp had seen the results of Zhou Yi's training in the physical examination report and during the subsequent physical training.

But he had never really witnessed the results of the special training on the field.

Now he saw it.

Zhou Yi was running more actively in the training match, and his range of motion was much larger than before. In the past, Zhou Yi mainly operated in the middle of the field, or in the two half-spaces, and occasionally went to the flanks.

His vertical range of motion was slightly larger than his horizontal range of motion, but he rarely entered either penalty area.

For an attacking midfielder, except for the fact that he did not enter the opponent's penalty area very much, his activity area was almost enough.

But now, his range of motion was obviously larger. He would cut into the opponent's penalty area, and he would also retreat to in front of his own penalty area. He would also appear on the flanks, and from one flank to the other.

With a larger range of motion, it felt like he was everywhere on the field, able to participate in the team's offense and defense at any time.

Moreover, it was not just that the range of motion had become larger, which was actually just an introduction. What really caught Klopp's attention was still to come.

When the range of motion became larger and he could go to more places, Zhou Yi also needed to have the ability to send the ball to any part of the field.

This was a basic requirement for an excellent midfielder.

So soon, when Zhou Yi ran to the corner of the defensive third to get the ball, then turned around and made a long pass to Groskreutz diagonally opposite him, and the pass was almost perfect, Klopp's eyebrows jumped.

Subsequently, Zhou Yi's long passes and switches of play increased, from the left side of the field to the right side, from the right side to the left side, from the back to the front…

Sometimes he would fail, but that was nothing. Compared to short passes, long passes were inherently much less accurate, and the success rate would not be too high. It was impossible for every pass to reach its destination accurately.

The tolerance range for the accuracy of long passes was actually very large.

As long as it could be passed to within a reasonable range.

So what caught Klopp's attention was not the accuracy of Zhou Yi's long passes, but his intention to frequently make long passes.

It should be known that this was almost never seen in the previous season. In the previous season, Zhou Yi only made short passes, occasionally making mid-range passes. Sometimes, in order to connect the team's attack, he had to constantly run to meet his teammates and then pass the ball out again. This naturally placed high demands on his physical fitness.

Klopp thought carefully and recalled that the only game he could remember seeing Zhou Yi actively attempting long passes many times seemed to be only one—the last round of the league last season, Borussia Dortmund challenged Freiburg away, and when the two sides tied 1:1 and the game reached a deadlock, Zhou Yi suddenly made a long pass, accurately finding Barrios, creating an excellent opportunity.

But in the end, Barrios wasted this opportunity.

Which led to Borussia Dortmund failing to win the last game.

That game was not only Zhou Yi's only long pass, he had tried several times before that, but they were not very successful.

Now seeing Zhou Yi's performance in the training match, Klopp realized—perhaps from that time on, Zhou Yi had already consciously increased his use of long passes…

This showed that Zhou Yi was a very clear-headed young man. He was not satisfied with his fourteen assists in one season, but soberly recognized his shortcomings. As a midfield organizer, not being able to make long passes was really unacceptable…

Seeing Zhou Yi constantly changing positions on the field, switching the ball back and forth, a thought suddenly popped into Klopp's mind.

A problem that had been bothering him since Sahin left seemed to have a solution…

※※※

So after the training session, Zhou Yi was notified by Klopp to go to his room at night.

Zhou Yi was very surprised by this, and his friends also felt strange.

As soon as Klopp left, Marc approached him: "Why did the coach call you to his room?"

Zhou Yi shook his head: "I don't know…"

"I don't think it's a good thing!" Groskreutz pretended to be mysterious, "Zhou Yi, you're going to be unlucky!"

"Kevin, don't scare Zhou Yi!" Marc quickly comforted Zhou Yi. "It could also be a good thing!"

"Yeah, at least there's a fifty percent chance it's a good thing, which sounds like a high probability." Götze interjected from the side.

Zhou Yi rolled his eyes.

He didn't care about good or bad things, he was just curious. He waved his hand at Marc: "Don't worry, Marc. If there's anything bad, then let Grandaddy Kevin and Mario treat us to dinner separately!"

"Tch." Groskreutz snorted, "Then if it's a good thing, you'll treat us to dinner?"

"If it's a good thing, shouldn't you guys treat me to dinner even more? To celebrate." Zhou Yi said in surprise.

Groskreutz patted Zhou Yi on the shoulder and praised him: "Hey, I just like how brazenly shameless you are, Zhou Yi!"

"Thank you for the compliment, Grandaddy Kevin." Zhou Yi accepted it happily.

※※※

After dinner, Zhou Yi knocked on Klopp's door.

It wasn't Klopp who opened the door for him, but assistant coach Buvac.

Afterward, Klopp greeted him and gestured for him to sit down.

After sitting down, without any small talk, Klopp asked directly: "Zhou Yi, have you been doing extra training on long passes?"

After asking, they both looked at him with expectant eyes.

"Uh…" Zhou Yi certainly couldn't say "I like to practice ball in my dreams." He could only nod, "Actually, since last season, I've been doing extra training on long passes in private."

He wasn't wrong to say that, except it was in the virtual world.

Klopp didn't intend to ask how Zhou Yi did his extra training. Instead, he and Buvac exchanged a look, as if to say, "Sure enough."

Next, the team's assistant coach, Željko Buvač, who was in charge of tactics, looked at Zhou Yi again and said to him: "Why did you start practicing long passes?"

"I just felt that my methods were too limited. If I only make short passes, I would miss some better opportunities." Zhou Yi honestly said what was on his mind. "When I need to make a long pass, if I can't make an accurate long pass, then I can only stare blankly."

"But you're an attacking midfielder. You're very close to the opponent's goal. How often do you need to use long passes?" Buvac continued to ask.

"This… that's what you say, coach. But I don't think I should just be fixed in one place. I should go wherever there's space on the field, and pass the ball wherever there's an opportunity." Zhou Yi explained. "Besides, if I can make long passes, if the opponent presses me in front of their penalty area, if they tackle me, I can actively retreat, create distance, and then directly use long passes to launch an attack…"

Klopp and Buvac exchanged another look after hearing that. It was rare for a young player to have such thoughts in his mind.

Many young people only think about how to use the money they earn to chase girls and buy cars in their spare time from playing football. This kind of tactical thinking seems to be the coach's business. They just need to execute it on the field.

After hearing Zhou Yi's words, Buvac nodded and said, "So Zhou Yi, how about playing as a defensive midfielder?"

"Huh?" Zhou Yi was very surprised. The question was too sudden, and he hadn't reacted yet.

Buvac said, "From attacking midfielder to defensive midfielder, you will gain a wider space and vision, and the long passes you have worked hard to practice will be put to good use. And… with your style of play, you can still push forward at any time when necessary. Anyway, your physical fitness can keep up now. What do you think? In modern football, the core of the organization moving backward is already a major trend. Of course, you don't have to give an answer now, you can go back…"

But before Buvac could finish speaking, he heard Zhou Yi say, "Okay."

"Huh?" This time it was Buvac and Klopp's turn to be surprised.

"I have no problem playing as a defensive midfielder," Zhou Yi said again.

"This… aren't you going to think about it carefully?" Buvac couldn't believe it.

"I've already thought it through, coach. Since I've already considered retreating to avoid the opponent's close pressing, why not change passive retreat to active retreat?" Zhou Yi spread his hands. "Besides, I do often run to the defensive midfielder position to ask for the ball during games. I think it's better to just be a defensive midfielder than to fight with the defensive midfielder for position."

Klopp, who had been silent on the side, finally spoke: "You have to think clearly, Zhou Yi. I hope this is your own decision, and not because of any pressure."

Zhou Yi shook his head: "No, coach, this is my own decision."

"But playing as a defensive midfielder is farther away from the opponent's goal. I remember someone commenting that the closer you are to the opponent's goal, the greater the threat, so conversely, the farther you are from the goal, the smaller the threat…" Klopp said.

"I think that statement itself is wrong, coach. I'm not fixed in one position on the field. I always have to run constantly. Just because I play as a defensive midfielder doesn't mean I won't even cross the halfway line, right? Just because I play as an attacking midfielder doesn't mean I'll stay in front and not come back, right? Besides, why can't I become someone who can create a threat no matter how far away from the goal I am?"

Hearing Zhou Yi's answer, Klopp clapped his hands: "Good! Then it's settled, starting this season, you'll play as a defensive midfielder!"

In this way, Zhou Yi experienced the second position change in his football career. From forward to attacking midfielder, from attacking midfielder to defensive midfielder, his position became more and more backward, but his importance became more and more forward.