Chapter 1 When the Mind is Set

When Zhou Yi logged out of the virtual space, it was also when he woke up.

Lying in bed, Zhou Yi opened his eyes, but he didn't immediately turn over and sit up.

He was still recalling the matches he had played in the virtual space that night.

That night, he had faced Real Madrid six times in the virtual space. He had won three of those matches, but in all three victories, they had conceded goals. In one match, Real Madrid even scored two away goals, and they only won by one goal in the end.

Such a victory couldn't guarantee Borussia Dortmund's advancement to the final, let alone compare with Bayern Munich's 4-0 victory yesterday.

Of the remaining three matches, they lost twice and drew once.

This result clearly showed how bad Borussia Dortmund's current situation was.

Although it was a virtual match, Zhou Yi knew that the virtual reality was a simulation of the real situation. If Borussia Dortmund was functioning normally in reality, how could such a virtual result occur?

Repeated experiences had shown that the results of simulated matches were very likely to be the results in reality.

The simulation result indicated that Borussia Dortmund's win rate against Real Madrid at home was only 50%, and they would concede goals in every game. If Real Madrid got an away goal, then the problem would be very troublesome…

Real Madrid, back on their home ground, would not let go of the opportunity for revenge.

Thinking about this reality was a bit… despairing.

※※※

In the hotel's restaurant, the Borussia Dortmund players gradually arrived for their meal.

But they quickly focused their attention on the television in the restaurant.

The television was broadcasting the morning sports news, and there were two stories that were the main focus: one was the first leg of the Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and Barcelona that had ended the previous night, and the other was naturally Gotze's transfer to Bayern Munich.

The news program even reported these two events together.

First, it reported Bayern Munich's 4-0 victory over Barcelona at home, and then it reported that Borussia Dortmund's team bus had been surrounded by angry fans for ten minutes outside the Brackel training base.

Against the backdrop of Bayern Munich players celebrating their victory, the Borussia Dortmund players, who got off the bus with their heads down and walked through the crowd in silence, looked extremely embarrassed.

The Bayern Munich fans who cheered wildly for every goal at the Allianz Arena also formed a sharp contrast with the Borussia Dortmund fans who held up signs protesting Gotze and chanted slogans.

This contrast was truly disheartening.

The matter was already frustrating, and then the media deliberately used it for comparison, which was simply the best example of "no harm without comparison."

Many Borussia Dortmund players had the word "miserable" written all over their faces.

Zhou Yi didn't look up at the news; he was eating his meal with his head down.

After the news was broadcast, some whispers began to sound around him.

Then a voice gradually became clearer, because the speaker consciously increased the volume.

"No wonder someone was desperate to go to Bayern Munich. Look at this game, how easily they beat Barcelona! I understand now, he went to latch onto a strong team!"

Everyone knew who this was referring to. The restaurant suddenly fell silent. Recently, the team would often fall into periods of silence. Everyone was silent, burying their thoughts in their hearts.

This kind of atmosphere had never existed before and was very uncomfortable.

In the silence, Zhou Yi suddenly spoke, "Kevin, that's not right."

Seeing someone suddenly standing up for Gotze, everyone turned their attention to Zhou Yi, but at the same time, the atmosphere in the restaurant became even more tense.

Grosskreutz didn't expect Zhou Yi to challenge him. He was stunned for a moment and didn't immediately retort.

Zhou Yi turned to look at him and said, "I know it's hard for you to accept this, but complaining about your teammates now won't change the result, will it? And if we keep doing this, it won't do our team any good. Will it help us win tonight's game?"

Zhou Yi rarely had direct conflicts with players in the team. He could take jokes and liked to joke with others, so he had good relationships with everyone. He and Grosskreutz were also very good friends. After all, when he first joined the first team, Grosskreutz introduced him to the team. He had never argued, quarreled, or had conflicts with Grosskreutz.

But now, he was actually standing up for a "traitor" and confronting his friend?

Everyone was surprised.

Even Gotze looked up at Zhou Yi in surprise.

"I think at this time, the most important thing is no longer who went where, but how to win the game," Zhou Yi continued.

Coming back to his senses, Grosskreutz didn't seem willing to directly argue with Zhou Yi, so he didn't dwell on Zhou Yi standing up for Gotze, but snorted, "Easier said than done, Zhou Yi. Do you think we can still win with our current situation?"

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yi laughed instead: "Why can't we win? How many goals did Bayern Munich score against Barcelona yesterday? Four, right? Maybe we can score four against Real Madrid too!"

As soon as these words came out, the previously silent restaurant suddenly burst into an uproar.

Everyone was so shocked that no one noticed that the coaching staff had arrived in the restaurant. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Zhou Yi. Of course, Klopp and the others were also staring straight at Zhou Yi… because Zhou Yi's words were too shocking, like a thunderclap in the restaurant, making people dizzy and breathless.

"Four goals?!" Grosskreutz was amused by Zhou Yi. "Are you kidding me, Zhou Yi? How is that possible?"

He looked at his other teammates, and everyone felt that Zhou Yi was too fanciful.

"Hey, Zhou Yi, I know you're trying to change the subject…" Grosskreutz felt that he had seen through Zhou Yi's intentions.

But Zhou Yi shook his head and interrupted him: "No, I'm serious."

This time, he didn't smile and looked at Grosskreutz with a serious face.

"Whether it works or not depends only on whether you want it or not. I want it, do you want it, Kevin?" Zhou Yi stared straight at Grosskreutz.

"Wanting something can't win games…" Grosskreutz smiled contemptuously.

"But first you have to want it. Do you want to win, Kevin?" Zhou Yi continued to stare at Grosskreutz.

His eyes and attitude angered Grosskreutz, who roared, "Want! Who doesn't want to win! But can we win! Does saying you want to win mean you can win?! It's not that simple!"

Faced with the nearly out-of-control Grosskreutz, Zhou Yi remained calm, and a smile reappeared on his face: "Of course it's that simple."

But everyone thought he was just being stubborn to argue with Grosskreutz.

But Zhou Yi didn't think so. He continued, "I believe that everyone can see our current situation, and our opponents, Real Madrid, must also be very clear about what problems we are encountering. Now, the whole world probably thinks we are a group of 'defeated soldiers' with no fighting spirit. But in China, there is a saying called 'defeated soldiers are sure to win.' It means that the more this kind of time, the more likely it is that the people who seem impossible to win will win. Because no one will think we can win, they will definitely underestimate us and relax their vigilance, which will be our opportunity… So the key is whether we want to win. If we want to win, 'defeated soldiers' is a very good and realistic disguise. But if no one wants to win, then it's really a group of completely dead 'defeated soldiers'… That's why I asked Kevin if he wanted to win. If he wants to win, really wants to win, then we can win, we have the conditions to win…"

Zhou Yi spoke eloquently, telling his analysis to his teammates in the restaurant.

After he finished speaking, the entire restaurant was silent, as quiet as before.

But this silence was somewhat different from the previous silence.

The previous silence only made people feel awkward.

And now, something seemed to be budding…

※※※

Klopp turned to ask his chief scout, Peter Krawietz: "Has Real Madrid ever conceded four goals in a single match?"

Krawietz thought for a moment and then shook his head to Klopp and said, "So far this season, that hasn't happened. Real Madrid has only conceded a maximum of three goals in a single match. That was in the seventeenth round, when they lost 2-3 to Malaga away, and in the eighteenth round, when they beat Real Sociedad 4-3 at home."

Krawietz was worthy of being Klopp's "eyes," knowing the opponent's situation like the back of his hand, and speaking as soon as he opened his mouth.

Hearing this, Klopp nodded: "Well, it seems that scoring four goals is indeed not easy…"

Assistant coach Buvac smiled: "It should be said that it is almost impossible. But I think the idea that Zhou Yi put forward is good. I like his saying about 'defeated soldiers.' If our players really regain their fighting spirit and confidence, I also think that winning against Real Madrid at home is not an impossible thing. As long as we can win, the number of goals we win by doesn't matter."

Other members of the coaching staff also nodded in agreement with assistant coach Buvac's statement.

Klopp shrugged.

"Now it seems, guys, our luck is not that bad…"

He said, looking at the silent and thoughtful players in the restaurant.