The Burnley coaching staff dared not be careless.
Whenever Kai turned up the intensity, the potential of this Crystal Palace squad became almost unimaginable.
In today's EFL Championship, no one dared to underestimate Crystal Palace's No. 10—this 16-year-old prodigy!
As one of the teams relegated from the Premier League last season, Burnley's top priority was, naturally, to get promoted back.
They currently sat second in the table.
Any slip-up that dropped them below the top two would mean going through the promotion playoffs—
An outcome Burnley could not accept.
But soon, Burnley's head coach could finally breathe a little easier.
40th minute.
Galvan, still carrying a leg injury, failed to keep up with Burnley's advancing full-back.
Another flank attack brought the ball deep into Crystal Palace's territory.
Cut inside!
Shot on goal!
The keeper saved it!
But the second ball...
Burnley pounced again with a follow-up shot.
1–3!
The away fans erupted once more!
Burnley's offensive participation was simply overwhelming.
Crystal Palace may have been playing five at the back, but near the box, they were still outnumbered.
Burnley's relentless attack rotations gave Crystal Palace no room to breathe!
"Second half—we keep pressing. Palace plays five at the back, stacking their defense, but if we keep up the pressure, the cracks will show."
"And they don't have many attacking players. They can't match our sharpness going forward."
"We want to secure a big win here—by at least three goals!"
Burnley's coach wasn't satisfied yet. He had no intention of letting up.
He wanted to crush Crystal Palace, exposing their weaknesses completely.
At that very moment, Galvan couldn't hold on anymore.
Clutching his leg, he fell to the ground in pain.
"My leg… ah, I can't move it!"
His teammates shouted for the medics.
Galvan was stretchered off.
Tension thickened once again.
On the sideline, Holloway paced back and forth, preparing to bring on a defensive player.
Suddenly—
Kai signaled, stopping the coach's substitution plan.
"Second half, we go all out. Bring on Zaha—we're switching to a 4-4-2!"
"What? A 4-4-2? Going toe-to-toe with them?!"
Holloway was stunned.
They were down 1–3, and he wanted to go on the offensive?
Besides, they hadn't even trained for the 4-4-2 formation!
The 4-4-2, often called "the eternal formation," was incredibly popular this century, emulated by countless clubs.
But until now, Crystal Palace had mostly used a standard 4-3-3—
Which had failed miserably.
Only after Kai joined did they switch to a 5-4-1.
Yet looking at the firm conviction in Kai's eyes, Holloway couldn't bring himself to doubt their teenage genius.
Zaha couldn't believe it—he was being subbed on?
"Coach, what do I do?"
He was unsure, asking Holloway nervously.
It had been so long since his last game, he barely remembered how to settle in!
"Ask Kai. Follow his instructions!"
Holloway had no tactical plan for 4-4-2 himself.
He just slapped Zaha's back and shoved him onto the field.
Kai called over Zaha and Vaughan and gave a quick rundown.
"Kai, if you send the ball, I'll be there! My positioning won't let you down!"
Vaughan thumped his chest with confidence.
Kai turned to Zaha.
"You and Vaughan are both off-the-ball runners, but your movement must not overlap!"
"I'll choose where to pass based on your runs!"
There wasn't much time left in the first half.
Neither team added to the score.
Zaha, having been benched so long, struggled to find rhythm.
Kai passed into dangerous spaces several times, but Zaha ran straight into defenders—squandering great chances.
Halftime.
Zaha looked at Kai apologetically.
Kai gently tapped his forward on the back of the head.
"No worries. We've still got 45 minutes."
"Those last 10 minutes were enough for me to understand your running patterns. In the second half, I'll distribute passes to you and Vaughan based on what I see on the pitch."
Elsewhere, the medical team ran onto the field again.
Another emergency!
The live commentators sounded anxious:
"Crystal Palace lose another key player!"
"Their captain and starting center-back, McCarthy, can't continue! He pulled his leg during a challenge earlier and is now out. Palace are forced into another substitution."
"This is turning into a real injury crisis! How will they deal with Burnley's offense in the second half?"
Suddenly—
Something caught the commentator's eye.
"Wait—what am I seeing? Oh my God! The captain's armband is now on Kai's arm!"
"Crystal Palace doesn't have an officially designated second or third captain. Now that McCarthy is injured, it seems the entire team unanimously believes this 16-year-old prodigy can handle the role!"
In the stands, despite trailing on the scoreboard, Crystal Palace fans smiled through the gloom—
Applauding and cheering for Kai as he wore the captain's armband.
Kai adjusted the armband without overthinking.
At that moment, he had only one goal in mind:
Lead his team to a second-half comeback.
Amid thunderous noise in the stadium,
The players headed back into the tunnel, each with a different expression.
Halftime:
Crystal Palace trailed 1–3 at home.
Media outlets at the stadium wasted no time hyping up the second half.
"Is Crystal Palace's win streak about to be broken against Burnley?"
"Burnley played in the Premier League last season and still carry much of that quality."
"As expected, Crystal Palace struggle against top-level teams. Can their Eagle King once again pull them out of danger?"