Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
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"Four Consecutive Wins Across All Competitions! King Lance Leads Youth Storm to Dominate, Bayer Leverkusen's Momentum Soars in the Second Half!"
"Terrifying Efficiency of Over 1 Goal Per Game Continues! Detailed Analysis of Why Lance's Goal-Scoring Efficiency is So Exaggerated"
"Conquering Strong Opponents, Bayer Leverkusen Snags 9 Points in a Gruelling Schedule! Pressure on Bayern Munich!"
After a last-minute victory against Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen's morale was greatly boosted, entering a small period of explosive performance.
Initially, the schedule for the start of the second half of the season was not easy.
Bundesliga schedules are generally consistent in the first and second halves, with the same teams playing each other in the same order.
At the beginning of the season, Bayer Leverkusen went three games without a win, and the team's poor form nearly saw them fall into the relegation zone.
Their opponents were traditional powerhouses like Dortmund and Werder Bremen, or tough nuts to crack like Hertha Berlin.
However, by the second half of the season, Bayer Leverkusen first defeated Dortmund 1-0, then in Bundesliga Round 19, Bayer Leverkusen beat Hertha Berlin 1-0 away.
Lance scored the only goal of the match.
Considering that the match against Hertha Berlin was more of a positional attack, Lance used Nagi Seishiro's god-tier ball control template to perfectly evade the defence, create space, and score from inside the penalty area.
In Bundesliga Round 20, Bayer Leverkusen played away against Werder Bremen.
Lance failed to score, as Werder Bremen almost completely shut down his shots, giving him no chances.
This is understandable, Lance had already scored 25 goals; if his terrifying goal-scoring efficiency wasn't defended, wouldn't they be lambs to the slaughter?
But here's the problem: excessive focus on Lance inevitably disperses defensive resources.
This allowed Son Heung-min on the left, De Bruyne on the right, striker Firmino, and even the late-arriving Lars Bender to have opportunities to shoot.
Werder Bremen initially held the advantage with a 1-0 lead, but Lance attracted too much attention, and Son Heung-min equalised before half-time, making it 1-1!
In the second half, Lance controlled the ball at the top of the box and laid it off, De Bruyne received the ball, faked a shot, then dribbled into the box and made a cut-back pass.
Two consecutive feigned shots had already bewildered the defenders, and Lars Bender, making a late run, fired a powerful long-range shot to help Bayer Leverkusen take the lead!
In the 81st minute, Lance suddenly broke through from the wing, dribbled past three defenders, and entered the six-yard box.
Even if Firmino's shooting was terrible, he couldn't possibly miss facing an almost open goal.
1-3!
Bayer Leverkusen completed a comeback playing away from home!
Lance didn't score, but all three goals were related to him, and he bagged two assists.
Immediately following this, in the third round of the German Cup, the main players rested, and Julian Brandt, who had been biding his time, finally got a start. He seemed eager to prove he was no worse than Son Heung-min or De Bruyne.
Julian Brandt was very active in this match, scoring a goal with a long-distance run before the final whistle, a solo effort that defeated Kaiserslautern, successfully advancing to the quarter-finals of the German Cup!
In April, Bayer Leverkusen will face Bayern Munich in the German Cup!
A clash of titans in the quarter-finals, with two title contenders meeting early.
Bundesliga Round 21, four days before the Champions League knockout stage.
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Wolfsburg!
"I think we should consider bringing on substitutes, even if we don't win the league, at least we can guarantee the Champions League…"
"No! The league title is more important. Should we easily let Bayern pull away?"
"Yes, we've been working hard to catch up, but Bayern keeps winning. We can't drop the ball."
"It's like a long-distance race; only by constantly applying pressure can Bayern make mistakes, otherwise we won't have a chance."
"But we can't ignore the Champions League! Do we want to stop at the Champions League Round of 16?"
Since last season, whenever it came to the critical juncture of fighting on three fronts, the Bayer Leverkusen coaching staff would always argue.
Some hoped to focus on the league, others on the Champions League, each with their own valid points, ultimately, everyone wanted "to have it all," and giving up any one front would be a great pity.
However, Bayer Leverkusen's squad depth was still relatively thin, unable to form two world-class lineups to cope with multiple competitions.
"Stop arguing, I don't mean a full rotation, but at least keep one or two key players."
Hyypiä finally offered a suggestion.
Sascha Lewandowski looked at the fitness coach:
"How are Lance's stats?"
"Although Lance's stamina is relatively weaker than adult players due to his age, he can at least last the full 90 minutes of a game now."
"And his recovery speed is much faster than that of average players."
"I think four days is enough time for him to recover."
Since Lance's recovery wasn't an issue, it was better to field some main players to maintain pressure.
Not a single point could be dropped in the Bundesliga, and Wolfsburg was a strong opponent.
"Then let Kevin and Son rest, Lance will lead the others to try and take on Wolfsburg…"
The day before Bundesliga Round 21, the entire Bayer Leverkusen team received the squad list and starting lineup.
Upon seeing the email, some players were already protesting in the group chat.
De Bruyne: [Coach, I think I can start, stamina is not an issue]
Son Heung-min: [Exactly, we need to go all out and take down our opponents]
Firmino: [Can I ask to play?]
Rolfes: [A full-strength lineup would be more stable, wouldn't it?]
Sascha: [The coaching staff has already decided, so don't say anything more. Just follow orders.]
Bayer Leverkusen's usual management environment was too relaxed; both coaches were often joking around with the players.
In reality, in many teams, the coaching staff's decisions are only to be obeyed; there's no room for questioning.
Since the coach said so, everyone had no choice.
Substitute players who usually didn't get a chance, like Julian Brandt and Kießling, finally got their opportunity to prove themselves.
If they performed well, reclaiming a starting spot was not impossible!
Players are both teammates and competitors!
February 14th, Valentine's Day.
Li Xin, studying in Nanjing, had dinner and watched a film with his girlfriend in Xinjiekou in the evening, and before he knew it, it was already 10:45 PM.
"It's so late, going back feels like such a hassle."
Walking out of the cinema, Li Xin casually remarked.
His girlfriend's body trembled slightly, immediately realising something was off!
Their Jiangning campus was in the southern suburbs, the terminal station of Metro Line 1's South Extension.
At this hour, rushing to the Tube station, they might not catch the last train.
If they took the night bus, it would involve three transfers to get back, a long and bumpy ride.
Actually, if they spent dozens or even a hundred yuan on a taxi, they could just grit their teeth and go back.
When Li Xin said that, from a girl's perspective, he definitely had other intentions.
She didn't speak, just blinked her big eyes, waiting to see what Li Xin would say.
Sure enough, what was bound to happen finally did!
"Xiaoyue, there's still a match to watch soon, why don't… we find a place to stay for the night?"
Li Xin glanced at his watch, still in that casual tone.
Xiaoyue's feet were tightly turned inwards, her pretty face flushed, trying her best to remain calm, but the trembling fingers running through her hair already betrayed her.
After an internal struggle, she finally responded in a voice barely above a whisper: "Mm."
"That's great!"
Li Xin seemed very happy.
"Hmph, you're exposed! Men are all like this! Still using watching a match as an excuse, childish."
The girl grumbled internally, yet still shyly linked arms with Li Xin, holding the champagne roses he gave her in her right hand, and walked with Li Xin towards the All Seasons Hotel Presidential Palace branch nearby.
It was less than 400 metres from Xinjiekou Metro Station Exit 24.
Li Xin's familiar manner suggested he had planned this long ago.
Hmph!
Xiaoyue's heart pounded fast as she followed Li Xin into the pre-booked king-size room.
The two young people sat on the edge of the bed.
Just as the girl thought Li Xin was about to make his move.
To her surprise, Li Xin suddenly picked up the remote control, turned on the TV, and switched to CCTV5 Sports Channel.
???
"Xiaoyue, if you're tired, go take a shower and rest early. You must be exhausted from playing all day today. Love you."
Li Xin just gave her a perfunctory kiss, then turned his full attention to the screen.
On the screen was a green pitch, and amongst a group of foreign faces, the close-up shot of a handsome Chinese teenager.
"Welcome to the focus match of the 21st round of the German Football Bundesliga."
"Bayer Leverkusen hosts Wolfsburg. This match is also the long-awaited 'China Derby'…"
Accompanied by Duan Xuan's hearty voice, only the girl was left in disarray in the room.
Wait, you really booked a room just to watch the match?