บท 3: Unexpected Opportunity
On the second day, just like usual, Zhang Xu arrived early at the club's training ground and began his warm-up exercises before training.
Today, there was an intra-team scrimmage, and Zhang Xu knew that this was his last chance. If he could perform even slightly better in this scrimmage, perhaps he could still have a slim chance to stay with the team. Otherwise, he would have to look for opportunities in another country.
Soon, it was time for the scrimmage to begin.
Zhang Xu knew that his strength lay in his physical prowess, giving him an advantage in physical confrontations. As long as he could effectively use his physical strengths to obstruct the opponent's attacks, he would have achieved his goal.
Therefore, with Philip's approval, he positioned himself specifically in the defensive midfield.
"Whistle!" The referee blew the whistle, and the scrimmage officially started.
Zhang Xu and the substitute players mainly focused on defense. Offense? Forget about it. If they could even manage to get the ball into the opponent's half, that would be considered a victory in this intra-team scrimmage.
But in reality...
"Zhang, block him, block that damn guy!"
"Damn it, Zhang, how did you let Gil, that cunning guy, slip through? Damn it, really damn it!"
"Oh my God, Zhang, didn't you see Driss run into that damn open space? That's your defensive area! Ahhh, forget I said anything."
...
In the midst of Zhang Xu's relentless defense, the first half of the scrimmage quickly ended with the first team leading 3-0 against the substitutes.
During the halftime break, a disheartened and sweaty Zhang Xu lowered his head and walked slowly to the sideline, sitting down with disappointment and frustration filling his heart.
Today, the first team scored all three goals, and they were all related to him.
The 3-0 score wasn't terrible, but the terrible part was that he couldn't effectively fulfill his role as a defensive midfielder. In the first half of the game, he ran around like a headless fly, attempting interceptions and tackles, but it seemed to have no effect. Instead, it disrupted his team's defensive formation, leading to obvious consequences.
This 3-0 score was still the result of his teammates showing mercy, considering their good relationship with Zhang Xu.
"Hey, Zhang," the first team captain, Driss, sat down next to Zhang Xu, smiling and greeting him. "Your performance today is much better than yesterday. Don't be discouraged, keep it up, I believe you can make it!"
"Yeah," Zhang Xu forced a smile at Driss. "I will, Captain!"
"Hi, Zhang, keep it up!"
"Good job, Zhang!"
"You can do it, Zhang!"
"Zhang, I think you should..."
"If it doesn't work out, I suggest you focus solely on blocking the opponent's shooting lanes. Your physical strength should be enough."
.....
Teammates gathered around, offering encouragement and advice to Zhang Xu, who found his eyes moist. Even though they had only known each other for a few days, each one of them showed genuine concern, warming his heart and making him feel ashamed.
"Keep going! You must keep going! You can do it!" Zhang Xu silently encouraged himself with determination in his eyes.
"Zhang, come here," Philip called Zhang Xu over, picked up a tactical board, sighed lightly, and said, "In the first half of the game, you had nine issues. Firstly, I feel like you lack an understanding of the role of a defensive midfielder. A defensive midfielder stands in front of the center-backs, generally in a central position, and adjusts positions flexibly as required by the tactics."
"Defensive midfielders have four main tasks: defending, man-marking, mobile defending, and organizing the offense. Today, we played with two defensive midfielders, and Sande was responsible for mobile defending and organizing the offense. Your role was to focus on defending and man-marking."
"But, it's evident that you didn't perform well." Philip briefly outlined the formations of both teams on the tactical board and pointed to Zhang Xu's position. "Let's analyze your nine issues. First, your positioning... Second, your movement..."
Seeing Philip's dedicated coaching, the first team coach, Mazu, smiled and said to another assistant coach, Gregory, "I've never seen old Philip so earnestly teach a young player like this. This Chinese kid is really lucky!"
"Yeah," Gregory chuckled. "But it's a pity this Chinese guy is a stubborn rock. I heard he's even a top student at the University of Paris VI. How can his football IQ be so... well, it's baffling!"
"Ah, that's talent!" Mazu sighed, recalling his own playing days when he lacked talent and had to transition to coaching.
"Whistle!" The brief fifteen-minute halftime passed quickly, and the second half of the game began.
With the patient guidance from teammates and Philip, Zhang Xu had a clear understanding of how to play as a defensive midfielder. However, he felt like he was struggling once he stepped onto the field, perhaps due to his lack of natural football talent.
Nevertheless, he decided to give it his all.
Zhang Xu watched the first-team players on the opposing side with determination.
In the following game, Zhang Xu became a relentless defender. Whenever the ball entered his defensive zone, he pounced on it like a hungry wolf, doing whatever it took to disrupt the opponent's passing and shooting, even if it meant using unorthodox methods.
Initially, Zhang Xu's aggressive approach had some impact, as the first team struggled to organize their attacks at the start of the second half.
However, this didn't last long. The first team's captain, Driss, adjusted their tactics, increased the pace of passing, reduced dribbling time, and improved their overall movement. Zhang Xu's aggressive style became less effective, and the game slipped back into the first team's control. If it weren't for some bad luck, the score would have been 4-0 or even 5-0.
Henry was the first team's forward, and he had showcased good form in the first half with a goal and an assist.
Now, he received a pass from Gil and was ready to turn and make a run toward the opposing penalty area. But Sande was closing in.
Unable to turn successfully, Henry didn't mind and pushed the ball with his instep to the right where Driss was waiting. He then turned to go around Sande and ran into the next open space.
Just as he settled into position, Driss's comfortable pass arrived at his feet. He found himself in a good position at the edge of the penalty area.
A shot! As a forward, he couldn't miss such a great opportunity. Henry lifted his right leg and took a powerful shot.
"Bang!" "Bang!"
After two consecutive loud bangs, the field suddenly fell silent.
Let's review what happened: When Henry lifted his foot to shoot, Zhang Xu was standing less than three meters away from him. Under normal circumstances, Henry's shot would have passed about a meter to his left.
At that moment, Zhang Xu had no time to use his legs to block Henry's shot. Typically, in the face of such a powerful shot, players have a natural instinct to protect themselves by turning their bodies or shielding their groin.
However, what no one expected was that Zhang Xu, unable to stop Henry's shot in time, made a determined decision and suddenly threw his body in the path of Henry's shot!
So, the first "bang" was the sound of Henry's shot, and the second was the sound of the football hitting Zhang Xu's head with a resounding thump.
A powerful shot at such close range, combined with Henry's strength, would probably give anyone a concussion, even a bull.
Zhang Xu was hit directly in the head, and when the football struck him, intense pain surged through him, immediately disorienting him and causing him to lose consciousness.
Before he blacked out, his only thought was astonishing: "I blocked Henry's shot! I blocked it!"
After a brief moment of silence, everyone rushed nervously to where Zhang Xu had fallen.
"Oh my God!"
"What the hell, how could this happen?"
...
"Damn it! Medical team! Mr. Robert!" Philip threw away the tactical board and shouted loudly for the medical team, rushing to Zhang Xu's side to assess his condition.
The team doctor, Robert, lifted Zhang Xu onto the sideline, carefully examined him, and found that his breathing and heartbeat were stable, and there were no abnormalities in his pupils. He turned to Mazu and Philip, who were anxiously waiting, and shrugged, "I don't see any immediate issues. We'll have to wait for him to regain consciousness or take him to the hospital for further examination."
Philip breathed a sigh of relief; no immediate issues were the best news. He crouched down, gently patting Zhang Xu's face. "Hey, Zhang, wake up, wake up!"
After a while, Zhang Xu slowly regained consciousness. He immediately saw a crowd of people surrounding him, all asking questions and expressing their relief at his awakening.
"Ah, he's awake!"
"Zhang, you finally woke up!"
"I was so scared!"
"Zhang, I thought I became a murderer! Thank goodness you woke up!"
...
"That shot... did I block it?" Zhang Xu's head was still spinning, and he asked a question that no one had expected.
"Uh, yeah, you blocked it! You definitely blocked it! Why did you use your head to block that damn ball? It's too dangerous, you know? You can't do something so risky next time..." Henry paused for a moment and then started advising earnestly.
"Yeah, yeah!" Other teammates chimed in.
"Alright," seeing that Zhang Xu was mostly okay, Philip finally let out a sigh of relief. "Continue with the game, guys!"
He then turned to Robert, the team doctor, and said, "To ensure Zhang's safety, let's take him to the nearby Woluwe Royal Hospital for a thorough checkup."
"No, Mr. Philip," upon hearing that he would be taken to the hospital, Zhang Xu, who was eager to get back on the field and finish the second half, protested, "I'm fine. I can continue playing. Please let me finish the match!"
"Enough, don't argue," Philip said sternly. "I make the decisions here. You," he pointed at Zhang Xu, "immediately follow Mr. Robert to the hospital for an examination. Immediately! Do you understand? Otherwise, you can pick up your luggage and go back to the University of Paris VI!"
Hearing Philip's words, Zhang Xu looked dejected and followed Robert to the medical assistance vehicle, heading out of the training ground for the hospital.
"Mazu, what do you think about Zhang's situation..." With Zhang Xu gone, Philip found Mazu to discuss.
Before Philip could even start speaking, Mazu interrupted him, saying, "I know, Philip. Zhang has some glaring weaknesses, and he doesn't quite meet our team's standards. However, he also has some remarkable strengths, as we saw just now. He's the kind of player who's willing to do anything for the team's victory, and that's exactly what we need. So, how about we give him a chance to stay?"
"Are you saying... let him stay?" Philip was taken aback and asked in disbelief.
"Yes, let him stay! Since his technical and tactical skills don't yet meet the standards of a professional player, I'm handing him over to you," Mazu said. "Philip, you must nurture him well. He might turn out to be our team's greatest asset!"
"You mean... let him stay?" Philip was still in disbelief.
"Yes, let him stay! Since his technical and tactical skills don't yet meet the standards of a professional player, I'm handing him over to you," Mazu repeated. "Philip, you must nurture him well. He might turn out to be our team's greatest asset!" With that, Mazu patted Philip's shoulder and walked away, returning to watch the second half of the game.
Philip remained standing there, muttering to himself, "I had actually intended to recommend keeping him as well."
At that moment, as Zhang Xu headed to the hospital for an examination, he had no idea that his fate was about to undergo a significant transformation. He sat somewhat dazed in the medical assistance vehicle, his eyes vacant.
Little did he expect that as he boarded the medical assistance vehicle, a mechanized, cold voice would echo in his mind:
[Training System activated...]
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