Champion’s Heart

With the players who participated in the World Cup gradually returning to the team, Dortmund's lineup is neat and training has become normal.

The whole team is training hard for the new season.

Of course, physical fitness is still what Klopp values, and there are a lot of running training.

Mountain climbing training is still arranged.

When Zhou Yi was chatting with Yang Muge, he found out that Schalke 04's head coach Magath also loves to take first-team players to climb mountains.

Therefore, mountainous Austria and Switzerland are popular training grounds for Bundesliga teams.

Only then did Zhou Yi know that the German coach liked climbing so much...

However, mountain climbing is indeed a good training method. It can not only train physical fitness, but also exercise players' will.

Because at the end of the mountain climbing, it’s not about physical fitness, it’s about willpower—when you’re exhausted, when you look up and find the towering peaks and inclines that are difficult to climb, many people will feel a sense of frustration. It seems like the end is never out of reach.

At such times, only those who don't give up can finally reach the end.

※※※

After the physical training, it is the tactical training stage of the team.

On the first day of tactical training, Klopp arranged a closed team training game.

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

Use a game to start the tactical training. Through this kind of in-team game that is not very intense, the players can try their best to find the feeling. At the same time, the coaching staff can also observe each player carefully.

Especially those new players who have just joined the team.

Originally, Klopp wanted to observe more new players, such as Shinji Kagawa, such as Robert Lewandowski, such as those young players who were transferred from the second team.

But soon, his eyes fell on Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi conducted physical fitness and strength training during the holiday, which was led by Klopp.

The results of Zhou Yi's training were also seen by Klopp in the medical examination report and during the subsequent physical training.

But he has never really seen the results of special training on the court.

Now he sees it.

Zhou Yi ran more actively in the training game, and his range of activities was much larger than before. In the past, Zhou Yi was mainly active in the middle of the court, or the two ribs, and occasionally went to the side.

His range of motion vertically is smaller than that of horizontal motion. But he rarely gets into both lanes.

For a midfielder. In addition to not entering the opponent's restricted area very much, in fact, the activity area is almost enough.

But now, his running range is significantly wider, and he will penetrate the opponent's penalty area. He will also retreat to his own penalty area, and he will also appear on the wing. And from this sidewalk to that sidewalk.

With a wide range of activities, he feels that he is everywhere on the court, and he can participate in the team's offense and defense anytime, anywhere.

And it's not just that the running range has increased. This is actually just a primer. What really caught Klopp's attention was yet to come.

When the running range becomes larger and there are more places to go. Zhou Yi also needs to have the ability to send football to any place on the field.

This is the basic requirement for an excellent midfielder.

So soon, when Zhou Yi ran to the corner of the defensive third area to get the ball, then turned around and passed a long pass to Gross Kreutz diagonally opposite. When the pass was close to ten, Klopp's eyebrows jumped up.

subsequently. There are more and more long passes like Zhou Yi's transfer of the ball, from the left to the right of the court, and from the right to the left. Move back to front...

Sometimes he fails, but it's no big deal. Compared with short passes, the accuracy of long passes will drop a lot, and the success rate will not be too high. It is impossible to accurately pass each kick to the destination.

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

As long as it can be passed on, it will be fine.

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

You know, this was almost invisible in last season. Last season, Zhou Yi only made short passes and occasionally made mid-range passes. Sometimes, in order to connect the team's offense, he had to keep running to meet his teammates, and then pass the ball out. This naturally requires a lot of physical fitness for him.

Klopp thought about it carefully. He had the impression that there was only one game in which Zhou Yi took the initiative to try long passes. In the last round of the league last season, Dortmund challenged Freiburg away. : 1. When the game was at a stalemate, Zhou Yi suddenly made a long pass and accurately found Barrios, forming an excellent opportunity.

But in the end Barrios wasted this opportunity.

Leading to the last game, Dortmund failed to win.

In that game, it was not only Zhou Yi's only long pass. Before that, he also tried several times, but they were not very successful.

Seeing Zhou Yi's performance in the training game now, Klopp reacted—perhaps since then, Zhou Yi has consciously increased the use of long passes...

This shows that Zhou Yi is a young man with a clear mind. He is not satisfied with his performance of 14 assists in a season, but is soberly aware of his shortcomings. As a midfield organizer, it is really unreasonable not to pass long passes...

Seeing Zhou Yi constantly changing positions on the pitch and moving the football around, an idea suddenly popped up in Klopp's mind.

After Shaheen left the team, a problem that has been bothering him seems to have a solution...

※※※

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

Zhou Yi was surprised by this, and his friends were also surprised.

As soon as Klopp left, Mark leaned forward: Why did the coach ask you to go to his room?

Zhou Yi shook his head: I don't know...

I don't think it's a good thing! Gross Kreutz pretended to be mysterious, Zhou Yi is going to be unlucky!

Kevin, don't go Yiyi next week! Mark quickly comforted Zhouyi. It may also be a good thing!

Yeah, at least a 50% chance is a good thing. It sounds like a high probability. Gotze interjected beside him.

Zhou Yi rolled his eyes.

He didn't care about good or bad things, he just felt strange, he waved his hand to Mark: Don't worry, Mark. If there are bad things, let Uncle Kevin and Mario treat us to dinner separately!

Tch. Gross Kreutz snorted, That's a good thing. You invite us to dinner?

If it's a good thing, shouldn't you invite me to dinner? Celebrate. Zhou Yi said in surprise.

Gross Kreutz patted Zhou Yi on the shoulder and praised: Hey, I just like how you are so straightforward and shameless, Zhou Yi!

Thank you for the compliment, Uncle Kevin. Zhou Yi gladly accepted it.

※※※

Had dinner in the evening. Zhou Yi knocked on Klopp's door.

It was not Klopp who opened the door for him, but assistant coach Buvac.

subsequently. Klopp greeted him and motioned him to sit.

After sitting down, there were no pleasantries. Klopp asked directly: Zhou Yi, have you practiced long passes for yourself?

finished asking. Both of them looked at him expectantly.

Uh... Zhou Yi definitely couldn't tell I like to practice in my dream, so he could only nod his head, Actually, since last season, I have practiced long passes for myself in private.

He was right to say that, but he was just practicing in the virtual world.

Klopp did not intend to ask how Zhou Yi trained himself. Instead, he and Buvac exchanged a glance, with a sense of as expected in it.

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

I just feel that my method is too simple. If I just pass it short, I will miss some better opportunities. Zhou Yi honestly expressed his thoughts. When I need a long pass, if I can't make a precise long pass, I can only stare blankly.

But you are a midfielder, you are very close to the opponent's goal, how often do you need to use long passes? Bovac continued to ask.

This... That's what I said, coach. But I don't think it should be fixed in one place. On the court, you should go wherever you have free time, and pass the football wherever you have an opportunity. Zhou Yi explained. Besides, if I know how to pass a long pass, if the opponent presses me in front of their penalty area and hits me, I can take the initiative to retreat, and after opening the distance, I can directly attack with a long pass...

Klopp and Buvac looked at each other again. It is rare for a young player to have such an idea in his head.

Many young people only think about how to use the money they earn to pick up girls and buy cars when they are not playing football. This kind of tactical thinking seems to be the coach's business, and they just need to implement it on the court.

After listening to Zhou Yi, Buvac nodded and said, Then Zhou Yi, how about hitting the midfielder?

Ah? Zhou Yi was surprised. The question was asked so suddenly that he hadn't reacted yet.

Bouvac said, From the front midfielder to the midfielder, you will get a wider space and vision, and your long pass will come into play. And... in terms of your style of play, it is necessary You can also move forward at any time. Anyway, your current physical fitness can keep up. How about it, think about it? In modern football, it is a general trend to move the core of the playmaker back. Of course, you don’t have to give the answer now , you can go back...

But before Buvac finished his sentence, he heard Zhou Yi say, Okay.

Huh? Now it was the turn of Buvac and Klopp to be surprised.

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

This...don't you think about it? Buvac couldn't believe it.

I've thought it through, coach. Since I have considered retreating to avoid the opponent's close press, why not change the passive retreat to the active retreat? Zhou Yi spread his hands. And I do often run to the position of the defensive midfielder to ask for the ball in the game. I think it is better to be a defensive midfielder than to compete with the defensive midfielder.

Klopp, who had been silent by the side, finally spoke: You have to think carefully, Zhou Yi. I hope this is your own decision, not some pressure.

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

But playing the midfielder is far from the opponent's goal. I remember someone commenting that the closer you are to the opponent's goal, the greater the threat, so in turn, the farther you are from the goal, the less threat... Klopp said.

I think this statement itself is wrong, coach. I am not fixed in one position on the court, I always have to run constantly, I play as a midfielder, maybe I can't even pass halftime? I play The front midfielder didn't say anything, so he stayed in the front and didn't come back? Besides, why can't I be a person who can create threats no matter how far away from the goal?

Hearing Zhou Yi's answer, Klopp slapped: Okay! Then it's settled. From this season on, you will play the midfielder!

In this way, Zhou Yi experienced his second position change since he played football. From forward to midfielder, from midfielder to midfielder, his position is getting more and more backward, but his importance is getting more and more forward. (To be continued.) Enable new URL