At seven o'clock the next morning, Bielsa drove to the training base. As soon as he walked out of the parking lot, he saw a thin figure running in the distance on the training ground.
When he got closer, he realized it was Mo Yang. Bielsa smiled. He liked this kind of diligent and self-disciplined child.
Suddenly, Bielsa noticed that there seemed to be a blurry white shadow beating at Mo Yang's feet, so he took out his glasses from his arms and put them on, and was stunned on the spot.
"Oh my God! This kid is a monster!" Bielsa couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Mo Yang running and bouncing the ball on the track.
On the track, Mo Yang was walking like flying. Every time he took a step, the football would just fall down, hit his instep and bounce towards his other foot. This was repeated back and forth, like a naughty elf jumping back and forth between Mo Yang's feet.
.
It's actually not difficult to bump the ball while running. Many players in football can do it, but they can only do it at a very slow speed.
Bielsa made a visual inspection and found that Mo Yang's running speed at this time must be at least 2 meters per second. Although it is not a very fast speed, it is very scary to know that this kid is still throwing the ball.
There are so many key factors involved.
For example, the height of the ball, the timing of the ball falling, the position of touching the ball, and the size of the steps, there can be no mistakes in any aspect.
"This little guy's combination of man and ball is probably slightly inferior to Ronaldinho at his peak!" Bielsa exclaimed in his heart!
"Duang!" There was a loud noise.
Bielsa was startled, and turned around to see a blond young man in jeans and a black T-shirt walking towards him under the streetlight at the exit of the parking lot, covering his forehead and grinning.
"Good morning! Kid!" Bielsa had a smile on his lips. He knew why this kid would get angry at the street lamp for no reason.
Patrick Bamford, born in 1995, came from the Nottingham Forest youth training. Like Mo Yang, he is also a new player signed by Leeds United. Bielsa spent 2 million pounds to buy it from Chelsea.
"Boss, good morning!" Bamford lowered his head and rubbed his red forehead and walked over, pretending to be nonchalant, but the unnatural smile on his face betrayed him.
On the track, Mo Yang spotted the two people standing on the sidelines, turned around and ran towards them panting.
"Good morning, sir!"
"Hey! The King of Spicy Pancakes!"
After saying hello to Bielsa, Mo Yang spotted Bamford and immediately exclaimed.
The nickname that had always existed in his memory was called out. Bamford froze and felt like someone had stabbed him hard in the heart.
This precise stabbing technique looks familiar, could it be that guy?
He raised his head to follow the sound and looked at the person coming, and saw an extremely familiar silly face. Bamford was immediately overjoyed and ran over in large strides.
"So it's you, you big piece of wood!" Bamford ran up to Mo Yang and gave him a bear hug, smiling so happily.
In 2012, he moved to Chelsea from Nottingham Forest, but could not play in the first team at all. It was at that time that he met Mo Yang.
He still remembers Mo Yang's shocking and terrifying sense of ball. Unexpectedly, after these two years, this kid has become even more perverted. When he thinks of the scene when he saw Mo Yang running and hitting the ball just now, Bamford is just like before, a little bit
Autistic.
At eight o'clock sharp, the players arrived one after another, and Mo Yang met his teammates one by one. Everyone seemed very warm and friendly on the surface.
Especially Wood and the other forwards were even more enthusiastic.
If there were no accidents, the guy in front of them would definitely be the team's midfielder. They had seen Mo Yang's exaggerated and precise passing skills yesterday.
After a while, Bielsa came to the field with several coaches to start today's training.
During the warm-up session, Mo Yang's gorgeous foot skills attracted everyone to stop and watch. Even though it was not the first time they saw it, everyone still found it extremely amazing.
The warm-up is over and the competition is about to begin.
Today's game is Bielsa's comprehensive assessment of the players. Each player's playing style, tactical execution, and ability to adapt to tactics will be recorded. It will be clear who fits his tactical system better.
Mo Yang was assigned to the substitute team, and on the team with him were young players such as Bamford, Phillips, Ayling, Harrison, and Costa, all of whom had just signed with the club.
The main team is made up of veterans, such as Wood, Cooper, Hernandez, Klich, Forshaw and others, all of whom have escaped the purge.
This is clearly going to be a battle between old and new.
The substitute team adopted a 4141 formation, and Mo Yang was assigned to the single midfielder position.
The task given to him by Bielsa is to stabilize the defense while organizing a quick attack in the midfield and frontcourt.
But after the game started, under the impact of the tacit cooperation of the main team, the substitute team instantly became a mess. There was no tacit cooperation at all. It was a disaster.
In less than ten minutes, they were fed three balls.
Mo Yang's performance was even more disastrous. He either lost his defensive position or was easily passed by. His poor defensive level was clearly exposed.
If Phillips hadn't frequently dropped back to help him, they would have definitely conceded more than three goals.
On the sidelines, Bielsa's face was calm, but there was a smile on the corner of his mouth, which made the assistant coach Frank on the sidelines confused.
Although Bielsa is rumored to be a 'crazy coach', he is usually a very serious and gentle person, and he has never been the kind of coach who always turns on the hair dryer.
"Marcelo, this little guy you just signed is not as magical as you said!" Frank nuzzled at Mo Yang on the court, "If I randomly pick a kid from the youth team, I think they will be better defensively than him.
Hundreds of times!"
Bielsa shook his head and said: "I arranged for him to participate in defense. I didn't expect him to make a difference at all. I just wanted to see how bad his defense would be so I could make a training plan for him!"
"..." Your boss has the final say, Frank is speechless, "Then what are you going to do now?"
"In the second half, let Yang and Phillips switch positions, let Phillips be responsible for defense, and let Yang be responsible for sorting out the team and organizing the offense!" Bielsa said slowly.
During the intermission, Mo Yang received the order and felt relieved.
If he continued like this, he would collapse. At the same time, he also made up his mind to practice defense very hard in the next month.
Phillips was also very happy when he learned that he had switched positions with Mo Yang. The defensive midfielder was his best position, and he had also played awkwardly before.
After a short break, the second half begins.
The effect was immediate after the two changed positions. The most intuitive manifestation was that the chaos on the defensive end of the substitute team was ended by Phillips.
And Mo Yang, who had escaped from the defensive quagmire, was like a wild horse running wild, running wild everywhere.
Frequently changing positions with Harrison, Costa and others, constantly catching and delivering the ball.
Bielsa and others on the sidelines soon discovered that the chaos in the frontcourt of the substitute team gradually disappeared.
The most immediate feeling for Bamford, Harrison, and Costa was that they suddenly felt extremely comfortable playing.
They knew very well who was responsible, and gradually began to actively cooperate with Mo Yang, controlling the ball in the midfield and frontcourt, and slowly advancing towards the main team's goal.
"Incredible little guy! Such strong midfield control!"
"I just took a look and his running area was more than three times larger than in the first half. This coverage area can already be compared with those of the top midfielders in the Premier League." Fitness coach Asensio praised.
On the sidelines, Frank and the two coaches around him were very surprised. Compared with the first half, their performance in the second half was like two different people.
"This is the role of a midfield commander!" Bielsa's eyes sparkled, and he was very satisfied with Mo Yang's performance. "This is a player who can use his brain. Just wait and see, what will happen to those arrogant guys in the main team?"
Tough luck!"
The main team was harassed by passes and charges for ten minutes. They couldn't stand running like dogs chasing the ball, so they suddenly moved their formation forward and pressed hard without any physical effort.
Seeing that the main team's defense had almost moved to the center circle, Mo Yang rolled his eyes. How much did he look down on them? Do you think their substitute team was all dead?
At the front of the penalty area, Phillips was pressed and had to pass back to the right back Ayling.
But I didn’t expect it to be a trap!
As soon as Ayling caught the ball, he was surrounded by Wood and Hernandez and frantically pressed him on the sideline. He couldn't get the ball out and could only protect the ball with his back and his strong body.
After Mo Yang found out, he immediately stepped forward to help.
"Aelin! This way!"
As soon as the shouting ended, the football jumped out from under Wood's crotch.
Mo Yang pulled the ball and turned around. He looked up and saw, what a guy! There are so many gaps.
Bamford, who was strolling in the middle circle, saw Mo Yang get the ball and immediately started to move forward. Harrison and Dallas and the wings also immediately followed.
Bamford didn't know if Mo Yang would pass the ball directly, but he still ran. This is his responsibility as a forward. As long as there is an opportunity, he cannot miss it. Running without the ball can better reflect a player's ability.
When Cooper and Koch, the central defenders of the main team near Moyang, saw that the siege failed, they suddenly felt like they were dead. One turned around and ran towards the backcourt of his team, and the other went straight to Moyang, determined to grab it even if he couldn't.
The ball must also be fouled, otherwise it will be miserable.
But Mo Yang told them with his actions that it was already too late!
Cooper had just taken a few steps when he saw Moyang take off.
Mo Yang kicked the bottom edge of the football hard with his left foot. After the ball flew out, his whole body jumped up, which showed the great force.
At the moment of passing the ball, the three Bamfords just passed the last defensive player of the main team.
No offside!
Looking back behind him, he saw the football drawing a long parabola in the air like a missile, and landed two or three meters in front of him with a bang.
But the strange thing is that after the ball fell from a high altitude, it suddenly decelerated when it hit the ground. It only bounced once and then slowly rolled forward, as if it was waiting for Bamford.
Bamford was ecstatic, his speed did not slow down at all, and he used his dominant foot to take advantage of the situation and hit the gantry.
Behind him, Koch was chasing after him, but to no avail. He could only watch as Bamford easily passed the attacking goalkeeper and pushed into the empty goal.
"Hiss!" Bielsa gasped when he saw Mo Yang's precise long pass that exceeded 50 meters, and his whole body trembled with excitement.
Frank and several coaches around him were also shocked.
"What a strong spin!" Frank stared with big eyes, "He actually even considered how his teammates should catch the ball in the most comfortable way, my God!"
"Marcelo, where did you find such a big treasure?"
But it didn't take long for Mo Yang's true colors to be revealed, and his physical problems were discovered by the coaching staff.
According to the physical assessment given by the coaching staff, Mo Yang is expected to only be able to play half of the game when he gets to the actual game.
Bielsa looked at the evaluation report with a smile and didn't take it seriously. He just practiced when his physical fitness was not good. There was still more than a month before the start of the league! It was completely late.