Chapter 116: Rematch with Magath! (Mostly daily content, proceed with caution if you mind!)

The winter break is coming soon.

Bayern Munich Sporting Director Samuel got a nose full of ash in Lewokusen.

He hadn't yet had the chance to show Li Kang the charm of the 'last libero'.

He was then driven out of Bei lai yin by his old friend Wo Le Er.

"You're an East German, but the badge on your suit makes people angry!"

"Li can go to any club, but cannot go to Bayern Munich!"

The grudge between Lewokusen and Bayern Munich.

The trigger was the 2000 Dahm Incident.

Next came the three consecutive team-building cores from 2002-2004, all poached by Bayern Munich.

Time couldn't wash away the hatred.

The fiercest conflict has arrived!

During the 2008/09 season winter break, Bayern Munich loaned the youngster Kroos to Lewokusen.

Yes.

That's the Kroos who later went to Real Madrid!

Before the loan, Bayern Munich's senior management had a heated discussion:

"A 16-year-old European U-19 Championship top scorer and Golden Boy winner—shouldn't we keep such a talent?"

"Kroos is an East German..."

"At 17, he made his first-team debut with two exquisite assists. Does such performance not deserve to be Bayern's prince?"

"Kroos is an East German..."

"He is a super talent that German football sees once in 50 years!"

"Kroos is an East German..."

Unexpectedly,

After 18-year-old Kroos arrived at Lewokusen, he completely conquered Bei lai yin in just three matches!

The following winter break, as the midfield core, he helped Lewokusen secure first place in the Bundesliga half-season standings, trampling Bayern Munich underfoot.

He broke one Bundesliga record after another.

For example, if you put 17-year-old Kroos as the protagonist in a football novel, readers would surely say: 'This novel is invincible!'

Wo Le Er struck while the iron was hot: 'You Bayern have poached so many of our cores; even if Kroos returns to Bayern he won't start, so just sell him to us—loan extension is fine. You don't like East Germans, we do.'

Bayern's senior management panicked: 'What East German/not East German? He's our future number ten! How could we sell him to you? No loan extension! Leave him to you to win the Bundesliga title? No room for negotiation!'

Kroos panicked: 'I'm now the Bei lai yin prince! If I return to Van Gaal's side, the position competition is brutal; I might be benched again, only appearing as a substitute in meaningless matches.'

Finally.

When the loan period ended, Kroos's fate with Lewokusen came to an end.

Return to Bayern Munich.

"Where's the number ten jersey?"

"You're an East German."

"Where's the starting position?"

"You're an East German; learn to fight for a starting spot... the very corner of the bench is yours!"

Lewokusen club.

Sporting director's office.

Wo Le Er lit a cigar and said: 'Havertz and Brandt cannot go to Bayern in the future! If it's Li... we should still ask him himself.'

The little assistant shook his head and said: 'He hasn't put the transfer on his mind; all day he thinks about how to beat Bayern in half a month.'

Bundesliga match day is approaching.

Li Kang finally boarded a domestic flight, destination Berlin.

The Bergkamp module did not bring the negative effect of fear of flying.

Lewokusen's opponent this time is Hertha Berlin.

This club's strength is not bad, but its internal chaos causes great fluctuations in its yearly performance.

When strong, it reaches the Bundesliga semi-finals.

When weak, it drops to the 2. Bundesliga.

This season, Magath has changed this team!

On the Bundesliga pitch, there's now a tough nut that is strong against strong opponents and weak against weak ones.

They can overturn giants like Borussia Mönchengladbach and Schalke 04.

They can also suffer crushing defeats to relegation battlers like Hannover 96 and Augsburg.

At the start of the season, Lewokusen was upset-slaughtered by Hertha Berlin, thus losing the chance to lead the points.

Back then, the two teams' player values differed by several times.

Three hours later.

The Lewokusen club bus slowly drove into the Olympic Stadium.

Tuopu Laotou got out of the car and walked easily to the press conference scene: 'Their record is so bad! Yet they have such a magnificent stadium! The grandstand capacity is four times our home ground!'

Dino hurriedly said: 'Boss, when we meet Mr. Magath later... you two must absolutely not start arguing!'

Tuop and Magath have very similar coaching careers.

Ups and downs.

Their manner of speaking is also extremely close, the Bundesliga 'fat snow'.

Majiate back then, facing the media, said: "Professional players just need to play well! What's the use of studying?"

It sparked heated debate across Germany, and the football association reacted swiftly, urgently issuing a regulation: all German adult players playing in professional leagues must obtain at least a college diploma!

Olympic Stadium.

A sea of people.

The cheering surged like waves, like a flood.

"CTV5! CTV5! Good evening, viewers!"

"Welcome to the 2015/16 season, Bundesliga Matchday 11!"

"Hertha Berlin VS Lewokusen!"

"I am the commentator for this match, Duan Xuan!"

"I am He Wei!"

"The two renowned coaches have taken their respective technical areas, looking rosy!"

The referee squad led the players from both sides out of the tunnel.

A hot air balloon bearing the Bundesliga logo slowly rose into the sky.

Hertha Berlin's mascot is a brown bear plush wearing a blue-and-white striped jersey.

It excitedly stepped into the line and patted Li Kang on the butt.

This drew loud laughter from fans of both teams in the nearby stands.

Li Kang also smiled; the relationship between the two clubs was still decent in 2015.

In the neutral stand area, many plain-clothes fans of Berlin were raising posters of Lewokusen's number 10.

He suddenly realized: he seemed to have gained some fame in Germany.

"Next, let me introduce the starting lineups of both teams!"

"Wearing blue-and-white home jerseys, attacking from left to right is Hertha Berlin!"

"Their formation is 4-4-2!"

"Goalkeeper: Yaersitan!"

"Left back: Weize'er!"

"Center backs: Shitake, Beige'er!"

"Right back: Pula!"

"Central midfielders: Yuankou Yuanqi, Dalida, Xie'erbu, Situoke!"

"Forwards: Kalu, Yinbisheweiqi!"

The livestream room.

There weren't many danmaku.

-【Why are there so many Japanese or Korean players in Bundesliga teams? Li Mingdeng seems to encounter them in almost every match?】

-【Yuankou Yuanqi's footwork is superb—his two dogs can't even stop him! His wife is quite pretty!】

-【This match should be a one-sided beatdown, right?】

-【Hard to say! Majiate's Hertha Berlin specializes in killing strong teams! Lewokusen's performance this season counts as a Bundesliga T0.5-level strong team!】

-【Majiate's "solid ball training method" stimulates Hertha Berlin players' running, will, and fighting spirit! They play very aggressively!】

-【Our Chinese Super League clubs have already been imitating!】

Accompanied by a whistle from the head referee.

The match officially began!

Hertha Berlin possession!

Yinbisheweiqi kicked off, passing laterally to Kalu.

It was evident that the players were not facing Lewokusen's frenzied pressing.

Majiate couldn't help but furrow his brow.