Chapter 315: Welcome Home (Daily Transition)

Lewokusen training base.

The coaching staff members were holding a heated meeting.

Suddenly, a sharp voice scared the birds into scattering everywhere.

"Defense? Impossible!"

"Does Lewokusen still have 23-year-old Lucio?"

"The opponent has Arsenal's Li..."

Bang bang bang!

Tuopu Laotou hammered the tactical board.

Dino whispered, "It's Arsenal that has Li..."

Thanks to heavy summer signings, and not being subject to the 50+1 transfer restriction, Lewokusen maintained its strength in the Bundesliga; halfway through the season, its position on the table was second only to An's Bayern.

"All of Europe is thinking about how to block Arsenal's attack, or simply tear through their defense!"

"These two extreme plans don't suit Lewokusen."

"We must strengthen midfield penetration."

"Li, positioned forward by Wenger, can do little when dropping back to defend! Everton and Monaco have given the answer."

Tuopu Laotou hammered the tactical board, looking at the coaching staff's bewildered eyes, and argued desperately: "I am the head coach who understands Li best in the world!"

On the training field.

J-Rod and Lai Nuo were doing shooting practice.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The Colombian superstar unleashed a series of powerful long-range shots!

He was enjoying everything at Lewokusen and couldn't wait to prove to the world that he was still a world-class midfield superstar.

J-Rod is not bad at all.

2014 World Cup Golden Boot, his incredible world-stunner shocked the globe!

His Real Madrid period was very strong.

In the 2014-15 season, 13 goals and 13 assists, he was selected La Liga's Best Midfielder of the Year.

In the 2015-16 season, hampered by injuries, his playing time dropped sharply, but he remained the second midfielder in creating scoring chances per game.

During that period, in terms of commercial value and fame, hardly anyone could surpass J-Rod in the midfield position.

Unfortunately, after Zidane took over, he clearly told him: "Your style doesn't fit my tactical system."

Lineup configuration is often like dating—there's no right or wrong, only whether it fits.

Zidane said J-Rod resembled his younger self, but in midfield he couldn't compete with Modric, Kroos, and Casemiro, and up front he couldn't dislodge the BBC trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, and Bale.

J-Rod's ability hasn't declined; even leading a group of T1-T2 teammates for the national team, he can still play attractive attacking football.

Calhanoglu glumly propped up a big basket full of balls... continuing to throw each ball onto the pitch.

He still couldn't get back his own Lewokusen number 10 jersey.

Last season it was Li.

This season it's J-Rod.

J-Rod has a contract with sponsor Adidas requiring him to wear the number 10 jersey at every club.

Real Madrid could satisfy that initially.

Lewokusen could naturally satisfy it as well.

"Hakan, why did you slow down?"

Lai Nuo asked doubtfully.

J-Rod squeezed out a bright smile: "Hakan, take a rest—you're our core."

Calhanoglu's body shuddered, and he continued to speed up his throw!

The Champions League match day arrived as scheduled.

Li Kang and his teammates took a flight and arrived at Düsseldorf International Airport.

The sky was overcast.

The cold wind made the billboards flutter noisily.

At the arrivals hall, crowds surged.

Security personnel stood on both sides of the cordon, ready and waiting.

"Lee!"

"!"

"Lee!"

"!"

"Lee!"

"!"

The bitter cold of Bei lai yin couldn't dampen people's enthusiasm.

Many fans from other clubs also rushed to the scene.

But the emotions of Lewokusen's local fans were relatively complex.

Some thought Li Kang was a hero who made club history, while others thought he was a traitor.

Back then, Kroos's treatment at Bei lai yin was even worse.

Arsenal club's bus drove slowly, as extreme fans on both sides of the road threw ship-use illumination flares one after another.

It left the security staff momentarily unable to tell whether this was an "attack" or a "welcome".

"Don't get near the window, I damn well suspect the glass could shatter any minute!"

"Fortunately, the German club Li used to play for isn't Stuttgart or Bremen, otherwise their fans would have taken the bus's wheels off!"

"Now I can finally appreciate the benefits of the Stanford Bridge Library!"

Weierbeike and Makuier chattered nonstop, complaining about the extreme fans' behavior.

Boerde and the coaching staff members discussed pre-match deployment, feeling a bit worried: would that guy Tuopu Laotou sprinkle sand on the pitch?

Morata and Li Kang swapped seats to let himself sit closer to the window.

He patted his companion's shoulder and comforted: "When I scored for Juventus against Real Madrid, I didn't celebrate; I was drowned out by the former club's fans' applause, and the media praised me extensively, but actually I was worried the ball might be offside again."

Li Kang smiled and nodded.

Pre-match press conference.

Wenge and Tuopu Laotou shook hands briefly, then took their respective positions.

Their relationship is good; they have been facing each other since the 2001/02 Champions League season, with wins and losses on both sides, and after each match they always praise each other a bit.

"Mr. Tuop, Li is opposing Leverkusen for you—will it be a horror movie for you?"

Horror movie.

In the Sanya Wang season of that year, Tuopu Laotou, when encountering Ferguson's Manchester United, once described the opponent as a horror movie.

Lewokusen head coach shook his head: "Li created the club's history; this place will always be his home, and regardless of the match result, to me it's always a heartwarming silent play."

The other side.

Wenger was also taking questions from reporters.

"All Arsenal players are in very good condition."

"Except for Mertesacker, who needs rest, all other positions will field starting members."

"This will be a very tough match, but we have confidence to win."

Another curse, huh.

Six consecutive years.

Arsenal has never won a Champions League knockout first-leg match!

BayArena.

All seats have been removed.

Black-red and white-red waves surged across the stands.

Various banners fluttered in the wind.

Ship-use illumination flares burst forth with rich red fireworks.

"CTV5! CTV5! Good evening, viewers!"

"Welcome to the first leg of the 2016-17 Champions League Round of 16!"

"Lewokusen host Arsenal!"

"Last season, Wenger's team was eliminated solely due to the away-goal disadvantage!"

"Tonight, can he redeem himself? Can he break Arsenal's six-year Champions League first-leg winless curse?"

"Let's wait and see!"

Player tunnel.

Qia'erhanaolu and Bialabi, adhering to the "old-school" tradition of confrontation: even if they were once very familiar teammates, as opponents they should not show any enthusiasm.

Actually, neither of them is very old.

Qia'erhanaolu is only a few years older than Li Kang.

He greatly envies Zhaka: both are young cores of mid-to-upper-tier Bundesliga teams, so how did he end up at Arsenal?

Hafuci and Bulte excitedly embraced Li Kang.

"Jinx, last season you said we would meet Li in the Champions League!"

"Isn't this a good thing? We originally thought we could only play on the same pitch as Li in a charity match!"

Lai Nuo laughed, pulled the two apart, and gently patted the shoulder of Arsenal number 10.

"Welcome home."