Chapter 463: Ultimate Form Van Dijk (Daily Transition)

Time is like the morning of a workday; an extra five minutes of sleep before getting up can make two hours pass.

Traffic is like a basin of boiling hot water, gradually cooling down.

London.

The assistant gently polished the Ballon d'Or trophy with a dry cloth.

His face was full of spring breeze.

After winning the Ballon d'Or and World Footballer of the Year honors, Li Kang's endorsement fees surged again, the assistant's life became more prosperous, and recently he started dating an East German girl who works in London.

"The paparazzi outside are dwindling; they don't even bother to rummage through the trash cans."

"Li, I'm heading downstairs first; I have to go out tonight, so I might not be able to answer calls or reply to messages promptly."

Li Kang smiled and nodded.

The living room held a small Christmas tree, adorned with bells.

The ceiling hung with a string of little angel lights flashing blue.

The TV screen was playing a match replay of Paris Saint-Germain.

Emery is a very pragmatic head coach.

In Ligue 1, he toyed with weak opponents; his tactics were exquisitely detailed, like mercury pouring across the ground.

In the Champions League, he fought desperately against Hai Clan Bayern, launching mindless long balls and long passes.

"Beep~"

A faint notification tone.

Li Kang picked up his phone and saw several unread messages.

Kante sent a photo: Covent Garden, artificial snow, Little Black Egg and his wife sweetly embracing under the Christmas tree.

Morata excitedly announced that he had become a father.

Wo Le Er shared a "chicken soup for the soul" post, asking Li Kang whether he would return to North Rhine for the New Year.

Another winter transfer window, another Christmas.

A few days later.

Premier League match day arrived.

Li Kang and his teammates arrived at the port city of Southampton in southern England.

Southampton often serves as the backdrop city in film and television works.

In 1594, A Midsummer Night's Dream premiered at the manor in this city.

In 1620, the Pilgrims sailed aboard the Mayflower to the New World of America.

In 1912, the luxury liner Titanic set sail from the harbor of this city.

"This doesn't look like winter."

"The grass is still lush green."

"Do those squirrels not need to hibernate?"

"Squirrels don't hibernate by nature."

The sun set in the west.

As they neared the destination, the teammates' communication grew more frequent.

The bus slowly entered St Mary's Stadium, which sits close to the harbor; eleven years ago, 16-year-old Bale made his first-team debut here.

"CTV5! CTV5! Good evening, viewers."

"We are now broadcasting live the 18th round of the 2017/18 Premier League season."

"Southampton hosting Chelsea."

"On the west bank of the River Itchen, the Saints clash with the Blues!"

St Mary's Stadium, red-and-white flags fluttering in the wind.

Scorching flames jetted out from the sidelines.

Poster after poster of Van Dijk fluttered in the stands.

The Dutch center-back evolved again this season, shifting from a "complete form" to an "Ultimate Form" state.

Nobody mocked his "retreat" anymore.

Numerous giants extended olive branches to him, with the media praising him as "the finest center-back of this era" and "certain to break the transfer record for defenders."

The player tunnel.

Van Dijk and Li Kang shook hands and embraced.

Their stint fighting side by side at Lewokusen was brief, but profound.

"Li San, congratulations!"

Maya Yoshida wore a solemn face, offering his congratulations to the Ballon d'Or winner.

Cahill embraced Bertrand and Romeu.

The other players didn't have much interaction.

After all, the two teams had clashed violently when they met last season.

The cause was Marcos's malicious foul.

Tuchel sat on the bench.

Mauricio paced back and forth in the technical area.

Moments later.

The referee crew led the players of both sides out of the tunnel.

St Mary's Stadium instantly turned into a sea of red and white.

Below is the introduction of both sides' starting lineups.

Southampton's formation is 4-2-3-1!

Goalkeeper: Forster.

Defenders: Cedric, Van Dijk, Yoshida Maya, Bertrand.

Double pivot: Romeu, Lemina.

Midfielders: Tadic, Davis, Redmond.

Forward: Gabbiadini.

Chelsea's formation is 3-4-3!

Goalkeeper:

【Chelsea is expected to crash again, keep up! They can't handle fighting on four fronts!】

【Ultimate Van Dijk, guarding the Saints' land!】

【Waiting for a player's growth is truly not easy; two years ago, Van Dijk was still a huge pit that everyone criticized, and now he suddenly became the 'world's best defender'.】

【Van Dijk makes visible progress every season; the defensive position relies heavily on experience, and there aren't that many Varanes in the world.】

【Just having a strong defender is useless; the Netherlands still got eliminated in the World Cup qualifiers and couldn't make it to the 2018 World Cup!】

【Haven't seen the news? Southampton said if they get bloodbathed tonight, ticket revenue will all be donated to the foundation.】

Accompanied by the referee's whistle.

The match officially began.

Southampton in possession.

The passing tempo is very fast.

Mauricio is a very aggressive head coach, very young, and likes an open style of attack.

During his playing days, he helped Valencia reach the Champions League final for two consecutive seasons.

His tactical style is completely opposite to that of Pierre last season.

Redmond received a teammate's pass in the forty-meter zone.

He accelerated and sprinted.

After moving a few meters, he passed the ball to Bertrand, who had made an overlapping run, before Kanté could close in.

The away stand erupted with a shout.

He met an old acquaintance in a foreign land.

Bertrand is a former Chelsea player, barely counts as a Chelsea youth academy product; he won the Champions League with the team in 12, and is the first player in Champions League history to make his debut appearance in a final.

"Winning the Champions League at the start."

Want to devour Kanté raw!

Can't eat it.

Can't shake him off.

The forward passing lane was blocked; wanting to pass back, he transferred the pressure to a teammate.

Azpilicueta's covering defense.

Nice, successful tackle!

Kanté passed the ball to Li Kang.

Li Kang turned to shake off Davis and sent a long pass!

The line was very reasonable.

Easily pierced through Southampton's midfield barrier.

Hazard took off on the break.

Romeu kept up the chase; as one of the candidates for La Masia's number four position, he anticipated the attacking direction but couldn't keep up in speed.

Hazard shook off Busquets's successor.

Received the ball, moved forward, and left everyone in the dust!

The space is very open!

Van Dijk!

In 15, Van Dijk was completely dominated by Hazard.

In 16, Van Dijk could barely keep up with Hazard's pace.

In 17, the Premier League's dribbling king felt a hint of bewilderment facing the Dutch center-back.

Hazard accelerated and sprinted.

Van Dijk quickly adjusted his body orientation, held his position, and retreated with small steps.

He closed off the inside lane.

He forced Hazard out to the flank.

Space compressed.

Look closely, Van Dijk's retreat shuffle speed is getting slower, and the distance between him and Hazard is also shrinking.

It's not that I'm stealing from you; I'm waiting for you to charge at me.

Hazard's sudden stop and turn is beautiful!

Oh dear!

It's been dragged on too long; Southampton's defensive players have already gotten into position.