Master Tutoring Class

Chapter 288 Right-wing Assault
As the season draws to a close, the battle for points quickly intensifies.

If we compare a season of competition to a marathon, then we have now reached the sprint stage before the finish line.

Even when physically exhausted, one must drag their weary body, muster their spirits, and run with all their might.

This is Wei Lai's first full season, and he can clearly feel that the intensity and quality of the games are changing with the different time periods of the season.

For example, at the beginning of the season, when players are full of energy and the team is in the process of getting used to each other, the physicality is not so strong, but the pace is very fast.

Starting midway through the season, the pace and intensity took off dramatically.

Especially from November to March, the quality of the matches was at its highest, and the players' form was gradually improving as they adjusted.

At this point, it comes down to the team's overall ability to fight as a unit.

Towards the end of the season, factors such as declining physical fitness, injuries, and concentration make systematic tactical operations crucial, which tests the depth of tactical reserves.

With more tactical reserves, they can cope with various different situations and take the initiative in the game.

Take Sporting Amsterdam as an example. In the middle of the season, they focused on a style of play that shifted from strong to weak, but towards the end of the season, their attack relied more on set pieces and corner kicks.

In the 26th round of the Dutch Eredivisie, Atlético Amsterdam will host Volendam.

In the 58th minute of the second half, Atletico Amsterdam took a slight 1-0 lead over Volendam.

Wei Lai was substituted off the field in the 60th minute.

"come on!"

Wei Lai gave Hendrick a big high-five, and after walking off the field, he went straight to the bench to sit down.

"They're fucking working hard!"

Wei Lai, panting, stared at the basketball court.

Throughout the 60 minutes, the game was interrupted countless times, with almost no continuous and smooth passing attacks. Whenever Amsterdam tried to advance through ground passing, they were met with fierce resistance from Volendam.

Five yellow cards brought Amsterdam's attack to a standstill, but they still managed to score a goal in the 43rd minute from a corner kick.

"Vorendan is just three points away from escaping the relegation zone. They might not pin their hopes on us for points, but they'll definitely want a draw, even though it'll be difficult!"

Diego Ruma was shaking his leg; he was ready to go on the field.

He will rush onto the field as soon as the team needs him.

Wei Lai shook his head, feeling a bit weak, mainly because he had been tactically fouled by the opponent, which had made him a little frustrated.

He almost never had a comfortable touch on the ball.

Even if I pass the ball out early, these guys will still rush up and bump into me.

He was training in Premier League matches in a simulated classroom, but the matches didn't have a season concept, and Wei Lai didn't know which round it was.

Sometimes it's easy to kick, sometimes it's extremely difficult.

Perhaps this is the last struggle of some relegation-threatened teams when facing relegation.

In the 78th minute, a minor conflict broke out on the field.

Conrad Lehmann was fouled during a drive, causing him to fall heavily and roll several times.

This scene terrified many people.

Fortunately, this guy sprang up like a spring, charging straight at his opponent and sparking a conflict.

This meant that Conrad Lehmann was not injured, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

In the 80th minute, Morton substituted Konrad Lehmann.

He could sense that Volendam's mentality was about to collapse.

He can't afford to waste these key players in games like this.

Whether Volendam is relegated or not is none of his concern.

But Atlético Amsterdam is aiming for Champions League qualification this season, and they also need to compete in the Europa League.

He needs these valuable combat troops!

"FXXK!"

Lehmann walked off the field, took out his shin guards, and slammed them heavily onto the ground.

He stood with his hands on his hips, glaring fiercely at the opposing full-back who had fouled him.

He had challenged the other guy to a fight, but the guy didn't respond, which made him extremely frustrated.

Of course, even if they did make an agreement, they wouldn't actually fight.

Mr. Morton will not allow that to happen.

"Calm down!"

Old Master Morton turned his head and said softly. Lehmann pursed his lips and nodded, "I understand!"

Wei Lai took a bag of ice out of the ice bucket and handed it over.

"What?" Lehman's tone wasn't good; he was clearly still sulking.

"Calm down." Wei Lai placed the ice pack directly on Lehman's head. "There's no need. We have more important goals!"

Whether it was the ice pack or Wei Lai's words that had an effect, Lehman quickly calmed down.

The match is still going on, but it's nearing its end.

In the final stages, Volendam attempted a counter-attack, but it was only a four-pass affair; the ball had barely crossed halfway when Reyesa poked it to Hendrick.

Then, Atlético Amsterdam took control of the game again.

In this situation, Volendam had almost no options.

"The efficiency is so low!"

Wei Lai couldn't help but shake his head.

Volendam capitalized on the counter-attack opportunity well, but his choice of passing lanes was terrible.

They blindly passed on the information even though there were simpler methods available.

To put it bluntly, they lacked a clear counter-attacking system, played blindly, and tried to keep playing on the ground.

Instead of doing that, why not just lob it into the penalty area and try your luck?

But in any case, this is a good thing for Atlético Amsterdam.

Finally, the match ended.

Atletico Amsterdam secured a 1-0 victory, defeating Volendam at home and taking all three points.

"Sporting Amsterdam has secured another three points, launching their fiercest sprint towards the Eredivisie title. They currently remain at the top of the standings, nine points ahead of Erefante D.C. In the next round, they will travel to Rotterdam to challenge the 'land of honor'!"

"If Elefert wants to win the championship, they can't afford to lose this game!"

With only eight rounds left in the league, it can't be said that Elefest has absolutely no hope of overtaking in points, but given Atlético Amsterdam's current form, the chances still seem rather slim.

Therefore, this direct dialogue will be very important.

Elefert not only needs to win this game and gain three points to narrow the gap in points, but also needs to secure a victory.

At the same time, they also need to try their best to replicate Amsterdam Sport's form.

After all, that's all they can do.

This is the problem of being in a passive position.

However, Elfelter had already been eliminated from the Champions League group stage in the first half of the season, thus avoiding the problem of being bogged down in European competitions.

Despite the Dutch Cup, it doesn't take up much of my energy.

Moreover, the Dutch Cup has already entered the final stage, and the final will be held at the end of April, so there is plenty of time to adjust and maintain a very good form.

For Atlético Amsterdam, they are still competing on two fronts.

Before playing Elephelter, they will face Castellón in the Europa League midweek, and then travel to Elephelter at the weekend.

There were only two days for adjustment and recovery, so the time was quite tight.

This is even with Atlético Amsterdam completely abandoning the Dutch Cup; if they were to compete on three fronts, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"No rest time this week!"

In Monday's tactics class, Mr. Morton went straight to the point.

This indicates that key players such as Lehmann, Mussar, and Wei Lai, who could normally be rotated for rest, will not have time to rest this week and will have to play two games in a row.

They were putting in their best effort to face Castellón and Elefert.

"I heard that Hollein is going to play in the next game!"

Diego Ruma heard from the media that Castellón's key player, number 10 Hollein, might be required to play.

"That's bullshit!"

Wei Lai shook his head: "They're under so much pressure in the league, and we scored four goals against them in the first round. What's the point of putting the injured Hollein on the field now?"

Wei Lai felt that this news was just mindless fake news.

Hollein cannot possibly play in the Europa League while injured, unless the Castellion coaching staff collectively makes a mistake; no sane person would do that.

This will not only delay Hollein's recovery period, but may even lead them to a double collapse in both the Europa League and the domestic league.

They did indeed suffer a humiliating defeat at home.

Their desire for revenge is understandable.

But the price cannot be a collapse on both fronts; at the very least, the league must be preserved.

Such self-defeating actions have occurred in European competitions, but not frequently.

Atletico Amsterdam have been preparing for their second Europa League semi-final match since Monday.

From that moment on, Wei Lai felt something was different.

Perhaps because winning this match would put them in the Europa League final, they all seemed a bit tense.

Wei has been playing in the Dutch Eredivisie for over a year now.

This is his first final match here!
Due to the U17 World Cup, he did not participate in the final round of matches while he was in Jiaozhou Weili.

This can be considered the closest Wei Lai has ever come to the finals of a professional competition. For Racing Amsterdam, they have numerous championship trophies, including prestigious honors like the Champions League.

But the Europa League champion is the only one missing.

Amsterdam is a combination of extremes.

It's either the best or the worst!
At their peak, they won three Champions League titles in the last century, and during that period, Atlético Amsterdam was a nightmare for the whole of Europe.

But from then on, they began their decline.

As for the Europa League champions, during their heyday, they didn't even look down on them.

After their transformation, the Europa League became less important, and all their energy was focused on the Champions League.

Playing in the Champions League and selling players is how Sporting Amsterdam survives these days.

Therefore, for Sporting Amsterdam, the Champions League is the highest priority.

On Wednesday, Sporting Amsterdam will play the second leg of their Europa League semi-final.

They will be playing Castellón at home.

The result of this match will determine who qualifies for the Europa League final.

The fact that Hollein, who was widely rumored to be on the roster, was not included is clearly a tactic to generate buzz.

Castellón will field the same lineup as the current team against Racing Amsterdam.

The latter also fielded the original lineup.

Boom boom boom boom boom boom!!
Tens of thousands of arms were raised high, and they clapped in unison, creating a series of loud bangs.

They stomped their feet, shouted slogans excitedly, and sang battle songs.

'Great Amsterdam Athletic! Forward! ——'

The enthusiastic cheers from the fans seemed to give the players a boost of energy.

"This is the second leg of the 2027/2028 UEFA Europa League semi-final, between Sporting Amsterdam and Castellón!"

"After the last round of matches, Atlético Amsterdam defeated Castellón 4-0 away from home, giving them a significant advantage and putting them one foot in the Europa League final. The outcome of this match will determine the final spot!"

Duan Jiang was emotional, and his voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

For Atlético Amsterdam, this might be just another ordinary title race.

They walk this road every year!
But for these Chinese fans, it was a historic moment.

Wei Lai could very well become the first Chinese player to reach the Europa League final.

"Wei Lai! Ah!! Go for it, Wei Lai!"

"Charge! Wei Lai! To the finals! Go to the finals!"

'Wei Lai is awesome!'

'Take us to the finals! Take us to the finals!'

The entire comment section was filled with unanimous cheers for Wei Lai. On the other side of the ocean, they were sending their most fervent support to their compatriots who were competing in a distant arena.

Ding Dong!

Inside Weili's dormitory in Jiaozhou, Yang Fan's phone beeped with a message notification.

Pei Le: [Brothers, the match is about to begin!]

Yang Fan: [Watching!]

Millennium: [I'm watching too!]

Mao Biao: [Awesome, right? One more win and we'll be in the Europa League final!]

Lu Chaokuan: [OMG! Wei Lai is amazing! We have a very high chance of winning!]

Yang Fan: [Absolutely!]

He Chaoyue: [It's about to begin!]

The night in Amsterdam was filled with the loudest cheers as the whistle blew to start the match.

At this moment, the second leg of the Europa League semi-final officially kicked off.

"Pass!"

Wei Lai turned to the side in the center circle to ask for a pass.

Dennis Zilben immediately passed the ball over, and Wei Lai pretended to start, took a step forward, suddenly stopped, cut the ball with his right foot, turned around, and began to run sideways.

"That slippery fellow!"

Castellón's winger Sanro couldn't help but curse and turned to chase after Wei Lai.

Wei Lai's footwork wasn't fast, but he controlled the rhythm very well. He was like a slippery eel, always managing to slip away even when you managed to catch it.

"Don't lean forward!"

Gail roared, "Don't press! Don't press! You bastard!"

He was extremely anxious!

Don't push forward! You really shouldn't push forward!

This Chinese midfielder is very good at utilizing the space behind him. In the last match, Guillermo was lured there by Wei Lai and then launched a penetrating attack behind the defense.

Therefore, in this match, he refused to leave his own territory and focused solely on controlling his own area.

Wei Lai dribbled the ball to the left side, moving laterally, but he couldn't get Gay out of the way.

"Is it too obvious?"

Wei Lai shook his head and passed the ball to Konrad Lehmann on the wing.

"Don't push too far! Test the waters first!"

After Wei Lai finished shouting, he started staring at Geller.

Under pressure from Konrad Lechmann, Castellón's right winger dropped back to provide cover, while the right-back closely marked him.

Gay's positioning was also tilted slightly to the right, but he still did not leave his defensive zone.

"Such a good sense of location?"

Wei Lai raised an eyebrow.

In the last game, this guy didn't have this sense of position; his pressing and interceptions all came from his physical strength and speed.

To put it bluntly, it's using brute force in a confrontational defense.

"Let's test the waters one more time!"

Wei Lai called for Felix to drop back a bit, and after receiving a pass from Lehmann, he immediately passed the ball forward.

"Tsk!"

Pei Shang couldn't help but click his tongue: "Wei's probing is like a knife!"

Many midfielders will try to probe in the early stages of the game, but this probing is often blind.

Pass the ball into the danger zone and observe the defenders' reactions, their condition, positioning, and even their habits.
This is a pattern of testing for the sake of testing!
But Wei Lai was different; his probing was laced with daggers.

As Felix dropped back, the two wingers had already moved inwards, positioning themselves in the flank area between the center-back and the full-back.

Amsterdam's two full-backs were also prepared to make overlapping runs down the flanks.

It's fair to say that if Guillermo del Toro doesn't handle the ball well, Atlético Amsterdam can launch a penetrating attack.

Just as Pechamp said, it was a test as sharp as a knife!

Even when it's a test, it carries a sharp edge.

Mr. Morton remained silent, his gaze fixed on the right side of the field as he observed Castellón's left-back, Pedrach.

"Your reaction time is a bit slow!"

In the overall coordinated movement, Pedrach's movement was somewhat slow, which made him appear very out of place.

Don't underestimate this "slowness"; it could be a gap, or it could create a space for threat.

"Tell our players to switch to the right wing." Old man Morton tilted his head slightly: "Attack!"

Since there is a clear lapse in defense, let's probe to see if that's a weakness.

boom!
On the field, Wei Lai received the ball but did not pose a significant threat at first. He then passed the ball back to Konrad Lehmann.

At that moment, Pescho's shouts came from the sidelines.

"Right side! Right side! Wei! Attack the right flank!"

Right wing?

Wei Lai hesitated for a moment, but still managed to switch the ball to the right wing the moment he passed it again.

Wei Lai’s attention was focused on the pressure exerted by the left wing, while the right wing was not given much attention.

But since the coach has made this call, it means there are some problems.

Wei Lai continued to pass the ball on the right side, still testing the waters.

But with each passing of the message, he also discovered a problem.

"A bit slow! Not in the right frame of mind?" Wei Lai raised an eyebrow slightly; "Not proactive enough!"

But we don't know why Pedrach did this, but it's their chance.

"Go up and distract him!"

Musar ran forward and took possession of the ball.

Through repeated probing, Wei Lai noticed the problem, and Musar, the team's strategist, couldn't possibly have missed it.

“Gailley won’t leave his defensive zone. I’ll go up and draw him out, try to pull him out,” Wei said, then nodded to Mussar. “You pass the ball!”

Musar smiled; his thoughts were exactly the same as Wei Lai's.

(End of this chapter)