Manchester United's heir apparent, but can't play football.

Chapter 118 Promotion Before the Arrival of a Difficult Challenge

CTV5 broadcast the Europa League draw ceremony live.
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[What club is Dnipro? I've never heard of it before.]
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[The Ukrainian Super League's dark horse.]
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Their tactic was to set up an impenetrable defensive formation and launch counter-attacks, completely overwhelming their opponents and advancing to the semifinals.
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The city of Dnipropetrovsk is being renamed; a vote is currently underway to change "Dnipropetrovsk" to "Dnipropetrovsk" in an effort to diminish the influence of Soviet culture.
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[If this kind of team doesn't use a large bus, they'll just become the backdrop for my unparalleled Luo Kai.]

Bystanders clear, the authorities are fascinated.

Some people haven't fully recovered yet.

Nyon, Switzerland.

At the Europa League draw ceremony, the sound of the glass ball rolling under the spotlight was particularly jarring.

When all the match results were displayed on the big screen, Black Gold checked them repeatedly for a long time before slowly loosening his clenched fist and leaning back in his chair with a sigh of relief.

Luck was indeed on his side this time.

If you draw a "easy opponent," you won't have to fight tooth and nail in the semifinals.

It's not that I look down on the opponent, it just can greatly alleviate the team's fatigue.

The chances of winning the Sanya King title are getting slimmer and slimmer.

The goal of winning the triple crown is becoming increasingly clear.

Moreover, Hecking's football philosophy is centered on counter-attacking, and he knows all too well how to deal with Dnipro's counter-attacking tactics: whether or not he can break through the opponent's dense defense is one thing, the key is to deal with the "counter-attack" aspect, and Hecking has plenty of experience in this area.

Lower Saxony.

Wolfsburg staff were also relieved.

The team doctor, however, was deeply worried: "Dnipro is a bit chaotic. There was a series of bombings there before the start of the 2012 European Championship."

Hear this.

Volkswagen executive Hans couldn't help but laugh: "Then we'll send a substitute player over!"

Substitute player: "."

Li Luo and several of his younger teammates, including Maranda and Arnold, went into the base's recreation room and started playing games.

Relax and dispel anxiety.

“Play seriously, Lee. You won’t be able to play games anymore once you’re back at Manchester United. I heard that Van Gaal demolished Carrington’s game room two months ago and turned it into a library.”

“I know, he told me. They also installed sleep pods there to force players to rest at a certain time in the afternoon.”

"No cell phones allowed in the cafeteria. Eat properly."

"Suits are required for away games because the idea is that Manchester United represents a certain level of respectability."

As his teammates listened, they actually thought it wasn't so bad: Carrington Base wasn't as hellish as the toilet paper made it out to be.

Maranda held "Buffon: My Investment Insights" in his hands. He had been reading this book for almost a season and was finally nearing the end.

His eyes gradually became blank.

In the final volume of his book, Buffon says: "You don't need to read my investment insights."

"."

A blink of an eye.

The Europa League semi-finals are about to begin.

Li Luo and his teammates arrived in Dnipro.

The bus traveled along the wide road. The spring breeze, carrying warmth, swept past the windows. The tender leaves that had just sprouted on the branches on both sides were covered with morning dew. A few clumps of forsythia, blooming sparsely, curled up in the corner of the wall. But this vibrant life was dissipated without a trace every so often.

Armed security personnel.

It wasn't because of the grand treatment, but because of the prolonged war during that special period.

The city also experienced chaos some time ago.

Li Luo unfolded the newspaper he had bought at the airport. Suddenly, the wind blew a newly fallen leaf onto the car window. He looked up and saw the leaf and the desolate scene outside the window overlapping on the glass, forming an awkward picture.

Spring has clearly arrived, yet the melancholy in this city lingers.

"Facts and Comments" and "Komsomolskaya Pravda".

The words above are powerful.

The content that criticizes the powerful and wealthy is particularly inspiring.

However, when it comes to sports events, it demonstrates a "depoliticized" stance, avoiding making the Europa League East vs. West match too complicated.

Then, the conversation shifted again, and the director began criticizing the upcoming "Spectre," which is set to be released at the end of the year, for deliberately smearing heroes from other countries.

"I can buy several copies of this newspaper to read at home."

Maranda nodded seriously: "Unlike those French newspapers, which always criticize ordinary people."

Li Luo was slightly surprised, not expecting the little black egg to be so smart.

The teaching assistant smiled:
“Clever Maranda, you’ve seen the essence of the problem: For centuries, some famous writers from Russia, England, and France have been criticizing and deliberately vilifying ordinary people, all while claiming to be righteous: ‘I am exposing the darkness of the times.’ But when they face the real powerful and wealthy, they remain silent and fawn over them.”

Bendtner waved the Playboy magazine in his hand and said, "You'd be better off reading this than that stuff!"

Everyone laughed.

Black Gold suddenly stood up, and the bus fell silent.

"remember!"

"Everyone should be vigilant when being interviewed and avoid falling into a trap."

"Don't get involved in any messy positions; we're here to play the game."

clap clap.

The disciples applauded.

Black Gold proudly straightened his back and sat back down.

The bus was filled with a cheerful atmosphere once again.

"Li, The Sun is spreading rumors about you again!"

"."

Night falls.

The Republic Stadium, its outline visible in the darkness.

There weren't many fans, and large sections of the stands were empty.

"Dnipro!"

Even the slogans sounded very faint in the empty stadium.

"Zhuangdianertai! Zhuangdianertai! Good evening, viewers!"

"We are now broadcasting live the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League semi-final."

"Dnipro hosts Wolfsburg."

"The ship has encountered a pack of wolves!"

"UEFA changed the venue to the Republic Stadium instead of the Meteor Stadium for many reasons."

American media would refer to Dnipro as "the Dnipromenade".
Media outlets in other countries would call Dnipro "the ship".

The commentator was unable to elaborate on the matter at that moment.

There was no detailed introduction to the history and stories of this city and club tonight.

"When this stadium opened in 1923, its name was Red."

"."

The match was one-sided.

The Wolfsburg players even seemed somewhat familiar with him.

The opponent's tactics? Isn't it the same low-block defensive formation that Li Luo suggested when playing against Napoli: sacrificing width on the flanks in exchange for midfield density?

There is a slight difference.

Wolfsburg buses prioritize sweeping operations.

Dnipro finished the night with a score of 10-0-0, a super-solid defensive formation.

"Black Gold's formation tonight is 4-4-2!"

"Bendtner and Dost, both big center forwards, pushed forward, a double-pronged attack! Defender Naldo also rotated into center forward mode in positional play!"

"Three major high points."

"This makes Dnipro's defense look a bit short."

"Wolfsburg's two full-backs have also transformed into wingers."

"Li Luo and De Bruyne, maneuvering left and right! They're putting the opponent under immense pressure! Oh no, danger! Dnipro's counter-attack!"

Ricardo's shot was blocked.

Wolfsburg failed to capitalize on their second attack.

Dnipro's counterattack was like a raging storm.

Courtside.

Black Gold is not worried at all.

With a relaxed expression: Do I really need Li to save my life against such a weak team that only knows how to defend and counter-attack? Wouldn't that make me look useless?

The other side.

Dnipro's head coach, Markovic, had a furrowed brow.

Fight back.

It didn't go as smoothly as I had expected.

Wolfsburg's defensive midfielders and center-backs' anticipation and speed
"Black Gold, master strategist!"

"He played Gustavo as a center-back and Vieirinha as a defensive midfielder!"

Vieirinha has always played as a winger.

His burst speed is terrifying.

Even after being outpaced by Dnipro's strikers, this guy managed to accelerate again and catch up!

A gasp of amazement echoed through the Republic Stadium.

Eastern European viewers spotted another dark figure: Maranda! This little black egg's speed in chasing back was also quite frightening!
Three defenses and one protection?

Snapped!
Gustavo easily intercepted the ball.

Dnipro's striker staggered and fell to the ground.

“Pass it on to Maranda.”

"Maranda passes to Li Luo!"

"Li Luo controlled the ball and easily got rid of a Dnipro midfielder."

"high speed!"

You don't even need to use God's perspective.

Li Luo's extraordinary abilities are entirely based on intuition and instinct.

In an instant, he dribbled the ball into the opponent's back line.

Draw the defense.

Dnipro, who were just in the midst of a counterattack, had no time to rebuild their low-post defense.

"A feint with the arm raised, then accelerate towards the inside to dribble the ball!"

"It's over!"

"A high-speed ball cut!"

"Another one has passed!"

"His exceptional ball control and terrifying footwork shattered Dnipro's defense."

"Europa League, Li the King of Football!"

too easy.

Dnipro's disorganized formation was no match for the Chinese prodigy.

Bah!
The football shot out.

The door was blasted open with a whoosh!
The white net swayed.

0:1! ! !

A murmur of sighs rippled through the audience.

Li Luo deeply experienced the thrill of having "Shooting: 88, Ball Control: 86" in actual matches.

Wolfsburg teammates ran up to him one after another, giving him high-fives and hugs.

"Pretty!"

"The ball is in!"

"Li Luo dribbled past three players and scored with a long-range shot! So easy!"

"Maranda's brilliant assist!"

"Dnipro finally got a counter-attack opportunity, and the players rushed forward one after another, but they lost possession in the attacking third." "Looking at the replay, their formation was in disarray at that time, and they didn't have time to put the bus back in place. Most of their players had rushed up front."

"at the same time."

"Maranda connected with Li Luo, and Li Luo's unstoppable shot helped Wolfsburg take the lead."

Studio.
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[Dnipro's level of play is quite average unless they use a bus.]
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[I'm starting to mow the lawn!]
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[Black Saint's high-level defensive deployment is also crucial.]
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The camera panned to the oligarch's daughter in the VIP box; her expression seemed to suggest she was interested in Li Luo!
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I guess Li Luo probably prefers pure, innocent college girls like Chen Tusi, who haven't entered the entertainment industry yet, but just won first place in some campus competition.
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[Nonsense. Just look at the female characters in The Sun; Li Luo either likes beautiful legs or big breasts!]
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[I wrote a lot of comments about Dnipro, the players, and the city, but they were all censored.]
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I emailed FIFA and PES; their version updates are too slow. How can Li Luo's current stats possibly save Manchester United from their dire straits?

Courtside.

Black Gold glanced down at his watch.

"Next."

"Dnepr has absolutely no chance!"

"Hmph! Playing defensive counter-attack against me?"

Sure enough, everything that happened next was under the control of Wolfsburg's manager.

Trailing by one goal, Dnipro wanted to attack, but dared not push forward aggressively. Their high defensive line was packed with players.

Wolfsburg has a bus.

Thanks to the performances of Li Luo and De Bruyne, they launched wave after wave of high-quality counterattacks.

"The match has entered the 42nd minute, and the first half is about to begin."

"coming!"

"Gustavo made a tackle, passed to Li Luo, Li Luo was too lazy to run, so he made a long pass to De Bruyne!"

"The rainbow is finished."

"Bendner!"

"How could Dnipro's defenders possibly be a match for Arsenal's Emperor in a one-on-one situation?"

"Pretty!"

"Break the door!"

Bendtner unleashed a powerful cannon shot! It sent Dnipro's white net soaring high into the air!
0:2! ! !

At the Republic Stadium, faint sighs of lamentation rose and fell.

Wolfsburg continued to park the bus even after taking a two-goal lead.

The 63th minute of the game.

Li Luo launched another counterattack!

"It's a familiar topic. In Black Gold's tactical system, Li Luo can ensure the stability of the first half of the counter-attack chain and sound the horn for the counter-offensive, while De Bruyne can ensure the quality of the second half of the counter-attack chain."

"Because of their high-quality transition attacks, when we watch Wolfsburg highlights, we often mistakenly think that Hecking was having these players launch a relentless attack."

"no problem!"

"Dost will have a pancake too, one for each of us!"

"It's in!!!"

"Kill the game!"

"The fourth official on the sidelines raised the LED number board, Wolfsburg is going to make a substitution and take off their key player."

finally.

The referee blew the final whistle.

Dnipro 0:3 Wolfsburg

Li Luo and his teammates did not linger and hurriedly left this harmonious place.

The Ukrainian Football Association has learned from the case of the blonde, wavy-haired female reporter from Italy.

They also sent out the same golden legendary item, but their goals were different.

but.

Li Luo was not fooled and ignored it.

He managed to slip away, and the blonde, wavy-haired female reporter couldn't stop him no matter what she tried.

"Li, you will support me."

Bendtner, in a menacing manner, burst into a tirade: "Li will support your ass! Useless platitudes, get out of here!"

not far away.

European journalists were writing furiously: "Bendtner: Lee Low likes female journalists' buttocks."

Post-match press conference.

Black Gold's expression gradually turned serious.

Why are these local reporters not talking about the game at all, but instead rambling on about other things?

"I don't want to answer random questions."

"I hope everyone will focus on the competition itself."

"Some of your questions are really stupid."

At this moment.

Black Gold proudly puffed out his chest, finally feeling like a true master coach, a pure and flawless master coach.

There was no lingering.

The entire Wolfsburg team left the country overnight.

"The finals, here we come!"

Someone shouted excitedly.

Captain Benaglio quickly reminded us: "Don't be so happy yet. Have you forgotten the story of Istanbul? We still have the second leg to play!"

"I watched a documentary that said the AC Milan players didn't celebrate wildly during halftime."

"The interviews I saw were different. Crespo denied it, but also implied that someone had worn the championship T-shirt in advance, someone had opened champagne, and Seedorf advised his teammates not to be arrogant, which resulted in an argument."

"The Sun said they were celebrating early, so they were celebrating early! There's no mistake. Reporters interviewed many players and staff, and Traore also said he heard AC Milan celebrating!"

"Traore?"

"That guy who scored an own goal with the Marseille turn!"

Time is like a whip being wielded.

Four days later.

The Bundesliga matchday is here.

The Wolfsburg team arrived in Frankfurt, the largest city in the eastern German state of Hesse.

This city is actually quite suitable for dating.

The Main River is Frankfurt's "rope of love," accounting for almost half of the couples' dating spots.

During this season, cherry blossoms fall onto the benches along the riverside path, where couples can sit side by side and watch the cruise ships slowly glide by. The colorful flags on the ship's roof flutter in the wind, and the iron bridge in the distance is covered with countless love locks.

Far from the city center, the Taunus Mountains are covered with wildflowers, and couples can go hiking on weekends. When they get tired, they can sit on the mountaintop viewing platform, look at the panoramic view of the city in the distance, and chat while feeling the breeze.

It could easily lead to someone's death.

However, Li Luo had no interest in that. He had been watching Manchester United match videos lately, and as he watched, he lost all interest in dating girls.

It's not that I'm afraid of challenges.

It's not that I'm afraid of the expectations of all my supporters.

I just felt like I watched a weird animated film, bizarre and outlandish, which made me feel terrible.

The commercial banking arena.

The place was packed with people, and every seat was taken.

An eagle spreads its wings and soars.

Frankfurt's mascot is alive.

On the big screen, the Bundesliga official website even displayed a line of text: Li Luo's Bundesliga debut was against Eintracht Frankfurt.

The outcome of the match was not in doubt.

Frankfurt's head coach, Marcelo Rebelo de Sánchez, is as stubborn as a rock in a latrine—stinky and unyielding.

Regardless of who the opponent is, we insist on attacking.

Beep! Beep beep~
When the final whistle blows.

The home fans were wailing in despair.

Frankfurt 2:5 Wolfsburg!

Old Sha completely broke down and even planned to retire after the season ended. Looking at Li Luo's figure, he felt that he couldn't keep up with the times.

After the game.

Back at the hotel.

Li Luo took out his phone and saw a message from the Japanese girl.

[Airi-chan: Li-san, the cherry blossoms in Frankfurt are so beautiful, would you like to come with me to see them?]

Li Luo: No.

What's so beautiful about cherry blossoms?

He's been too busy lately, so he can't offer emotional support to people who are geographically far away.

Time is like a burning candle.

Four days later.

Public arena.

Wolfsburg fans erupted in unprecedented fervor, as the club, after so many years, finally had a chance to reach the European final this season.

Crash.

A giant TIFO image quietly descended: a cartoon version of Wolfsburg's number 10, Li Luo, stood in the center, surrounded by a group of cartoon teammates.

the other side

Dnipro, undeterred, remained highly motivated.

In the pre-match interviews, everyone from the head coach to the players expressed their determination to turn the tide.

The competition was intense.

Black Gold pragmatically set up a bus.

Dnipro launched a fierce positional attack, but the outcome was tragic.

The final whistle blew.

A bloody score appeared on the LED screen in mid-air: Wolfsburg 5-0 Dnipro!

In an instant.

The cheers erupted like a volcanic eruption, and the home fans went completely wild. Green jerseys and scarves soared into the air from the stands, surging and sweeping across the entire stadium like a raging wave.

Since its founding, the club's men's football team has never reached the final of any of the three major European cup competitions (the Champions League, the Europa League, and the European Cup Winners' Cup)!

The anticipation and regret of those years have transformed into a long and enthusiastic cheer in the stands tonight.

"Tonight."

"Hecking, Lillard, De Bruyne, and the Wolfsburg players made history together! Not only did they win the game, but they also etched the club's name on the ticket to a European final for the first time."

Congratulations to Wolfsburg for advancing to the Europa League final!

The arena is ablaze with celebration.

Li Luo is busy.

Rumble!
Rumble!
Accompanied by a dense rumble of thunder.

Three enormous cards stood before him.

Various figures slowly emerged.

[Congratulations on obtaining: Netzer "Fox Midfielder" module, additional effect: Passing +3, even if your teammate is an idiot, you can accurately predict their strange runs.]

[Congratulations on obtaining: Effenberg's "Tiger Domination" module, additional effects: Defense +5, Steals +3.]

[Congratulations on obtaining: Batistuta's "Full Power Shot" module. Additional effect: +3 to footwork. You can exceed your physical limits and unleash a powerful shot that concentrates all your strength.]

Passes: 92!

Defense: 82, Steals: 78!

Footwork strength: 89!

Vaguely.

Li Luo felt a slight numbness in the back of his head.

He seemed to see an egg gently shaking, gradually cracking open. *Crack!* It shattered!
Breakthrough!

(End of this chapter)