Football: Starting with the Crescent Moon Slash

Sixty minutes into the game, Real Madrid still hadn't managed to equalize.

The fans' dissatisfaction is growing stronger.

"Jiang Yan, go warm up."

Upon hearing Benitez's words, Jiang Yan got up and went to the sidelines to warm up.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid fans on the sidelines became even more excited after seeing Jiang Yan warming up.

"Jiang Yan! You amazing kid! Hurry up and go up!"

"Let's unleash a beautiful free kick! Tie the score!!"

"Hurry up, Magic Johnson! We want to see a goal!!"

On the other side, the Villarreal fans did not believe that a single Chinese player could change the tide of the game.

Sixty minutes later, Huang Qian completely gave up on controlling the ball and instead retreated into the penalty area to park the bus.

"A Chinese guy, relying on luck and a few free kicks, can only manage to beat a lower-ranked team? We're Villarreal!!"

"Just wait to die, Chinese people!"

"Real Madrid dared to field a Chinese player, it seems they've given up, we'll gladly accept these three points."

......

In the 62nd minute, Jiang Yan came on to replace James Rodriguez.

James Rodriguez, who was substituted, did not high-five Jiang Yan or talk to the head coach. He went straight back to the locker room and threw his water bottle onto the GG sign next to him.

Clearly, James Rodriguez, who had been substituted by Jiang Yan several times, was already dissatisfied.

After Jiang Yan came on, he played as a double defensive midfielder with Casemiro, while Modric played as a single attacking midfielder.

"Maintain your positional awareness and be careful not to lose your footing," Casemiro said.

As Jiang Yan stepped onto the green field, the system's voice sounded once again.

[The host has participated in the match for the first time as a CDM defensive midfielder.]

The current game situation is unfavorable. The task is to change the current situation on the field and achieve a draw or a victory.

[Reward: Random player skill pack x1, 10 points.]

Why is Jiang Yan standing in the lower back position?

"Has Benitez lost his mind?! Why did he put Jiang Yan in the defensive midfield position?"

"If he plays as a defensive midfielder, isn't that the same as playing with one less player?"

"Get Jiang back up in the attacking third! Benitez! Incompetent! You're the biggest culprit in this loss!!!!"

Jiang Yan and Casemiro were stationed on either side.

Villarreal's striker Bakambu received a pass from the backfield and headed straight for the midfield area.

Bakambu dribbles the ball and faces Jiang Yan one-on-one.

"First time playing defensive midfielder... In that case, let's start from the left!"

After only a moment's thought, Bakambu, who was about to start cooking soup, discovered...

"What?!"

Unbeknownst to Jiang Yan, he had already blocked Bakambu's path.

Jiang Yan had blocked the ideal dribbling route, so Bakambu immediately prepared to break through from the other side.

"Wait until he tries to grab it, then I'll dribble past him with a crossover!"

Jiang Yan indeed chose to snatch the ball!

But just then...

Modric emerged from behind the enemy like a ghost, and together with Jiang Yan who was pressing forward, the two of them sandwiched the ball and snatched it from Bakambu's feet.

"What!?"

Modric dribbled forward, while Bakambu was still in a daze.

Jiang Yan's ability to block space and his grasp of the timing of tackles are nothing like that of a newcomer playing defensive midfield for the first time!

Two days ago, Jiang Yan stayed behind with Casemiro, Modric, and others for extra training.

Facing Bell's powerful breakthrough.

Jiang Yan staggered a few steps and fell on the grass.

"It wasn't until one-on-one practice that I realized that world-class players truly live up to their name. My defensive abilities are nowhere near as good as yours."

Bell scratched his head, seemingly oblivious to the envy in Jiang Yan's words.

At this moment, Casemiro walked over and squatted down next to Jiang Yan.

"Hey you... stop thinking about stopping the enemy."

"Isn't intercepting and sweeping away the enemy the job of a defensive midfielder?"

"Not everyone is like me, whose job is to defend."

Casemiro scratched his head, his tone somewhat lazy.

"Your talent and advantage lies in positioning. As long as you choose a good position and set a trap for the enemy... your teammates will arrive immediately."

……

Back to the present.

It has the passive skill of having an exceptional sense of positioning.

What Jiang Yan needs to do.

That is,

Choosing a location and luring the enemy deep into their territory.

This is Jiang Yan's key weapon in defending against the enemy as a defensive midfielder.

In the 76th minute, Real Madrid's attacking line still failed to score, and Villarreal was also unable to extend their lead.

Jiang Yan's defense in the defensive midfield position was almost flawless, and Modric would arrive immediately to thwart any danger whenever it arose.

In the 80th minute, Kroos replaced Modric, and at the same time, Kroos also conveyed Benitez's instructions to Jiang Yan.

Hearing what Cross said, Jiang Yan found it hard to believe, but Cross didn't seem like the type to joke around.

"Understood. Although it's hard to believe, I will carry it out."

......

The commentary booth.

"We can see that Toni Kroos has replaced Modric and is now in the right midfield position."

"That's understandable. Modric has been covering for Jiang Yan throughout the game, so it's inevitable that he would be exhausted."

"But I still can't understand why Benitez would let Jiang Yan, who has such outstanding attacking talent, play as a defensive midfielder."

"Coach Zhang, what's your opinion?"

"In my opinion, this is just an experiment by Benitez. As we all know, Jiang Yan's defense can be described as a 'lousy sieve.' It's unlikely that such a defensive sieve will be allowed to play as a defensive midfielder again."

"Jiang Yan is still very young, and he can work on his defense gradually. The best combination for him is to pair him with two defensive midfielders."

"Wait! Look at Jiang Yan's location!"

Jiang Yan dribbled the ball forward, returning to his familiar attacking midfield position, and delivered a precise through ball to Benzema.

However, as soon as Benzema received the ball, two Villarreal players immediately came to double-team him.

The ball was intercepted from Benzema's feet.

At this moment, Jiang Yan miraculously returned to the position of defensive midfielder!

Villarreal's players wanted to attack, but seeing the opposing team's three midfielders already in position, they felt a chill run down their spines.

"Coach Zhang, what's going on? How did Jiang Yan get back to the defensive midfield position so quickly?"

"I understand!"

"When Jiang Yan first came on, he was indeed playing as a traditional defensive midfielder."

"But since Toni Kroos came on, Jiang Yan's playing style has changed."

"He's not a traditional midfielder with specific roles anymore, but... a versatile midfielder who can both organize and defend! Benitez wants Jiang Yan to play as a versatile midfielder!"

"An all-around midfielder? Putting an 18-year-old in an all-around midfield position! Benitez's move was incredibly risky!"

"High risk often means high reward, and I've noticed that Jiang Yan's positional awareness is exceptionally good! Real Madrid's formation is incredibly stable right now!"

"Wait... this... you can play midfield like this?!"

The Yellow Villarreal players dribbled the ball towards the left midfield position, which was guarded by Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan preemptively blocked the space on the flanks in response to the attack from Villarreal players.

With his flanks blocked, Bakambu was forced to attack from the central area.

However, after Bakambu entered the middle, Jiang Yan and Casemiro immediately double-teamed him and intercepted the ball.

The ball was at Jiang Yan's feet. Jiang Yan turned around, and Real Madrid immediately switched from defense to attack!