"Mr. Chen, what are your thoughts on Borussia Dortmund's recent four-game winning streak across all competitions?
Did your excellent performance after recovering from injury directly affect the team's results?"
"How do you view Head Coach Thomas Doll's dismissal?"
"Borussia Dortmund has now returned to 6th place in the Bundesliga, seven points adrift of the top three Champions League qualification spots. What are your goals and aspirations for this season?"
"The Dortmund fans all hope you can stay with the team. Will you return to Arsenal when your loan contract expires this season?"
… …
Starting from his return in the Bundesliga Matchday 24 game against Hamburg, Chen Tao once again became the hope of Dortmund fans.
Trailing 1-0, Chen Tao equalized in the 88th minute by dribbling past three defenders and then the goalkeeper to score into an empty net.
In injury time, it was Chen Tao again who broke through on the wing.
He was fouled and tackled by Vincent Kompany inside the box.
Vincent Kompany received a yellow card, and Borussia Dortmund was awarded a penalty.
For this penalty, Captain Kehl initially wanted to let Chen Tao take it, but Chen Tao declined.
"No, no, no, let someone else take it."
The entire Borussia Dortmund team was full of praise.
What a humble young man!
Ultimately, it was the team's star striker, Alexander Frei, who scored from the spot.
Borussia Dortmund came from behind to win 1-2 away at Hamburg, successfully securing three points!
… …
Bundesliga Matchday 25, Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Karlsruher SC.
Facing Karlsruher SC's compact defense, Borussia Dortmund couldn't find a solution for 80 minutes.
Chen Tao came on as a substitute in the 81st minute.
Just one minute after coming on, Chen Tao broke through on the right wing, triggering the "Perfect Pass" effect.
A brilliant, curving cross from a 45-degree angle,
Alexander Frei easily headed it into the net!
1-0 to secure a last-gasp victory against Karlsruher SC!
With this goal, Alexander Frei successfully surpassed Luca Toni, temporarily ranking first in the top scorers' list!
After the match, Frey was very emotional in an interview.
"I never thought I could stand at the top of the scorers' list; it's entirely because Chen Tao spoon-fed me the goals."
Alexander Frei naturally knew that he had some skill, but not a lot.
He could only be considered an upper-mid-tier striker in the Bundesliga, with rather ordinary goal-scoring instincts and finishing skills.
After Chen Tao joined this season, he hardly needed to think about anything; he just needed to run to the goal, and the ball would naturally be delivered to him.
Alexander Frei was truly grateful to this hidden core of the team.
… …
Today is Bundesliga Matchday 26, VfL Bochum 2-3 Borussia Dortmund.
Chen Tao, who started the match, played the full 90 minutes and once again contributed a hat-trick of assists, leading with 16 assists and earning the Man of the Match award.
As expected, he will become the youngest assist king in Bundesliga history.
Facing the dazzling Chen Tao, the reporters were equally enthusiastic, a barrage of questions exploding in Chen Tao's ears, almost making him dizzy.
"Regarding the head coach, that's a matter for the management. I just need to strictly follow the coach's tactics and play well."
"My performance is not important; victory belongs to everyone on the team."
"The goal for this season remains unchanged: avoiding relegation."
"As for next season…"
For the previous questions, Chen Tao's answers were mostly formulaic.
The reporters present were almost all familiar faces; everyone already knew Chen Tao's characteristics.
At first, they interviewed him in English, but later they simply used German.
He seemed like an easy-to-deceive 15-year-old kid, but in reality, he was watertight, his official statements comparable to the German Football Association, giving them no opportunity to add fuel to the fire.
Playing according to the coach's tactics?
He's fooling no one!
The one who plays the least according to the coach's tactics on the field is him!
As for avoiding relegation, that's also fooling no one!
Borussia Dortmund CEO Watzke himself admitted that the goal for this season is a top-five finish for European qualification.
It wasn't until the last question that Chen Tao truly spoke from the heart.
He thought seriously in front of all the reporters, his eyes appearing very sincere:
"I hope… I can continue to stay in Westfalen."
He was serious about this statement.
The moment he heard that question, the images that flashed through Chen Tao's mind were not Wenger, not Arsenal players, not London's gloomy weather and unpalatable food.
Instead, it was Aunt Maria's German roasted pork knuckle,
It was Uncle Hans, who loved watching football and drinking beer,
It was old Mr. Fritz, who led the fans in cheering from the stands,
It was the many neighbors who supported him,
It was the 80,000 home fans cheering him on from the stands,
It was the countless Borussia Dortmund supporters passionately backing him on the forums,
It was his teammates, fighting side by side in their black and yellow jerseys!
And… that fresh and refined, aloof blonde girl curled up on the sofa in the afternoon sun, revealing her fair little feet, quietly reading a book.
If he had the opportunity to return to Arsenal and the opportunity to stay at Borussia Dortmund presented simultaneously.
At least for now, Chen Tao preferred to stay.
… …
"This is a six-point match!! Every one of you needs to be 120,000 percent focused! Don't you dare mess up on me!"
In the locker room, Thomas Doll, at the center of controversy, was almost frantic.
Recently, news about his dismissal had been endless. Although they were winning, each victory was incredibly ugly.
If not for Chen Tao single-handedly turning the tide on the wing, Thomas Doll would have been packing his bags and gone long ago.
Watching each game filled him with dread; he had gone to the hospital twice in a month to check his heart.
Currently, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart, and Hamburg are all very close in points, hovering between 4th and 7th place.
They are still seven points behind Schalke 04 in 3rd place,
With eight rounds remaining in the League, every team has a certain possibility of challenging for a Champions League spot next season,
While also needing to avoid dropping points and missing out on Europa League qualification.
In the sprint phase of the second half of the season, all teams were under intense pressure.
Only League leaders Bayern Munich were far ahead with 57 points, almost 10 points clear of second-placed Werder Bremen.
Bayern only needed to win a few more games to secure the Bundesliga title three to four rounds in advance.
As Bayern fans said on the forums:
"They're all Bayern's toys, why fight to the death?"
But for Borussia Dortmund, every point was crucial, and every match was a decisive battle!
The highly anticipated match between Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen also attracted many Chinese internet users to watch.
As Chen Tao's performance in the Bundesliga became increasingly outstanding,
Many former Bayern fans, a small number of Dortmund fans, a very few fans of other Bundesliga teams, and some Arsenal fans gradually converted into Chen Tao fans, following Dortmund's matches.
Around 2008, there weren't many online fan communities.
Mobile apps like Dongqiudi didn't even exist,
Hupu was more of an NBA forum at the time, and football discussions had not yet taken off,
The influence of Douban's club groups was limited,
The largest Chinese community still had to be Baidu Tieba.
Li Yang, a Chinese student at the Free University of Berlin, was originally a Bayern fan.
After hearing that a 15-year-old Chinese prodigy was playing for Dortmund, he took a three-hour train ride to Dortmund to watch a live match,
He completely became a devoted Chen Tao fan, and thus a Dortmund fan.
He discovered that Chen Tao had some influence in China but didn't have his own Tieba, so he created the Baidu Chen Tao Bar and became its administrator.
Every match day, he would travel from various parts of Germany to watch the games live and take photos of Chen Tao.
In just about two months, the number of bar users skyrocketed to 60,000, with active users posting daily, presenting a thriving scene.
"Is he still starting today?"
"Of course, Kuba on the wing has been in poor form recently, and Chen Tao can at least consistently create breakthroughs on one side."
"That's great! Tao Shen is awesome!"
"His stamina still isn't enough to last 90 minutes, right?"
"Don't panic, maybe the battle will be decided before 60 minutes."
"You never know, what if the new striker from Bayer Leverkusen explodes?"
Just as a netizen finished speaking, Li Yang suddenly heard a burst of commotion from the stadium.
He looked up and saw the Bayer Leverkusen players already celebrating.
"Holy crap!"
At the same time, Duan Xuan's silly laughter came from the televisions of many bar users back in China.
"Oh!! Hehehe! Did that goal go in?!"
"A counter-attack from Bayer Leverkusen, just two minutes into the game, the young striker, number 11, Stefan Kießling, scores with a header!"
"The away team, Bayer Leverkusen, takes the lead! Dortmund is temporarily trailing 0-1!"
The surrounding Dortmund fans were all sighing, holding their heads,
Li Yang looked distantly at Chen Tao on the field; he seemed to be in good spirits, constantly comforting his teammates next to him and appearing very active.
"Why do we always concede first? Is it time for Tao Shen to show his skills again?"