Before Chen Tao came on as a substitute in the last match, Coach Thomas Doll suddenly said a bunch of inexplicable things.
Chen Tao felt at that moment that the time had come.
As expected, the day after Borussia Dortmund drew 1-1 with Frankfurt away, Borussia Dortmund officially announced through its website and news media that Thomas Doll would no longer serve as head coach, effective immediately.
"...Borussia Dortmund would like to thank Thomas Doll for his contributions and dedication over the past two seasons and wishes him all the best. Former assistant coach Dick Fuhren will temporarily take over as interim coach until a new head coach is appointed."
Borussia Dortmund training ground.
Dick Fuhren was leading the players through warm-ups when Chen Tao saw Thomas Doll from afar, walking alone towards the parking lot, carrying a cardboard box.
"He looks quite relaxed."
"He must feel relieved now. He seemed to be in a lot of pain recently."
"Is no one going to see him off?"
"This..."
The players exchanged glances; none of them had thought of it, and they all looked at the captain simultaneously.
Captain Sebastian Kehl was bewildered:
"Why are you looking at me? I didn't know he was leaving so suddenly."
"Alright! Ladies! Stop looking and get back to training!"
Dick Fuhren blew his whistle, calling all the players back.
He hadn't been able to feel Thomas Doll's pressure until he became the interim coach himself.
Dick Fuhren finally understood why Thomas Doll had made so many inexplicable decisions.
Sitting in the head coach's position, bearing immense pressure, one inevitably loses composure and impacts their decisions.
The team was still 8 points away from a Champions League spot.
Next, they would face Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg, Schalke 04, and Bayern Munich in succession.
Dick Fuhren was already starting to feel suffocated.
Half an hour ago, CEO Watzke had told him not to feel any pressure.
"Survival in the League this season is enough. As for European competition qualification, you don't need to worry. Once the new coach arrives, he can plan for next season."
"Has the new coach been decided?"
"Yes, the former Mainz coach, Jürgen Klopp, will take office next month."
Dick Fuhren sighed, wishing Klopp could take office now.
How were they going to play the next four tough matches?
Even as an interim coach, he couldn't let the team play randomly; they had to achieve some results.
He looked at the players warming up on the training ground, searching for someone trustworthy, and his gaze finally settled on the young Eastern boy.
"It seems I can only rely on him."
...
"It seems I'm the only one who can carry us."
"You..."
Nuri Şahin, Hummels, and Marco Reus looked at each other.
They thought for a long time but couldn't find a way to refute Chen Tao.
If the goal was merely to avoid relegation, they wouldn't have to worry at all.
The Borussia Dortmund players had once been close to Champions League qualification, dreaming of playing in the Champions League almost every day.
The dream of breaking into the top three in the League to play in the Champions League was only theoretically possible.
They needed to win at least three out of four matches.
For this turbulent team, it was almost an impossible task.
But everyone was unwilling to give up.
Everyone wanted to give it one more push!
In the next four matches, it really seemed like Chen Tao would have to step up.
The only player who could score, Alexander Frei, was still recovering and would not be able to return to the field for at least two weeks.
Borussia Dortmund lacked a certain finishing ability.
Chen Tao could break through on the wing, disrupt the opponent's defense, and constantly create scoring opportunities in the box.
It was just a pity that the shooting skills of all the other forwards on the team were very ordinary.
Assistant coach Dick Fuhren didn't have many good solutions, so the players had to brainstorm among themselves.
"Let's not even mention your shooting level; I'll try to make more late runs and take long shots."
Nuri Şahin didn't forget to mock Chen Tao's shooting skills.
"I can also compete for headers on set pieces."
Hummels volunteered.
"If, if I can play, I can also look for opportunities from the left wing."
Reus seemed more cautious.
"Then you guys better be ready. I'm responsible for passing, and whoever doesn't score will have to admit they're a noob in front of the whole team."
"No problem!"
Nuri Şahin responded very quickly.
Seeing that everyone wanted to win, Chen Tao breathed a slight sigh of relief.
With good brothers helping, the upcoming brutal schedule was not a dead end; Borussia Dortmund definitely had a fighting chance.
These teams were all Chen Tao's defeated opponents. If he could defeat them once, he had a chance to double-kill!
Of course, he couldn't just rely on them to score.
Chen Tao himself also had to shoulder the heavy responsibility of scoring goals.
Currently, besides his max-level technical talent, he primarily had three directions of enhancement.
Relying on the focus effect brought by max-level technique, he could anticipate in defense, forming "Defensive Enhancement";
"Critical Pass" triggered after dribbling past three opponents;
"Causality Shooting Enhancement" triggered when the difficulty coefficient of dribbling reached a certain level, ensuring 100% accuracy within the goal frame.
"Defensive Enhancement" allowed Chen Tao to frequently assist teammates with wing interceptions in the latter half of the season.
"Critical Pass" was even more of Chen Tao's regular weapon, almost feeding Alexander Frei into the Bundesliga top scorer.
However, "Causality Shooting Enhancement" was more difficult to trigger.
Chen Tao's initial speculation was not entirely accurate; "Causality Shooting Enhancement" was not triggered solely by the difficulty coefficient of dribbling.
Instead, it was a comprehensive judgment based on multiple dimensions, including dribbling difficulty, on-field situation, and match time.
In injury time before the final whistle, with the team trailing, Chen Tao successfully dribbled past opponents with high-difficulty moves.
This made it easier to achieve incredible shooting goals.
The only time it happened was against Schalke 04, facing Neuer's goal, Chen Tao used a fancy football move, a side flip, to flick the ball over an opponent, creating a long-range shot in front of the goal.
Regardless of his shooting technique, his random volley inexplicably turned into a lob, leaving Neuer helpless.
This was "Causality" shooting.
It completely defied reason and logic.
Even shooting towards the corner flag could coincidentally result in a goal.
In the match against Werder Bremen three days later, Chen Tao hoped to verify his final hypothesis!
...
"What are you thinking about? So focused."
A clear, spring-like voice from behind interrupted Chen Tao's thoughts.
After leaving the training ground, Chen Tao went to school to complete his afternoon classes, and then walked home alone after school.
Anna had been observing Chen Tao's actions since he entered the classroom; he seemed to be lost in thought, not knowing what he was thinking.
He didn't even wait for her to walk home after school!
I always wait for him!
Anna puffed up her cheeks and followed behind Chen Tao, just wanting to see when he would turn around and notice her.
But he had almost reached his doorstep, and Chen Tao still hadn't reacted.
Anna finally couldn't hold it in anymore and spoke up to wake this blockhead.
"Huh, why are you behind me? I was just thinking about the upcoming matches..."
Chen Tao turned around and saw Anna behind him.
A single-lens camera hung around her fair neck; he didn't know how long she had been following him.
Indeed, Anna had guessed correctly.
What else could make Chen Tao so engrossed besides football?
"Let's go, let's go home together."
Chen Tao then remembered that he had forgotten to wait for Anna today, and he smiled apologetically.
"C-could you help me with something...?"
Anna suddenly became a little shy.
Before she could finish speaking, Chen Tao agreed very readily.
"Of course."
"Thank you."
Anna lowered her head slightly, her knees pressed together under her school uniform's pleated skirt, and her long, slender legs, paired with white stockings, made Chen Tao unable to resist looking twice.
Don't underestimate an attacking player's ability to seize opportunities!
A few seconds later, Anna finally mustered her courage, her blue pupils looking directly at Chen Tao:
"I signed with a modeling agency before, right? I'm going to shoot a series of print ads soon."
"But I don't have much experience with photography, so I wanted to get a feel for it before the official shoot..."
"If it doesn't work out, then forget it; anyway, someone will guide me then..."
Asking Chen Tao to take her pictures and pose in various ways in front of him, Anna always felt that such a thing was very embarrassing.
But besides Chen Tao, she really didn't know who else to ask.
Anna immediately regretted speaking; if Chen Tao had shown any hesitation, she would have definitely used an excuse to cancel this action.
But Chen Tao's readiness caught her off guard.
"Okay, give me the camera. Are we shooting here?"
"Huh? Well, that..."
"Oh, it's just taking pictures."
"Then, then how about we go to my room?"
Anna cautiously looked around, afraid of bumping into familiar classmates.
...
Frank dragged his tired body home.
As the season neared its end, Borussia Dortmund experienced a concentrated outbreak of injuries.
Besides the main striker Alexander Frei, several other players in the midfield and defense had muscle strains.
Frank had no choice but to transform into a massage therapist, helping players with massages and relaxation.
While the players were relaxed, Frank was sore all over and also wanted someone to give him a massage.
As soon as he entered the house, he collapsed onto the sofa.
"Anna, pour me some water. Huh, where is she?"
Anna, who usually curled up in the corner of the sofa reading, was nowhere to be seen today.
"She came back and went into her room with Chen."
Uncle Hans was enjoying watching a TV show with a beer in hand.
"Hmm? They're alone in her room?"
"Yes, that's right!"
Uncle Hans suddenly realized, and a hint of crisis arose within him.
Is it appropriate for his precious daughter to be locked in a room with a boy her age?
He abruptly stood up, ready to knock on the door, but after two steps, he started to ponder.
"If it's Chen, then it's not impossible."
"Let's go check the situation."
The father and son tiptoed upstairs to Anna's bedroom door, like thieves, and pressed their ears against the door to listen.
Some strange noises faintly came from inside.
"Yes, just like that, open your legs a bit more, yes, that's right."
"This, this is so embarrassing..."
"It's nothing, you'll get used to it."
Hiss...
Hans and Frank exchanged glances, their expressions complex.
"Should we stop them? It's too early, isn't it?"
"No one else could possibly get into Anna's room; this is her choice."
"But..."
"Forget it, it was bound to happen someday. Let's go, let's go downstairs and have a beer."
"Sigh."
Hans was still intending to knock, but Frank pulled him away.
The uncle was on the verge of tears; his little darling was, after all, taken by an Easterner.
Darn it!
"Chen, you'd better win a few more matches next!"
Looking at Anna's door, Uncle Hans gritted his teeth and roared silently.
Inside the room, Chen Tao was guiding Anna on posing for photos when he suddenly heard some movement outside the door.
"What's going on? Never mind, let's continue."
"Mm."
Anna's fair face was almost cooked, and she quietly responded with her head bowed.
After taking a few deep breaths to adjust her state, Anna's eyes regained their usual coolness.
Through the lens, Chen Tao's heart involuntarily pounded fiercely!
Was this the talent of an international supermodel?
Click!
Chen Tao instinctively pressed the shutter.
The setting sun streamed through the window, hitting Anna's exquisite profile. The girl sat lazily on the bed, merging with the surroundings into an artistic picture.
The image was not only on the film but also imprinted in Chen Tao's heart.