Chapter Fifteen: The First Day of B-Level Training

Willy Football Academy had a habit of morning runs.

At six o’clock every morning, each team would gather on the field under the guidance of their respective coaches for a morning jog, serving as a form of discipline training.

The intensity of the run was not high; at most, it was meant to awaken bodily functions.

It was today that Wei Lai once again encountered teammates from these B-level squads.

After the morning run ended, Wei Lai did not head to the cafeteria but was instead pulled aside by Guo Fan.

On the field, Guo Fan practiced dribbling a few times.

Each time he initiated a dribble, he would tilt his head toward the direction of attack as if confirming something, then lower his head to start the move.

“Whoa! It really is true!”

After several confirmations, Guo Fan realized he indeed had this issue.

“It’s just a habit! You’re checking if anyone’s ahead. Since you’re fast but the runway isn’t long enough, you can’t quite hit top speed,” Yuan Kai analyzed.

Hao Shuai interjected, “But if you always confirm the attack direction, once the opponent figures out this habit, they can predict your moves perfectly.”

Guo Fan slightly opened his mouth, “So, am I doomed?”

“Not doomed,” Wei Lai sighed, “You just don’t know how to fix it!”

“How do I fix it?” Guo Fan looked at Wei Lai with a distressed face. “Big brother, my mind’s blank—I have no idea what to change!”

“Don’t you just stop looking? Keep your head down? Then you’d be a lone ranger!”

Wei Lai sighed and said, “Give me the ball!”

Helping a friend to the end, going all the way!

“Watch closely the difference between these two moves! Hao Shuai, pass me the ball!”

Bang!

Wei Lai demonstrated the first move.

Bang!

Then, Wei Lai performed the second move.

“See the difference? The first move is your current problem; the second is the solution!”

When Wei Lai looked up, Guo Fan tilted his head with a “What are you talking about?” expression.

“What’s the difference between these moves?”

Wei Lai grinned, “I’ll do it slower—watch carefully!”

Bang!

Hao Shuai passed the ball.

Wei Lai began taking quick, small steps, his head moving constantly. At the moment of contact, he lowered his head and quickly executed a ball-pushing dribble.

“I get it!”

Yuan Kai clapped his hands excitedly, “It’s about when you lift your head, right?”

Wei Lai immediately gave a thumbs-up.

“What does that mean?” Guo Fan still looked confused.

Wei Lai had to explain more clearly: “The key isn’t just looking at the attack direction. Observation is essential, but timing your observation is the crucial part.”

“You receive the ball, observe, then dribble—any fool can tell what you’re doing!”

“But what if you observe before receiving the ball? You can even shake your head a few times to confuse the opponent, increasing your dribble’s deception!”

“Or you can half-raise your head, making sure the opponent can’t see your eyes clearly, as long as they can’t confirm your direction of attack!”

The first method was what Old Chen had suggested, but Guo Fan had never managed to do it.

However, this guy figured out a method more suited to himself.

“Half-raising the head!”

Sure enough, he was thinking in a more understandable direction.

“That’s it. Practice more, and you’ll eventually fix it!”

Guo Fan nodded and then patted his chest confidently, “Good brother, breakfast is on me!”

The cafeteria was lively and crowded.

Wei Lai and the three others found a corner seat, with Yuan Kai sitting beside him.

“You’ve changed a lot!” Yuan Kai remarked.

He and Wei Lai both entered Willy Football Academy at age ten and had been roommates for a year, after which Yuan Kai got promoted.

During that year, they rarely communicated.

It wasn’t that they excluded Wei Lai, but the old Wei Lai was indeed a bit of a loner.

Dedicating himself to hard training was commendable!

But he always lacked interaction with his teammates.

Whether eating, training, or anything else, he was always alone.

Because of this, they didn’t bother to approach him either.

“People do change, after all!” Wei Lai smiled.

Yuan Kai nodded, “You’ve become much more cheerful, that’s good.”

“There should be an internal team match this morning, right?” Guo Fan asked.

Yuan Kai nodded, “Of course, they’ll split the starters and substitutes!”

The B-level teams had over twenty players, with starters and substitutes not fixed.

Through the first day’s training match, they would confirm the starting lineup to compete in the national youth training cup.

As for substitutes, they weren’t barred from becoming starters as long as they performed well enough.

In short, it was a competition for positions!

Whether through promotion and relegation or competition between starters and substitutes,

Willy Football Academy hoped these young players would develop a competitive mindset from an early age.

On the field, they were teammates; off the field, they were rivals!

******

Official training began at eight in the morning.

On every training field, the grass was already bustling with intense activity.

The U15 B-level team’s training ground was located on the east side, the first field.

They normally wouldn’t occupy the entire pitch, training only on half-fields.

But since the A-level team hadn’t returned yet, they had full use of the field.

“The new training cycle begins. This year’s core remains tactical and match-oriented training, supplemented by position-specific drills!” Zhao Xiaotang gave a brief opening speech, then called out, “Wei Lai, step forward!”

Wei Lai immediately walked out, turned facing the team, and proclaimed loudly:

“Hello everyone, I’m Wei Lai. I look forward to working with you!”

As a newly promoted player, Wei Lai naturally needed to introduce himself to his teammates.

The B-level players applauded one after another.

In fact, they recognized Wei Lai.

After all, he was the tough defender who had successfully guarded Guo Fan during the promotion test.

“Mao Biao, lead the players on a light jog warm-up. After completing basic training, split the team into two squads for the first training match of the new semester!” Zhao Xiaotang’s voice had just fallen when Wei Lai felt the atmosphere suddenly shift.

From a somewhat relaxed vibe, it abruptly became intense, heavy, and confrontational.

Exactly!

This was the new semester’s test dividing starters from substitutes!

Becoming a starter meant joining the team for the “Future Stars Cup” in the second half of the year. If you were a substitute, you had to seize chances to challenge the starters.

Wei Lai clenched his fists tightly.

The goal… start by becoming a starter!

After warm-up, the team divided into two groups.

Forwards, midfielders, and defenders.

Wei Lai naturally moved toward the defenders, as his current position was fullback.

But just as he took a step, Zhao Xiaotang pointed toward the midfield group and said to Wei Lai, “You go to midfield. In my team, you’ll switch to defensive midfielder!”

Wei Lai blinked, surprised.

After all, playing defensive midfielder was something to come after gaining some experience in the B-level team.

But he was happy!

Because that was his most familiar position.

In fact, Wei Lai’s position was highly sought after.

The reason was simple: the B-level team had five technical midfielders but lacked a true defensive midfielder.

As a result, either the three midfielders shared defensive duties, or someone was pulled up from the back line to play defensive midfielder, but the results were never satisfactory.