Football: Starting with the Crescent Moon Slash

finally.

In the training match, Team A defeated Team B 2-1.

Jiang Yan's performance in this training match was practically nonexistent.

Despite the relentless attacks from Ronaldo and Bale, he managed to consistently find himself in excellent positions, thanks to his exceptional positioning skills.

However, when facing world-class players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, his defensive abilities and methods are severely lacking.

After training, the Real Madrid players headed to the locker room to prepare to leave the training ground.

Jiang Yan, on the other hand, approached Casemiro.

"I don't understand... I don't understand at all! I didn't do anything today. Besides not losing my position, what else could I do? What else should I have done!"

Casemiro froze on the spot, he hadn't expected this Chinese kid to be so stubborn.

"Hmm... how should I put it..."

Casemiro looked constipated, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how to start.

At that moment, James Rodriguez walked past the two and said with a hint of sarcasm:

"You don't have the talent to play attacking midfielder, so you've been converted to defensive midfielder? I'll gladly accept your starting position."

The two ignored James Rodriguez's taunts.

Seeing Casemiro hesitate, Jiang Yan spoke first.

"That's just the kind of person I am. When I encounter a problem I don't understand, I want to figure it out immediately. I want to become stronger and make this team stronger."

As soon as he finished speaking, Modric, Bale, Benzema, and Isco all came to Jiang Yan's side.

Modric patted Casemiro on the shoulder.

As a midfielder himself, he seemed to understand Casemiro well and also saw Jiang Yan's problem.

Modric understood Jiang Yan's questions very well.

"Let me answer your question first. While your attacking talent is undeniable, playing as a defensive midfielder isn't something you can do just by being talented."

"The defensive midfielder is the most complex position on the football field. He is a high wall for defense and blocking, and he also needs to have the ability to break through the opponent's defense."

"Clearly, you possess this ability, and you also have something that none of us have."

"Something you don't have?" Jiang Yan paused, seemingly not understanding Modric's meaning.

"That's what youth is," Bell said.

"Moreover, although I think Benitez did this a bit too soon, Casemiro and I both understand his intentions."

Modric looked at Casemiro, and the two spoke at the same time:

"【All-Around Midfielder】"

An all-around midfielder is the definition of modern football.

It possesses three core capabilities: defensive interception, midfield organization, and forward attacking runs.

It can cover multiple areas in the midfield and forward line, and can flexibly switch roles according to tactics.

"An all-around midfielder? Me?" Jiang Yan's expression was somewhat incredulous.

The all-around midfielder is the definition of the future of football, and Benitez and Modric have discovered this position so early.

Modric nodded.

"In the future, the requirements for midfielders will definitely change, and Benitez and I both believe that the 'all-around midfielder' will be the answer to the 'world' in the future."

After Modric shared his and Casemiro's insights with Jiang Yan, the group stayed behind to do another half hour of special training with Jiang Yan.

And so, the date arrived at December 14th.

Real Madrid travel to the Estadio de la Cerámica to face Villarreal.

Villarreal, also known as the Yellow Submarine, was founded in 1923.

05-06赛季闯入欧冠四强，07-08赛季获得西甲亚军，12-13赛季从西乙升级成功，并在13-15两个赛季，占据西甲前六。

Their tactical style is characterized by solid passing and control, and efficient counter-attacking, giving them a fighting chance even against strong teams.

It is a truly tough nut to crack.

This time, Jiang Yan was not included in the starting lineup.

The midfield consists of James Rodriguez, Casemiro, and Modric.

Up front, the BBC trio is firing on all cylinders.

I thought it would be a victory as easy as cutting melons and vegetables.

However, the reality is...

In the eighth minute of the match, Villarreal's Soldado received a pass from Bakambu and poked the ball into the net, breaking through Real Madrid's defense.

Real Madrid are trailing 0-1.

The commentators on the sidelines were incredibly excited; their own team had actually breached Real Madrid's goal.

After scoring, Villarreal's players seemed to be on steroids, launching a relentless assault on Real Madrid's defense, actively seeking another goal.

Real Madrid, who had taken an early lead, were thrown into disarray, as if they had forgotten how to play football. Their attacks became chaotic and disorganized, and the attacking opportunities they managed to create were easily neutralized by Villarreal's players.

......

Sidelines.

"Mr. Benitez, you should bring Jiang Yan on in the 30th minute and create more free kicks for him in the attacking third..."

Benitez raised his hand to interrupt the assistant coach's rambling.

"Villarreal is surprisingly strong."

Looking at the composed Benitez, the assistant coach expressed his incomprehension, saying that bringing on Jiang Yan and Isco to continue playing as a double attacking midfielder would have been the most reliable option.

"Dani, so you're still young. Villarreal's players and Getafe's players have one thing in common."

"What do they have in common?"

"That's dirty and tough. Although I don't quite agree with it, it's still a kind of individual tactic. Putting Jiang Yan on at this time might backfire, especially since he's currently a CDM defensive midfielder."

Hearing Benitez's words, the assistant coach had no choice but to give up in frustration.

"Mr. Benitez, I really don't understand what you're thinking, putting such a talented player in the defensive midfield position."

......

30 minutes passed.

The away fans gradually began to voice their dissatisfaction.

"We're here to see a victory, score a goal, BBC!! Aren't you the sharpest blades?"

"What is James Rodriguez doing? Substitute him off immediately!"

"Where's Jiang Yan? We want to see Jiang Yan! Quickly bring on the new Beckham!"

"Quickly bring on that Chinese magician!"

"We want to see the Crescent Moon Blade! We want to see Jiang Yan!!"

Clearly, the fans were not satisfied with the performance of Real Madrid's players, especially considering that even with their strongest lineup, they still conceded a goal to Villarreal!

Moreover, Huang Qian was completely dominating Real Madrid on the field!

This is the last thing they can accept!

The first half ended with neither side able to score, and the score remained 1-0 as the game went into halftime.

......

Inside the locker room, Cristiano Ronaldo angrily threw his jersey, implicitly expressing his dissatisfaction with the team's current situation.

The other players stood by, not daring to even breathe.

Benitez also had a dark expression on his face.

"Are you admitting defeat? Or are you ready to raise your hands in surrender?" Benitez said.

"Villarreal's players certainly employed tactical tactics, but your performance disappointed me and the fans who traveled from afar!"

"So what if we concede the first goal? We are Real Madrid! We have the best players in all of Europe, and we have guys with fighting spirit, hold your heads high! Now, I'll outline the tactics for the second half!"