Inside the training ground, everyone wore the same expression—part shock, part fear.
Kai's tackling efficiency was on a different level.
Even though Chen Man's technique wasn't exactly elite, Kai's ability to read the play felt unreal.
Was this really the standard of a Best Player in one of the Top Five Leagues?
It was frightening.
"I'm done! I'm done! I'm not playing anymore!"
After several failed attempts to get past him, Chen Man finally snapped.
"I can't get through! Not even once! How did you get even more ridiculous than before?!" he groaned, ruffling his own hair in frustration. Anyone who had to face Kai one-on-one like this would lose their mind.
He didn't feel this much pressure even in a Champions League match, yet Kai's defensive presence alone was suffocating.
Chen Man had thought he'd improved a lot over the past year. But the moment he came up against Kai, he understood the size of the gap.
Robben could at least try a few times against this kind of defender. Chen Man couldn't even make it past the first step.
"Your feints are way too obvious. I can close my eyes and still see where you're going before you even accelerate."
Kai shook his head, tapped Chen Man's shoulder, and continued, "Your upper body gives away everything. If you're going to use speed, just push it out like Bale and run. Don't force technique you're not built for."
"But step-overs look cooler." Chen Man shot back.
Kai rolled his eyes. Another one trying to look stylish instead of using the tools that actually worked. Bale was once like that against him—built like a track sprinter but obsessed with flair moves.
Bale was now more self-aware after those punishing meetings with Kai in the past season he was in the Premier League.
A bit further away, Guo Liang and Yu Hao were observing quietly.
"How is it?" Yu Hao asked.
"Honestly? He's good. Too good for this team," Guo Liang replied, eyes still lingering on the duel.
Both looked slightly stunned.
"I've watched his Premier League matches," Guo Liang continued. "He can intercept like crazy over there, but here with us… it feels like he's dropped in from another dimension."
"Sure, Chen Man's technique isn't perfect, but he shouldn't be getting shut down like that," Yu Hao added. Then he gave a helpless laugh. "I admit it. I'm convinced."
Guo Liang nodded. "With this kind of defensive reading, putting him at the base of midfield is the safest decision you can make."
On the sideline, the coaching staff was equally impressed.
"Kai's in excellent shape—looks like he carried his Premier League form straight into camp," Zhang Chen remarked.
Head coach Liu Hongbo nodded. " I still want to see how it looks in full match flow."
"Alright, get the guys ready for the training match," Liu Hongbo said.
Zhang Chen jogged off to gather the players.
The squad was split into two sides.
Main Team (4-3-3):
GK: Min Songle
DEF: Jin Fucheng, Wang Tao, Chen Zhisheng, Xu Cheng
MID: Guo Liang, Kai, Yu Hao
FWD: Chen Man, Wang Yi, Jia Zhenhua
Substitute Team (4-3-3):
GK: Tong Lei
DEF: Zhuo Yue, Gao Leiliang, Fernando Kairui, Guan Zhe
MID: Min Hua, Che Jingdao, Gong Peng
FWD: Luo Yicai, Gao Liang, Ouyang Fei
To run a clearer test, Liu Hongbo swapped the full-backs between both sides—main-team full-backs moved to the substitutes' squad and vice-versa.
Then he raised his voice over the pitch: "Main team, play through Kai. Build your passes around him."
No one objected. They had all expected this approach the moment the squad list came out.
Kai was simply operating at a level none of them could deny.
Before kick-off, Kai walked over to his midfield partners, Guo Liang and Yu Hao. Both had played abroad and were comfortable with a high tempo, but Kai wasn't planning to accelerate things too quickly.
"If we start too fast, it'll get messy. Let's settle in first. Keep an eye on my signals," he said calmly.
Both nodded without hesitation.
They knew he was the rhythm-setter now.
Once Kai returned to the center circle, the training match was ready to start.
Wang Yi, wearing the captain's armband, drew in a breath to rally everyone—but before he could say anything, another voice cut through the air.
"Everyone switch on! Treat this like a proper match. Every pass, every run—stay sharp. I'll ramp up the tempo when it's right, so keep your heads up!"
Kai's shout echoed across the pitch. A moment later, he blinked, slightly taken aback.
He'd gotten used to barking instructions at Arsenal. It had slipped out instinctively.
Seeing his teammates staring at him, Kai quickly called out, "Sorry, Captain! Didn't mean to steal your line. Go ahead!"
Wang Yi let out an exasperated laugh and waved him off. "You've basically said everything already. What am I supposed to add?"
That broke the tension—everyone burst into laughter.
Kai grinned. "Just keep looking up and moving. The ball might come to you at any second."
Wang Yi shot him a smile. "I'm only worried you'll refuse to pass. Let's go!"
Beep!
The training match kicked off, with the substitutes starting in possession.
They were cautious, knocking the ball around in their own half, trying to settle in—but Kai had no intention of giving them time.
"Step up! Wang Yi, Chen Man—press! Push them!"
Wang Yi and Chen Man immediately sprinted forward. Jia Zhenhua followed, muttering under his breath but joining the charge.
Under Liu Hongbo, the squad had drilled high pressing repeatedly. In the Asian Qualifier knockout rounds, Fernando had even snatched a match off Japan with that exact tactic.
As the pressure mounted, Kairui felt the noose tightening.
He slipped the ball to his defensive midfielder and motioned forward—play it out, move it upfield—but the midfielder stubbornly returned it backward.
Wang Yi was already closing in.
Realizing the danger, Kairui lunged in, slid across the turf, and hacked the ball clear.
He jumped up, furious. "What are you doing?! Why are you passing back under pressure? Hit it forward! Drop! Everyone drop!"
The substitutes immediately retreated.
On the other side, Kai waved his teammates forward for another coordinated press.
After regaining possession, Chen Man received the ball. True to form, he tried to spin and take on his marker.
Kai cut in with a sharp shout.
"Man! Bounce it back!"
Chen Man grimaced but obeyed. Kai was the core of the system—no point arguing.
He laid it off, and Kai immediately switched play with a sweeping pass.
The main squad spread out in a fan shape, tightening the pressure and suffocating the substitutes' build-up.
Kai kept using the wings, crossing, switching, probing—he wanted a feel for Wang Yi's movement patterns.
Under the mounting pressure, the substitute defenders were hanging on.
Finally, Kairui spotted an opening and sent a long, angled clearance into space.
This wasn't just a clearance—it was actually well-hit, flying toward winger Luo Yicai.
"Oh no…"
Wang Yi and the others felt their stomachs drop. They'd pushed too high. Their shape was stretched.
A perfect counterattack was unfolding—
Until a familiar silhouette swept across their vision.
Kai arrived like a gust of wind, gave Luo Yicai a firm shoulder, and sent him stumbling off his line. Kai collected the bouncing ball without fuss and burst forward.
While dribbling, he called out calmly:
"Slow it down—don't rush!"
Then he slid the ball to Jia Zhenhua. "Keep us moving!"
Jia stared at him, stunned.
Luo Yicai was considered top-tier among Chinese forwards, yet Kai had brushed him aside as if it were routine.
Unbelievable…
Jia shook off the shock and surged forward to join the attack.
Five minutes later, the substitutes cleared again.
Kai arrived first.
Ten minutes in, another interception.
Fifteen minutes, he slid in and nicked the ball off Gong Peng just as a counterattack was forming.
Assistant coach Zhang Chen let out an amazed grin. "That's Arsenal's Great Wall. It's unreal, honestly."
Head coach Liu Hongbo couldn't hide his satisfaction.
A defensive midfielder like this was tailor-made for a counter-attacking system.
With Kai sitting at the heart of midfield, the pitch felt smaller for the opponents—he was a barricade no one could break.
His presence not only released Guo Liang and Yu Hao to play freely, but also stabilized the entire defensive unit.
The chain reaction was obvious.
The whole national team setup looked revitalized.
Their midfield weak spot, something that had haunted them for years, suddenly felt solved.
They finally had a world-class holding midfielder.
And for Liu Hongbo, that was nothing short of a dream.
...
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