"Remember this: tonight, I only want victory!" Klopp shouted these words loudly before leaving the locker room.
The substitute players followed suit, exiting through the player tunnel.
Substitutes and coaches enter the field earlier, while starting players from both teams wait in the tunnel to emerge together with the referees.
As Ye Chen passed through the tunnel, he was suddenly bumped by a black player.
Sanko glared at Ye Chen viciously, his expression menacing. "Kid, watch your legs!" he sneered.
Ye Chen immediately recognized the provocation.
"Bring it on!" Ye Chen responded calmly, without looking back as he continued walking.
Sanko was left seething. What made this guy so arrogant? Just because he scored a hat trick last game?
What's there to be so smug about? If it were me... Forget it, I'm not going to compare myself to him.
In Europe, there's a hierarchy of disdain: white players often look down on black players, and black players tend to dismiss Asians.
Ye Chen's outstanding performance in the previous game had caught the attention of various coaches, especially Augsburg's head coach, Lühkai!
Lühkai had specifically instructed Sanko to watch out for Ye Chen's shots.
Based on Lühkai's assessment, Ye Chen was likely to start, especially since Lewandowski had performed poorly in the previous match. Given the demanding schedule of two games in three days, resting Lewandowski seemed logical.
But Lühkai miscalculatedâYe Chen didn't get a starting spot. Apparently, Klopp wasn't fully convinced of his abilities yet.
Augsburg, after seven rounds, was in 16th place. Though they hadn't won a single game, they managed four draws, which was decent for a newly promoted team.
Under normal circumstances, it would be unrealistic for a newly promoted team to take three points at Westfalen. However, Dortmund had just played two games in three days and suffered a heavy defeat, so Lühkai saw an opportunity.
Risk it all! Turn a bicycle into a motorcycle!
Ye Chen didn't know much about this team. Among the starting eleven, there wasn't a single player he recognized.
Their abilities were probably just average.
But as Ye Chen stepped onto the pitch, he was taken aback by the intense atmosphere.
The match hadn't even started, yet fans were already setting off fireworks.
The entire field was shrouded in smoke and chaos.
At Westfalenstadion, the South Stand is especially famous. It holds 25,000 fans, all standing without seats. Those in this section are Dortmund's most die-hard supporters!
This South Stand is precisely why the stadium is considered the most intimidating home ground in Europe.
When Klopp appeared, the fans erupted, chanting his name.
For Klopp, they had only love and admiration.
After all, he was the one who led this young Dortmund team to the top of the Bundesliga!
Ye Chen's decision to join Dortmund was partly influenced by Klopp.
It wasn't that he admired Klopp as a person, but he appreciated his coaching style and his trust in younger players.
Klopp's tactical philosophy emphasizes all-out attack and defense, which often requires players with excellent staminaâyoung players in particular.
Ye Chen believed he could grow quickly under Klopp's guidance.
In recent training sessions, Klopp had corrected Ye Chen's positioning and ball-handling multiple times.
This is what great coaches do: use their experience to make players better.
In Europe, when it comes to developing players, Guardiola is the top coach, and Klopp is in the top three.
Players typically improve under his leadership.
Although the atmosphere at Westfalen was electric, Ye Chen's entrance didn't cause much commotion among the fans.
However, when Shinji Kagawa appeared, the stadium DJ shouted his name enthusiastically, and fans responded with warm applause.
Clearly, Shinji Kagawa had already won over the fans here with his performances.
The match soon began.
Augsburg didn't back down; they assumed a defensive stance from the start, setting up for counterattacks.
Out of eleven players, ten were focused solely on defense.
Ye Chen sat on the bench observing the game. Before kickoff, Klopp had instructed him to closely watch and learn from Lewandowski's positioning.
Breaking through a compact defense is a world-class challenge. Dortmund's players tried long-range shots, crosses, and corners, but the results were underwhelming.
For now, they could only waitâfor an opponent's mistake.
Once they scored the first goal, the opponents would lose their composure.
Lewandowski was clearly working hard on the pitch, but his shots lacked precision.
It was obvious that his stamina had taken a hit.
In the 23rd minute, Lewandowski moved to the left to receive the ball. PeriÅ¡iÄ delivered a through pass aimed at him.
However, Augsburg's left-back Marcel de Jong slid in, clearing the ball out of play. In the process, he collided with Lewandowski.
Lewandowski fell hard, his ankle taking a hit. As he hit the ground, he also landed on De Jong.
The medical team rushed in to treat Lewandowski. Meanwhile, Klopp called Ye Chen to start warming up.
So early?
Even Ye Chen was a little surprised.
"System, was this your doing?" Ye Chen jokingly asked in his mind.
"The system only affects the host and does not influence anyone else in this world," the system replied.
"I was just kidding! Why so serious?" Ye Chen laughed, secretly happy about Lewandowski's injury. It was a rare opportunity to play.
Augsburg made the first substitution, bringing on Tobias Werner to replace De Jong. Lewandowski, however, insisted he didn't need to be substituted.
Klopp called Ye Chen back.
But Lewandowski was clearly limping.
Come on, buddy, just step off. Forcing yourself to play will only worsen the injury!
This was Ye Chen's genuine thought. Although they were competitors, he wanted it to be a fair competition.
Like Messi and Ronaldo, they pushed each other to greater heights as rivals.
More than anything, Ye Chen wanted to earn a starting spot through merit, not because Lewandowski was sidelined by injury.
On domestic TV, Sports Channel 5, commentators Huang Jianxiang and Zhan Jun analyzed the game.
"Viewers, we can see that Lewandowski, despite treatment, isn't moving naturally!" Zhan Jun remarked. "But Dortmund can't afford more injuries to their forwards. With Barrios already out, they'd only have Kuba and Ye Chen left as forwards if Lewandowski gets hurt!"
Huang Jianxiang nodded. "It looks like he can't continue. He's signaling for a substitution!"
"The fourth official is raising the substitution board: Number 16, Ye Chen, replaces Number 9, Lewandowski!" Zhan Jun exclaimed. "The moment countless viewers have been waiting for has finally arrived! But can the young Ye Chen deliver for Dortmund in his home debut? Let's find out!"
On the sideline, Ye Chen took a deep breath.
Only after the medical staff escorted Lewandowski off did he step onto the field.
This was his first match at Westfalenstadionâhe would give it everything he had!