The next match for Dortmund was against Olympiacos, the Greek powerhouse team. However, despite their football prestige, their basketball team had historically been more successful.
It's worth noting that Marin, who was utterly outplayed by Ye Chen in the previous match, would eventually transfer to Olympiacos in the future.
This showed just how badly Marin's career would decline later on...
Once again proving that choices often outweigh effort!
As Einstein famously said, success is 99% hard work and 1% inspiration.
Without that critical 1% of inspiration, all your hard work could be for nothing.
However, this upcoming match had nothing to do with Ye Chen; his focus was on the next league game.
After watching the post-match press conference, Ye Chen learned that Klopp had confirmed he would be in the starting lineup for the next league game. The specific position and tactics, though, would only be finalized during the pre-match tactical briefing.
Meanwhile, their next opponent was already holding a tactical meeting of their own.
The focus of their discussion was simple: how to stop Ye Chen.
Scoring nine goals in three matches, a player like Ye Chen demanded special attention. Any coach worth their salt knew they had to find a way to neutralize him.
At Cologne's training base, head coach Solbakken and his tactical team were closely analyzing video footage on a large screen. The screen displayed Ye Chen's movements and goals from the match against Werder Bremen.
"My God, such a phenomenal striker! I can't believe Manchester United terminated his contract. What were their management thinking?"
"Ferguson even claimed his training performances were average... But just look at his paceâit's world-class!"
"His top speed is indeed impressive, but his acceleration seems to lack a bit of explosiveness."
"True. And Klopp has only been using him as a substitute for three matches in a row. Could it be that his stamina is an issue?"
"I can speak to that. I've watched plenty of Chinese teams in the AFC Champions League. They can only maintain high performance for about 70 minutes. Stamina is their biggest weakness!"
"If I remember correctly, it's the Korean players who are known for good endurance, right?"
"Yes, and Japanese players also tend to lack stamina. Look at our own Makino Tomoakiâsame issue!"
"Oh, but Makino Tomoaki isn't even on Ye's level! He's way weaker!"
"Agreed!" The coaches nodded in unison.
Solbakken cut off the casual chatter, bringing the focus back. "Alright, let's stick to discussing Ye's traits, shall we?"
"He's incredibly fast, though his burst isn't the best."
"He's excellent at ball control and quite skilled at dribbling!"
"His long-range shooting is deadly... And don't forget, his set pieces are top-notch!"
The more they analyzed, the more they realized how formidable Ye Chen was.
How could a player this talented have been released? Perhaps that was just the luxury of Manchester United's depthâhaving so much talent they could afford to let him go.
Solbakken nodded. "So, how should we limit this guy? Pollack, let's start with you."
Pollack, Cologne's assistant coach responsible for pre-match analysis, spoke earnestly. "To deal with a player like Ye, we must double-mark him. Werder Bremen actually did a good job in the second half of their matchâNaldo blocked his cutting angles, while Papastathopoulos focused on tackling. We could take a page from their book."
"But Ye likes to drift out of the box to receive the ball. If our defenders follow him out, our formation will fall apart," countered Seale, their defensive coach, frowning.
"Alright then, what's your suggestion?" Pollack retorted, clearly annoyed at being contradicted.
"I think we should prioritize zonal marking," Seale replied seriously. "If we absolutely have to man-mark, I'd suggest assigning a defensive midfielder to shadow him instead."
Pollack smirked derisively. "That's laughable! If our defensive midfielder is busy marking Ye, there'll be huge gaps in the middle. Don't forget, they also have Kagawa, who's a fantastic playmaker!"
"But Ye is a bigger threat than Kagawa right now!" Seale shot back firmly.
"Kagawa can still decide a match on his own!"
The two began arguing heatedly.
If Ye Chen had been present, he might have chuckled at the sceneâafter all, it's just a game; losing only costs three points!
Solbakken intervened, breaking up the dispute. "Calm down, everyone. Let's not lose our composure before the match even starts!"
"Indeed. Don't forget, we have Podolski!"
Podolski, the man currently sitting second in the scoring charts, was known as the "Prince of Cologne."
Strong, fast, and powerful in his shooting, Podolski was a force to be reckoned with. Cologne had paid a hefty â¬10 million to bring him back from Bayern Munich. In a match on March 6, 2010, he scored a stunning free-kick from 25 meters out against Bayern, earning his team a draw and the MVP award.
This match could very well decide the league's top scorer.
"Should we go toe-to-toe with Dortmund? Remember, the next game is at Signal Iduna Park..." Pollack said, frowning.
Signal Iduna Parkâjust hearing the name evokes an almost unbearable sense of pressure.
Solbakken sighed. This Dortmund team was terrifying. With players like Kagawa, Götze, PeriÅ¡iÄ, and GündoÄan, they were already tough to handle.
And now, they had added the unstoppable force that was Ye Chen...
The coaching staff was at a loss.
"Alright, the match is still a ways off. Everyone, go back and think about how we can deal with Ye. If you come up with any ideas, let me know immediately," Solbakken instructed, sounding exasperated.
If only David Gill hadn't terminated Ye Chen's contract, Ye would still be playing in England... and their team wouldn't have to face such a headache.
Solbakken was resigned.
"Don't worry, Ståle, we'll find a way!"
"Yes, the Bundesliga isn't a playground for a 17-year-old to run wild!"
"And if worse comes to worst, we'll just have someone play dirty," Seale muttered through gritted teeth.
Solbakken immediately scolded him. "Seale, watch your words. Football is a sport, not a platform for violence!"
Seale, however, seemed unfazed. "Of course, we wouldn't stoop to that ourselves. But don't forget, we have a Japanese player on our team. And as far as I know, Japan and China have... some historical tensions..."
Solbakken's expression shifted. He appeared to be deep in thought.
"Are you sure it can be done discreetly?"
Lowering his voice, Seale explained, "Makino Tomoaki has been sidelined mainly because of his reckless tacklingâwe're afraid he'll injure our own players. But if we assign him to mark Ye, and he happens to injure him with one of his clumsy challenges, well... what can we do?"
A classic "kill with a borrowed knife" strategy.
Meanwhile, Ye Chen had no idea he was being targeted.
Aware of his own weaknesses, he was diligently working to improve himself.
As a firm believer in total football, Ye was currently practicing his defensive skills with Kagawa.
It wasn't long before he realized just how terrifying Kagawa wasâtoo fast, too agile, and far too smooth with his footwork.
No wonder people called Japan the "Brazil of Asia." The comparison wasn't unwarranted!