In an instant, the training ground fell silent, with only Lin Chen continuing to dribble as if no one else was around, launching a counterattack forward.
Wijnaldum was bypassed, and Lin Chen faced the defensive line directly, with only Gomez remaining in front of him.
After a series of step-overs, he cut in to the left!
He feigned a shot, and Gomez rushed to tackle.
But the next second, Lin Chen suddenly pulled the ball back!
Then another pull and a cut!
The perfect rhythm and connection completely faked out Gomez!
Klopp stared intently at Lin Chen; this was the most crucial moment to test a player.
Klopp's team, during their time at Borussia Dortmund, always emphasized one point:
"I don't care how excellent your dribbling is, or how beautiful your take-ons are, or how good your passing is."
"I only look at your finishing touch; if you don't have the ability to kill the game, you will never become a player in a league of your own."
After getting past Gomez, although Lin Chen was a bit unsteady, he used his strong core ability to forcefully hold off Gomez at his side and power into the penalty area.
Facing Mignolet, who had already rushed out of goal and was desperately trying to block the shooting space, Lin Chen saw almost no shooting opportunities.
It was already a six-a-side small field, the goal was very small, and Mignolet's timely charge and standard blocking action could block ground shots and also reach to stop high shots.
Although there seemed to be no space, Lin Chen's eyes focused, and then his toe lightly touched the ball.
It was this subtle, light touch that incredibly completed a nutmeg!
Mignolet was nutmegged, his body instantly lost balance, and he fell backward with a crash.
Lin Chen burst forward with acceleration from the side, darting past Mignolet, and after two steps, he received the ball and tapped it in, calmly slotting it into the empty net!
Group A led one to zero!
Everything happened so fast that even after Lin Chen scored, group b had not yet recovered.
Wijnaldum looked at Mignolet, and Mignolet looked at Gomez; all three had expressions of 'What just happened?'
Assistant Coach Klavitz was even more excited, gesticulating wildly.
"Boss!"
"Boss!!!"
"Baby!!!"
Klavitz tried his best to lower his voice, next to Klopp, acting as if he had taken a stimulant, but Klopp's face was calm at this moment.
"What are you so excited about?"
"At Dortmund, haven't you seen many young players like this?"
"Whether it's a flash of brilliance or genuine ability, we still need to observe."
Klopp spoke calmly, and his facial expression was also composed, but Klavitz keenly noticed Klopp's hand holding the whistle.
"Boss, if you're not excited, why is your hand shaking? Is your Parkinson's acting up?"
Klopp coughed twice and whispered, "Another word and I'll dock your week's salary."
The threat was effective, and Klavitz immediately shut up obediently.
Wijnaldum walked towards his own half, staring at Lin Chen.
After scoring the goal, the young man not only didn't celebrate but also showed no excitement, instead joking with his teammates as if he had been playing in the First Team for a long time.
He possessed a maturity that didn't belong to a 17-year-old.
Soon after, training continued, and Klopp's eyes seemed to be fixed only on Lin Chen.
He wanted to know if the young man in front of him was truly so good at dueling and also had a certain ability to drive forward.
But as the pace of the game became faster and faster, Lin Chen not only didn't fall behind but continued to display strong dueling ability in the Midfielder.
Wijnaldum watched Lin Chen, gritting his teeth in frustration; as a First Team player, tall and strong, Wijnaldum had always been Liverpool's Midfielder responsible for interceptions, tackles, and sweeping.
But now, facing a young man who had just been promoted, he was completely suppressed in the area he was best at: dueling.
As more and more goals were scored, the atmosphere of the dueling training also began to become lively.
It was already an internal team duel, and after Klopp recorded the data in the early stages, there was no need to be so confrontational anymore; Lin Chen also played more and more relaxed, and finally, the hour-long group training duel ended.
Klopp held the record sheet, and for Midfielder players' ratings, Lin Chen was prominently in first place.
However, he did not announce it, but simply gave a few instructions before declaring the training over.
"This afternoon is the last physical test before the start of the season; all players must participate.
The tests include fitness tests, strength tests, and three major items of basic physical health indicators."
"It officially starts at 3 o'clock; everyone, don't be late!"
After Klopp announced the end, the players quickly left, and Ojo followed closely behind Lin Chen.
"Dude, you're too awesome!"
"Are you a monster? How did you manage to hold off Wijnaldum? Can you teach me?!"
On the way back to the hotel, Ojo desperately pestered Lin Chen.
But Lin Chen just smiled and brushed him off; it was something that no normal person could explain to others.
Since he was only temporarily called up to the First Team, Ojo was not arranged a hotel by the club, so for the convenience of the afternoon's physical test, he stayed in Lin Chen's room.
The two played a football game for a while and then departed promptly at 2 o'clock for the club to participate in the physical test.
Upon arriving at the club headquarters, it was just 2:30, and only a few First Team players had arrived.
Mane and Firmino were doing warm-up exercises and chatting casually; Lin Chen saw this, joined them, and started doing warm-up exercises in a similar fashion.
"Lin, you performed very well in training today."
Mane was the first to greet Lin Chen, who smiled in response, and the few of them started chatting.
This was what Lin Chen wanted; only by talking more with the First Team could he integrate into the big team as quickly as possible, and only by integrating into the team could he quickly get playing opportunities.
At 2:50 PM, most of the First Team players had arrived, and Klopp's team decided to start early after counting the numbers.
The first item was the fitness test shuttle run; within the stipulated 20 minutes, the player with the most shuttles would get the highest score.
Lin Chen's current stamina attribute is 76, which is not considered high, but for a 17-year-old young man, having a stamina attribute of 76 is already very rare.
Lin Chen is focusing on improving his stamina attribute; to play as an all-around Midfielder, stamina is fundamental.
After the first test, Lin Chen ranked 14th.
Immediately following, the second item, the strength test attribute, officially began.
Klavitz could calculate a player's approximate deadlift weight almost without measuring.
For these highly skilled Liverpool First Team players, the deadlift weight is approximately twice their body weight.
This weight is also the most applicable calculation formula in the fitness world, so when the players took turns, the weights they lifted were all similar to Klavitz's estimates.
Until it was Lin Chen's turn at the end, almost everyone was focused, staring at the young man who slowly walked to the barbell.
Since the morning training, people had been curious about Lin Chen's strength.
Klavitz looked at Lin Chen's physical test data.
"Weight 76kg, multiplied by two, he should be able to lift about 152kg."
Klavitz also waved his hand, instructing the staff to set up a 150kg barbell, but Lin Chen spoke up.
"200."
The staff member was stunned and asked, "How much?"
Lin Chen confirmed again.
"200 kilograms."
Klavitz was shocked.
"Don't overexert yourself, Lin."
Lin Chen smiled and shook his head.
"200 kilograms."
Since Lin Chen insisted, the staff could only set up 200kg, then waited behind Lin Chen, ready to protect him at any moment.
The immense weight made all the First Team players hold their breath.
And then...