"Our performance in the first half wasn't good enough, particularly in the pass-and-move transitions in the final third. Don't give the opponent time to react—be faster!"
"Also, Bundesliga teams are starting to defend David with clear intent. They're using zonal marking combined with man-to-man, often collapsing at least two players on him at once."
"David, I know you have immense confidence in your dribbling, but in those moments, the best choice is to pass. A wide diagonal switch can often rewrite the scoreline in a single move."
Dieter Hecking's stern face betrayed a hint of caution. Young players today were different from those of the past; talents had to be treated like precious jewels, or they would simply pack their bags and head elsewhere. Wasn't Paul Pogba a living example of that?
"I know, Boss," David Qin promised. "I've been learning from Kevin lately. It might not show results immediately, but I'll do my best to adapt."
David understood that for his current self, reaching Ronaldinho's legendary status at Barcelona was nearly impossible here. Wolfsburg's tactical essence was pragmatism. Everything had to yield to the collective, and everything had to yield to the final victory.
A thought flickered in David's mind: his long-term future did not lie with Wolfsburg. It lay in a place where he could fully express himself, a place that played "Beautiful Football." But those dreams were distant. For now, he wanted to stay grounded, rapidly improve his competitive strength, and simply enjoy the game.
When the second half began, Werder Bremen tilted even more defensive resources toward their right flank specifically to neutralize David and Rodríguez. The duo found themselves unable to break through such a suffocating blockade. However, this created a much easier environment for De Bruyne. Working alongside the substitute Caligiuri, the Belgian was in full flow.
In the 76th minute, De Bruyne slipped a through ball to Caligiuri, who finished from a tight angle.
2-0!
Shortly after, David was subbed off for Ivan Perišić. To be honest, he was slightly dissatisfied; he felt he was in great form and fully capable of finishing the ninety minutes. However, he also knew that with a two-goal lead, Hecking bringing on Perišić to regain match fitness was the correct move from a managerial perspective.
The score remained unchanged until the final whistle. The returning Perišić looked a bit rusty, primarily in terms of physical duels, top speed, and overall rhythm. Nevertheless, the Wolfsburg fans were ecstatic. Their already formidable left side was only going to become more potent with the Croatian's return.
During the post-match interview, a reporter asked Hecking why David Qin never attended the press conferences.
"A minor has no obligation to attend press conferences, and the club will not require David to participate in such activities."
As September drew to a close, the Chinese football world was caught between joy and agony. The joy came from David Qin's rapid progression, which offered a glimmer of hope for the future. The agony, however, came from the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
The Men's U23 National Team had lost their opener 0-3 to North Korea. Although they scraped a 1-0 win over Pakistan to advance from the group, they were dismantled 0-2 by Thailand in the Round of 16 while playing with ten men. They were out before the quarter-finals.
The Women's team fared little better. Due to a lower goal difference than Japan in the group stage, they advanced as runners-up only to face their old rivals, North Korea, in the quarter-finals. A heartbreaking 0-1 loss saw them miss the Asian Games semi-finals for the first time in history.
Chinese fans felt a deep sense of injustice. They wondered countless times: If David Qin were on the U23 squad, could we have gone all the way? Could we have touched that glittering gold medal? But they knew the past was the past. No amount of fantasy could alter history. All they could do was look ahead.
With the U19 AFC Championship set to begin in October, the Chinese youth team had been drawn into a "Group of Death" alongside Japan, South Korea, and North Korea. Some fans suggested that the youth team should call up David Qin.
Those fans were immediately flamed by others until they deleted their accounts.
Call up a Bundesliga starter for a youth tournament? Especially when Perišić is back and Wolfsburg is fighting for every point? It was an apex-level stupidity.
The public discourse grew so loud that Alain Perrin had to step in and clarify: there were currently no plans to call David Qin back for any national youth levels. They all wanted David to remain in the Bundesliga, soaking up experience at the highest level while securing his starting spot.
As October arrived, another piece of news grabbed the headlines: the 40-man shortlist for the 2014 Golden Boy Award was released.
Established by Italy's Tuttosport in 2003, the award is voted on by major European media outlets to crown the best young player of the year. It is considered the "coming-of-age" ceremony for world-class starlets. Previous winners included the "Second Cruyff" Rafael van der Vaart, though in recent years, the award seemed to carry a curse—players like Pato and Balotelli had famously plateaued.
The previous year's winner, Paul Pogba, was currently thriving at Juventus. But even he was an eccentric character; in May 2013, he had been slapped with a three-match ban for spitting in a defender's face.
David Qin scanned this year's nominees: Hakan Çalhanoğlu, John Stones, Luke Shaw, Raheem Sterling...
"Origi? The Lille center-forward made the cut too?"
David realized that Wolfsburg's next opponent in the Europa League was Lille—the very team Origi played for. It seemed fate wanted him to test himself against every Golden Boy candidate. Unfortunately, David wasn't eligible for the final vote this year; he would have to wait until next season.
During training sessions leading up to the Europa League clash, David began to appreciate Perišić's strengths. There was much to learn from the veteran. However, David wouldn't easily change his core style; he believed in doubling down on his strengths rather than just shoring up weaknesses.
As for the competition between them? It could only be described in one way: fair and square.
The professional football world isn't always as dark as people imagine—at least, there wasn't much backstabbing between the players here. To put it bluntly, most players aren't highly educated; what kind of elaborate, villainous schemes could they really come up with? In competitive sports, skill is king. Sneaky tricks won't take you far; in fact, they won't even get you off the starting blocks.
Furthermore, David's ambitions weren't limited to the left wing. He had set the "No. 10" role as his future goal. He acted like a sponge, soaking up the expertise of his teammates—especially Kevin De Bruyne. Perhaps because the "betrayed" are often the kindest souls, De Bruyne held nothing back in his interactions with David. During this period, their relationship evolved rapidly from mere teammates to close friends who talked about everything.
Meanwhile, the fans were already trash-talking online:
@Wolfsburg_Wandererx: Hecking keeping David away from the press is such a dad move. "My kid is busy studying his stepovers, go away." LOL
@BundesligaBanter7: Perišić coming back just to find a 17-year-old playing like prime Ronaldinho is the real trauma.
@LilleLion: Origi is going to show this "David Qin" what a real Golden Boy looks like on Thursday. 🇫🇷
@Qin_DavidCity1: People actually suggested calling David back for a U19 tournament? Do you guys want him to play against literal children while he could be nutmegging Bayern defenders? Absolute clowns. 🤡🤡
—-------
If you want to read ahead, head over to: p@treon .com/HappyCrow
As always, thank you for the support, the comments, and those precious power stones!