The third round of the Champions League group stage, the showdown between Borussia Dortmund and Marseille, was sandwiched between the 8th and 9th rounds of the Bundesliga.
At that time, Jin Hayes was busy dealing with the Bundesliga, communicating commercial endorsement contracts with Jorge Mendes, and preparing for the Golden Boy Award ceremony.
He didn't really have much of an impression of this Champions League match.
Marseille was only the third‑place team in Ligue 1 in the 07/08 season, and there was a significant gap between them and Real Madrid or Juventus. Jin Hayes didn't feel much pressure on the pitch; he just played casually and helped the team secure a 2‑0 away victory.
Even the Borussia Dortmund players didn't have a deep impression of this match. In the tactical meeting, Jürgen Klopp was earnestly explaining the tactical points for the next two matches: this weekend, Bundesliga Round 10, Borussia Dortmund away vs. Cologne; next midweek, Champions League group stage Round 4, Borussia Dortmund home vs. Marseille.
"Wait, have we played Marseille?" Mats Hummels had forgotten about this match.
"Of course, you were on the pitch and you don't remember?"
"Uh—I really don't have much of an impression."
Thinking back carefully to Marseille's home ground, the Stade Vélodrome, there wasn't much worth remembering. What everyone remembered more vividly was either the 4‑1 thrashing of Real Madrid or the battle against Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin.
"Forget it, it's not important."
Klopp could understand the players' mindset. The schedule had been too dense lately, with matches in three competitions coming one after another; it was normal for everyone not to have a deep impression of that match.
The game had been uneventful, with Borussia Dortmund's high‑pressing tactic working throughout.
At their own home ground, Marseille had zero shots on target and only 30% possession, with Borussia Dortmund besieging them in their own half for the entire game. Jin Hayes made two key breakthroughs, was tackled in the penalty area twice, and created two penalties.
The primary penalty taker, Alexander Frei, scored both.
Borussia Dortmund 2‑0 Marseille, the match ended.
On a tactical level, there were many points worth analysing. For example, Borussia Dortmund finally executed the high‑pressing style Klopp wanted, finally achieving the state envisioned at the beginning of the season.
There were no notable stars on the Marseille side; the only one with some fame was Hatem Ben Arfa, one of the so‑called "French 87 Four Young Talents."
Before the match, the French media was still hyping up Ben Arfa, saying he was a genius who surpassed Jin Hayes and would lead Marseille to crush Borussia Dortmund. As it turned out, Ben Arfa was invisible the entire match; under the tight high press, he had no impact. In contrast, every time Jin Hayes had the ball, it was a threat—he completely dominated his matchup.
"We won beautifully last time, but we must not let our guard down. Next midweek we will go to France, and at Marseille's home ground, they might attack more fiercely."
"Also, don't underestimate the league; Cologne beat Schalke 04 last time, and their striker Milivoje Novaković is currently ranked third on the top scorer list. Be careful of his late runs—Hey! I'm talking, why are you still playing with your phone?"
Klopp walked angrily and quickly from in front of the projector, his face almost pressing against Nuri Şahin's, roaring like a lion at close range. Şahin was so startled that his phone dropped onto the table. Jin Hayes glanced secretly; on the screen, he was chatting heatedly with someone, and the language used was simply too explicit to look at.
"Baby, can I go to your place today?"
"You have a lot of energy lately; clearly more than enough matches."
"I don't need to use full effort in matches, but I have to use full effort to deal with you."
"Oh, then I'll have to see about that."
There was even more explicit chatting afterwards; Jin Hayes was stunned. He didn't expect Nuri Şahin, who looked decent on the outside, to be so forward in private. He probably met this woman at a nightclub in Turin after the victory over Juventus.
"You don't want to start the next match, do you?"
"No, no—"
"I'm talking about tactics, and you don't even care! How are you going to play on the pitch? Answer me!"
"I—"
An angry Klopp was comparable to a "Ferguson‑style hairdryer," and this group of 20‑year‑olds found it hard not to be afraid of him. Jin Hayes suddenly felt the sensation of being caught by a teacher in class and about to be sent to the principal's office.
"Go, run twenty laps outside to cool off!"
"Coach—"
"Go now!"
Nuri Şahin couldn't defend himself and had no choice but to turn and leave the tactical meeting room, running toward the training pitch. While the other players were still gloating, they met Klopp's angry gaze.
"You too! Go out and run twenty laps! Don't make me say it a second time!"
"Ah, this—" The smiles on the Borussia Dortmund players' faces froze, and they reluctantly got up to join the queue for punishment.
Only for Jin Hayes did Klopp's expression finally soften a lot. "Jin, you don't have to. Your training attitude has been the most serious recently; there's no need to be punished with these guys."
"Coach, I'll join them anyway. No matter what happens, we are a team."
"Fine, fine, fine. Go ahead then."
Jin Hayes nodded and turned to join the queue for punishment. Through the floor‑to‑ceiling window, assistant coach Željko Buvač watched the players running on the pitch, and he didn't quite understand. "Jürgen, are you angry just because the players aren't serious? Isn't that a bit much?"
"No, the recent winning streak has made them complacent. Do they really think they're invincible?" Except for the match against Marseille, other matches had been quite thrilling.
Whether against Hertha Berlin or Werder Bremen, Borussia Dortmund hadn't played with the true power of their high‑pressing interception. They performed loosely on the pitch, completely failing to take their opponents seriously.
The 5‑1 win over Bayern and the 4‑1 thrashing of Real Madrid—two big victories had made these young players increasingly cocky, thinking they were very strong. In reality, Klopp saw clearly: if not for Jin Hayes carrying the team with his creativity in the final third, how could the others have defeated Real Madrid?
Jin Hayes's brilliance masked the team's slackness. It was fine against average teams, but if the opponent played a bit more stubbornly, Borussia Dortmund would sooner or later slip up.
Don't look at the fact that Bayern Munich is currently only ranked 9th; they are the Bundesliga overlords, and the dynastic foundation built over so many years cannot be ignored.
If they manage to recover, or replace Jürgen Klinsmann, Bayern would inevitably become the biggest rival for the title.
If the goal for the season was just to reach the top three or to experience the atmosphere of the Champions League, then playing loosely would be fine.
The key is that they had already declared that the goal for this season was to win the championship. Borussia Dortmund is not a powerhouse dynasty; how could winning the title be easy? They must put in full effort in every match.
Being slack now could at least be adjusted; once slackness becomes a habit, it would be useless to try to tighten up later. "If the price of winning the championship is for me to become the bad guy, then I am very happy to play that role. Whether they hate me or distance themselves from me, I don't care. All I want is results."
Hearing Klopp's statement, Buvač nodded with deep feeling.
"Fair point."
…
"I don't know what's wrong with the coach; he's been targeting me a lot lately."
"He's actually trying to make you more focused."
"But I've already been working hard."
"You haven't been joining us for extra training lately—"
"Uh, sorry—hehehe, my girlfriend is in Dortmund, it's normal to spend time with her, right."
"Nuri, extra training is voluntary; you don't need to apologise."
…
Bundesliga Round 10, Cologne.
Borussia Dortmund challenged 11th‑placed Cologne away, but the team didn't feel tense at all. In the dressing room before the match, everyone was laughing and chatting.
As a result, Nuri Şahin was scolded again by Jürgen Klopp; he seemed to have become the scapegoat of the team lately, always getting yelled at. Şahin still thought Klopp was targeting him.
Jin Hayes, however, saw it very clearly: during the pre‑match warm‑up just now, Şahin was just going through the motions, half‑heartedly kicking the ball around. He spent more time on the sidelines signing autographs for fans and taking photos with them.
Borussia Dortmund's recent excellent form was hyped up in various ways by the media, and Nuri Şahin was simply called the "No. 1 midfielder of the new generation in the Bundesliga."
He became the most dazzling midfield core after stars like Michael Ballack and Bastian Schweinsteiger. TV stations even analysed every touch of Nuri Şahin frame by frame, comparing him with masters like Xavi, Xabi Alonso, and Andrea Pirlo.
This guy had been reprimanded by Klopp several times, but he was still getting carried away. He had missed several extra training sessions in a row. The extra training organised by Jin Hayes wasn't mandatory; teammates could leave early if they had things to do, so there was really no way to control it.
In the end, only Marco Reus and Mario Götze were still willing to accompany Jin Hayes to practice until evening.
With the team in a good state of winning streaks, facing the team's sense of relaxation, what could Jin Hayes do?
"Don't worry, Jin. Isn't dealing with a Cologne easy? You just go up and do a solo dribble past everyone—"
"You think a solo dribble is easy?" Jin Hayes shook his head helplessly. Every time he seemingly dribbled past everyone and used his technique to pierce the goal, it was important to seize opportunities, in addition to his own ability.
If it were the defence of prime Juventus, even if Jin Hayes's technique was boosted to an extraordinary level, he wouldn't be able to score a solo goal; after all, this is a football pitch, not a fantasy world.
"Relax, we'll definitely win today!" Nuri Şahin looked unconcerned.
Jin Hayes didn't say much more. Where was the Şahin from last year—the one who trained seriously, had a grave expression, and fought side‑by‑side with him in the 4‑3 comeback against Bayern Munich?
Whoosh!
"Foul!"
Jin Hayes clutched his leg and fell to the ground in pain. Thirty minutes into the match, this was already the fourth time he had been tackled to the ground.
Playing at home, Cologne deployed a "park‑the‑bus" defence to deal with Borussia Dortmund. The thirty‑metre zone was full of Cologne players, and their zonal marking completely isolated the attacking players, making Borussia Dortmund's fluid coordination temporarily ineffective.
His teammates were all restricted, and as the core of the front line, Jin Hayes inevitably had to do more. He repeatedly dropped back behind the centre circle to receive the ball, turning and dribbling to try to mobilise Cologne's defensive line. As a result, he inevitably faced the opponent's aggressive fouling tactics.
This approach had been popularised in the Champions League. Basel of Switzerland had drawn 1‑1 with the powerful Barcelona at the Camp Nou, frustrating their star player for long stretches.
Basel had come close to conquering the Camp Nou, and Barcelona only managed to scrape an equaliser late in the match. Cologne had clearly learned the essence of that defensive approach; multiple players took turns restricting Jin Hayes, and if they couldn't stop him, they used tough fouls to deal with him.
With Jin Hayes hindered, Borussia Dortmund's attack naturally fizzled out. Instead, a long pass from Cologne to the front led to a shot by Slovenian international Milivoje Novaković, which almost broke through Roman Weidenfeller's defence. The Dortmund fans collectively broke out in a cold sweat.
"Snap out of it! Defence, where is the defence!"
Jin Hayes shook his head; rather than tightening the defense, it was better to find a way to score. Since the opponent liked fouling, he could only use that to punish them.
"Marco, Nuri!" Jin Hayes hurriedly gathered Şahin and Reus, and the three huddled together to plot.
"Can it work?"
"Trust me."
"Alright, I'll try."
Reus looked grave. Since Jin Hayes had entrusted him with the responsibility, he certainly couldn't let his brother down.
Waiting for Cologne to finish celebrating, Borussia Dortmund kicked off from the front line. Reus and Jin Hayes exchanged a look, nodded, and at the same moment as the kick‑off, they surged forward side‑by‑side.
On the other side, Jakub Błaszczykowski was also coordinating with his teammates, and the Bumblebees stirred up a yellow‑and‑black storm at Cologne's home ground.
"Jin!"
Alexander Frei passed back to Şahin, Şahin dribbled the ball, took a diagonal step to bypass the opponent, and found Jin Hayes with a powerful through ball.
"The hell, you passed it so far?" Jin Hayes was dumbfounded and hurriedly sprinted over. Seeing the Cologne defender about to clear the ball, Jin Hayes stretched out his long legs, hooked the ball back with his toe at the limit, and perfectly bypassed him with a Marseille Turn.
"Beautiful!!!" Şahin waved his hand fiercely in admiration; as expected of Jin Hayes, he managed to reach that.
The sudden change disrupted Cologne's defensive line; the backtracking defender had no choice but to pull Jin Hayes's jersey from behind and bring him down as Jin Hayes broke into the penalty area. The referee decisively showed a yellow card. In the first half, three Cologne players had already received yellow cards.
"Nice! Jin!"
"You're really a mad dog, you overestimated my speed." Jin Hayes glared at Şahin with annoyance.
"Just tell me if you reached it or not." Seeing Şahin's grinning face, Jin Hayes really wanted to kick him.