I was feeling extra-inspired today lol.
Now, there are more than 28 advanced chapters including 7 for the super tier.
Meaning that the total number of chapters on my Patreon is 178. Also meaning that I have fully compensated for all the missed chapters last month.
And, I'm adding the key highlights for epic moments in matches, especially the Champions League, by embedding the relevant links and videos.
Check me out @BlackZetsu on Patr3on!
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Arturo Vidal chickened out.
Last season, Bayer Leverkusen was double-defeated by Borussia Dortmund, and in the first half of the new season, they suffered another humiliation at the hands of Dortmund. At first, Vidal dared to play aggressively against Jin Hayes, using South American defensive tricks to bully this newcomer on the pitch.
As it turned out, he was the one who became the novice.
Facing Jin Hayes, who was advancing with the ball at this moment, Vidal had no solutions. If he kept his distance and retreated, Jin Hayes would only get closer to the penalty area; if he lunged in aggressively, he would either be easily bypassed or brushed aside and then easily bypassed.
Twice in a row, Vidal tried to use his body to force a position, but his aggressive collisions nearly caused him to fall over instead. Jin Hayes acted as if nothing had happened, pulling the ball under his feet to bypass Vidal and bursting into Leverkusen's backline.
"Unstoppable!! Unstoppable!!" Vidal was going crazy.
Round 18 of the Bundesliga, the first match after the winter break: Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen. At 40 minutes into the first half, the score was 0-0, but Dortmund firmly held the initiative, repeatedly using Jin Hayes's position to open up gaps. Unfortunately, Dortmund's finishing ability in the final third remained a problem.
"Jin continues to threaten Leverkusen's penalty area. The Factory seems to find it difficult to restrict him, so they've simply devoted most of their energy to his teammates. Jin gets a shooting opportunity in front of the box. Is he not going to take the shot? He's trying a strike!! It's a pass—what a pity!
Alexander Frei couldn't head it in! Jin's pass was very clever! It looked like a powerful shot, but he actually used his right foot to chip a lofted pass to the far post—" German TV commentator Mehmet Scholl slapped his thigh, feeling the pity for Dortmund.
They could be called the most aesthetically pleasing team of the 2008-2009 season. Even if there were many problems, and their passing and movement coordination was far inferior to Barcelona's.
Unlike Barça, most of Dortmund's attacks were forward passes, with very few lateral or back passes. This made Dortmund's offensive look unstoppable, using high-pressing to overwhelm opponents, wave after wave, making them difficult to handle. If the success rate of a single attack wasn't high, they would replace it with offensive frequency.
Fans who like Dortmund would find their matches frantic and exciting. Fans who hate Dortmund would feel like this group of young people has gone mad. Just now, Jin Hayes had again disregarded everything, charging with the ball into a crowd, and he really managed to break through a gap.
"Sorry, Jin, that was a great pass you just gave."
"It's okay, let's go again."
Alexander Frei was full of apologies; Jin Hayes felt regretful but couldn't bring himself to blame his teammate.
"Brothers, let's go for another one!"
While tracking back to defend, Jin Hayes didn't forget to encourage the Dortmund players. When goals were slow to come, Dortmund was a bit flustered, but seeing Jin Hayes's excellent performance, everyone regained their composure.
"This is the role of a soul player, leading the team not only tactically but also spiritually." Oliver Kahn couldn't help but praise him. He thought back to himself in the 2002 World Cup; back then, he was the absolute big brother in the German squad.
Unfortunately, he was a goalkeeper and couldn't encourage and stabilise his teammates in the attacking half. The midfield core Michael Ballack was more like a second-in-command; with a relatively reserved personality, he lacked the sharp edge of a leading figure.
If he had been even a bit like Kahn, he wouldn't have been called the 'eternal second'. Having a leading figure on the pitch—a Lion King, an alpha—truly affects the fighting spirit of the entire team.
"That is indeed true." Scholl also agreed with Kahn's viewpoint. "The current Dortmund captain Sebastian Kehl has a more mature and steady personality, while Jin is Dortmund's sharpest spear. It feels like Jin is the team's true captain."
If not for his young age and the fact that he's been at Dortmund for less than two seasons, Jin Hayes would definitely be the best candidate for captain.
"The match has fallen into a slight stalemate; if anyone can break the deadlock, it can only be him." Scholl's prediction was proven correct just five minutes later.
"A loophole in Dortmund's defence!! Dedê couldn't hold the right side! Bernd Schneider has made a breakthrough on the left!!" This time, Leverkusen didn't use that insane 4-defensive-midfielder system. Using a bunch of defensive midfielders just to restrict Jin Hayes was too unsightly.
Basic offence still needed to be guaranteed, so they used a standard 4-4-2 formation this time. Left winger Bernd Schneider frequently used his speed to exploit Dortmund's biggest weakness, Dedê.
He was already in his 30s with a serious decline in stamina, and on top of that, he was playing out of position as a right-back instead of his usual left-back; his defensive positioning always felt a bit off.
After testing with a few counterattacks in the first half, Leverkusen suddenly applied pressure to break through. Bernd Schneider drove deep with the ball into Dortmund's penalty area, drawing the attention of Neven Subotić and Mats Hummels. After squeezing all the defenders near the six-yard box, he suddenly played a cut-back.
"A cut-back pass!!! Vidal!" The Chilean midfielder Vidal was already prepared, arriving from deep to draw his bow and notch an arrow. Just as he was about to release the shot towards the corner of the goal, a figure in a yellow jersey flashed in front of Vidal like a lightning strike.
"Impossible! Unstoppable!"
After the shot, Vidal's expression turned to horror. How was he everywhere?
Unbeknownst to him, Jin Hayes had spotted the intent behind the cut-back pass and had instantly sprinted to Vidal's side. To make it for this defensive play, he didn't hesitate to consume stamina and activate the full enhancement of man of steel.
In a short period, the veins in his leg muscles bulged, bursting with powerful explosive force. He lunged in front of Vidal and then used Jump Enhancement to leap. In the final instant before the man of steel effect dissipated, his back just managed to block Vidal's violent long-range shot.
While Vidal was still holding his head in regret, Jin Hayes had already started his counter-run the moment he landed. Before Simon Rolfes could intercept, he used the outside of his foot to nutmeg him with the ball, accelerating for a self-pass breakthrough. From blocking a shot with his back to a counter-attacking dribble, it was all one fluid motion.
"Dortmund's counterattack!! Jin completes the transition from defence to offence in an instant!"
Leverkusen midfielders Tranquillo Barnetta and Renato Augusto panicked and closed in, flanking him on the left and right to block his path while slowly retreating, hoping to delay the rhythm of Jin Hayes's breakthrough.
"Who said I only know how to dribble?"
A pass is always faster than a person. Mario Götze on the left and Jakub Błaszczykowski on the right were both making runs from deep simultaneously. Jin Hayes aimed his foot to the right, but with a sudden flick of the ankle, he passed to the left.
This kind of basic through ball didn't require him to use any special abilities; there was an open path ahead of Götze, just a matter of playing it behind the defence.
"Go! Mario, go!!"
"Mario Götze—"
Having contributed excellent performances since being promoted to the first team, the teenage prodigy Mario Götze was loved by Dortmund fans from the start. If it weren't for Jin Hayes's presence, the youth-academy-product Götze would likely have been the darling of the match.
Götze was incredibly fast, driving the ball forward and cutting inside into the box with one step, before delivering a precise cross to the centre.
Alexander Frei arrived in position; a goal from such a close distance was impossible to miss. But this 30‑year‑old striker wanted to prove himself too much.
"Frei!!! A low shot! It's been blocked!" German international goalkeeper René Adler stuck out a leg to stop this certain goal.
"Is it still not going to work?"
The team's finishing ability lately had been simply terrible.
With the first half coming to an end and Leverkusen about to hold them to a draw, it was that number 10 in the yellow jersey again, appearing like lightning in the most dangerous spot.
"Jin Hayes!! How did he get here?"
Jin Hayes, who had just initiated the attack from the backfield, had accurately appeared in the box, ready to complete the follow-up shot. Adler panicked; he forgot Jin Hayes's characteristics and hurriedly abandoned his goal, diving at Jin Hayes's feet to stop him from shooting.
Standing near the six‑yard box, how could Jin Hayes possibly shoot directly?
He was just worried the keeper wouldn't come out. Jin Hayes subconsciously pulled the ball from his right foot to his left, bypassing the keeper's dive, and then used a rabona to kick the ball toward the goal, jumping over the keeper in the process. He caught up with the ball and dribbled it to the goal line.
"Huh?"
"That works too?!"
"Fuck!!!"
Under the despairing gazes of the Leverkusen players, Jin Hayes steadily pushed the ball in at the goal line. After working so hard for the whole first half, it finally came down to this one moment. They had defended against every Dortmund player, but they were helpless against the elusive Jin Hayes.
"Goooooooal!! Jin Hayes's signature finish! This attacking midfielder is overly powerful yet so cautious; he doesn't shoot in front of the six‑yard box, but insists on bypassing the keeper to score with the most stable finish! It's truly unimaginable how terrifying his shooting would be if it were normal! Dortmund take the lead at home! 1 to 0!"
Mehmet Scholl was happy; finally, a goal was scored. Otherwise, a 0‑0 draw with both sides going back and forth would have been a bit boring.
Jin Hayes was very excited after scoring; he had finally waited for this. He immediately sprinted toward the South Stand, pushing away his teammates who came over to celebrate together. From afar, he spotted the most dazzling girl in the first row of the stands. Wearing a Dortmund jersey, even among a crowd of people in yellow, Jin Hayes could still find her at a single glance.
"Ahhh!!! Jin!! Jin! I love you!!"
"Jin!! So handsome! Too handsome!!"
After Jin Hayes scored, the Westfalen stands went absolutely crazy. Fans were frantically shouting Jin Hayes's name; some young female fans were even so excited they were crying, their voices almost breaking from the shouting.
Especially the female fan next to Anna, a local university student. She used to come to Dortmund's home games only when she felt like it. But since Jin Hayes entered the starting lineup, she watched every single match. And she would always grab a seat in the first row, holding a camera to snap pictures of Jin Hayes frantically.
After Jin Hayes scored, she shouted his name like crazy. She didn't expect Jin Hayes to actually run over this way.
"Jin!! He saw me, he's coming toward me!! Ahhh!!" The girl was beyond excited, grabbing Anna's sleeve and shouting frantically. Anna was simply speechless.
Especially when Jin Hayes ran to the front of the stands and put his hands together to make a heart gesture toward the stands. The female university student next to her was almost about to faint from excitement. She was even twitching a bit: "He!! He made a heart to me, a heart—"
???
Anna didn't know whether to laugh or cry; he was clearly making a heart to me, okay?
Seeing that Anna remained unmoved, Jin Hayes continued making various heart gestures on the spot. Under the gaze of tens of thousands of people, Anna was extremely shy and also reached up to make a heart over her head. Only then did Jin Hayes wave to the stands, turning around to celebrate with a hug from his teammates.
Eh? Wait a minute.
In an instant, countless gazes from around her were fixed on Anna; the girl wished she could crawl under the stands. "This annoying guy!! We agreed not to go public yet!"
Anna looked back at her parents' position higher up in the stands; the two of them were hugging and celebrating, singing and dancing. It seemed they hadn't noticed anything here, and the girl breathed a sigh of relief.
The two had been together for almost a month, and they had always been going on dates secretly behind her parents' backs. It looked like her parents were still unaware for now. Anna wasn't afraid of going public, but she was a bit apprehensive about her parents.
Uncle Hans had repeatedly warned her that even if she found a boyfriend, she absolutely must not find a football player, otherwise, no matter who she was dating, he would go over and break the guy's legs. Even if her father liked Jin Hayes, he might not necessarily agree to them dating.
Anna planned to test Uncle Hans's attitude bit by bit and slowly let him accept the fact. Who would have known that Jin Hayes would actually show his love for her in front of the whole world. Anna's racing heart simply couldn't calm down.
The female university student next to her was a bit dazed, staring blankly at Anna. "Was... was he making a heart to you just now?"
"Yes." Anna regained her composure as a little princess, slightly raising her chin with a calm smile on her lips, and admitted in an elegant Rhineland accent: "He was making a heart to me. Let me introduce him: Dortmund's number 10, Jin Hayes, my boyfriend."