Chapter 536: Don't want to miss every performance opportunity
After joining Werder Bremen, Huang Hu has been training with the first team all along, indicating that he is part of Coach Schaaf's plans.
The Bundesliga started in early August, and so far, after four rounds of matches, Bremen has won three and lost one, currently ranking third on the points table, just behind Dortmund and Bayern, making a dreamy start.
The next round, the fifth match, will be held on September 10th, with them hosting Hamburg at home.
As early as July 30th, in the first round of the German Cup, Bremen was upset 1-2 by the second division team Heidenheim, so they only have one task left this season: to return to European competition!
Under Schmidt's close attention, in addition to regular low-fat foods such as beef, chicken, and fish, Huang Hu also needs to consume more starch to gain weight than others, such as bread, potatoes, pasta, etc.
Of course, he also needs to complete the corresponding training plan to improve his understanding of his body. Otherwise, he may easily get injured due to not adapting to the changes.
Although the process is very tough, Huang Hu has always persevered, exercising during the day and taking time to learn German at night, even his roommate Silvestre feels admiration for him.
"Among all the players I've seen, you are one of the most hardworking ones. Being young is great," the Frenchman often gets lost in his own world, but they get along quite well.
All of this is also seen by Coach Schaaf. The German coach nods repeatedly. Regardless of his football skills, this perseverance is also outstanding in the club.
So, for the next round of matches, he plans to put the Chinese youngster on the bench, but whether he can play depends on the situation.
Bremen's first-team squad consists of 31 players, which is above average in the Bundesliga. Naturally, not all of them can make it into the matchday squad. Huang Hu will naturally replace someone, and the one replaced is the Turkish player Ayik, who looks somewhat pale when he learns of the result.
The other two players in the substitute trio are dissatisfied with him. "Why can this weakling make it to the bench? I don't think he can handle the physicality of the Bundesliga. He'll fall down as soon as he's pushed by the opponent's defenders," F. Cross said.
"Don't worry, Ayik. He'll definitely show his weakness in the scrimmage later, and then the coach should reconsider the personnel issue," F. Cross said.
The afternoon training session before the match day usually includes a scrimmage between the first team and the substitutes, with each side wearing red and yellow jerseys respectively to practice the tactics arranged by the coach. This not only helps to identify and rectify deficiencies but also tests the players' form.
Assistant coach Sachs acts as the temporary referee. Before the start of the scrimmage, Ayik finds the starting left-back Bonisch and says, "Sebastian, can you focus on number 30 later? He's very arrogant just because he won the Belgian championship recently."
The Pole twisted his neck. "Is that so? I think he's not very noticeable. But it doesn't matter. No one can get the upper hand under my watch!"
The substitute lineup is led by the 31-year-old veteran Borowski, who is highly respected within the Bremen team as a club legend and intends to retire after the season, so all the players in the team respect him.
He also appreciates Huang Hu, who joined the team last summer. So he said to his teammates, "We'll mainly launch attacks from the right side later. Baggefred, try to lean towards the right as much as possible."
"As for Huang, I believe you won't be too nervous. After all, you also come from a championship team. Show your best performance to the coaching staff."
Huang Hu nodded heavily. He didn't want to miss any chance to prove himself. Now that Borowski intends to take care of him, he cannot miss this opportunity.
"As for the defensive end, we need to focus on marking Pizarro, especially when he rushes into the penalty area. Hazes and Leon, you both need to be high points and must double-team to prevent him from easily touching the ball."
"Beep~" The scrimmage officially began, and the substitute team took the lead in attacking. Baggefred, in the front waist position, although small in stature at only 5 feet 8 inches, is very agile in dribbling and quickly moves to the frontcourt.
Seeing Huang Hu advancing rapidly on the right, he lightly curves the ball with his left foot, finding the Chinese youngster just beyond Bonisch. But the Pole was somewhat surprised by Huang Hu's speed. Indeed, he has some skills.
However, Bonisch is not easy to deal with. He quickly catches up from behind, blocking the passing lane while secretly challenging Huang Hu. As a result, his steps became a bit awkward, and the quality of his forced cross was very poor, with the ball going out of bounds during its flight.
Despite the attack being thwarted, Huang Hu was not afraid. On the contrary, he grinned at Bonisch and praised him in German, "Guter Schuss" (Good shot).
At the same time, he also actively approached Baggefred, gesturing his thoughts on forming cooperation, as the best way to integrate quickly into the team is through communication.
Next, the substitute team didn't have too many good opportunities. Instead, it was Pizarro who shone brightly. He showed no signs of being a forward in his thirties. He could even forcibly fight off two defending players to attempt a shot.
As the gap widened on both sides, Coach Schaaf looked at the clock and planned to stop the match at any time. At this moment, Huang Hu finally got another chance.
Similarly, cooperating with Baggefred on the right side, this time he suddenly cut the ball back while advancing to the bottom, then passed it back to his teammate before moving horizontally.
Baggefred immediately understood and sent a short pass. The two formed a successful two-on-one cooperation, tearing open Bonisch's defense, but the other defender Pledel rushed to defend.
If he had the ability to shoot with his left foot, he could choose to shoot from outside the foot to a farther point. Unfortunately, he still lacks the skill now. Does this attack have to end without success again?
At the critical moment, a flash of inspiration came to him. Without dodging, he went straight towards Pledel, who was about to easily intercept the ball with his right foot.
But at this moment, Huang Hu seized the opportunity and suddenly exerted force with his hidden leg, sending a pass through Pledel's legs. Borowski then tapped the ball lightly into the net from the near post!
On the sidelines, Schaaf's eyes lit up. "The timing of this pass is really good. If it was a bit earlier, it wouldn't have been passed, and a bit later, it would have been intercepted. This kind of cleverness is a necessary condition to become a star player."
And the previously proud Ayik showed an expression of disbelief. Such a fleeting opportunity, if it were him, he wouldn't have been able to grasp it at all.
After the goal, Borowski and Huang Hu hugged to celebrate. Several substitute players also came over one after another. Although they were still far behind in score, breaking through the first-team defense was rare, and everyone felt excited.
After this goal, the scrimmage came to an end, and the head coach began to comment on the players' performances one by one. Naturally, Pizarro received the most praise among the players.
"Claudio, your only problem is lack of concentration. Often, you perform very well in one round, but in the next game, you seem a bit listless. I hope you can focus on delivering stable performances. You are the key to achieving our season goals."
As for the Chinese youngster, Schaaf also expressed affirmation. His positive attitude in integrating into the team and agile performance are significant bonuses. He definitely has the ability to make it into the matchday squad.
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