Chapter 010: The Unnoticeable Qin Xiong

Thus, the entire youth team is divided into 7 groups

The lineup for the Yellow Team is

As soon as he finished speaking, many players around him burst into laughter, seemingly mocking Qin Xiong for being overly boastful

For example, in the age group of 18 years, there are fewer than 11 individuals

At the first moment, he realized that he had entered the Ajax first team locker room, and through his prior knowledge, he recognized some of the players here. Some he could name and match to their faces, while others he could only recall their appearances.

Van Gaal approached Riekeling quietly and inquired softly. Riekeling raised the list in his hand for Van Gaal to review and informed him that a player was coming for a trial today

Forwards: Cameron, Babel, Buhari

Ibrahimovic almost chased after Qin Xiong to teach him a lesson, but Van der Vaart stopped him, suppressing a smile as he reminded, "Training is about to start, and there is an important match tomorrow. If we cause a commotion, it wouldn't be good"

This caused him to receive strange looks from many young players passing by as he walked towards the training ground, as if they were looking at a country bumpkin

He glanced at the first team's training ground, where the first team was still warming up. After all, the training intensity of the first team is not on the same level as that of the youth team, and the warm-up period is also longer.

Qin Xiong arrived at the building pointed out by Rick Link. He casually found a changing room and walked in. He was unaware of when the training match would start, so he did not want to waste a single second. Even though there were others inside, he quickly changed his clothes and shoes, wanting only to quietly complete these tasks with the * book *.

Qin Xiong withdrew his gaze, took a deep breath, and after the coach, acting as the referee, blew the whistle, his expression became extremely serious, his demeanor resolute, meticulous, and he closely observed all visible changes on the field.

... ...

Recklink divided 22 people into two teams and began assigning positions on the field.

Although Ajax has teams at every age level, it does not mean that each team can assemble 11 players or more

Defenders: Jedem, Vermaelen, Dunne, Moisander (brother of the goalkeeper)

The reasoning is simple; 17-year-old Emmanuelson is not Zidane

Goalkeeper: Moisander

Forwards: Demur, Derider, Esaias

When he finished speaking and left, a wave of jeering erupted in the locker room, infuriating Ibrahimovic

Opportunities for youth training within a club have always been scarce, with a situation of many monks and little porridge occurring in 99% of clubs worldwide

Qin Xiong will, without reservation, showcase to the world the football knowledge he has accumulated over 15 years, the meanings of football he has comprehended, and the football philosophy he has esteemed from this moment onward

Thus, he passed the time by observing the training of this Qin Xiong

The lineup for the red team is

He is no longer the head coach here, but he insists on personally overseeing every detail. Today, he came to observe the first team's preparations for the UEFA Champions League qualifying matches, but his attention was drawn to the training ground by the appearance of the youth training director, Ricklin.

After all, Qin Xiong's sneakers, although clean, are truly not of high quality, and the quality of the jersey is also visibly粗制.

Qin Xiong calmly walked to the training ground, found the location where Freddy and Ricklink were, and walked straight over.

Ibu, suppressing his anger, could only shout outside the door: "Kid, don't let me see you again, otherwise you better get yourself some health insurance first"

Rick Link stood by the training ground with a list in hand, calling out the names of the players one by one. Soon, the youth team had called out 21 individuals. Finally, he waved to Qin Xiong, and all 21 players gazed at Qin Xiong with slightly indifferent expressions.

Eight years ago, the distinguished coach Van Gaal led Ajax to the pinnacle of Europe. His second tenure at Barcelona last season ended in failure, and he has now returned to Ajax to serve as the football director

A unique landscape has emerged at the Ajax training base, where players either wear standardized uniforms or specialized training kits. However, Qin Xiong stands out, donning an unconventional jersey, with the words "Jiangcheng" embroidered on the team emblem.

Before the match began, Qin Xiong, standing in position, glanced towards the sidelines and saw Freddy giving him an encouraging look, while also raising his right hand to give him a thumbs up

Whenever he transitions from defense to offense, even if he successfully freezes Emmanuelson's individual breakthrough three times and gains possession of the ball, as long as he passes the ball, regardless of whether he runs into space or not, his teammates will no longer pass the ball to him, and he loses the opportunity to showcase himself

Qin Xiong's positioning awareness is outstanding

Thus, their gaze towards Qin Xiong was unreservedly cold.

Rick Link thought for a moment. Since it was Qin Xiong who was to undergo the trial training, assigning him a defensive role would likely not yield much insight, as defense relies on teamwork. Unless he was individually overwhelmed, Ajax does not overly emphasize one-on-one situations. Therefore, he assigned Qin Xiong a central midfield role with a focus on offense, specifically as a central midfielder.

After a brief rest, the red and yellow teams took the field to prepare for the match. This training game is divided into two halves, each lasting only 20 minutes

Midfielders: Maduro, Qin Xiong, Lindgren

They are no longer the innocent children who play football solely for joy; it can be said that from the age of 16, or even at a younger age, they have become aware of competition, a brutal competition

Goalkeeper: Famer

Football, globally popular, is dominated by strong players, continuing traditions while also subverting them. It is both a physical confrontation and an intellectual competition, emphasizing individual abilities while being a team sport. Teams lacking cohesion and organizational discipline cannot achieve great success, yet individual creativity is indispensable. Every pass and every shot relies on players making instantaneous decisions; those who merely recite established norms are unlikely to achieve greatness.

Van Gaal is very familiar with every blade of grass and every tree here. After glancing at the player lists of the red and yellow teams, he has a general understanding in his mind

He knows that his journey in football, unlike the path of life that books provide, has officially begun

However, based solely on his positioning performance and the defensive display of freezing Emanuelson, to be honest, it is insufficient to impress Ajax

Qin Xiong was assigned to the Yellow Team, and he had already put on a yellow training shirt. When Rick Link was arranging the positions and roles of the Yellow Team players, he first asked: "Qin Xiong, what position do you play?"

The originally scheduled morning training match was to be hosted by the youth team coach. However, with the addition of Qin Xiong, the youth training director, Ruikeling, personally took charge of the proceedings.

During regular non-endurance training, the duration of training matches does not align with that of official competitions. This is to prevent excessive competition during training, which could lead to psychological fatigue, making it difficult for players to feel excited during official matches. To some extent, this approach is also aimed at cultivating the players' hunger for competition through training, ensuring that they cannot fully express themselves during practice, so that when the actual match arrives, this hunger can be unleashed, resulting in an overwhelming level of excitement.

Qin Xiong is neither a player who stood out on draft day nor does he appear to be an overseas talent acquisition like Pinar Shabalala, which inevitably causes some of the young players who are already part of Ajax to develop a sense of rejection

Based on Van Gaal's understanding of the abilities of the youth team players, excluding the unknown strength of the trial player Qin Xiong, it is evident that the Red Team is significantly stronger than the Yellow Team

The two teams competing in today's training match are composed of players with the highest average age. Among them, the oldest player is 19 years old, while the youngest is only 16 years old. It is not that there are not enough players aged 17 to 19 to make up 22 individuals; rather, the 16-year-old players have been specially called up for the training match. The coaching staff places significant emphasis on a 16-year-old forward from the youth team: Ryan Babel, believing that his talent is the most promising among the Ajax youth team forwards at this stage, and thus he is being cultivated with particular focus. It is not that there are not enough players aged 17 to 19 to make up 22 individuals; rather, the 16-year-old players have been specially called up for the training match. The coaching staff places significant emphasis on a 16-year-old forward from the youth team: Ryan Babel, believing that his talent is the most promising among the Ajax youth team forwards at this stage, and thus he is being cultivated with particular focus

At this stage, it is also very important for Ibrahimović. He is not an absolute starter or the core of the forward line. Although he is somewhat arrogant, he is not foolish; he understands very well what is important and what is not.

But he is not here to chase after stars, so who is Ibra? Who is Ibra? He does not care at all!

During the attack, he ran into an open space to receive the ball, but unfortunately, his teammates did not pass to him

For a duration of 3 minutes after the match commenced, Qin Xiong merely positioned himself within the midfield area, exhibiting no presence on the field. Even though he did not rest for a moment, the focal point of football, this sport, did not intersect with him at all

However, his presence is still very weak

The positioning during defense was reasonable, effectively blocking the opponent's attacking routes and making a positive contribution

Midfielders: Ilmas, Maupay, Emanuelson

Defenders: Jatim, Timisala, Deandre, Rustenberg

After watching for 15 minutes, he appeared to be deep in thought

Teammates, do not pass the ball to him

Qin Xiong is here for a trial, in other words, he is an outsider attempting to seize their future opportunities to excel in the club

Qin Xiong walked calmly down the corridor outside the changing room, ignoring the threats coming from within.

In the current situation, they are well aware without needing to ask.

Qin Xiong replied: "Central midfield, versatile."