Zhang Xu's Remarkable Progress (2)

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, August had passed, with September also coming to a close.

Over the past month, Zhang Xu had been immersed in a mix of pain and joy. The pain came from rigorous training, while the joy stemmed from the rapid growth of his various attribute points.

Now, Zhang Xu had reached Level 10, and with each level-up, the required experience points increased significantly. Moving from Level 10 to 11 required not 1,100 points but 2,000 points!

Fortunately, the mission system had upgraded to version 2.0 after Zhang Xu reached Level 10. It not only increased the number of daily tasks to 15 but also doubled the experience points gained from each task, awarding 10 experience points for every completed daily task.

Additionally, the number of random tasks had greatly increased, averaging around five to eight tasks each day, with generous rewards.

One thing that irked Zhang Xu, however, was that the experience points gained per hour of training remained unchanged at a meager 2 points.

Nevertheless, Zhang Xu's attribute points had already reached the standards required for the Belgian League B. The data provided a clear picture of his progress:

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[Name: Zhang Xu]

Level: 10

Experience Points: 402/2000 (Available attribute points: 0)

Weight: 68.9KG

Current Ability/Potential Ability: 35/48 (Minimum 30 for professional players, maximum 99)

Current Physical Fatigue/Condition: 15/79 (Maximum 99)

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[Technical Attributes (Individual attributes max out at 99)]:

Crossing: 25

Dribbling: 22

Shooting: 20

Heading: 35

Long Shots: 21

Marking: 36

Passing: 26

Tackling: 41

Ball Control: 28

Technique: 37

Free Kicks: 28

Corners: 21

Set Pieces: 23

Throw-ins: 22

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Mental Attributes:

Aggressiveness: 44

Anticipation: 35

Bravery: 77

Composure: 69

Concentration: 59

Vision: 25

Decisiveness: 38

Determination: 81

Imagination: 15

Influence: 69

Off the Ball Movement: 28

Positioning: 38

Teamwork: 44

Work Rate: 92

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Physical Attributes:

Acceleration: 79

Agility: 45

Balance: 48

Jumping: 75

Stamina: 85

Speed: 90

Endurance: 86

Strength: 84

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Even though he hadn't yet made his first-team debut, everyone knew that Zhang Xu possessed abilities that met the level of the Belgian League B. He just needed an opportunity.

As soon as that opportunity came, he could smoothly transition into the first team and even secure a stable starting position.

Zhang Xu's situation looked very promising, but the same couldn't be said for the head coach, Martin Mazu.

It was September 24, 2011, and the team had played six rounds in the league, accumulating 5 points, ranking 16th. The club, the fans, and even Coach Mazu were dissatisfied with this performance.

The problem lay in the statistics: 17 goals scored in eight matches, averaging 2 goals per game—a potent attack. However, the team had conceded a staggering 21 goals during the same period, five more than they had scored. The defense was leaking goals.

The root cause of this issue wasn't the defenders themselves. The four defenders were experienced veterans who had come up through the ranks with Coach Mazu from the lower divisions. They should be more than capable at the Belgian League B level.

So where was the problem?

The problem lay in the defensive midfielder position.

There was only one defensive midfielder in the team, their captain, Driss.

Driss, at 28 years old, was the team's core, responsible for orchestrating both attacks and defenses. He excelled in offensive organization, contributing significantly to the team's 17 goals.

However, his defensive abilities left much to be desired. He often made critical mistakes, such as poor positioning and lax marking, resulting in frequent goals conceded.

To change the current situation, they needed a protector for Driss, someone who could provide robust defensive support while he was busy organizing attacks.

However, their originally strong protector, Baptiste, was injured. The other players couldn't fill his shoes, so Coach Mazu had to resort to changing formations and adding an extra defender.

Now, it was clear that this strategy wasn't working. Coach Mazu had initially harbored hopes for the defensive midfield formation, but now he had lost all confidence in it. It was time for the team to make a change.

The question was, who would be Driss's protector?

Coach Mazu had already set his sights on a player, recommended by Philip and a member of the U21 team who had joined the club less than three months ago: Zhang Xu, the main defensive midfielder of the U21 team.

Tomorrow was an away game against Tienen. Tienen, also known as KVK, had accumulated 9 points in the previous six rounds, ranking 10th. Tienen was known for being formidable at home but weak away from home. White Star's visit to Tienen meant that the team was under immense pressure.

Coach Mazu knew that if they didn't secure a win against Tienen, and one of the two teams below them in the standings won their match, White Star would fall into the relegation zone.

So, Coach Mazu held a team meeting to boost the players' morale and then announced the squad for the upcoming match.

When Coach Mazu finished announcing the squad, everyone was surprised to find that Zhang Xu was among the names.

Upon learning that he had been officially promoted to the first team and included in the eighteen-man squad for the Tienen game, Zhang Xu was thrilled. He hugged each of his U21 teammates tightly and, on the training ground, jumped and cheered in excitement, not even hearing the usual "ding" sound from the system.

"Congratulations, Mr. Zhang Xu, on completing the first step of the main quest. You've gained one attribute point, and your experience has increased by 200!"

All of Zhang Xu's U21 teammates were envious but harbored no jealousy. They had witnessed Zhang Xu's hard work, noticing that he often completed double the training workload compared to others, with additional training on top of that. Moreover, his rapid progress left no room for resentment.

....

Zhang Xu was on cloud nine as he shared the good news with Mr. and Mrs. James. Mr. James immediately promised to attend the game at Tienen's stadium, regardless of whether Zhang Xu played or not.

"But I don't even know if I'll get to play," Zhang Xu suddenly felt a bit shy.

"Haha, don't worry, I believe in you. You will shine for sure!" Mr. James laughed heartily and took a sip of the local beer from Woluwe.

.....

Tienen's stadium, Stadion Het Kiel, was three times larger than Stade stadium, with a capacity of 7,000 seats, making it one of the larger stadiums in the Belgian League B.

"Hello, Tienen fans! This is your favorite VP, Jerry. Welcome to the magnificent Stadion Het Kiel!" As Zhang Xu and his teammates were going through their pre-game training routines on the pitch, the Tienen fan group coordinator, Jerry, started his antics.

Jerry was undoubtedly a passionate Tienen fan and hardly acknowledged the White Star fans from Woluwe. He directly stated, "We are the proud Tienen fans, and we have the mighty Tienen team! This place is heaven for us Tienen fans because here, we harvest—"

"Victory! Victory! Victory!" Countless Tienen fans erupted in thunderous cheers.

"Yes, we have achieved countless victories in this place! Therefore, it's—"

"Hell! Hell! Hell!" The fans roared angrily, filling the stadium with deafening noise.

"Haha, yes, hell! Alright, welcome the friends from White Star to the harshest—"

"Hell! Hell! Hell!" His words were met with another round of furious howls from the Tienen fans, resonating throughout Stadion Het Kiel.

"It truly is a fortress for the home team! This atmosphere is terrifying!" Forward Henry was startled by the deafening roars from the stadium and inadvertently miskicked the ball, nearly sending it out of bounds. He couldn't help but complain to Zhang Xu.

"Haha, what's there to be afraid of? Challenges like this are exhilarating!" Zhang Xu, who was naturally easygoing, didn't mind these trivial matters and, in fact, relished the excitement of such challenges.

"I envy you for having a big heart!" Henry said in admiration.

....

"Oh, I've just received the unfortunate squad list for White Star. Let's see who these poor souls are."

"Captain, No. 6, Driss, well, this guy is indeed outstanding. Our players must be careful of him!"

"Goalkeeper: No. 1, Kevin. Defenders: No. 2, Alexander; No. 12, Vincent... Hmm, No. 15, Zhang Xu?" The fan coordinator, Jerry, struggled to pronounce Zhang Xu's name and then turned away from the microphone to ask his crew, "Damn, how should this name be pronounced? Also, does anyone know who this damn Zhang Xu is?"

Quickly, someone handed him a dossier about Zhang Xu.

"Zhang Xu? Chinese? Oh, it should be pronounced 'Zhang Xu.' Do Chinese people even play football? Aren't they better at ping pong? White Star must be in desperate need to include a rookie player like him in the eighteen-man squad. Haha!" Jerry taunted, as if he had witnessed the funniest thing in the world.

....

"Bang!"

A loud sound echoed as Zhang Xu's right foot obliterated the ball, sending it flying like a lightning bolt over 30 yards before smashing into the goal.

"Zhang, if you can pull off a shot like that during the match, I believe no one can stop your goals!" Zhang Xu's sudden long-range shot during their warm-up surprised his teammates. Henry even gave him a thumbs-up, genuinely impressed.

"I'll definitely do it!"

Zhang Xu glanced around Stadion Het Kiel, his eyes filled with determination.

The warm-up session quickly came to an end, and all the players returned to the dressing room to listen to the coach's tactical instructions and learn about the starting lineup.

Zhang Xu wasn't included in the starting eleven, which didn't come as a surprise to him. He didn't feel any discontent or disappointment.

....

"Beep!"

With the referee's whistle, the match officially began.

Amidst the roaring cheers of the Tienen fans, the home team took advantage of their home ground and launched an aggressive attack from the very start, putting immense pressure on the White Star defense.

Half an hour into the game, the large scoreboard in the northeast corner of the stadium displayed a score that was particularly glaring to Zhang Xu: 2-0!

Home team in front, away team behind!

Could they really not break Tienen's undefeated record at home?