Football: Rejecting the national team, I join a European powerhouse63.37%

If it were Messi, what would he do?

If you don't look at the score on the big screen and only focus on the game itself, you would never believe this was already a 4-0 match!

Dortmund looked more like the trailing side, with all their players fully committed to pressing.

The fans in the stands were also waving flags and chanting, acting as the twelfth man.

At this moment, Dortmund was united as one.

However, Dortmund's aggressive pressing in the final moments only provoked the Cologne players even more.

A person lives for dignity, just as a tree stands for its bark!

If they gave up resisting now, they would become the laughingstock of the entire Bundesliga!

So at this moment, they were fighting for their team's honor, for their own pride!

All 21 players on the field were giving it their all.

They were playing even more intensely than at the start!

At 78:35, as soon as Ye Chen got the ball, he was taken down from behind.

Dortmund earned a free kick from 38 meters out.

Of course, without a guaranteed long-shot goal card, Ye Chen didn't even want to try.

At 79:12, Ye Chen dropped back to receive the ball again, but his turning route was blocked. Just as he hesitated, Lanig suddenly rushed in and stole the ball.

Fortunately, Sven Bender chased back with all his might and cleared the ball out of bounds.

But the physically resilient Sven Bender also began cramping.

At 81:24, Klopp made his final substitution.

Nineteen-year-old Moritz Leitner, recently promoted from the reserve team, replaced the exhausted Sven Bender.

Bender was known for his defensive skills, while his attacking ability was barely at a Chinese Super League level. But Leitner, on the other hand, was Dortmund's young midfield prodigy.

Klopp trusted his dribbling and passing skills enough to promote him to the first team.

Before coming on, he had already received Klopp's strict order—get the ball to Ye Chen.

How Ye Chen handled it was up to him!

In the last ten minutes, Klopp wanted to conduct an experiment.

Could Ye Chen serve as the tactical core in Kagawa Shinji's absence?

In fact, Klopp preferred a 4-3-3 over a 4-2-3-1!

Just like the tiki-taka Barcelona was playing, their setup was a true 4-3-3—balanced for both attack and defense.

In a 4-2-3-1, the central attacking midfielder (CAM) doesn't take on too many defensive duties. When out of possession, they often become invisible, effectively making the team one player short.

This was the fundamental reason why traditional playmakers were phased out in later tactical systems!

So Ye Chen's direct competition wasn't just Lewandowski and Barrios—it also included Kagawa, Perišić, and Götze!

Of course, the most successful transformation in later years was Kevin De Bruyne, who evolved from a classic playmaker into an all-around midfielder.

With the ball, he could dribble past opponents and deliver key passes like a traditional CAM.

Without the ball, he could move, support, and press like a defensive midfielder.

When a player develops both physically and technically, they become a threat in all phases—making a versatile midfielder far more useful than a playmaker who only shines when in possession.

But Ye Chen's passing was average, so playing midfield wasn't an option.

Klopp wanted to see if Ye Chen could play as a lone striker.

If that didn't work, he could still try him as a winger!

At just 17 years old, Ye Chen had countless possibilities ahead of him!

After all, Dortmund only had Perišić as a left winger, while Großkreutz and Löwe were far from reliable.

On the field now, Dortmund's midfield trio consisted of Gündoğan, Kehl, and Leitner.

Kehl was defensive, dropping into Bender's role—akin to Busquets at Barcelona.

Gündoğan was the midfield orchestrator—the Xavi equivalent.

Leitner, the secondary playmaker, mirrored Iniesta.

That meant Ye Chen up front was the Messi figure...

A low-budget version, of course, but still an interesting experiment!

In the final minutes, Dortmund dominated possession, but their "budget Messi" struggled to get the ball.

Seeing Ye Chen struggle even to receive passes, Klopp realized he must be crazy to expect a 17-year-old to be the tactical focal point!

Honestly, Klopp knew this experiment was unlikely to succeed—it was just a whim.

But what if?

What if Ye Chen really was suited for this role?

The game remained intense, and whenever Ye Chen got the ball, at least two defenders closed him down—one blocking his turn, another waiting to pounce.

As his stamina dropped, it became even harder for him to turn and face goal.

On the sidelines, Solbakken looked thrilled.

"Well done, boys! Keep him locked down!"

After a frustrating match, Solbakken finally had a reason to smile.

He should have realized this earlier.

The kid was fast, but if they stopped him from accelerating, he'd be neutralized!

Besides, his physique was still lacking.

Though his height was decent, he couldn't shield the ball effectively.

As long as Dortmund tried passing to Ye Chen, Cologne's defenders pressed immediately, denying him any chance to turn.

If a player can't even face the goal, how can they score?

Time ticked away, and suddenly, Solbakken became more animated.

"Stay tight on him! Don't let him near the goal!" he shouted.

Ye Chen glanced at Solbakken, who looked like a clown, and frowned.

Unexpectedly, he was the real clown!

These past few minutes had been miserable.

The frequent fouls made it nearly impossible to get the ball cleanly!

But give up?

No!

As long as the match wasn't over, he wouldn't quit!

On the sidelines, Klopp watched the exhausted Ye Chen and sighed deeply.

He had been too impatient.

After all, Ye Chen was only 17—this was his first Bundesliga start.

The fact that his stamina lasted this long was already incredible.

Yet he had expected him to be the playmaker in the final minutes!

Still, Klopp didn't give up.

He continued clapping on the sideline, urging his players to stay sharp.

Because Ye Chen hadn't given up either—he kept running, searching for an opening!

Gündoğan had the ball, looked at Ye Chen's position, then decided against passing.

After the coach's warning, Cologne's defense became even tighter—upping the markers on Ye Chen from two to three.

One defender stayed behind him, blocking his turn.