"Zhang, go warm up, now! You only have two minutes!" Wilson shouted without hesitation, pointing to the warm-up track beside the field and loudly calling to Zhang Xu.
"YESSIR!" Zhang Xu jumped up excitedly, quickly stripping off his cold-weather gear, and began warming up along the track beside the field.
Dai Dong, since reporting his first news about Zhang Xu, had been appointed as Zhang Xu's dedicated reporter by Xinlang Sports. With Zhang Xu's successful transfer to Sheffield United, Dai Dong naturally followed him from Belgium to Sheffield in the UK.
Despite his confidence in Zhang Xu, there were two things he hadn't anticipated: first, Zhang Xu's special talent application went through very smoothly! The second was that as soon as Zhang Xu's special talent clause was successfully applied, he was included in the 16-man squad for the team's expedition.
Unexpected as it was, Dai Dong was thrilled that Zhang Xu finally had the chance to make a name for himself in the English Football League One, and his news reports were about to enter another explosive phase.
Today, he was also at the Valley Stadium, squatting in the press photo area, waiting for the moment Zhang Xu took the field.
When Philips scored, Dai Dong sensed Zhang Xu might play, and soon enough, his premonition became reality. Zhang Xu began warming up at the signal of coach Wilson.
Dai Dong's heart heated up in excitement. He grabbed the camera hanging in front of him and pressed the shutter towards Zhang Xu's figure.
"We see Sheffield United, after losing a goal, starting to make tactical adjustments, with a player warming up. Hmm? Number 25?" When Zhang Xu jumped up to warm up, the game's live commentator Rodman spotted him immediately and quickly brought over Zhang Xu's information.
"Oh, this is their newest signing. A Chinese player called Zhang Xu. A defensive midfielder, who used to be a member of the Belgian Second Division Woluwe White Star team, and transferred to Sheffield United during the winter break."
"Belgian Second Division? Woluwe White Stars? I'm sorry, but I can only say Sheffield United must be eyeing the huge Chinese market, hence the selection of a Chinese player. Yes, definitely, I've heard there's a team in China that they're collaborating with."
"Anyway, no matter what, I think Charlton's got this game in the bag! Here, we wish Zhang Xu good luck and hope he doesn't get scared off by Charlton's aggressive attack!"
"Zhang, after you go on, your main task is to mark that damn Philips, got it?" Wilson called Zhang Xu back after two minutes, giving him serious instructions.
"No problem at all! Don't worry, boss!" Zhang Xu assured confidently.
"Good! Whether we can come out of this game unscathed depends on you, Zhang, don't let me down! Go on, kid!"
In the 36th minute of the match, just ten minutes before half-time, Zhang Xu officially stepped onto the pitch!
Zhang Xu replaced forward number 17 Cresswell, pairing up with number 14 Williams as dual defensive midfielders, changing the team to a 4-5-1 formation.
As soon as he entered the field, Zhang Xu saw his key mark, Philips, coming towards his defensive area with the ball. He immediately got into the game, lowering his center of gravity, and slowly approached Philips.
Philips, seeing a young Asian player approaching him, couldn't discern anything special about him besides a strong physique.
Seeing this, Philips developed a sense of contempt. He didn't pass the ball but continued forward, leaning his body to the right when he was less than two meters from Zhang Xu.
Zhang Xu was pleased, thinking it was a chance to outplay Philips, and he too shifted slightly to the right.
Philips, thinking Zhang Xu fell for his feint, quickly returned to his position, then pulled the ball with his left foot, planning to pass Zhang Xu on the right.
Philips did get past, but the ball didn't.
With a decisive tackle, Zhang Xu cleanly stole the ball from Philips, took a few steps, and passed it to Williams before Philips could counter-attack.
Williams, receiving the ball, accurately passed it to forward Evans, who shook off his marker and had a shot on goal, but unfortunately, his luck was off today, and the ball was tipped by the opposing goalkeeper Hamel to the baseline, narrowly missing a goal.
"Kid, I'll remember you!" Philips was angry at being intercepted and nearly contributing to an equalizer, so he taunted Zhang Xu.
"You'd better remember me, because I've got you marked this game!" Zhang Xu retorted.
"Hmph! We'll see about that!"
"I'm waiting!"... After several exchanges, the two parted unhappily.
"Nice! Beautiful!" When Zhang Xu intercepted the ball from Philips, coach Wilson couldn't help but shout in praise. Seeing the team's beautiful offensive play and nearly scoring, he cheered up.
There's hope!
Seeing hope, Wilson couldn't sit still. He quickly walked to the edge of the field, shouting to Zhang Xu: "Zhang, well done! Just like that!"
Wilson only received Zhang Xu's focused silence in response.
"This kid!" Wilson shook his head and muttered a teasing scold to his assistant Alan.
"Philips' feint, the opponent fell for it! Breakthrough, successful... uh, the ball's been intercepted! The football was actually taken by that inconspicuous Zhang Xu!" Rodman screamed in disbelief.
"Such an unexpected surprise! Who would've thought Philips would be intercepted by the new youngster!"
"Could this Chinese youngster be Sheffield United's secret weapon?"
Rodman's speculation caught the attention of Charlton fans and also caught Charlton's coach's eye on Zhang Xu.
In the 39th minute, Charlton came back strong.
Still Philips, as the core of the team, not only undertook the task of leading attacks but also played a vital role in organizing the offense.
After getting the ball near the midfield, Philips tried to turn around, but felt like there was a solid wall behind him, preventing a smooth turn.
"Who is this?" Philips controlled the ball and looked back.
"FUCK!" When he saw Zhang Xu's face, Philips couldn't help but swear.
It was Zhang Xu, marking him closely!
"Kid, don't think you can really stop me! I was careless just now!" Philips glared fiercely.
"Oh, is that so? Let's try again then?" Zhang Xu, not one to miss a provocation, responded.
Indeed, Philips, provoked by Zhang Xu, decided to go it alone, determined to outplay him.
If Philips could see the sly smile on Zhang Xu's face at that moment, he would've realized his mistake, and if Pogba, still struggling in Antwerp, saw this, he would've cursed Philips for falling into the trap.
Provoked, Philips decided to take on Zhang Xu directly, determined to showcase his superiority. But as Philips feinted to the right, preparing to outmaneuver Zhang Xu, he found his opponent unshaken, sticking close and ready for any move.
Philips then abruptly shifted to the left, trying to catch Zhang Xu off guard. However, Zhang Xu swiftly extended his left foot, effectively blocking Philips' path. Undeterred, Philips ceased his turn and, with a quick pivot on his left foot, pulled the ball to his right, aiming to bypass Zhang Xu.
Caught with his left foot extended, Zhang Xu faced a split-second decision.
What to do?
For the battle-hardened Zhang Xu, this wasn't a problem. Reacting instinctively, he embraced the momentum from Philips' movement, allowing himself to fall while sweeping his right foot towards the ball. This move, a combination of tactical fall and precise tackle, dispossessed Philips effectively.
"Bang!" "Bang!"
The collision resulted in both players tumbling to the ground, but it was Zhang Xu's teammate, Williams, who emerged with the ball.
It turned out, Zhang Xu's tackle successfully hit the side of the ball, sending it flying out. Philips, tripped by Zhang Xu's right foot, lost his balance and fell alongside Zhang Xu.
"Heh, kid, can you only stop me by fouling?" Philips got up, smirking at Zhang Xu.
"Foul? Are you talking about me?" Zhang Xu, preparing to get up and coordinate with Williams, asked in confusion after hearing Philips' accusation.
"Of course! You just tripped me! If that's not a foul, what is?"
Zhang Xu was speechless. Shaking his head, he simply ran off.
Philips, puzzled, watched the still-moving football, mumbling: "Wasn't that a foul? Why didn't the referee blow the whistle and give us the ball?! Is this a rigged match?!"