What is an attacking defensive midfielder?

Chapter 1: The Lucky Kid Who Helped His Team Get Promoted to the 2. Bundesliga

On July 10, 2014, RB Leipzig played a friendly match against Queens Park Rangers in the German second division.

As they walked out of the player tunnel, Hao Ren tossed a jacket to Kimmich: "Hey, here's the jacket you wanted, Chicken Bro."

"Oh, thanks!"

Kimmich put on the jacket Hao Ren had tossed him. "So, how are you feeling today?"

The preseason friendlies are very important for Hao Ren, as his performance in these friendlies will directly determine whether he gets playing time in the official league.

"I don't know, oh well, let's give it a try."

Hao Ren sat next to Kimmich: "Ralf is obsessed with offense. Our styles don't match. He's not going to kick me out, is he?"

Hao Ren was a little nervous. It would be too embarrassing to be fired because of the coaching change.

"Definitely not."

Kimmich shook his head. "Don't be so nervous."

Ok.

Hao Ren sighed.

No matter what the new coach is like, Kimmich doesn't need to worry, because he has basically secured a starting position on the team.

Hao Ren's situation is different, or rather, his situation is very complicated.

He transferred from Evergrande U17 to RB Leipzig last season. At that time, Leipzig was still playing in the third division, and the club's positioning of Hao Ren was "third division substitute".

As a result, an unexpected event occurred last season: Leipzig players had a breakout season and were promoted directly to the 2. Bundesliga.

It seems Hao Ren has become a player in the German second division, which is indeed good news.

But in reality, this upgrade is the root cause of Hao Ren's current awkward situation:

He could have been a good substitute in the 3rd division, but now that the team has been promoted to the 2nd division, he may not even get a chance to come on as a substitute!

"Beep!"

As the whistle blew, the starting players from both teams walked out of the tunnel in an orderly fashion.

Hao Ren took a deep breath.

There's no rush, let's watch the game first.

……

Meanwhile, in China.

[Live Broadcast: RB Leipzig vs. Queens Park Rangers - Pre-season Friendly]

This was a very unexpected match, but it garnered widespread attention from Chinese fans for various reasons, including the young commentator Wang Chao.

"Roar!"

"Brothers, it's me again!"

Wang Chao rubbed his hands together in the live stream: "I searched for two hours, and this should be the clearest video source. You guys think I'm good to you?"

"This is Leipzig's third preseason friendly. They have a record of one win and one draw in the previous two, so I am quite optimistic that Leipzig will win this one."

"2-0, or 3-0!"

Young anchor Wang Chao offered his expert opinion, but the viewers' attention was drawn to something else.

[Holy crap, there's a Chinese guy on the bench?]

[They have Asian features, but aren't necessarily Chinese.]

[This is Hao Ren, he used to be in the Evergrande youth training program. You guys don't know him, why are you playing Happy Beans?]

Wow, so China has players in the German second division? Then why didn't we qualify for the World Cup?

To be precise, he was a substitute in the 3rd division, but luckily he was promoted to the 2nd division along with the team. They say he was a chosen one, blessed with good fortune.

I'm betting 5 yuan directly; Hao Ren won't be able to play today.

"Hao Ren..."

Looking at the familiar faces on the screen, Wang Chao squinted.

He knew about the player Hao Ren.

Last season, Hao Ren's transfer to RB Leipzig caught Wang Chao's attention, and Wang Chao also hoped to become famous by broadcasting Hao Ren's games live.

But things got worse later. While watching the game, Wang Chao gradually discovered that the team bought Hao Ren purely to use as a substitute, which resulted in Hao Ren having very little playing time. After that, nothing came of it.

Although it's a bit of a shame, this guy was still pretty lucky, managing to get promoted to the 2. Bundesliga along with his team.

"Actually, we can have some hope. I think Hao Ren is quite good."

"His interception skills are truly top-notch! Pure talent, I guess."

As they were talking, the camera focused on a guy in a suit in front of the Leipzig bench.

With typical European features, this is Ralf Rangnick, RB Leipzig's new coach this season.

"You all say that Rangnick is an offensive player, but I'm curious, where did you hear about him from?"

"I've never even heard of him."

Wang Chao didn't know Rangnick, but his line of work was all about meticulousness.

Whether Rangnick is good or bad, we'll only know after the game is over!

"The attack on Queen's Park!"

"Leipzig's number 31! Demme, Demme made a defensive mistake!"

"Look at Sebastian in the back line!"

Sebastian stood in the penalty area, trying to block the attacking player's shooting angle, but he failed.

Goal!

"Depend on!"

"RB Leipzig has conceded a goal!"

"I told you so, this Rangnick isn't even a coach, I've never even heard of him!"

"fraud!"

"Depend on!"

Bang bang bang!

Wang Chao slammed his fist on the table in anger: "Why doesn't Leipzig hurry up and change coaches before the season even starts? This Rangnick is really no good."

"This Dem is no good either. I said last season that he was terrible. Quickly bring up Hao Ren and let them see what a standard defensive midfielder interception looks like."

The live stream was filled with insults, and the second half quickly followed.

Around the 72nd minute, Hao Ren, whom the fans had been eagerly anticipating, finally made his appearance.

"Here it comes!"

"Rangnick was smart this time, knowing to bring on Hao Ren."

"The great RB Leipzig No. 20!"

Hao Ren and Dem clapped, while Rangnick kept telling him something, "Remember what I said in training, pay attention to pressing!"

On the surface, Hao Ren nodded in agreement, but in reality, he was somewhat flustered.

As a defensive midfielder, pressing in the attacking third is really not his forte!

"..."

"Pulsen is pressing!"

"Leipzig is putting a lot of pressure on us!"

"Holy crap, guys, is this the legendary attacking football?!"

"Pulsen made a mistake!"

Leipzig's striker's mistake gave the opponent an opportunity, and Queens Park Rangers launched the ball from their own half.

They're about to attack!

"Chicken Bro!"

Hao Ren called out, and Kimmich understood, stepping aside to give his position to Hao Ren.

Seeing the ball rapidly descending through the air, Hao Ren extended his right foot and steadily stopped it.

!

The opponent accelerated to steal the ball, and Hao Ren quickly passed it to Kimmich before retreating.

"pretty!"

Rangnick was clearly somewhat surprised by Hao Ren's performance.

However, just minutes later, Rangnick's attitude changed.

"Go up and force them to surrender!"

"Don't stand too far back! Everyone move to the front; there's no point in you just standing there like an idiot!"

"..."

"Beep, beep beep!!!"

The match ended in a 1-1 draw between Leipzig and Queens Park Rangers, thanks to a late goal from Poulsen.

"Hao Ren, what a pity..."

"Actually, I think Hao Ren's defensive performance today was pretty good, but his offense was a bit lacking. He seemed to be struggling to keep up with his teammates and coach's pace."

Wang Chao sighed.

Hao Ren was already sweating profusely on the field. His playing style was completely opposite to that of the coach, which made him feel a lot of pressure with every move he made.

Just then, Kimmich walked over, and Hao Ren was about to discuss his thoughts on the game with his friend.

Just as Hao Ren raised his hand to greet Kimmich, a line of transparent text suddenly appeared in front of him.

You have received a new mission.

……