Unsurprisingly, Borussia Dortmund successfully advanced to the German Cup semi-finals. Led by Jin Hayes, the rotated Borussia Dortmund squad easily defeated Hamburg 3-0. Although Hamburg's forward Son Heung-min created several threats, his shots became increasingly unconfident and failed to test Roman Weidenfeller. Jin Hayes's incredible dipping shot crushed Hamburg's resistance. In the second half, he assisted substitute forward Bajram Sadrijaj, who scored twice.
In this match, Jürgen Klopp sat on the coach's bench throughout, with his legs crossed, observing coolly. Hamburg's formation clearly indicated they had given up on the Cup and were fully focused on Bundesliga survival. They were currently ranked 13th in the Bundesliga, just a stone's throw from the relegation zone. When it's a matter of life and death, who would still want to play in the German Cup? It was completely normal for Son Heung-min and other youth academy players to start and be beaten 3-0 by Borussia Dortmund. Sending Jin Hayes out was already Borussia Dortmund's greatest sincerity.
After the match, Jin Hayes felt full of energy, as if he could play another 120 minutes. After all, their opponents were Hamburg youth academy players, so he didn't expend too much energy. Now he even had enough mental strength to execute a perfect free kick if needed.
"Um, excuse me," a voice called out.
"What?" Turning his head, the young-faced Son Heung-min hesitantly approached.
"Hello, can we swap jerseys?"
"Sure." From initially mocking Jin Hayes's missed shots to now being completely humbled, Son Heung-min's complex emotional journey occurred within a mere 90 minutes. He worried that Jin Hayes might hold a grudge over his earlier mockery and refuse to swap with him. In reality, Jin Hayes had even forgotten about him. The strong don't bother with the weak. Jin Hayes's targets were superstars like Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Xavi, and Andrés Iniesta. Son Heung-min wasn't on the same level as him. Swapping jerseys was just like giving a match-worn jersey to a fan as a token.
"Thank you." Son Heung-min bowed deeply. He had made up his mind to meticulously study every one of Jin Hayes's movements and become a shining star like him.
In South Korea, the various bars in downtown Seoul that should have been lively late at night had turned silent. A match promoted with such fanfare for a week, and this was the result? The Korean hope, Son Heung-min, performed adequately, but his performance was completely incomparable to Jin Hayes's. In the SPOTV studio, the atmosphere was awkward. The commentators and guest Cha Bum-kun didn't know how to salvage the broadcast. Their pre-match rhetoric, which had hyped up the atmosphere, had all become boomerangs hitting them in the head.
"It's regrettable that Son lost today. Chinese player Jin Hayes is indeed excellent. However, I believe that in the future, Son will definitely become an even better star and one day be able to compete with Jin Hayes—"
Really? Even the arrogant Korean fans were bewildered. This "East Asian Derby" had become a farce. Fortunately, it was only self-indulgence among Korean domestic fans, otherwise, how embarrassing would it be if it got out. The neighbouring football, which had been looked down upon for many years, suddenly rode high above them. The only thing worth celebrating was that Jin Hayes had not yet joined the national team.
Little did they know, some Chinese netizens were lurking on Korean forums, witnessing the entire joke. They all cut screenshots of the TV broadcast and the tearful complaints and expressions of adoration from Korean forum users into long images, and posted them on popular communities like Tieba, Tianya, and Xici Hutong, triggering a wave of domestic netizens to mock and gossip.
Jin Hayes had been focusing on preparing for the Champions League match against Manchester United for the past two weeks, so he didn't have the time to follow the online gossip in the Chinese internet. His passionate speech in the locker room earlier had slightly boosted his teammates' morale. But from a tactical perspective, Manchester United was indeed the strongest opponent Borussia Dortmund had encountered so far.
If the struggling Real Madrid in the group stage was rated 7.5, Juventus 8, and Arsenal 8.5, Manchester United could probably get a 9.8 rating. If the opponent's rating reached 10, Jin Hayes wouldn't even be confident of winning. Now, there was still a bit of a chance.
Manchester United's left winger Ryan Giggs was already 36, midfielder Paul Scholes 35, starting right-back Gary Neville 34, starting centre-back Rio Ferdinand 31, and goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar 39. These players over 30 years old occupy starting or key positions, indicating Manchester United's challenges in squad regeneration.
Borussia Dortmund's youth storm was a double-edged sword. Youth meant impulsiveness and unstable form, but it also meant passion, attacking power, and superior running ability.
Assuming the entire team could elevate to Premier League tempo, just like the last match against Arsenal, continuously attacking using quick transitions between offence and defence and passing combinations, Manchester United's aging defence might show a crack. Jin Hayes thought so and was planning to find an opportunity to talk to Klopp about it.
Unexpectedly, during the tactical training session the next day, Jürgen Klopp proactively gathered the players.
"Relax, sit down, let's talk while sitting." Klopp was the first to sit cross-legged on the grass. The other players, not understanding why, simply sat down to rest for a while.
"Do you think the current game tempo is fast?"
"It's pretty fast, I guess." As the midfield commander, Nuri Şahin had the most to say. "In the Bundesliga, we are considered the team with the fastest offensive and defensive tempo. Our counter-attack duration and number of transitions are always leading."
Klopp nodded. Şahin was right. The reason Borussia Dortmund attracted many new fans this season and gradually gained popularity overseas, beyond Jin Hayes's growing reputation, was their overall fast‑paced, aggressive style of play. No matter which team they faced, everyone would rush forward in a frenzy, playing balls behind the defence with little regard for the success rate. Just through‑balls behind the defence. If possession was lost, they would immediately use high‑pressing, relentless chasing to win the ball back. Such end‑to‑end matches were often thrilling and highly entertaining.
The Borussia Dortmund players all thought that the team's tempo was already very fast, practically a Premier League team in the Bundesliga. But Klopp stroked his stubble, deep in thought. "I feel we're not fast enough yet. We can actually be faster."
"Huh? Faster?" The Dortmund players looked at each other, confused. How could they be faster? They felt they were already pushing the limits of the game's speed.
Seeing everyone's puzzled expressions, Klopp quickly explained. "I don't mean mindless speed. I mean—everyone remembers the match against Arsenal, right?"
Of course, the first leg against Arsenal was memorable. Both sides played like madmen, completely abandoning defensive caution and engaging in a crazy attacking duel. "Did you feel that Arsenal was a bit faster than you?"
"This—" Thinking about it carefully, it was indeed true. Arsenal didn't always pass directly; they also had sideways and backward passes for distribution. But precisely in counter‑attacks, their speed was faster than Borussia Dortmund's, and they were more fluid. In the same match, the contrast was very obvious. Borussia Dortmund's counter‑attacks seemed fierce, but in reality, there was still a certain sense of delay, always feeling like something was missing.
The players couldn't figure out what was going on for a moment, then Jin Hayes suddenly spoke from where he was sitting: "The detailed handling of passing and receiving."
"Bingo, that's it." As expected of his favourite student, Klopp was very pleased. "Whether you're passing or receiving, you still tend to observe first, then receive the ball, then control it, then adjust, and then pass—the entire process quickly takes one or two seconds, slowly three to five seconds. Many opportunities are delayed because of this."
Why could Jin Hayes repeatedly seize opportunities and create threats? His exceptional ball control completely eliminated unnecessary handling actions. Every touch, every dribble, every pass, was completed with the minimal adjustments and the most fluid execution to achieve the best effect. Including the midfield operation, Jin Hayes repeatedly used one‑touch passes to help the team organise.
Setting aside the accuracy and threat of his one‑touch passing for a moment, his passing speed was absolutely the fastest on the team; Nuri Şahin and İlkay Gündoğan couldn't achieve this effect. Klopp couldn't even imagine—if Jin Hayes improved his passing skills, and one day his one‑touch passes could create some exquisite plays, his overall threat would increase exponentially. Some of his current passes already showed glimpses of that brilliance.
The reason Klopp placed Jin Hayes in the attacking midfielder's number 10 position, rather than as a winger, was precisely because he saw his passing potential. The current Jin Hayes was definitely not in his strongest form.
"But coach, many movements have become habits, and it will probably be very difficult to adjust them in a short time." Captain Sebastian Kehl raised a question. He understood these principles. The tempo in La Liga, Bundesliga, and Serie A was slower, giving players enough time to control the ball, observe, and then pass to organise. Rushing a one‑touch pass could easily lead to losing possession and seem overly reckless.
Klopp's intention was to have them learn from Arsenal and Barcelona, improving efficiency through fluid one‑touch passing combinations. Combining the art of pass‑and‑move football from those two teams with Borussia Dortmund's wild attacking style, to form an unstoppable, storm‑like offence. It sounded beautiful, but in reality, it wasn't that simple. It would be genuinely difficult to adjust passing habits in a short time, and it might even turn the team into a hodgepodge.
"Let's try it today and get a feel for it." Klopp brushed the grass off his legs and stood up. "Don't expect to change in two weeks. We just need to improve a little, to execute a few perfect attacks at crucial moments."
His eyes gleamed with a determined look, a grim smile spread across his lips, and he fiercely struck his left palm with his right fist: "We'll have a chance to take down the defending champions."