24: Chapter 24 A Leap Forward

The new season began with a fairly friendly schedule, maintaining a rhythm of one match per week.

This meant that between the intense weekend League matches, precious training days felt particularly luxurious.

Mauricio Pochettino clearly had no intention of wasting a single minute.

Two days after the home draw against Stoke City, the atmosphere at the Harrod Training Center was noticeably more tense than usual.

There was no hysterical shouting, but the air was thick with a silent, gunpowder-scented focus.

The training content had also completely entered the "deep water zone."

If a drone were to fly over the training ground at this moment and tap into Mauricio Pochettino's tactical headset, you would hear an ultimate demonstration of modern football's attacking and defensive philosophy.

The core skeleton: 4-2-3-1. But that was just the static starting point.

When we advance with possession:

The two full-backs become wing-backs and push up boldly, one defensive midfielder drops deep to instantly form a back three with the two center-backs; the formation flows like quicksilver, automatically switching into a highly aggressive 3-4-3 or 3-2-4-1.

It had both width and depth.

When we use High Pressing:

The forwards and attacking midfielders form the first line of strangulation, the overall formation rapidly contracts laterally, turning into a suffocating 4-4-2, like a carefully woven net cast over the opponent's Passing system.

When we drop back to defend: everyone retreats as if electrified, instantly forming a solid 5-4-1 bus, with the two full-backs becoming extra center-backs to block all crossing lanes.

Defense is not just defense; it is the art of attacking as a form of defense.

Mauricio Pochettino's "High Pressing" is not about running around crazily, but a "systematic hunt" with precise logic.

The core: people-oriented, locking down the lines.

It is not about blindly chasing the ball, but through anticipation and coordination, forcing the ball carrier into a preset "dead end," leaving all their Passing options under our control.

But the real trump card is hidden after the press fails.

This is the key that distinguishes the Mauricio Pochettino system from other High Pressing teams and allows it to survive in the intense Premier League—extreme positional discipline and a safety-net design.

Once the front-court press is broken and the opponent sends a penetrating pass, you will see the entire Tottenham team as if the rewind button has been pressed:

3 seconds! In just 3 seconds, the defensive midfielder must retreat like lightning between the two center-backs, instantly forming a back three to plug the half-space gap left by the advancing full-backs—this is the favorite attacking corridor for Premier League opponents.

The two full-backs sprint back to the wing-back positions to compress the defensive width.

And the goalkeeper must play the role of a sweeper, relying on their range and decision-making to become the final insurance policy against the opponent's balls in behind.

Offense rejects ineffective Passing; what is required is a vertical strike that cuts to the bone.

Transition from defense to attack: do not get bogged down in midfield, pursue the fastest speed to get the ball into the opponent's defensive third, and use wing speed or individual ability to execute a "lightning deep strike."

Positional play: Harry Kane transforms into a "False 9," frequently dropping back to midfield or even deeper to receive the ball, luring out the opponent's center-backs to create lethal space for other attackers behind him to run into.

Central penetration: at the edge of the opponent's penalty area, 3-4 attackers form a mobile, tight "wedge" cluster, using dazzling cross-positioning, counter-runs, and one-touch Passing to cut open the opponent's defense with surgical precision.

Width utilization: when the opponent packs the center, the overlapping runs of the full-backs become the key to opening up the game, and their crosses are an important weapon in the tactical system.

This complex, precise tactical system, which relies heavily on overall discipline, positional sense, and split-second decision-making, is more than just an information storm for any new player joining the team. Understanding it takes time; digesting it takes talent; executing it requires instinct ingrained in the bones.

However, as Yu Bai stood on the training ground, listening to the instructions quickly issued by assistant coach Jesús Pérez, mixed with a large amount of Spain tactical terminology, his brain was running at high speed, as clear as if he were reading an open book.

The massive amount of football knowledge instilled by "Memory Bread" was no longer boring theory at this moment.

Every dynamic switch and every positioning requirement in the Mauricio Pochettino system could instantly correspond to the corresponding tactical diagrams, classic historical cases, and theoretical explanations in his mind.

He was not "learning," but rather "verifying" and "activating" existing knowledge.

When the group drills began, Yu Bai's positioning during transitions, his movement and support when off the ball, and his rapid retreat when dropping into defensive positions all exuded a level of appropriateness inconsistent with his status as a "first-team rookie."

During one defensive drill, the opponent attempted to play behind the full-back. As a left winger, the moment possession was lost, Yu Bai did not blindly chase the ball carrier but quickly tucked inside, immediately cutting off the Passing lane the opponent's winger was trying to use to cut inside and connect with the center, forcing them to go outside and winning valuable time for his teammates to track back.

On the sidelines, Mauricio Pochettino, arms crossed, raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly.

In another attacking drill, forming a triangular position on the edge of the penalty area, Yu Bai did not stand still waiting for the ball. Instead, the moment Harry Kane dropped back, he suddenly made a diagonal run into the space Harry Kane had vacated, raising his hand to ask for the ball.

Although the pass didn't reach him in the end, the timing and intention of that run clearly showed his understanding of "creating space."

"Good. Very good, Yu."

Mauricio Pochettino's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears on the focused training ground.

He did not heap excessive praise, but expressed his approval with a simple word and a slight nod.

But this was enough.

For a 17-year-old kid who had only been training with the first team for a few days, being able to keep up with the rhythm in such complex tactical drills, and even occasionally displaying reading ability beyond his experience, was more than just "talented."

It was precisely because of this that for the more formal intra-squad scrimmage on Wednesday, aimed at testing form and tactical execution, Yu Bai's name appeared prominently on the starting lineup for the Blue team, representing the substitute squad. Position: Left Winger.

He would be directly matched up against the Red team's—Kyle Walker.

Before the match started, Kyle Walker stretched his muscles, which were as strong as a cheetah's hind legs, and sauntered over to Yu Bai, wearing his signature smile that was a bit roguish and a bit radiant.

"Hey, Yu, kid."

Kyle Walker nudged Yu Bai with his elbow.

Yu Bai turned his head.

"I can tell, you're very confident in your Dribbling skills."

Kyle Walker tilted his head, a glimmer of challenge in his eyes, "We're matched up today, how about a bet?"

"What kind of bet?"

Yu Bai became interested.

He liked this kind of direct, on-field competition; it was much purer than competing behind the scenes.

"Simple."

Kyle Walker held up two fingers, "In this match, if you can use your Dribbling to get past me properly twice—mind you, clean past me, the kind that leads to an effective attack—after training tonight, I'll drive you to one of the most expensive restaurants in London. You order whatever you want, and I'll pay."

Yu Bai's eyes lit up, and almost without hesitation, he said: "Deal!"

He truly had absolute confidence in his 91-point Dribbling attribute.

Get past Kyle Walker twice? That sounded like an interesting challenge.

"Then what if I lose?"

He still asked as a courtesy, even though he was already simulating in his mind how to get past his opponent definitely more than twice.

Kyle Walker grinned, revealing white teeth: "Well!"

He deliberately dragged out his tone, "You kid have a bright future, you'll definitely be a superstar. If you lose, from now on in front of everyone, remember to call me 'Boss,' how about that? Being my underling, you won't lose out."

Yu Bai understood.

This wasn't malicious suppression; it was more like a unique "initiation ritual" and joke common in Premier League dressing rooms, carrying a sense of camaraderie.

A famous international player willing to make such a bet with a youth academy kid like you was, in itself, a form of disguised recognition and closeness.

He could almost see that many years ago, another veteran similar to Kyle Walker had used a similar method to take a fledgling Kyle Walker under his wing.

This was a legacy, a unique football culture filled with the scent of sweat, grass clippings, and male hormones.

"Sure."

Yu Bai shrugged and accepted readily, even adding: "But Kyle, I think you'd better start thinking about what you're going to treat me to tonight. Does that restaurant's signature dish require a reservation? If it does, make the call now!"

"You brat!"

Kyle Walker laughed loudly and vigorously ruffled Yu Bai's hair, making his already messy black hair even messier, "Big talk! Let me see if your skills are as tough as your mouth!"

In reality, Kyle Walker knew exactly what was going on.

He genuinely liked this kid who had flashy skills, a smart brain, and wasn't afraid of the stage.

Going one-on-one with Yu Bai made him, a top Premier League defender who took pride in his defense, feel like he was "leveling up." Yu Bai's rhythm-changing Dribbling forced him not to rely solely on physicality and speed, but to be more focused and anticipatory.

Of course, he was also genuinely craving the signature tomahawk steak at that restaurant. His girlfriend was on her period today, and since he could only sleep "vegetarian" after dinner, he generally chose to eat with his buddies.

Even if Yu Bai lost, he would still treat him, just to comfort him.

...

"Beep—!"

The whistle for the start of the scrimmage pierced the air of the training ground crisply.

On the sidelines, the lineup was luxurious.

Head of Academy Coaching John McDermott stood with his arms crossed, his expression serious.

U21 coach Ugo Ehiogu and U18 coach Kieran McKenna stood side by side, whispering to each other, their gazes simultaneously locked on the most eye-catching handsome young man on the Blue team.

Further away, first-team manager Mauricio Pochettino sat on his exclusive high-backed chair, hands crossed on his knees, his brows habitually furrowed slightly, like a general surveying a chessboard.

His opinion of Yu Bai was actually very clear: he appreciated his talent and football IQ, but believed he was still "a long way off" from truly making an appearance in the Premier League.

This distance was about physicality, about duels, about experience, and about the ability to translate technique into stable output under high intensity.

He appreciated the tactical comprehension Yu Bai showed in training, but this was not enough to offset those visible shortcomings.

The Premier League is not a playground where you can survive just by having some attacking flair and knowing how to position yourself.

However, fate sometimes likes to play jokes.

Mauricio Pochettino would never think, nor would he believe, at this moment—

That "long distance" in his heart was about to be bridged by the spirited young man on the pitch, in an intra-squad scrimmage, in a jaw-dropping way—

One step, crossed!

The game, begins!