120: "Games" Beyond the Board (Part 1)

On the morning of September 14th, the Phoenix Training Center was still enveloped in a thin mist.

Lin Feng stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of his office, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand.

The report on last night's cyber attack lay quietly on his desk; those dense IP addresses and technical jargon might just be a meaningless jumble of numbers to most people.

But Lin Feng knew in his heart that this was no ordinary malicious attack.

“London and Los Angeles,” he repeated the two place names softly, his gaze passing through the glass towards the distant training ground.

There, the players were conducting their morning practice, and Vardy’s figure was particularly active on the green field.

Everything looked so calm, as if last night's cyber world had no connection to reality.

Lin Feng put down his coffee cup and walked to the desk.

He picked up the desk phone and dialed the internal line for the technical department.

“Martin, it’s me.”

A slightly nervous voice came from the other end of the phone: “Mr. Lin, about last night’s attack…”

“Upgrade all protection levels,” Lin Feng’s voice was surprisingly calm, “and re-encrypt all sensitive data.

Remember, it’s not for defense, but to let them know we are prepared.”

“Understood, Mr. Lin.”

After hanging up the phone, Lin Feng returned to the window.

He wasn't worried about these so-called hacker attacks; to some extent, they were even within his expectations.

When Sophie's article propelled him onto a larger stage, it was natural that some would become curious about this “shadow coach.”

They wanted to understand what secrets this mysterious business magnate possessed.

But all of Lin Feng's energy was currently focused on another battlefield—tomorrow’s match against Oldham.

The aura of five consecutive victories was dazzling, but he knew that such achievements were often a double-edged sword.

Victory brought excitement, but it could also lead to complacency.

And a “tough nut” team like Oldham was best at creating problems for technical teams.

Lin Feng walked out of the office and headed straight for the training ground.

The September sun was gradually dispelling the morning fog, and dewdrops still sparkled on the tips of the grass.

The players had already started their warm-up training, and Old John was directing the group drills from the sidelines.

“John,” Lin Feng walked up to him, his voice not loud, but clear enough for the coach to hear.

Old John immediately ran over, his face bearing his usual respectful expression: “Mr. Lin, do you have any instructions?”

“Today’s training, I want you to increase the intensity of physical confrontation.”

Lin Feng’s gaze swept over the players practicing passing, “Have Shawcross and Smalling press Vardy and Maloney more closely on defense.”

Old John nodded, but a hint of confusion flashed across his face: “Are you worried about Oldham’s physical play?”

“Not just worried,” Lin Feng turned to him, his eyes holding a unique depth, “Oldham’s style of play is simple, but very effective.

They will use the most primitive methods to limit our technical play.”

Lin Feng walked towards the tactical instruction area, where a portable whiteboard and magnetic tactical markers were placed.

“Gather everyone.”

The whistle blew, and the players quickly gathered.

Vardy ran at the front, his face still flushed from the morning practice.

“Boss,” he greeted breathlessly, and other players also gathered around.

Lin Feng stood in front of the whiteboard, picking up a marker pen.

He didn't rush to speak, but first observed the expression of each player.

Henderson looked very excited, clearly still immersed in the joy of the last victory.

Tinkler was relatively calmer, but a confident light twinkled in his eyes.

Sigurdsson still wore his indifferent expression, as if victory or defeat was always expected for him.

“Tomorrow’s opponent is very special.” Lin Feng drew a simple formation on the whiteboard, “Oldham won’t play a passing game with us; they will deal with us in the most direct way.”

He drew a few crosses in the center circle: “Long balls, physical confrontation, aerial bombardment.

It sounds primitive, but many technical teams have suffered losses against such a style of play.”

The players’ expressions began to turn serious.

“So what’s the focus of today’s training?” Vardy asked.

“Adapting to confrontation,” Lin Feng’s answer was concise and powerful, “I want you to maintain the accuracy of your technical movements even under high-intensity physical contact.”

For the subsequent training, Lin Feng deliberately arranged high-intensity confrontation drills.

Shawcross and Smalling were instructed to “brutally” press Vardy and Maloney closely, simulating situations they might encounter in a match.

In the first confrontation, Vardy lost his balance under Shawcross’s tight marking, and the ball was dispossessed.

“Again,” Lin Feng said calmly from the sidelines.

The second time, Maloney tried to break through Smalling’s defense, but clearly struggled in the physical contact.

“Continue.”

The repeated confrontation drills gradually allowed the players to adapt to this high-intensity physical contact.

Vardy began to learn how to protect the ball in confrontations, and Maloney also found ways to use his technique to avoid collisions.

“Very good.” Lin Feng nodded, then turned his attention to the midfield.

“Jordan, Mark,” he called out to Henderson and Tinkler, “come over.”

The two midfielders jogged over to him.

“In tomorrow’s match, I want you to reduce unnecessary dribbling,” Lin Feng’s tone was very serious, “One-touch passing, simple and clear.

Our technique is used to evade confrontation, not to show off.”

Henderson nodded thoughtfully: “You mean, you want us to play more directly?”

“Not more directly, but smarter,” Lin Feng corrected, “When an opponent wants to engage you in physical confrontation, the best way to respond is not to go head-to-head, but to make the ball move faster than them.”

Halfway through the training, a black Mercedes sedan drove into the training center’s parking lot.

The car door opened, and a middle-aged man in a suit stepped out.

That was David Watson, an examiner from The FA, who had come specifically today to conduct Lin Feng's FA Level 2 certificate assessment.

“David,” Lin Feng walked over and shook his hand, “Thank you for making the special trip.”

Watson shook his head: “Mr. Lin, being able to witness your coaching again is also a learning experience for me.”

Since the previous Level 1 certificate assessment, Watson had been very impressed with Lin Feng.

His ability to articulate complex tactical theories in a simple manner was rare in English football.

“What practical topic have you prepared today?” Watson inquired.

“How to defend against aerial balls,” Lin Feng’s answer made Watson’s eyes light up.

“Aerial ball defense?” Watson’s interest was piqued; this was one of the “old staples” of English football, and also the area that most tested a coach’s skill.

Lin Feng re-gathered the players and began this special “open lesson.”