Chapter 233 226: Monstrous Genius

On the morning of the 15th.

As Yang Yang stepped out of his house with his duffel bag, he saw Maxwell pulling his car over across the street.

"Hey, man! It's a new day, give it your all!"

The Brazilian left-back shouted to Yang Yang, rolling down his window.

"You too," Yang Yang replied with a smile and a wave.

The night before, as soon as Yang Yang got back, his two best friends, Maxwell and Vermaelen, heard the news. They ended up talking all night about the recent shake-ups at Ajax.

The transfer window had closed with no new arrivals or departures for Ajax, but there were some changes to the coaching staff.

Ronald Koeman, dissatisfied with the first team's fitness coach, had specifically poached his former assistant from Vitesse: forty-two-year-old Dutch coach Jan Kruitenberg.

According to the gossip Maxwell had heard, this fitness coach was no ordinary guy. He was supposedly an important member of the International Society of Performance Analysis of Sport. Ronald Koeman had poached him for Vitesse back in the summer of 2000, and he was a key figure behind Vitesse's excellent performance the following season.

After Ronald Koeman took the helm at Ajax, he had always wanted to bring him over but never had the opportunity. This time, with some issues arising from the fitness coach's work, Koeman seized the chance to make a switch.

From the way Maxwell and Vermaelen talked about it, this new fitness coach seemed to be the real deal.

In addition to Jan Kruitenberg, the team also created a new position for a physical conditioning coach.

Winston Bogard, a thirty-one-year-old from Amsterdam, Netherlands. He was formally trained, having graduated from the University of Turin, which is renowned for its sports science program. Afterward, he studied under the famous European fitness coach Claudio Gaudino at Juventus. Gaudino himself had previously been a professor at the University of Turin.

Interestingly, after leaving Juventus, Bogard left the world of football and worked as a personal trainer in Amsterdam for three years. Then, he joined the Dutch National Team as a rehabilitation therapist for two years. He left that post after this summer's European Cup and was hired as Ajax's physical conditioning coach in September.

"He's a full 1.9 meters tall and incredibly built. You could call him the team's number one beast—even Charisteas admits he can't compare," Maxwell said, his voice full of admiration.

By replacing the fitness coach and adding a physical conditioning coach, Ronald Koeman was clearly trying to turn around the team's terrible situation.

However, Yang Yang had no reason to worry. The assistant coach he was closest to, Luther Carroll, had also seen his authority strengthened. He still held duties for both the first team and the youth academy and remained Ronald Koeman's right-hand man.

Given Yang Yang's current standing in the team, no change in staff was likely to affect him.

...

...

Maxwell was a genuinely good person.

You could tell just by the fact that he drove his two Brazilian compatriots to and from training every day—and Filipe Luís was even his rival for the same position.

After watching the three of them drive off, Vermaelen quickly came downstairs and drove Yang Yang straight to De Toekomst.

Yang Yang had called Ronald Koeman and Luther Carroll after arriving in Amsterdam the previous afternoon, so everyone knew he would be at the club this morning. No one was surprised to see him.

Teammates like Sneijder, Pinaar, Heitinga, and De Jong were a little surprised, but mostly, they were just happy to see him.

For an Ajax in its current state, Yang Yang's return was like a ray of light in the darkness.

The team's best stretch of play this season had been during the four matches Yang Yang had been in the lineup.

Their record over those four games was two wins, one draw, and one loss. The single loss had been against La Liga powerhouse Valencia, the "Bat Army." Ranieri's squad was currently second in La Liga, having only one more draw than Barcelona, which spoke volumes about their strength.

"It's great to have you back. The next few matches are going to be tough," Sneijder said, relieved.

"Yeah, we have a home game against Roda JC tomorrow. A lot of our guys just played for their national teams, but Roda JC is well-rested. After that, we have another home game against Maccabi Tel Aviv, and we absolutely cannot afford to lose that one."

It went without saying how important the Champions League was for Ajax.

The team's draw this season had been terrible. They were grouped with both Bayern Munich and Juventus, which was an absolute nightmare. Juventus was one of the most powerful teams in European football today—you could even say they *were* the most powerful.

While Bayern Munich might not have been the powerhouse they once were, their strength was still exceptional. Ajax had lost to them 0-4 on the road, a complete and utter rout that left the team at the bottom of the group standings.

If they couldn't turn things around in the home match against Maccabi Tel Aviv, the team would likely be eliminated.

"Don't worry. We've faced tough situations like this before. We'll give it everything we've got," Yang Yang said confidently.

Sneijder and the others all nodded in agreement.

The team had lost a lot of strength over the summer. It would be arrogant to claim they could compete with Juventus and Bayern Munich, but if they couldn't even manage a win against Maccabi Tel Aviv, it would be a massive disappointment.

...

...

Having put his things away, Yang Yang left the locker room and headed straight for the medical office for an examination by the team doctor.

To his surprise, besides the familiar team doctor, there was another man in the medical office. He was middle-aged, with slightly graying hair and a somewhat slender build. He smiled and approached Yang Yang as soon as he walked in.

"Hello, Yang. I'm the new fitness coach, Jan Kruitenberg. I'm responsible for the first team's fitness training."

"Oh, hello, Mr. Kruitenberg. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Kruitenberg said with a nod. "I'm here today mainly to get an understanding of your physical condition. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course, of course. I feel like I'm in great shape right now."

Kruitenberg just smiled slightly without responding.

The media had been abuzz with stories of Yang Yang traveling thousands of kilometers back and forth to play for his country. Kruitenberg had been following the news, so of course he knew.

In just a few days, he had flown from Malaysia to Beijing, then to Amsterdam, on to Kuwait City, and finally back to Amsterdam. Kruitenberg absolutely refused to believe that anyone could be in "great shape" after such a grueling journey.

In his view, it would be impressive enough if Yang Yang's body was simply up to match standards.

The team doctor then began a very detailed physical examination of Yang Yang. As the data came in, Kruitenberg's expression grew increasingly serious.

"What's going on?" the head of the medical department asked, perplexed.

"Are you sure this data is correct?" Kruitenberg asked, astonished.

"Impossible. The equipment was just serviced. There's no way it's malfunctioning this soon."

Kruitenberg looked at the bare-chested Yang Yang in the examination room, his brow furrowed. "Run the tests again."

Incorrect data could lead the coaching staff to make the wrong decisions, and that was something Kruitenberg was not willing to risk.

"Sorry, Yang. There seems to be an issue with the data. We need to run the tests one more time."

From inside the exam room, Yang Yang smiled and gave an "OK" sign. This left a good impression on Kruitenberg; at the very least, the kid was humble.

Soon enough, the results from the second test came back nearly identical to the first.

Now Kruitenberg was starting to believe it, but he was more puzzled than ever.

"You really don't feel anything unusual with your body?" Kruitenberg asked, still concerned.

After all, it just didn't seem scientific. After so much long-distance travel and playing so many matches, his numbers couldn't possibly be this good.

"Nothing unusual," Yang Yang said, having also seen the data. "Actually, they're already a bit worse than my usual numbers."

Kruitenberg knew, of course, that Yang Yang wasn't in peak condition, but these numbers didn't look like they belonged to a player who had just completed a grueling travel schedule. They were even better than the stats of the national team players who had just played home games for the Dutch National Team!

"It probably has to do with my sleep. I basically fall asleep the moment I get on a plane," Yang Yang said with a chuckle.

It was his go-to excuse, and it had never failed him.

Yang Yang's sleeping habits were a running joke within the Ajax team. He would fall asleep on almost every long bus trip, and he slept so soundly that he wouldn't wake up unless someone shook him.

Kruitenberg had heard about this, but it was still strange to witness it firsthand.

"By the way, Mr. Kruitenberg…"

"You can just call me Jan."

"Jan... in a few days, I'll be eighteen. I was wondering, would it be possible to add some more strength training to my regimen?"

Hearing this, Jan Kruitenberg shifted his focus from the data to Yang Yang himself. He looked him up and down before nodding. "You are a bit on the slender side."

"I'm confident that if I can improve my physical strength and ability to handle contact, I can perform even better than I do now," Yang Yang said, full of conviction.

Kruitenberg glanced back at Yang Yang's test data in his hand and nodded. "Based on these numbers, it's certainly possible. But I'll need to discuss it thoroughly with the head coach, the rest of the coaching staff, and the technical team before I can give you a definitive answer."

Yang Yang nodded. That was the Ajax way—meticulous and responsible.

"I hear you have a habit of putting in extra training?"

"Yeah."

"For how long?"

Yang Yang thought for a moment. "For the past year and a half, I've done extra training every morning when I wake up and after every single practice session."

"What?" Kruitenberg was stunned. He stared at Yang Yang in disbelief, as if looking at some kind of freak.

'He's lying.' That was his first reaction.

'Who could possibly keep up a routine like that?'

But when he glanced at the other staff in the medical office and saw that none of them looked surprised, he instantly realized it was the truth.

The realization made the fitness coach feel a sense of defeat.

"Alright," he said. "I suggest you go find the physical conditioning coach. He's in the gym right now. He has highly specialized knowledge, and training for physical strength and speed is his forte. I recommend you go have a proper consultation with him."

Yang Yang was overjoyed. "Thank you, Jan!"

Watching Yang Yang leave, Jan Kruitenberg shook his head and gave a wry smile. "Are you guys sure he's only seventeen? And not some kind of monster?"

"No," the head of the medical office said with a laugh. "He's a genius. A hardworking and dedicated genius."