On the pitch!
As Kai's unstoppable free kick found the back of the net…
In the dying moments of the first half…
Bielsa was on the sidelines, shouting hoarsely at his players, urging them to strengthen their attack.
But by the time the first half and stoppage time ended…
Leeds United's aggressive 3-3-1-3 formation still hadn't produced anything meaningful.
With the score at 0–1…
The players from both teams returned to their locker rooms with different expressions on their faces.
At Elland Road, the away fans erupted in cheers and chants!
In the Crystal Palace locker room…
Holloway clapped his hands, reminding the players:
"In the second half, we need to be more decisive! When you get the ball, don't panic. Don't waste the great passes Kai gives you!"
"Ambrose, Clyne — you two better hold down those flanks. If either of you loses your man or gives the ball away again, I swear I'll demote you to the youth squad!"
"Vaughan, be more flexible with your movement! Don't just stand there like a dummy — you're not a stationary striker!"
"And pay attention to Kai's runs. Help take some of the dirty work off him! That way, he can better connect the whole team!"
After finishing, Holloway turned to look at Kai, eyes clearly asking for input.
Millen, standing nearby, couldn't help but chuckle.
At this point, Kai was basically half a coach in the Crystal Palace locker room.
Holloway had gotten used to listening to his suggestions.
Kai shook his head.
"In the second half, stay calm and hold the line — I'll look for opportunities. Don't forget what our goal is this season. It's not just survival — it's promotion!"
"Crystal Palace will win!"
Kai called everyone in and rallied his teammates.
Every player's eyes burned with determination!
In less than two games…
This once "broken and battered" Crystal Palace squad now had unprecedented cohesion!
Meanwhile...
In the Leeds United locker room...
The atmosphere was heavy.
Bielsa stood in the middle of the room with a grim face, putting pressure on his players.
No one dared make a sound.
"You better get used to it. When I coached Argentina's national team, players like Batistuta and Verón — who were far more famous and skilled than any of you — had to take my criticism."
"They accepted it, so you will too."
The assistant coach tried to calm the players down.
...
In the players' tunnel...
Kai walked out from the locker room toward the pitch.
Suddenly—
A faint tingling sensation hit the back of his head!
[Set Piece: 35 → 37!]
Hearing the system prompt in his mind, Kai paused in surprise.
His set-piece attribute... went up by 2 points out of nowhere?
He quickly realized—
It must've been the result of using that "Set Piece Guaranteed Goal" card in the first half!
Using a specific skill card actually boosted the corresponding attribute?
This was an unexpected bonus!
...
Second half.
Beep!
The referee blew the whistle for the restart!
Back on the field after a 15-minute halftime break…
The two teams came out with completely different energy levels!
Crystal Palace's players looked like calves injected with adrenaline — full of life and energy.
Leeds United, on the other hand, appeared sluggish.
Who knows what Bielsa told them at halftime…
But one thing was clear—
The Leeds players were under huge pressure!
Trailing at home, with their own fans booing — that kind of pressure was suffocating.
English fans had no problem booing their own team.
They saw it as a way to "motivate" players.
At the massive Elland Road stadium…
The jeers and noise were endless and deafening.
From kickoff—
Leeds United continued to attack from the flanks.
But unlike the first half…
Bielsa made subtle tactical adjustments, switching out a few players and pulling the attacking midfielder in the 3-3-1-3 formation a bit deeper.
He also brought the two wide midfielders into parallel positions—
A tactic known as "packing the middle."
It was designed to tighten up midfield defense and choke the opposition's build-up.
Bielsa's adjustments showed his class as a manager.
This slight repositioning of just one or two players had a noticeable impact on Crystal Palace's rhythm in the second half!
The most obvious effect?
Kai's space for passing and receiving was drastically reduced.
Leeds had clearly identified the key issue—
In the first half, Crystal Palace's lead came from that one long pass.
And there was no doubt about the initiator of that attack—
Their No. 10, Kai!
So they locked onto him with tight marking.
In the first 20 minutes of the second half…
The referee had to blow the whistle repeatedly, handing out three yellow cards in total!
Kai was fouled over and over.
The away fans erupted in fury!
Their "Eagle King" kept getting chopped down — the fans were livid!
They even started tearing up seats at Elland Road, trying to hurl them at the Leeds bench!
"This is what we expected!"
"Kai is clearly the core of Crystal Palace. And Bielsa's teams are very good at locking down the opposing team's core."
"Back when he coached Argentina, players like Simeone, Samuel, and Zanetti all played similar roles."
"Leeds are doing everything to shut down this 16-year-old prodigy!"
On the field—
Faced with tight defending and high pressure...
Kai adapted — and changed his style on the fly!
He expanded his movement range drastically.
Dropping deeper for passes, running off the ball — he covered every corner of the midfield and defensive zones.
With his "god's-eye view" from the system...
He instantly spotted the weak sides of Leeds' formation.
Constant switches in direction.
Massive off-the-ball running.
Long passes across the field.
Again and again.
Kai's stamina took a hit…
But the Leeds players were much worse off.
Defenders expend far more energy than attackers under this kind of pressure.
In the stands, a German scout's eyes lit up:
"Genius! His play is so imaginative! This is totally a Beckenbauer-style libero performance!"
On the sidelines, Holloway was still focused on analyzing the match…
In front of the Leeds bench, Bielsa had caught on…
But it was too late.
He had no more substitutions left!
The Argentine coach's face turned ashen.
He sensed something big was coming…