Super Wingstorm

”Who is he?”

Seeing Baken Academy make a substitution, everyone from Omni-Bass watched intently. The head coach, in particular, found the East Asian player with black hair standing on the sideline completely unfamiliar. His files contained no information on this person.

”No idea. Never seen him before,” his assistant replied, equally clueless.

They were, after all, just an academy team. Their intelligence gathering wasn’t on the level of a professional club. At best, they could get the starting lineups from Baken Academy’s past few games and some general player information. As for Yang Yang, who had never even made Baken Academy’s roster, they knew nothing.

”Probably just some last-minute call-up to fill the numbers,” the assistant said dismissively.

With both their starting and backup right-backs injured in succession, Baken Academy had suffered a devastating blow. Coincidentally, Omni-Bass’s strength was their left-wing attack. This was the perfect opportunity to press their advantage and secure a massive victory.

The head coach nodded in agreement. For Dick Van Puer to use him now was a move born of pure desperation.

At that thought, he immediately walked to the sideline and signaled for his players to continue hammering the left flank.

Today, he was going to crush his city rivals on their home turf and give his team a huge morale boost.

......

......

”Why sub *him* in?” Henk Demyer couldn’t believe his eyes.

At a time like this, Dick Van Puer was actually putting in a rookie?

’Has he already given up on this game?’

”What’s going on?”

”Why would Van Puer make a substitution like that?”

”How can they let *that* guy play?”

”It’s over, it’s over. With him on the field, we’re definitely going to lose.”

A chorus of groans erupted from his teammates around him.

Although Yang Yang had shown obvious improvement in training recently, it couldn’t erase how terrible he’d been before. He had left a lasting negative first impression on his teammates. Everyone had already written him off. Combined with his conflicts with players like Henk Demyer, it meant no one trusted him in the slightest.

With his awful fundamentals and clumsy performance in practice, who would dare to believe in him?

”Forget all that. We have to stabilize our formation as quickly as possible, make sure we don’t concede again, and then fight for an equalizer,” Henk Demyer said, gritting his teeth.

After a pause, he added, ”That guy’s unreliable. Don’t pass him the ball.”

With that, Henk Demyer turned and walked away.

His own performance in this match had been terrible too. The pressure from Omni-Bass’s midfield was immense, and his teammates on the wings weren’t providing enough support. It left him with no room to play, and he was extremely frustrated.

’Are we really going to lose to those bastards from Omni-Bass?’

......

......

Amid a wave of skeptical gasps from all around, Yang Yang walked onto the field and into the right-back defensive zone.

He could clearly feel the doubt and distrust coming from all directions—not just from his teammates on the field, but from the fans on the sidelines, and even from the head coach who had sent him in, Dick Van Puer, and John Reep sitting behind him.

’If they had any other choice, I’m sure they wouldn’t have picked me.’

Yang Yang knew this, but since he was on the field, he had to seize this rare opportunity.

His top priority was defense.

Although he considered himself an offensive player, since the head coach had given him this role, he could only obey. He had to do everything in his power to defend the right flank. Only then would he have a chance to play again.

No head coach would ever use a player who didn’t follow orders, not even on an academy team.

Yang Yang’s gaze was fixed on the Omni-Bass number seven on the left wing, not far in front of him. He was the most active and outstanding player in the match. The opponent, in turn, was sizing up this unfamiliar new adversary with a cold smirk.

”I’ve heard of you,” the player said with a chuckle.

”Oh yeah?”

”They say you’re that piece of trash from the Almere Youth Team.”

Yang Yang’s brow furrowed. Just as he was about to get angry, a reminder from Old Ice came to his mind.

’He’s deliberately trying to provoke you.’

Old Ice’s words snapped Yang Yang back to his senses.

The opponent had been watching Yang Yang’s expression closely. He had noticed the signs of anger but was surprised to see him suddenly calm down.

’His temperament is much calmer than the last guy. Not so easy to provoke.’

”Never seen you before. This must be your first time playing, right?”

Yang Yang didn’t look at him or reply, instead turning his attention to the action upfield.

”Running into me on your debut... I’d say you’re pretty unlucky. This will probably be your last time on the field, too,” the opponent said with a smug laugh.

Hearing this, Yang Yang glanced at him. When he saw that the player’s expression was practically screaming ’Get mad, lose your temper,’ the spark of anger that had just ignited in him died down again. He snorted impatiently.

”Are you done? You’re so loud. Would it kill you to shut up?”

The number seven heard the disdain in Yang Yang’s tone and was instantly irritated. He let out a cold laugh. ”Fine. Just you wait.”

......

......

The match restarted. Baken Academy was two goals down, but their performance on the field showed no signs of improvement.

Their core player, Henk Demyer, was being shut down by the opposition, and their midfield organization was in chaos. They struggled to mount any effective attacks, and Omni-Bass soon won the ball back in the midfield.

As soon as he saw his team regain possession, the number seven immediately raised his hand on the left wing, calling for the ball.

He was determined to teach this rookie substitute a harsh lesson.

”Yang, be careful!” head coach Dick Van Puer shouted from the sideline, his voice laced with concern.

This was Yang Yang’s first test since coming on. Even though Van Puer was a seasoned veteran, he couldn’t help but feel his heart leap into his throat.

He didn’t have much confidence in Yang Yang.

Even without Van Puer’s warning, Yang Yang had already noticed the ball’s trajectory in his [God’s Vision]. He also had a clear view of the number seven’s every move. As Van Puer was shouting, Yang Yang had already locked onto his defensive target.

Last night in the Super Training, Old Ice had specifically set aside time to drill him on his defense, especially a few of the most basic defensive moves. The goal was to help him handle the challenge of this game, and now it was time to put it to use.

’On the soccer field, things change in an instant. It all comes down to how you perform in the moment. No one can help you; you can only rely on yourself.’

’In a one-on-one, the most important thing is to first put yourself in an unbeatable position. Patiently stick with your opponent and don’t rush into a tackle.’

Old Ice’s instructions from last night’s special training echoed in Yang Yang’s mind. He didn’t rush forward blindly. Instead, he deliberately maintained a certain distance, his eyes locked on the opponent, taking in his every move while using God’s Vision to survey the entire field.

The Omni-Bass number seven had been brilliant in this match, tearing Baken Academy’s right flank to shreds. His confidence was sky-high. Seeing that Yang Yang wasn’t rashly lunging in, he controlled the ball and immediately charged forward.

’He’s just a greenhorn rookie, isn’t he?’

’Harassment is a crucial defensive tool. The goal is to disrupt the opponent’s dribbling rhythm, but you have to leave yourself some room to maneuver.’

’How to harass with purpose requires doing your homework before the match.’

The number seven was left-footed and good at crossing from the byline.

This was what Yang Yang had gathered from over an hour of observation on the sideline. The number seven didn’t seem to take this rookie seriously at all. Call it skill-fueled arrogance or whatever you want, but he made no effort to hide his intention: a one-on-one dribble past him.

The number seven still had a disdainful smirk on his face, as if to say, ’I’ve got you. What are you going to do about it?’

Just as he entered Yang Yang’s defensive zone, Yang Yang suddenly took a small step back. Before the opponent could react, he lunged forward a large step, specifically to his own right, targeting the opponent’s left foot.

Yang Yang wasn’t physically strong, but he was agile and had explosive power. He moved like lightning. The number seven instinctively halted, stopped the ball, and after a feint, knocked it to his right foot.

But unexpectedly, Yang Yang’s move was also a feint. He immediately retreated after lunging, but the distance between them had closed considerably. Yang Yang had anticipated his opponent’s reaction and quickly took another step forward, once again targeting his left foot.

The number seven was startled again. Without time to think, he hesitated once more before knocking the ball to his right foot again.

’Damn it, this has to be for real this time, right?’

’Watch how I get past you!’

Just as the number seven shifted the ball back to his dominant left foot and tried to power through on Yang Yang’s left, taking the inside line, Yang Yang unexpectedly took another step back. He turned his body to the left, and seeing the opponent trying to cut inside, he made a split-second decision. Planting his left foot, he shot his right foot out to poke the ball away.

”Either don’t commit to the tackle, or if you do, you must win the ball.” Old Ice’s warning from the special training was still fresh in his ears.

In the blink of an eye, the player was past him, but the ball had been poked away.

The Baken Academy center-back providing cover behind Yang Yang quickly chased it out of the box and cleared it with a powerful kick.

Only at that moment did a collective gasp of astonishment rise from around the stadium.

The Omni-Bass number seven turned to look at Yang Yang, dumbfounded. He never would have imagined that he’d actually be dispossessed.

’A coincidence. It must be a coincidence.’

All the Baken Academy players were just as shocked. They never thought Yang Yang’s first defensive play after coming on would actually succeed. Henk Demyer, in particular, wore a look of utter disbelief.

’Luck. It was definitely a fluke. There’s no way that guy has this kind of skill.’

But from the sidelines, a round of enthusiastic applause broke out.

Although most of the casual fans hadn’t seen the details of the one-on-one, the result was clear: Baken Academy had made a successful defensive stop. That alone was enough for them to offer a warm round of applause.

This was, by far, the most successful defense on the right flank of the entire game.

”Whoa! That was a beautiful piece of defending!”

”Right? Clean, decisive, and no foul.”

”Who is that guy? How come I’ve never seen him before?”

”Him? That’s the famous piece of trash from the Almere Youth Team. I didn’t expect his defense to be this good, though.”

”Tell me about it. If we knew he could defend like this, he should’ve been put in earlier.”

As the saying goes, amateurs watch for the spectacle, while experts watch for the technique.

John Reep and Dick Van Puer on the coach’s bench, along with the middle-aged Dutch man on the sideline, were clearly more stunned than anyone else. Although it had all happened in the blink of an eye, their experienced eyes had seen the entire sequence clearly.

That was a true battle of wits and skill.

What surprised them most was Yang Yang’s composure on defense. His two feints had disrupted the opponent’s rhythm, and his final, decisive tackle broke up the dribble. The entire process was crisp and clean, without a single wasted move.

Was this still the Yang Yang they knew?