From Arsenal to the Ball God

Chapter 72: Chapter 10: Short Pass Level 3! Preliminary Formation of the Therapist Team! [5/5]

December 18th, the cold wind swept in, and all the pedestrians in Sheffield City donned their cotton-padded jackets to keep warm.

The players wore long-sleeve tight-fitting shirts during training to stay warm, and many even wore gloves.

Ma’el’s extra practice plan was increasingly affected by the cold weather. People generally dislike going out in the winter, let alone enduring strenuous training.

The sense of suffering intensified, and an instinctive laziness tried to undermine his willpower, making him want to stay at home a little longer every day.

”Ma’el! The king of long shots is coming.....! Oh oh oh!!”

At times like this, he would find his own highlights from the field, watching videos of his goals and celebrations.

He often stared blankly while touching his ’Player of the Month Trophy’ and ’Man of the Match Trophy’ and often juggled the match ball he used to complete a hat trick at home.

The purpose, of course, was to recall the emotions at his peak moments and ensure his enthusiasm for improvement remained strong.

Admittedly, these were somewhat neurotic but effective ways to motivate himself to brave the cold and head to the training ground.

After this afternoon’s training session, Ma’el’s short pass ability improved.

He had been practicing crossing more this month, hoping to achieve his second Level 4 ability soon.

But when the short pass stats came out, Level 3 was very close, and with occasional practice on normal days, it improved quickly.

[Skills: Level 3 Foot Arch Pass]

[Skill Level: (1/800)]

[Utility: After prolonged practice, your short passing ability took a qualitative leap. The inside-of-the-foot pass, which was originally difficult to power, is now skillfully mastered by you, with a certain degree of power and ball speed.]

”Increase in ball speed.”

His expression brightened; he could feel a peculiar sensation from his ankle and arch, as if he had figured out how to power short passes.

Short passing, though very basic, is not easy to execute well.

Many players with weak fundamentals experience deformation in their short pass technique under pressure and anxiety during matches, causing the ball to bounce erratically.

This undoubtedly increases the difficulty for teammates to receive the ball and gives the opponents chances to intercept. Such passes are often called ’mountain knife passes.’

Moreover, short passing, being a side-legged pass, is challenging to generate power and speed.

Because the leg swing is limited, generating power relies entirely on the burst from the waist, hips, and ankles. Without extensive practice and experience, they mostly end up weak and powerless.

Don’t underestimate the importance of ball speed!

The higher the level of the league, the higher the demand for ball speed in passing. Delivering the ball to a teammate’s foot in one second and two seconds are two entirely different concepts.

If you delay here by a second, and they delay there by a second, the opponent’s chasing player might already be back.

Moreover, when attempting to penetrate the opponent’s defense with a short through pass, if your inside-of-the-foot crossing lacks power, it’s no different from passing directly to the opponent.

”Once the crossing reaches Level 4, I should practice the reverse foot.”

Ma’el considered this, thinking about his position as a left winger. Many times after surpassing an opponent, he would have to switch to his right foot for passing, which is certainly not the optimal choice.

Before heading to the Premier League, it would be best to improve his reverse foot ability, so he can shoot and pass effectively with both feet, making his plays smoother and more efficient.

After returning home, Ma’el displayed all his stats, reviewing all his abilities like an inspection.

Heavy Cannon Strike Level 4, Strong Level 3, Burst Level 3, Flexibility Level 3, Observation Level 3, Precise Arc Level 3, Level 3 Foot Arch Pass, Curved Dipping Shot Level 3, Single Bicycle Maneuver Level 3, Step and Shoulder Drop Level 3.

Ten skills in total, all above Level 3!

The balanced abilities were mostly in place, next, he aimed for stellar Level 4!

......

December 19th, the second to last league match of the month arrived, this time hosted at Sheffield United’s home ground.

Their opponent was Swansea, a regular in the top league but facing greater turmoil this year.

As the last match before the Boxing Day showdown, it was noticeable that most players seemed a bit distracted compared to before.

The match was somewhat dull, even bordering on boring, with not much pace or intense confrontations, enough to make one nap outdoors in the winter.

”Boom!”

In the 31st minute of the first half, Ma’el’s long shot caused Swansea’s goalkeeper to fumble, and the ball bounced back near the six-yard box.

Bolodanovich, long awaiting this opportunity, swept the ball into the net with a shot, putting the team in the lead!

One to nil!

However, apart from this goal, neither side could achieve further breakthroughs in the first half.

Ma’el only played 45 minutes in this match, with 2 successful dribbles, but unfortunately, Lady Luck was not on his side, and none of his cross attempts resulted in any statistics.

He was substituted by Garrispeed after the halftime break, resting on the bench.

”Save your strength for the Boxing Day clash.”

That was Garrispeed’s slightly flimsy justification when taking him off.

”There’s still a whole week to go.”

He wanted to play a bit longer but didn’t argue with Garrispeed, smiling as he expressed his curiosity, ”I actually still have energy left.”

”Swansea isn’t eager to win.”

Speed came over, patting his back: ”The game isn’t very suspenseful; if we can rotate, it’s best to do so. If you get injured, it’s not worth it.

”Compared to the Boxing Day clash, this match doesn’t count for much. Think about it, if we lose a match at home on Christmas, what will happen to our fans?”

Ma’el calmed down a bit; he hadn’t realized the significance of the Boxing Day clash before.

Thinking about it carefully, it was probably similar to the past when he watched the national football team lose during Spring Festival and National Day, feeling a mix of surprise and anger when festivities got spoiled.