I AM the Football Star

Chapter 11: Chapter 4: Hidden Dragon and Phoenix Chick—Can He Really Play Center Back? (Part 3)

He’s an expert in midfield defense; he doesn’t understand much about offense, but when it comes to defense, he has a lot to say.

”Who is that?” Sotu pointed at Morici and asked.

”Morici, also one of our young training players, came to us at age fifteen, now he’s seventeen. His ball control and passing are excellent, but his too slender physique is a barrier to him playing,” Tom said. ”To overcome his weaknesses, he took the initiative to train together with Lu Yang, and they have a very good relationship.”

”Isn’t he just like an engine?” Sotu looked at Morici in confusion.

”If Rondo hadn’t been injured, the former head coach was planning to promote Morici to the first team to participate in matches this season. But...” Tom’s face was filled with bitterness.

Sotu nodded, indicating he understood.

In the eyes of that former coach, Morici’s presence on the field would indeed reduce the team’s midfield defensive strength because Morici might become a defensive black hole.

After Rondo was out for the season, the team’s defensive quality dropped significantly. How could he dare to let Morici play at such a time?

The presence or absence of a central defender affects whether a midfielder gets to play or not, and this is what’s called a chemical reaction.

Unfortunately, in Sotu’s view, the former coach’s chemistry was not up to standard.

Because if he had seen Morici and Lu Yang play together, he would know that Morici definitely wouldn’t be a defensive burden on the team. On the contrary... he could even bolster the team’s defensive strength.

Because he himself possesses many ”non-hardcore” defensive skills.

What does ”non-hardcore” mean?

It means his physical quality is indeed lacking.

But sometimes defending doesn’t necessarily require tussling with the opponent.

Blocking the opponent’s path as they advance, using his small size to take advantage from behind, coordinating with midfield defensive players or defenders to trap the opponent, blocking the opponent’s passing routes, and so on.

These less direct, supporting defensive plays are also defense and very important.

Morici has these good habits, especially when playing with Lu Yang. It’s very evident. When they are both on the field, he can even display a defensive level not inferior to a proper defensive midfielder.

Frankly speaking, Sotu was envious.

Because he saw the shadow of Maniero in Morici.

A small, frail, but not inexperienced in defense... midfield maestro!

Midfield black hole?

That was just an illusion conjured by Maniero, deceiving the opposing players, referees, and fans, just to elicit sympathy!

He’s just a big fraud!

If Morici also possessed decent midfield organizing skills, Sotu wouldn’t mind giving him a chance to perform in the game.

Bang!

A breakout ball brought Sotu back to reality.

He looked at Lu Yang, who had just executed a breakout, and said, ”Why is he always doing the breakout?”

Tom was also a bit dumbfounded, ”I don’t know, maybe because... he often manages to disrupt the main side’s attacks? It’s the first time I’ve seen a main squad fail to score in thirty minutes. Maybe Lu Yang... can really play central defender?”

Small teams indeed don’t have deep benches; there is often a big gap between starters and substitutes.

Of course, this doesn’t contradict what Sotu said earlier in the locker room.

If a major team’s starters are rated ninety, the substitutes surely have scores over eighty.

If the starters in the Italian D Division are rated fifty, the substitutes probably range from ten to forty.

Theoretically, major team substitutes can perform at starter levels, but it’s tough for substitutes on Italian D Division teams to do the same.

But for talented players, going from ten to fifty is easy, so he can easily surpass starters on Italian D Division teams. However, climbing from ten to ninety is nearly impossible, which is why major teams rarely see youth players surpassing and taking up positions.

So, when San Remo’s main team and reserve team ended the first half with a scoreless draw, it already fully demonstrated that the team’s structural strength had been broken.

Someone on the substitute side had increased the team’s strength!

Considering the usual gap between substitutes and the main team, this person had roughly erased two to three goal differences.

And that person is...