I AM the Football Star

Chapter 13: Chapter 5: The Midfield Core Sets Sail for Miracles

Sotu cursed loudly, but his face was brimming with an uncontrollable smile.

Obviously, he was happy, and cursing was his way of expressing it.

If you listened carefully to what he said, you’d realize he wasn’t speaking without reason.

Almost everything he said was right.

At least, he didn’t blame Morici for interfering with our center back.

If that center back had stretched out his leg, he might have blocked Lu Yang’s shot.

But... on the field, the utility players are supposed to listen to the core player’s instructions or suggestions most of the time. A team can’t have two voices, and if that center back didn’t have a strong intuition of his own, trusting Morici was what he should do.

Unconsciously, Morici became the core of the team.

And unconsciously, Sotu also affirmed his core status.

This is something worth pondering.

Similarly, Sotu’s yelling at Lu Yang wasn’t without reason.

If Lu Yang were playing in the main team, in front of him would be Morici, and further ahead, Vedian.

Morici’s through passes and Vedian’s fast breaks are a hundred times more stable and aggressive than Lu Yang’s ball carrying and advancing, aren’t they?

Sotu was demanding Lu Yang to think like a main team player.

”I know, boss, but... didn’t I score?” Lu Yang smiled slightly, pointed to his ear, and said, ”Is there anything in this world without risk, right?”

Sotu was momentarily speechless; this kid had overheard his previous conversation with Tom, which was his sarcastic remark about Renat.

Indeed, in soccer, scoring is the ultimate goal, no doubt about it.

Otherwise, defensive counterattacks would become meaningless because they really look bad when played.

And Sotu’s Milan team has four butchers; just by the name, do they sound like a team that plays beautifully?

So Sotu wasn’t at all annoyed that Lu Yang dared to joke with him.

This kid has a big heart.

Such a person, if he’s a forward, will eventually score plenty of goals someday!

Even if he’s a defender, he’ll become a defensive leader full of leadership spirit!

The score of this training match didn’t change further; the main team won 2-1 against the substitutes.

Lu Yang also received another random pack.

He chose to open it immediately.

”Ding, completed the first training match, received random pack *1.”

”Ding, obtained player-level skill, Rapid Descent Shot, allowing for better control over shots, potentially causing rapid drops, bounces, etc.”

...

As it turned out, there was indeed a significant gap between the main squad and substitutes in Italian D Division teams.

After the practice match, only Lu Yang and Morici made it into the squad list for the upcoming match against Avellino.

The two youth players were overjoyed upon hearing this news.

The day before the match, at the training ground, the two were intercepting each other.

One side was carrying the ball, trying to dribble past the other side.

While the other side aimed to steal the ball.

Once ball possession changed, their roles quickly switched too.

That means the moment I grab the ball, it’s my turn to prevent you from stealing it from me.

This kind of training greatly improves players’ instant reactions, allowing them to adapt to chaotic environments.

Morici had been doing this training since he was a child, making him adept in chaotic plays. After all, during chaotic play, he could best avoid his own physical deficiencies.

”Tell me, during the training match, was that shot of yours a fluke? With such a goal, you wouldn’t score it even if given ten more chances!” Morici was verbally harassing Lu Yang, attempting to find a breakthrough opportunity.

”That’s right.” Lu Yang replied earnestly.

His shooting was indeed unreliable, much less compared to Vedian and Morici.

However, after acquiring the Rapid Descent Shot, Lu Yang felt a noticeable improvement in his shooting ability.

The shooting attribute increased from 50 to 55.

However, according to the system’s prompt, the words ”first training match” were crucial.

This means there might not be the same rewards the second time around.

Therefore, Lu Yang wasn’t particularly optimistic about the future.

What happened to reviving the legendary status of Earth’s soccer?

System, shouldn’t you be a bit more generous?

Not asking for much, but a bunch of Moment Cards would be nice, right?

While the two were training, a young black boy came over.

Yes, it was Vedian.

In soccer or basketball, how many with explosive physical fitness aren’t black?

”Can I join you?” Vedian asked.

”Of course.” Morici eagerly nodded.

But Vedian didn’t seem pleased.

Because what he was asking wasn’t that.

Lu Yang furrowed his brow, somewhat understanding.

”You mean, our cooperation in matches?” Lu Yang asked.

Vedian nodded.

It turns out that most geniuses aren’t fools; people like Balotelli are indeed rare.

Considering himself a genius, after playing against Morici and Lu Yang, how could Vedian not realize their strength?

That midfielder’s passing was precise; the training match a few days ago was the most comfortable game Vedian had played in months, uh... if it weren’t for Lu Yang’s one-on-one marking.

Similarly, being able to completely neutralize Vedian, Lu Yang’s strength should not be underestimated either.

The key point is, the cooperation between Lu Yang and Morici at the back made one’s eyes dazzle.

Vedian even felt that Lu Yang wasn’t a center-back but a defensive midfielder.

His defensive coverage was too wide, far beyond a normal center-back’s control range.

But he didn’t need to worry about losing position because his advances were often well-prepared since Morici was assisting him in controlling those areas.

This method carried some risks but greatly enhanced the team’s defense and midfield control.

Vedian wanted to join in, not to help with defense, but hoping they would pass the ball to him at the first opportunity upon gaining possession, forming a complete pipeline for defense, interception, switching play, initiating attack, breaking through the line, and scoring.

This was a full-length central axis!

With their help, Vedian believed he could return to the top.

By then...

”You want to leave?” Lu Yang saw through Vedian’s intention.

He needed stats, so someone would be willing to pay to take him away; that’s the reality.

”Who doesn’t want to leave? Besides the fans, no one can stay with San Remo until the end; we are professional players.” Vedian said, ”In fact... Benevento from Serie B contacted my agent!”

Vedian dropped a bombshell.

Benevento, that’s a Serie B team!

Moreover, they are stable in Serie B, often in the upper half. There are rumors that in recent years Benevento is planning to gather strength to challenge Serie A!

Vedian was actually noticed by such a big team.

No wonder he urgently needed help.

If he didn’t impress in the Italian D Division, how could he possibly move to Benevento?

”Right now, we indeed need an explosive and scoring player.” Lu Yang said, looking at Morici, nodding.

Morici’s eyes flashed with excitement, then he agreed to cooperate with Vedian.

But after Vedian left, Morici asked, ”What did you mean by ’right now’? Do you know the team’s recruitment plans for next season?”

Lu Yang smiled: ”Our head coach is a Milan legend; renting a few decent players shouldn’t be too hard.”

Morici shook his head: ”Are you sure star players are willing to come to the Italian D Division? Even youth players wouldn’t agree, would they?”

Lu Yang said, ”What if it’s an Italian Third Division team?”

”But we are merely an Italian D Division team; we might even fall to lower regional leagues. We... wait a minute!” Morici looked at Lu Yang, took a deep breath, then asked in horror, ”Are you saying we’ll make it out of the Italian D Division this year and advance to the Third Division? Are you crazy? We, we...”

Lu Yang placed his hand on Morici’s shoulder, looked up at the sky, and said, ”Trust me, Morici, I feel strong! If we can’t create miracles in the Italian D Division, on what basis do we hope for a beautiful future?”

”You must know that turning from an Italian D Division player to a Serie A player itself is a miracle. Moreover, what we aim to become isn’t just insignificant players in the five major leagues, isn’t it?”

”Since our goal was to create miracles in the first place, why not start making miracles happen now?”

Looking at the stars in Lu Yang’s eyes, Morici was deeply moved.

Is this the same Lu Yang who tripped up a group of Serie A stars and scored the winning goal in front of soccer legends like Sotu and Maniero?

”””