I AM the Football Star

Chapter 51: Chapter 22: The Championship Declaration

”Ding! You’ve acquired the Star-level Skill, the Chip Shot of the Wolf King Totti!”

”The chip is an art form, a grand-hearted offensive art. Only with a solid foundation and imaginative creativity can one play such football.”

Lu Yang exhaled deeply.

This wasn’t the skill upgrade and passing skill he currently desired the most.

If the system had granted Totti’s one-touch pass, it might have been more helpful to Lu Yang.

But... who could refuse the flamboyant chip shot of the Wolf King Totti?

Moreover, this skill greatly enhances Lu Yang’s basic attributes.

Offensive positioning increased from 50 to 55.

Dribbling rose from 55 to 60, which is absolutely a transformative statistic for him. And the chip shot while running does have certain dribbling requirements for the kicker.

Shooting improved from 55 to 60, which is equally significant as this is top-level shooting ability in the Italian Third Division!

If Lu Yang previously lacked the Rapid Descent Shot, he would no longer have the ability to score with his feet. Now, he indeed possesses his own shooting prowess.

Any way he takes a shot now will be threatening, no longer limited to just one method.

Curvature is activated, with 50 points.

Don’t underestimate the curvature attribute; it seems trivial in normal conditions, but on big stages and high-level leagues, it becomes very important.

In those times, every player you face is of top quality, and they might not make any mistakes in a ninety-minute game. Whether passing or shooting, your opportunities diminish.

That’s when you can only rely on extraordinary passing curvature to create chances where there are none.

Players with good curvature have a greatly reduced chance of being denied in one-on-one situations, as the ball they strike tends to bypass the goalkeeper’s ten-finger barrier.

...

The impact of San Remo defeating Pagani Race was enormous.

Because from this moment on, they officially entered the promotion zone.

The top three in the Italian D League can directly promote to the Italian Third Division.

The fourth and fifth place teams have to play a playoff with the relegation zone teams from the Italian Third Division to decide who stays in the Third Division.

After this round of the league, the leaderboard underwent dramatic changes.

Considering there are only six rounds left in the league, every upcoming match will be extremely crucial.

The current first place in the league is still Bisceglie, even though they were held to a draw this round, they remain at the top with 65 points.

The reason for not saying ”highly ranked” is due to their rather mediocre performance in the second half of the season, especially after losing to San Remo.

Arnold and the team’s main right-back being sidelined due to injuries caused Bisceglie’s momentum to stall. Even though Arnold returned, affected by a lack of confidence, he’s no longer sharp.

This gave Franca Villa a chance.

Franca Villa is also at 65 points, ranked second in the standings.

They lost to Bisceglie in the first half of the season, so based on head-to-head results, they are in second place.

Their match against Bisceglie in the second half of the season is in the final round of the league. Some speculate that this might become a decisive battle for the championship this season.

But after Franca Villa won this round of matches, their main striker temporarily left the starting lineup due to a thigh strain, expected to return after five or six matches.

He might not even play at all this season.

This cast a shadow over the hearts of Franca Villa’s fans.

The closer to the final rounds, the more intense the matches become, with everyone scrambling for points. Franca Villa may very likely falter next.

Third place in the standings is Tulis.

This is a traditional powerhouse. This year, they loaned an excellent central forward from last season’s Serie B, significantly boosting their strength.

This season, except for the first five matches, they have remained in the top five of the standings for the rest of the time.

They have a good chance of being one of the promoted teams this year.

And most importantly, this team is San Remo’s opponent in the thirty-eighth round of the league.

This could also become a decisive match for a promotion spot this season, provided San Remo doesn’t slip up.

The team in fourth place is Palermo with 64 points; they’ve been a yo-yo team for years. In the past five years, they’ve been promoted to the Italian Third Division three times, and they have a rich experience in promotion, but they lack the ability to establish themselves in the third division.

This situation doesn’t happen often in lower divisions. Many lower league teams, once relegated, fall permanently.

Conversely, in higher leagues, there are fixed yo-yo teams.

What they lack is not chances to enter higher leagues but stable investments, excellent coaching, reasonable purchasing and elimination systems, and relatively conservative tactics.

Therefore, some people believe that with sufficient investment, Palermo even has the capacity to reach Serie A within ten years!

Interestingly, San Remo’s next opponent is Palermo.

Fifth in the standings naturally is San Remo, with 60 points. Even if they win the next match, they cannot overtake Palermo, but if they lose, they will lag seven points behind Palermo.

This is a very significant point gap in the final stages.

Therefore, the entire San Remo, the next match is a must-win.

Lastly, the sixth place team that San Remo previously faced is Catania, with 59 points.

In the third match of the second half of the season, which was the 22nd round, Catania lost 1-2 to San Remo, with Lu Yang scoring a header at the last minute.

This was also the last of Lu Yang’s three consecutive last-minute goals.