"A three-man press?!"
Isagi Yoichi observed this from the side, and a bad premonition suddenly welled up in his heart.
"They didn't choose the 4-3-3 offensive formation that maximizes attacking power..."
"Instead, they chose the 4-4-2 formation, which is balanced in both offense and defense!"
This greatly exceeded Isagi's expectations, and also the expectations of Team Z. How could a team composed entirely of forwards possibly choose a formation like 4-4-2? Did they have enough chemistry? Did they have proper defenders? But why? How did the opponent so easily manage to shut down Bachira on the left wing right from the start? This was clearly a well-prepared move!
In the first 5 minutes of the game, Team Z's possession rate was far higher than Team Y's, reaching 67%. The members of Team Z were desperate to score, constantly bombarding Team Y's goal. But whether it was Bachira or Kira Ryosuke, their shots failed to convert into goals.
7th minute.
From the backfield, Igarashi Gurimu passed the ball to Isagi, who then passed it to Kira on the right wing. These two, along with Kira, formed the temporary 3-man team he had put together. The wing-back Igarashi, the midfielder Isagi, and the winger Kira. The three of them were almost in a straight line on the field, causing quite a bit of trouble for Team Y. But when it came to the final shot, Kira just couldn't put the ball into the back of the net.
"Damn it, have these guys really only played one match together?" Kira's shot was blocked by the bodies of Team Y's defenders. One on the left, one on the right, they had sealed off all his shooting lanes. This level of chemistry was a good three or four stories higher than his own Team Z.
"A team full of forwards can actually devise such tactics!" A bad feeling also arose in Kira's heart. The opposing team was playing much more like a cohesive unit than his own.
"Although that guy, Okawa Hibiki, is the top scorer from Kumamoto Prefecture, it's not like I haven't played against him. This guy is fundamentally a command-type player."
"In other words, the soul of Team Y, the one who turned them from a '0' to a '1,' is someone else!"
Isagi and Kira had thought of the same thing. And their gazes simultaneously shifted to a person who looked unremarkable.
Niko Ikki.
From the very beginning, this guy had been doing all sorts of sweeping work in the backfield, always managing to appear in the team's most dangerous positions.
At this moment, having stopped Team Z's attack, he received a pass from a teammate, rushed to the ball, and began to swing his leg. Almost simultaneously, Okawa Hibiki, who had been quiet until now, finally made his move, turning and sprinting towards the front field at high speed.
A defensive counter-attack?!
They both thought of Team Y's strategy at the same time. Being besieged by Team Z, their possession rate being far lower than Team Z's, was not a reflection of their true strength. It was just their tactic of luring the enemy in deep.
Isagi looked back and found that his own restless teammates had, by this point, almost all pushed past the halfway line. Wasn't this the best time to attack the space behind them?
"Be careful, Kunigami, Raichi, Igarashi, Chigiri!" Isagi shouted a warning, but it was already too late. Niko Ikki had already launched a long ball.
"This is the chance I've been waiting for!"
That damn long-banged guy!
Isagi cursed inwardly and immediately turned to track back.
BOOM!
The ball was launched from the backfield! Like a cannonball, it aimed for the space behind Team Z.
Okawa Hibiki had already started moving the moment Niko kicked the ball. He was not offside. He easily got past Kunigami and Raichi by taking advantage of his early run.
Tap!
The ball landed, and Okawa Hibiki controlled it perfectly, heading straight for Team Z's heartland. And in front of him, there was only one person.
After defending for nearly 10 minutes, Team Y used just one long pass, aiming for the space behind Team Z, to create a one-on-one opportunity.
Raichi Jingo, Kunigami Rensuke, and Isagi Yoichi all sprinted back with all their might, but they couldn't catch up. This play had caught them completely off guard.
However.
"You idiots, with your heads full of nothing but scoring goals! At least do your own jobs properly, you trash!"
BZZT!
In a daze, the three of them seemed to hear the sound of thunder by their ears, and then they felt a strong wind blow past them.
Okawa Hibiki was still unaware of the impending crisis; right now, all he saw was the goal. He wanted to take the ball into the penalty area, the position where his chances of scoring were highest.
"Watch out, Okawa!"
Before Okawa could take his shot, Niko Ikki's shout came from behind, his voice cracking. The next second, the sound of thunder also reached his ears, and then his body was hit by an irresistible, monstrous force.
It was Tendou.
He had caught up just as Okawa was about to take his shot and had brutally shoved him aside with his strong body. A fair shoulder charge, not a foul. This was the benefit of an electronic referee; as long as it was within the rules, there would be no random foul calls. If it were a human referee, seeing Okawa being sent flying so easily, it might have been a free kick, and he might even have received a card.
"Tendou!"
"We're saved!"
"Nice one, Tendou!"
The tension in Team Z finally eased. Football is not basketball; in the world of football, 1:0 victories are commonplace. Especially against a team like Team Y that uses a compact defense and looks for counter-attacks, falling behind is torture.
"Don't just stand there! It's our turn to counter-attack."
"Ah, right!"
Tendou's shout snapped the goalkeeper back to his senses. He hurriedly picked up the ball and threw it hard in front of Tendou.
The silver sports car started up again. Tendou tore through the air and sprinted forward.
So this is what it feels like to see it on the field!
This was the reason why Niko Ikki was so wary of Team Z.
"Tendou Kageyoshi!"
"He's definitely an unreasonable genius, just like that guy from Team V."
Another white-haired figure flashed through his mind, just as talented, just as unreasonable.
"But we will defeat you!"
Niko Ikki didn't panic. He quickly directed his teammates to move.
"Delay him!"
As soon as he spoke, Team Y's midfielders quickly closed in. They ran with their legs, and when they couldn't catch up, they used their hands to intercept.
"A mantis trying to stop a chariot!"
Tendou pulled the ball and flashed to the defender's right side, then accelerated again.
Swoosh!
He tore through the air once more and sped away. His monster-like explosive power even kicked up the turf, leaving the man behind in an instant.
"What a complete monster!" Cold sweat dripped from Niko Ikki's forehead. This level of a central breakthrough had completely surpassed the high school level. It had reached the U-20 level, or even the professional level. As for world-class, Niko hadn't seen that yet.
"But I will stop you!"
Tendou sped on like a beam of light, crossing the halfway line in an instant. The next second, Team Y's defensive cover was in place, as if they had been waiting for a long time. Three defenders advanced simultaneously, sealing off all of Tendou's paths.
But this isn't enough! It's not enough to stop this monster! It's as if all ten of their outfield players are marking Tendou.
A three-man defensive focus would be enough to stop any other player on Team Z, but against Tendou, it still wasn't enough!
Sure enough, Tendou took the initiative and charged towards the three of them, and at the moment of contact, he suddenly did a turn.
"A Marseille Turn?" The players of Team Y had seen Tendou use this move to get past people when they watched the recording.
However, it wasn't. The moment Tendou turned his back, he simultaneously flicked the ball with his heel. The ball went through the legs of one of the players, and then he smoothly turned to get past the defenders.
"I was waiting for this moment."
"Our defense isn't three people, it's four!"
Niko Ikki had already closed in. Just like before, he could always appear in the team's most dangerous spots. This was the reason why he would later be chosen by Ego Jinpachi to be one of the Blue Lock Eleven. He seized this perfect opportunity, and his body suddenly dropped to the ground, sliding forward for a tackle.
"I will be the one to tame you, you monster!" Niko roared in his heart.
This slide tackle was fast and accurate, and the timing was so perfect that even the two in the control room couldn't find any fault with it.
But...
Just as Niko dropped, before his body had fully slid out, he already saw Tendou lifting his foot.
At this moment, a series of data had already appeared in Tendou's eyes.
"Big Data Statistics: Frontal slide tackle interception... Dribbling past success rate 50%. Pass success rate 100%. Recommendation: Pass."
"Left wing Bachira Meguru goal probability 64%. Right wing Kira Ryosuke goal probability 78%. Recommended pass choice: Right wing Kira Ryosuke. Optimal route: Right side, just outside the penalty area."
In Tendou's field of vision was a virtual screen full of technology. Kira Ryosuke's presence was red, symbolizing the highest chance of scoring. Then there was the choice of where to pass, which appeared as an arrow constantly prompting Tendou.
Even higher than Bachira's?
As expected of you, Kokuo's pretty boy.
Crack!
BAM!
Tendou kicked his foot out sharply, and before Niko Ikki could reach him, fast as lightning, he sent the ball out.
"He can even pass from there?!" Niko's pupils, hidden under his bangs, widened in disbelief. This time, they had sent a full four people to defend, and if you counted the one who was delaying him, that was five people. Logically, they should have blocked all of Tendou's vision, and they hadn't given him any time to think.
But why?
The ball lifted off the ground, flying like a rainbow towards the right side of Team Y's penalty area.
Kira Ryosuke was stunned for a moment, then immediately sprinted with all his might. Finally, just as the ball was about to land, he caught up to it.
"This guy's pass is way too good!"
The "palace-scheming" boy, Kira Ryosuke, received the ball and charged into Team Y's penalty area. This pass was so beautiful that even he couldn't help but want to praise it.
With this kind of vision and passing ability, he should just play in the midfield! Why is he still playing as a forward?!
Kira Ryosuke stepped into the penalty area. Facing the opponent's defender, he created a shooting angle and fired a low-driven shot towards the far post.
Swish!
The ball is in!
The goalkeeper reacted quickly, but was still a hair's breadth away. His dive was a little slow, and the ball practically grazed his fingertips as it flew into the far corner and into the net.
"Goal!!"
Kira Ryosuke scored his first goal since arriving at Blue Lock and ran around the field in excitement. After thinking for a moment, he gave Tendou a thumbs-up.
This was definitely the best pass he had ever received in his life. He had to get this guy onto his little team! A forward's job is to score goals. But without someone to supply the ammunition, even if you were an alien, it would be useless. You can't expect your own forward to go on a solo run every time, challenge the opponent's entire defensive line, and still score.
In the world of football, the importance of the midfield is self-evident. During Real Madrid's three consecutive Champions League wins, the fame of the "BBC" was known throughout the world. But any fan who truly understands football, including industry experts, knew that Real Madrid's most monstrous aspect was not just the front three of BBC (Bale, Benzema, C-Ronaldo), but also that dream-level "Ceremony Trio" in midfield. These three were the world's number one midfielder Modrić, the "fairy-pointing-the-way" Kroos, and the excellent box-to-box midfielder Casemiro.
The existence of these three completely activated the firepower of the BBC, constantly supplying ammunition to the front three. We don't even need to talk about Modrić, a Ballon d'Or-level player who broke the decade-long monopoly of Messi and Ronaldo. Kroos was also a player who had been selected to the FIFA World XI three times. In that century-defining tragedy of Germany 7:1 Brazil, Kroos himself scored two goals. When he suddenly pointed his finger on the field, it was a sign that a Real Madrid goal was imminent.
This is the main reason why Real Madrid is declining so fast now. The firepower of Vinícius and Mbappé is not in question, and the conflict between the two is not the reason for Real Madrid's poor results. After all, as long as you can win, any conflict can be suppressed.
Why can't Real Madrid win now?
Of course, it's because they lack a midfield master who can supply ammunition to the "Turtle-Bear" duo. The defense of "Fat Tiger" Casemiro was also crucial. If you gave Real Madrid a peak Casemiro now, Barcelona wouldn't dare to press so high!
So, a good midfield organization is really damn important. Kroos's retirement, Modrić's move to a secondary role, and Casemiro's departure to the Premier League have made Real Madrid's midfield no longer sharp. Having the world's number one immediate combat power in Mbappé, the Ballon d'Or-level Vinícius, plus the "Great British Star" Bellingham, is still not enough.
If Tendou knew what Kira Ryosuke was thinking, he would probably try his best to get him eliminated.
A pretty boy wants to be my big brother?
How many dishes did you have with your drink to be this drunk?
...
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