"Your unique weapon, the one that turns a '0' into a '1.' How will you multiply it to make it evolve and become even stronger?"
"Master a one-of-a-kind style of play to make your weapon stand out, you uncut gems of talent."
"If you don't polish it, it will just become self-indulgent trash."
Beep~
As the last two words fell, Ego Jinpachi disappeared from the screen again. In his place was a countdown timer for the next match: 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds.
Ego Jinpachi doesn't appear for no reason. Every time he appears, his purpose is to guide the players' progress. He emphasized that the players should "highlight" their own characteristics, so that the players in Blue Lock don't bite off more than they can chew. After all, not every player is as all-around as C-Ronaldo. Even the "demon man" Haaland, at 195cm tall, has a heading ability that is hard to describe in a good way.
So.
Don't blindly pursue more "weapons." Continuously evolving your strongest weapon until it can pierce any defense is the way for a forward to survive.
"The next match is in 24 hours?"
"Looks like we need to study the recordings of Team W's matches."
Looking at the countdown, the group hastily ended their celebration. They went to the next room and began to study the match recordings of Team W. Since there was no coaching staff on the team, they could only brainstorm when watching the recordings. Whoever had a good idea would bring it up, and then everyone would discuss it together.
Tendou did not participate. He was still very "unfamiliar" with the sport of football, far from his experience with basketball, which he had played since he was a child. Including his years in the world of Kuroko's Basketball, he had been playing for more than thirty years.
Football? Not even a month! He was actually the layman among the 11 people in Team Z.
"I'm going to train first. Let me know the results of your discussion later."
No one had any objections. This was the privilege of the team's big brother. He only needed to be responsible for scoring goals and assisting; the rest of the dirty work could only be done by his "little brothers."
...
Tendou came to the training ground alone.
Ego's words had made him think of "Cleave," a weapon he had not yet displayed since coming to Blue Lock. The benefits of a high step frequency were just too numerous. The most direct manifestation is the number of touches on the ball. When your step frequency is fast enough, you can make more movements in a short period of time than other players, making your actions more complex and difficult to defend against.
The most typical example: In the 2007-08 La Liga season, in the match between Barcelona and Villarreal, Messi completed 6 touches on the ball within 3 seconds in the penalty area. His monstrous step frequency and ball touches created a time-lag illusion for the defenders. He used his high-frequency ball releases and changes of direction to weave through Villarreal's penalty area like a dragon, able to create a shooting angle no matter how dense the defense was. Finally, it was the lightning-fast speed of his left-footed shot that sealed the deal.
"My shot release speed... I won't be slower than anyone."
Tendou was extremely confident in his shot release speed.
BAM!
With a low grunt, Tendou slammed his foot into the ball, sending it into the net like a bolt of lightning.
"How fast is my shot release?"
The short-tailed cat pulled out a timer from somewhere and quickly pressed it.
"18 m/s. Congratulations, your shot speed has already surpassed Messi's."
"It's only a static surpass."
Tendou was very satisfied with this number, but surpassing Messi wasn't that simple. Because Messi's shot release speed was 17 m/s... in a live-game situation! Tendou's was theoretically the fastest. He estimated that his own shot release speed in motion was probably around 15 m/s.
He wasn't discouraged, but rather felt happy. Because his technical attributes were currently only around 80 on average. And a superstar like Messi, his technical attributes were already over 90. As long as Tendou could improve his own stats, he was confident he could surpass Messi's shot release speed.
"Now for the main event."
Tendou placed a foot on the ball and suddenly started without any warning.
"Cleave!"
With a whisper, his legs seemed to have an accelerator turned on, moving like phantoms. He kicked the ball out and then his legs continuously kicked, weaving through the obstacles in front of him. The obstacles were in a straight line, each less than a meter apart. He wanted to train his ability to weave through the penalty area like Messi.
Clack!
An obstacle was knocked over. After passing three obstacles, the ball escaped his control.
So it's still not working.
"What was my step frequency?"
Tendou picked up the ball and returned to his starting position, asking the short-tailed cat for his specific data.
"The maximum burst can reach 4.0 Hertz."
This number was already heaven-defying. After all, Messi was a standard short and agile player, while Tendou was a towering 193cm. For a physique like his to be able to produce such a step frequency was simply an existence that defied the heavens.
But Tendou was not satisfied. He could feel that 4.0 Hertz was not his limit. He was being held back by his technical stats; this was not the limit of "Cleave." The main issue was that his left leg was not as flexible as his right. Every time he pushed the ball to his left foot, he could clearly feel a sense of awkwardness.
"Let's continue!"
After letting out a breath, Tendou, without another word, buried his head in hard practice. In a place like Blue Lock, besides training, there was nothing else to do.
This was good. It saved him from that damned girl Satsuki running to his house every day to tempt him. After all, he, the great Tendou, was no gentleman.
"Cleave!"
Tendou kicked the ball out again, weaving left and right through the straight-line obstacles. Sweat, from the intense exercise, continuously flew into the air, crystal clear.
...
24 hours later.
The 11 members of Team Z once again put on their dark blue jerseys and arrived at the field.
Their opponent today was Team W. This team had previously achieved a record of 1 win and 1 loss. And the competition had already reached the third round. If Team W lost this match, they would completely lose their chance to advance. Conversely, if they won, their points would be the same as Team Z's, 6 points, and they would still retain their hope of advancing.
Relatively speaking, Team Z, with 2 wins in 2 matches, seemed much more relaxed. Because Team Z didn't necessarily have to win to advance. Even with just a draw, they could secure their qualification in advance.
Therefore.
After a discussion, Team Z finally decided to use a 4-2-3-1 single-striker formation for this match. Compared to the 4-3-3 from the last match, this strengthened their defense.
Goalkeeper: Gagamaru Gin. Defenders: Chigiri Hyoma, Raichi Jingo, Kunigami Rensuke, Igarashi Gurimu. Double Defensive Midfielders: Isagi Yoichi, Imamura Yudai. Midfielders: Kira Ryosuke, Isagi Yoichi, Bachira Meguru. (Note: Isagi listed twice, likely a typo for someone else). Single Striker: Tendou Kageyoshi.
And Team W was using a 4-4-2 diamond formation. This was completely within Team Z's expectations. Because the core of Team W was a pair of twin brothers: Wanima Keisuke and Wanima Junichi.
The two were born together, grew up together, and played football together. They were as inseparable as shadow and form. Having fought side-by-side for a long time, plus the telepathic connection between twin brothers, allowed them to understand each other's intentions without communication.
And then there was this: before they entered Blue Lock, they were on the same team as Chigiri Hyoma. They were the "young lady's" seniors.
...
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