AI Cloud Training Ground, Tang Long learns dribbling techniques from Pirlo!

La Gazzetta dello Sport: <Inter Milan loses 1-2 at home to Juventus, four-game winning streak ends>

24 Hours News: <It's Juventus again! The Bianconeri remain the mountain Inter Milan cannot overcome>

Tuttosport: <Juventus proves to Serie A who the boss of this league really is>

Corriere dello Sport: <Low-level errors lead to conceded goals; Tang's future at Inter remains rocky>

Titan Sports: <Tang Long substituted at halftime; Guarin remains the most trusted card in Mancini's hand>

After the match, Tang Long returned to the base dormitory.

He spent the entire bus ride home replaying the match in his mind.

Clearly, he had given everything he could possibly offer to Inter Milan in this game.

In the post-match ratings, although Inter Milan's overall scores were not high, Tang Long still managed to receive a 6, placing him in the middle of the pack for the team.

During the first half, he had delivered several beautiful through balls for Icardi.

However, due to the formidable strength of Juventus, none of these passes could be converted into assists.

Of course, Icardi also bore a significant share of the responsibility; although the Argentine striker was currently at the top of the Serie A scoring charts, at just 22 years old, he still appeared slightly immature against the Italian national team defensive line composed of Barzagli, Chiellini, and Buffon!

On the bus ride back, Berni said this to Tang Long:

"Icardi is the type of poacher striker who feeds on service. The balls you gave him were on good lines, and his movement was excellent, but if you can control the ball through dribbling in midfield, look for the gaps on the two flanks, and pass it out to utilize the overlapping runs and crosses of the fullbacks, it would be much easier for Icardi to score."

Pirlo's post-match advice, however, hit the nail on the head for Tang Long!

"Tang, your passing is good, but you must practice your dribbling!"

So, as soon as Tang Long entered his room and tossed his bag aside, he began to enter the AI Cloud Training Ground.

There were too many areas to improve. Previously, he had focused all his energy on passing, physical fitness, and physical confrontation training, leaving him with little time to focus on his dribbling.

This dismal dribbling rating of 59 was indeed holding Tang Long back from becoming a top-tier attacking player.

Upon entering the dribbling AI training for the first time, top-tier dribblers like Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, Robinho, and Ronaldo all appeared before Tang Long.

Above their heads, they were all marked with a [Dribbling] icon.

These were all first-class dribbling masters, each with their own unique skills, capable of changing the course of a game through individual dribbling ability.

However, Tang Long discovered that these sparring tools were all strikers, while his position at Inter Milan was as an attacking midfielder, playing in the middle of the park. The dribbling skills of these strikers were not necessarily suitable for his current needs.

"System, why isn't there Pirlo?"

"Reporting to the host, sparring partner Pirlo is in the passing project. Do you need to adjust him to the passing project?"

"Let me see Pirlo first."

The dribbling masters—Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, Robinho, and Ronaldo—vanished instantly.

Accompanied by a golden light, Xavi, Iniesta, Pirlo, and Beckham descended from the sky.

Tang Long noticed that all of these individuals were marked with a [Passing] icon above their heads.

Only above Pirlo's head were both [Passing] and [Dribbling] icons marked, though the dribbling icon was still jumping up and down, as if waiting for Tang Long to actively click on it!

The tool-man Pirlo stood there like a wax figure, motionless.

Tang Long stepped forward and touched his beard; it was lifelike.

He clicked on the jumping [Dribbling] box above his head—with a click, Pirlo's elbow joint moved, emitting a sound similar to a robot moving.

"Congratulations to the host for triggering a reward—dribbling advice from Pirlo!"

"Activating sparring partner Pirlo's dribbling training mission!"

"Special effect: Improve the trainee's [Midfield Dribbling] technique!"

Hoo—

Pirlo, who had been standing still, began to move.

He looked at Tang Long blankly, his tone mechanical, speaking one word at a time:

"Hello, I am sparring partner Pirlo, born in 1979 in Brescia, Italy. I began my professional career with my hometown team, transferred to Inter Milan for 2 million euros in 1998, transferred to AC Milan for 17 million euros in 2001, and after spending ten years in Milan, I joined Juventus on a free transfer in 2011."

"My club career stats: 680 matches, 71 goals, 121 assists."

"My national team career stats: 116 matches, 13 goals, 25 assists."

Above Pirlo's head, there was a flashing yellow card.

Tang Long tapped it, and the card turned into a line of text.

[Sparring Partner Pirlo]

[Attacking Specialties: Precise long passes, stationary dribbling to shake off markers, knuckleball free kicks]

On the empty training field, Tang Long began to practice dribbling with Pirlo.

"Weak dribbling fundamentals detected in the host. Let's start with the most basic ball-treading."

A soccer ball appeared at the feet of both Pirlo and Tang Long.

The sparring tool Pirlo wore a wooden expression as he began to tap the ball in place.

This type of dribbling drill was one Tang Long had practiced before; it was very basic, involving keeping the ball stationary while alternating feet to tap the top of it in a rhythmic hopping motion.

One hour later, the ball-tapping drill began to escalate.

It shifted from staying in one spot to tapping the ball while moving forward or backward.

The two of them, each with a ball, repeated the monotonous tapping motion over and over.

Three hours later, Tang Long felt the sweat soaking into his cleats, his socks already completely drenched.

Five hours later.

Tang Long exited the AI Smart Cloud Training and leaned back in his dormitory chair, taking a deep breath.

Do not underestimate what seemed like the simplest of moving ball-tapping drills.

Under Pirlo's guidance, Tang Long still discovered many minute details he had never noticed before!

"Tang, your crossover steps are not coordinated. Your arms aren't balancing your body, which will directly affect the frequency of your dribbling on the pitch. Get those arms swinging!"

"Your touch isn't light enough! It shouldn't be the sole of your shoe touching the ball, it should be your studs! Yes, feel the presence of the studs. You need to consciously control your studs, just like a driver controls the contact patch between car tires and the road!"

"Your core is too stiff, which will slow down the range of your turns. Soften your core, and pay attention to your center of gravity!"

He was truly a top-tier midfield dribbling master.

Even in a simple ball-tapping drill, Pirlo could see the big picture and pinpoint the flaws in Tang Long's dribbling.

"Ding!"

"Congratulations to the host for completing the first dribbling training session of [AI Smart Cloud Training]!"

"Sparring player for this session: Pirlo!"

Pirlo, dressed in a suit and tie with gold-rimmed glasses, appeared before the projector like a university professor.

He pointed his finger at the large PPT screen!

It displayed that during the five-hour tapping drill, Tang Long had completed 15,356 touches!

It also detailed the shortcomings and weaknesses in Tang Long's dribbling performance and provided suggestions for future improvement.

"Training score for this session: 6.5. I look forward to seeing you in our next training session, bye-bye!"

Pirlo waved goodbye to Tang Long with the robotic, wooden, and expressionless demeanor of a machine.

"Ding!"

"Dribbling stat increased!"

"59--62!"