Over the past six matches, Lu Yang had also earned two player skills and a chance to open a pack. Adding that to the one he had been saving, he now had two chances to open a pack.
The two skills he had earned were Midfield Defensive Coordination and Slide Tackle.
His defensive stats had improved once again.
His tackling had jumped from 55 to 63.
His interceptions had risen from 50 to 55.
Tackling and interceptions were two different abilities and stats.
Tackling meant dispossessing an opponent of the ball through direct challenges.
Interception meant disrupting the ball's path while it was being moved.
The former required outstanding strength in challenges and timing, and targeted the opponent's dribbling and ball control.
The latter required exceptional anticipation and explosiveness, and targeted the opponent's passing.
In the previous league match, Lu Yang had been substituted in the seventy-second minute.
It was the first time he hadn't played the full ninety minutes since earning a starting spot.
But it wasn't because he had performed poorly.
It was because San Remo's captain and veteran, Rondo, had recovered from his injury.
Lu Yang was replaced by Rondo, who gave him a vigorous hug. "Well done, kid!"
Lu Yang replied, "Thank you, Captain. Enjoy the game!"
When Lu Yang returned to the bench, Soto sat down beside him. "Do you know why I took you off?"
Lu Yang looked out at the pitch. "It shouldn't have been because of my performance, but it must have something to do with me."
Soto was exasperated. "Is it so hard to just say you don't know? Why are smart people unwilling to show weakness in any way? Even over the most trivial things."
Lu Yang said, "I just had a bold idea."
Soto clutched his head. Damn it, had the kid guessed?
Lu Yang said, "Have you finally had enough of me, so... you want to change my position on the pitch?"
Soto was slain!
Lu Yang had actually guessed right.
As for playing center-back, well...
Like goalkeeper, it was a position that didn't need you to shine in any way beyond defending.
Alisson scoring with a header was certainly impressive.
But the only thing that ever determined whether he was a world-class goalkeeper was his defensive record.
Neuer had pioneered the sweeper-keeper style, raising the bar for goalkeepers everywhere. But the main reason he became the world's number one was how many shots he could save.
A defender who could score, a defender with a cannon of a shot—those were certainly impressive.
But...
A center-back only needed to defend well.
No amount of bonuses mattered more than doing your job.
And Lu Yang's performance in that regard was clearly... worrying.
His individual ability gave the team, the fans, and even his head coach, Soto, great confidence.
But the way he played left everyone on edge.
A V-Pull inside the penalty area!
Dribbling out of pressure near the edge of the box!
Carrying the ball laterally along the top of the penalty arc!
Choosing to control the ball with his feet instead of clearing it, even inside the box!
Making an overlapping run and blasting a shot from outside the opposing penalty area!
These were all standard Lu Yang moves. They had brought San Remo many victories and given the fans countless thrilling moments, making them more and more hooked on watching San Remo play.
But what if one day the team conceded because of one of Lu Yang's moves?
It would be a blow to the team, and an even greater blow to Lu Yang.
The fans who had flocked to watch Lu Yang's flashy, elegant style of play could turn on him in an instant, accusing him of showing off and neglecting the team's defense and interests.
That would be a huge blow to any player.
Soto had once been the team's scapegoat. He knew that feeling all too well.
It could destroy a player's confidence.
It could also leave a player disillusioned with the team and its fans, and make him want to leave.
And San Remo needed Lu Yang!
Within a week of Lu Yang signing with Arthas, he and Moric had signed new youth contracts with the team. Their terms had improved significantly, and they had even become two of the club's five highest-paid players.
It was the only way San Remo could keep Lu Yang and Moric: by showing them how serious the club was.
So Lu Yang and Moric needed to be protected better. They couldn't be left exposed to the fans' attacks.
That was one side of it.
The other was that the center-back position restricted Lu Yang too much.
You had to remember to return to the back line and hold your position at all times, which inevitably meant missing out on many opportunities.
That was the sacrifice every center-back had to make.
But Lu Yang... his defensive talent and ability shouldn't be confined by a single position.
He had a mind of his own, and those ideas had already outgrown what the center-back role could accommodate.
So when Rondo returned, Soto immediately put him back on the defensive line and took Lu Yang off.
He wanted to see whether San Remo's back line could still hold firm without Lu Yang.
As it turned out, having a veteran defender like Rondo on the team was a real asset in Serie D.
The back line he led was very different from Lu Yang's, but it wasn't bad either.
So now it was time to let Lu Yang off the leash!
"Really? Is this for real?" Moric stared at the training-match lineup and was completely stunned.
There was no doubt that both he and Lu Yang were in the starting lineup.
But Lu Yang's position on the sheet was no longer listed as CB, center-back. It was DMF, defensive midfielder.
Lu Yang's position had changed.
He and Moric would form a double pivot.
San Remo had previously played a 4-3-3.
Or a 4-1-2-3, with Moric sitting deep and orchestrating play.
Since the team's right winger often dropped back to help the midfield defend, the shape looked more like an irregular 4-1-3-2.
The team's center-forward also focused on setting up plays, limiting his attacking threat.
That left the midfield crowded, yet all the midfielders were workhorses without much creativity. The team's setup was being wasted in attack.
Now, if Lu Yang played as the left defensive midfielder, the team would line up in a 4-2-1-3—or a true 4-3-3.
Lu Yang's sweeping and interceptions would protect Moric in the middle, immediately bolstering the midfield.
The right-sided midfielder had the same role as Lu Yang, but played a little farther forward.
The right winger wouldn't need to track back, and the left-back could push up to help Vedian build attacks. San Remo would finally be able to break down a set defense instead of simply waiting for counterattacks.
Especially since Lu Yang and Moric had already shown a strong understanding in previous matches. It would let the midfield engine that was Moric shift straight into high gear.
If Lu Yang could adapt, this adjustment wouldn't just free him from the constraints of his old position. It would also relieve Moric of defensive duties so he could focus on organizing attacks, while easing the burden on Vedian.
It could completely transform San Remo's attack.
But everything depended on Lu Yang being able to adapt.
"Of course it's real, buddy. You won't have to cover for me anymore. I've become your personal bodyguard." Lu Yang slapped Moric's hand.
The training match soon began.
Even though the coaching staff had already suspected what might happen, the 5–0 halftime score still brought the match to an early end.
There was no point in continuing.
The starting team's attack had truly transformed.
With fewer players in midfield, Moric had more room to move. There were also more passing options up front, making his passes far more dangerous.
The right winger and left-back pushed forward to support Vedian, making it much harder for the opposition to target him—two players were drawing defenders away. He seemed to get slightly fewer chances, but the threat he created was far greater than before.
Likewise, Lu Yang found it incredibly easy to sweep across the midfield.
And his little tricks for keeping the ball no longer made everyone nervous. They only drew applause.
Of the five goals, Moric played a clever pass to the right winger, who laid it back to him. Moric let the ball run through to Lu Yang, who scored with a long-range shot.
Moric played a clever pass to Vedian, who used his pace to beat the back line and score twice.
Moric played a clever pass to the left-back, who passed to Vedian. Vedian cut the ball back to the center-forward, who scored.
Moric and Lu Yang played a one-two, then Lu Yang played a clever pass to Vedian, who scored.
With goals coming from all over the team, Moric's importance as the midfield's core became even more apparent.
This was no longer a team that could only play on the counterattack.
That was extremely important for San Remo.
They were already seventh in the standings, and many teams would play on the counterattack against them.
San Remo couldn't wait around for the other team to attack.
They had to become more dangerous in possession.
It was a necessary step on the road from underdogs to contenders.
Many teams bought players with strong attacking ability on the ball or hired coaches who favored attacking football to make that transformation.
But Soto had achieved it with just one change.
He'd moved Lu Yang from center-back to defensive midfield.
That was the chemistry and charm of the footballing world.
On the sideline.
"His positional sense is incredible. We couldn't see it when he was playing center-back." Soto shook his head in amazement. He'd thought he already understood the extent of Lu Yang's talent, but Lu Yang had still exceeded his expectations.
"Positional sense" was a term used by many commentators and coaches, but fans often found it hard to understand.
In simple terms, it meant that a player could always understand the team's current formation and choose the right moment to hold his position or cover for someone else.
A 4-3-3, a 4-4-2, a 3-5-2, a 4-2-3-1—those were all formations. But once the players started moving during a match, it was hard to tell what shape they were in.
In that situation, some players would easily lose their positions, especially defenders.
That could be fatal for the team.
A good counterattack or a killer pass often came from exploiting a player out of position. When the opposition's midfielders and defenders pushed forward, they were trying to disrupt your defensive shape and create an opening.
To reduce those mistakes, players needed a good sense of positioning.
Many people said positional sense was innate. That wasn't entirely true.
If you analyzed what positional sense came from and what shaped it, you'd find it was connected to three things.
The first was football intelligence.
It was an elusive quality. Some people searched for it and never found it; others suddenly understood, seemingly without any reason.
The second was defensive awareness.
When a coach told a player not to push up or go beyond a certain teammate's position, to stay behind him and focus on defending, the player was less likely to lose his position by making an aggressive run.
His positional sense seemed to improve.
That was one way a coach could change a team.
But it wasn't the core factor.
The key to a player's positional sense was... vision!
When your vision was wide enough to know where every player was, you also knew where you needed to be.
That was the strongest, most scientific kind of positional sense.
And Lu Yang... had the most terrifying vision on the football pitch.
His vision stat was as high as 99. He had Xavi's God's Eye View, and in the image from a moving camera, he could spot and remember the positions of sixteen of the twenty-two players on the pitch at a glance. An average professional player could remember only six.
That gave Lu Yang an unrivaled sense of positioning on the pitch.
When to sweep across the field, when Moric was in danger, when Moric needed an outlet rather than a teammate crowding him, when to make a forward run—Lu Yang had shown so many outstanding qualities in that training match.
Of course, that didn't mean Lu Yang had no weaknesses.
"His interceptions could be smarter, and his passing is relatively weak. His short passes are just about good enough, but his long passes leave a lot to be desired. Right now, he's a capable bodyguard, but not yet the second core of San Remo's midfield." Soto's disappointment was plain to see.
That disappointment wasn't just aimed at Lu Yang. It was aimed at himself, too.
When Soto had played, he'd filled a role similar to Lu Yang's.
Especially on the national team. He and Maniero had been just like Lu Yang and Moric now.
One was a fierce defensive bodyguard, and the other was the team's brains.
But if that bodyguard had been able to attack, taking on the role of the cerebellum and briefly organizing the offense whenever the brains stopped working, the team would have been terrifying.
Soto hadn't managed it. He was a superstar, but most of the time, he was helpless in attack. That was the greatest regret of his generation's national team, alongside Maniero.
If not for that, they wouldn't have had just one World Cup Trophy, nor would they have missed out on the Delaunay Trophy.
By the time Soto realized this, it was too late. He no longer had any potential to develop.
But Lu Yang was only sixteen.
"Lu, the coach left this for you." Tom handed Lu Yang a small box, along with a report. "This is a collection of observations from the coaching staff after reviewing today's training match. We hope it'll be useful. We'll prepare one of these reports for all your future matches... and Moric's, too."
Lu Yang took the box and report, then nodded solemnly. "Thanks for all the effort, Tom."
"For the San Remo legend!" Tom clenched his fist and walked away.
There was no doubt about it: this was San Remo's most sincere show of goodwill and commitment.
They were genuinely treating Lu Yang and Moric as the team's core players. They might not be able to pay them the kind of salaries the giants offered, but they could give the two of them room to develop to their full potential.
At least Vedian didn't get that kind of treatment.
Then Lu Yang opened the box.
"Ding! You've activated Superstar Legacy—Midfield Butcher, Soto!"