Team Injuries and New Star-Level Skills

Sophia left.

Before leaving, she handed the villa keys to Lu Yang, and she truly had the construction crew quickly finish building an artificial turf pitch.

Given Sophia's financial resources, she could have easily afforded a small natural grass pitch, but there wasn't enough time.

Sophia could sense that without that pitch, Lu Yang might have genuinely refused her invitation to come here and look after the house for her.

When Lu Yang and Moric finished training and prepared to return to the villa, Moric, upon learning that Lu Yang had already moved into Sophia's mansion, felt completely betrayed.

He felt that his friendship with Lu Yang was nearing its end.

From this point on, he swore he would never be friends with anyone who was 1.81 meters tall again.

The speed at which they defected was simply beyond his expectations.

Rondo comforted Moric, saying, "Don't be like that. When you get a girlfriend, you'll undergo the same changes."

Moric asked skeptically, "So, once love enters the picture, friendship is heavily discounted?"

Rondo replied, "At least at the beginning, that's how it is."

Moric asked, "What were you like when you were in love? Was it the same state of abandoning friendship like Lu?"

Rondo said, "I wouldn't say there are too many similarities; I'd just say... it was exactly the same... No, I was actually even worse than him back then, practically a total simp! Honestly, Lu Yang's current state is a hundred times better than mine was. You have to understand him; after all, Sophia is his first love, and they're in the heat of it. You know what I mean."

Moric looked half-convinced, though he felt that women seemed even more complicated than football.

On the other side, Lu Yang never expected that he could receive rewards even for matches he didn't participate in.

"Ding! The team defeated their opponent without you, and you have received a Random Gift Pack *1."

"Ding! You opened the gift pack and obtained the star-level skill: Guti's Through Ball!"

Another wolf!

Another star-level skill!

Lu Yang beamed with joy.

Totti the King of Red Wolves' Panenka Chip.

Guti's Through Ball.

Would the next pack contain something like Romario the Lone Wolf's shot?

Guti was a Real Madrid midfielder, known for being a "nerve blade."

His through balls were incredibly sharp and often capable of delivering a fatal blow. However, the high-reward nature of such through balls came with the high risk of being countered if the pass failed.

Guti was highly controversial throughout his career because of this, but he never changed his style, insisting on this incisive way of playing.

This made his midfield less stable, but it kept the fans mesmerized, constantly spiking their adrenaline.

This star-level skill significantly increased Lu Yang's passing ability.

Long passing increased to 60.

Short passing was awakened and immediately reached 55 points.

Foot power went from 50 to 55.

Moreover, a through ball generally refers to a ground pass, which further perfected Lu Yang's passing repertoire. His previous Low-altitude Passing and Weighted Spin Pass were both types of aerial long balls.

After the results of the 35th round of Serie D were all in, the standings shifted once again.

Turris won big against their opponent and maintained their lead, currently sitting at 73 points.

Bisceglie stopped slipping and also won, placing second with 71 points.

Francavilla, meanwhile, fell into a goal-scoring slump due to the injury of their starting center-forward, drawing 0-0 with their opponent and sitting third in the standings with 69 points.

Furthermore, they were tied on points with fourth-place San Remo!

However, in Serie D, the tie-breaker is determined by head-to-head records, and Francavilla held one win and one draw against San Remo, which is why they were ranked third.

San Remo had only had two draws in the second half of the season, winning all other matches, and one of those draws was gifted to them by Francavilla.

But even so, whenever a tie in points occurred, San Remo was generally at a disadvantage.

This was because they had lost to all the top-six teams in the first half of the season.

Even though they won most of those matches back in the second half, they had often lost by large margins in the first half; if they couldn't win by large margins in the second half, they were usually at a disadvantage in the goal difference aspect of the head-to-head tie-breaker.

This was San Remo's hidden vulnerability.

Fifth-place Palermo and sixth-place Catania also secured victories, staying hot on the heels of San Remo and Francavilla with 67 and 66 points, respectively.

The competition for the top six was becoming increasingly intense.

The day before the 36th round, during San Remo's regular training, the team's starting right center-back suffered a thigh strain. After an examination, it was confirmed that he would miss all remaining matches of the season.

The team made a temporary adjustment, and backup center-back Nagy entered the starting lineup.

Considering Nagy's reputation as a defensive sieve, many held a pessimistic view of this adjustment.

Fortunately, San Remo's next opponent was Viterbo, a weak team that had already confirmed their relegation.

One day later, the thirty-sixth round of the league kicked off.

In the seventh minute of the match, Lu Yang delivered a through ball that was both novel and stunning, leaving the entire stadium in awe.

At that moment, there were at least four people between him and the team's center forward, yet Lu Yang's through ball threaded precisely through those four players, landing right at the feet of the San Remo center forward.

This was a rare, pinpoint ground pass from Lu Yang, catching the opposition completely off guard.

After all, the only person in San Remo who could deliver such a pass before was Moric!

With the ball at his feet and a clear path to the goal, the San Remo center forward did not miss this golden opportunity, scoring the opening goal for the team.

San Remo led Viterbo one to zero.

Although relegation was already a certainty, this did not mean that the Viterbo players had no desire to win.

One must realize that San Remo was currently an internet-famous team in Serie D, with even most Serie C teams failing to garner as much attention as they did.

There were even rumors in the media that scouts from major clubs were frequently watching San Remo's matches during this period.

Playing against San Remo was arguably the best channel for players in lower-tier leagues to gain maximum exposure.

The Viterbo players also wanted to shine and see if they could catch the eye of other clubs. Even if they couldn't leap straight into Serie A or Serie B, staying in Serie D would at least be a decent outcome.

Therefore, everyone played with extra vigor today.

The containment of Lu Yang was also particularly tight.

After all, who else but Lu Yang was the most famous player in San Remo right now?

Stadium commentator: "Oh, we can see that Lu Yang seems to be in trouble today. Although the team's offense is relatively fluid, every time he receives the ball, he inevitably faces double-teaming."

"Lu Yang and Moric are two different types of players. Moric can handle such double-teaming with ease, but Lu Yang appears a bit flustered. Fortunately, his ball control and vision are good; he always manages to pass the ball to Moric or the backline before losing possession."

"However, this invisibly disrupts the team's offense. This is why San Remo's midfield organization is decent today, yet they are struggling to create very direct scoring opportunities."

"So far, the score remains one to zero. Vedian is having a rough day with his finishing; he has had two good chances but failed to convert either. Meanwhile, the link-up between the right midfielder and the right forward is not particularly smooth. They both seem to be in poor form, which might be related to their strenuous efforts in the last match."

"Lu Yang was absent in the last game, which significantly increased the defensive pressure on the entire San Remo squad. Furthermore, the team has many older players; the center forward, right forward, right midfielder, and the previous starting right center-back are all over thirty-two years old."

"The previously reported injury of the San Remo starting right center-back, which led to the young Nagy starting, is related to this. The stamina and durability of most San Remo players have reached their limits recently. If not managed properly, they may suffer more injuries in the upcoming matches."

To date, San Remo has achieved a terrifying nine-game winning streak.

Before this nine-game winning streak, they had two draws, and before that, another five-game winning streak!

They have remained undefeated in the second half of the season.

But this also means the players are exhausted.

Especially since they began their push for the promotion zone, the challenges they face have become increasingly difficult, and the players have been playing with more excitement, performing better in every match.

However, their bodies may not be able to keep up.

And a team like San Remo cannot possibly have a perfect rotation squad.

They have many positions that do not even have reliable substitute players.

Often, one substitute player has to wear many hats, serving as a rotation option for multiple positions.

Now, physical stamina has become a major factor limiting San Remo's further progress.

On the pitch, despite holding a one-to-zero lead, San Remo does not have the upper hand in terms of gameplay.

"We need to score more goals to reduce the mental and defensive pressure on the whole team," Moric said, finding Lu Yang.

He was very sharp; the team's right forward and right midfielder were in terrible form today.

Unlike Vedian's poor finishing, those two were playing a bit... reserved today.

This meant they didn't dare to exert their full strength.

And often, the reason someone doesn't dare to exert themselves is that a certain part of their body feels uncomfortable when they do. The pain isn't severe enough to be debilitating, but it makes one subconsciously hold back.

This is often a sign of a preliminary injury in certain areas.

They couldn't go on like this.

Soto's defensive tactics were indeed sound, but they required a massive amount of running from everyone.

Since the team clearly lacked the capacity for such high-intensity running, Moric decided to change the team's playing style on his own initiative.

But reducing the running meant increasing defensive vulnerabilities, which could very likely lead to the team conceding a goal.

Therefore, the team's attacking personnel had to establish an advantage first.

Everything was interconnected; no step could be taken out of order, otherwise, good intentions might lead to bad results.

"I'll try," Lu Yang said. "They are putting a lot of defensive pressure on me today; you can look for more opportunities to push forward."

Moric nodded in agreement.

Soon, an opportunity arose.

In the thirty-fifth minute of the match, Lu Yang received the ball.

One opposing midfielder closed him down at close range, while another rushed over from the side to double-team him.

The player containing Lu Yang had clearly studied him; he knew that Lu Yang lacked the ability to break through with the ball.

As long as they didn't commit to a tackle, they wouldn't be shaken by Lu Yang's favorite V-Pull.

This was the best way to defend against Lu Yang, and they had already successfully defended this way several times today.

But this time, Lu Yang did not sit and wait for his fate.

He pulled the ball back with his right foot, rolling it to the tip of his left foot, then flicked his left toe, sending the ball into the air.

The opposing defender's eyes lit up; this kind of mid-air ball was difficult to control, and he could easily snatch it—it was a sure thing!

Had Lu Yang made a mistake?

But just as the opposing player prepared to step forward, the ball, which should have soared high, struck the knee of Lu Yang's advancing left leg, causing it to drop rapidly and bounce forward.

It sounds like a long process, but this sequence happened in a single instant.

After Lu Yang pulled the ball with his right foot, the moment his foot touched the ground, the ball flew up and was struck by his left knee.

This took barely a second.

And why did Lu Yang's left knee move forward to strike the ball?

Naturally, because his left foot was stepping forward to prepare for a sprint.

In a flash, Lu Yang pushed off with his right foot and stepped forward with his left, rushing past the defender with the ball, like a streak of yellow lightning.

The commentator was stunned: "This is... a Knee-Tap Lift! It's a flashy street football move, but it can also be used for breakthroughs; it's incredibly sudden. It's just that in professional matches, very few people use such fancy moves."

"This move looks easy to defend, but for the defender, it's actually a grueling test. It forces the ball to change direction three times in an instant: first, pulling it from the front to the back. Second, sending the ball from the ground into the air, and third, causing the ball to suddenly bounce from the air toward the ground in front."

"With three shifts in center of gravity in such a short time, very few defenders can keep up; even if the brain reacts, the body's center of gravity cannot. Or rather, even if the brain knows it's a deception, muscle memory is involuntarily triggered. We can see the Viterbo defender frozen in place, unable to move, forced to watch as the ball and Lu Yang sweep past him."

"This is the power of the Knee-Tap Lift!"

After breaking through the defense, Lu Yang drove straight in, effectively bypassing two players at once, as another player had intended to double-team him.

Left with no choice, the remaining Viterbo players scrambled toward Lu Yang.

Moric found himself wide open, pushing forward to the top of the penalty arc.

He had just arrived when Lu Yang's through ball reached him.

It was another exquisite pass, bypassing the blockade of a defender.

Moric took the ball and unleashed a powerful shot, scoring from distance.

San Remo led two-nil, consolidating their advantage!

During the goal celebration, Moric found the team's right-wing players, asking them to play more conservatively from now on to conserve energy and protect their bodies.

The right forward and right midfielder's expressions shifted slightly, and they nodded.

Afterward, San Remo's style of play changed; more attacks were initiated from the left, giving Vedian more opportunities to adjust his touch.

"Why does the team's playstyle seem to have changed?" Tom noticed the shift and worried that Soto would be angry; no head coach likes their tactics being altered at will by players.

However, Soto laughed: "This is the role of a brain. As players on the pitch, they often perceive details better than we do, just as we can see the spatial positioning on the field better than they can."

"Moric is adjusting the team's style based on the players' conditions; this is exactly what a midfield core should do. Our right-side players might be having some issues, and in the second half..."

Glancing at the bench, Soto pursed his lips.

He didn't actually have much room for adjustments in the second half.

The team's biggest achievement in the winter transfer window was signing him, and because Soto and the club chairman both felt the season was a lost cause and the primary goal was avoiding relegation, Soto hadn't asked for transfer funds or new players.

The team's player depth was therefore severely lacking.

If they had known earlier that there was hope for promotion this season, the club chairman would have bought a few substitutes for Soto regardless of the cost.

Now, they were left with no rice to cook the meal!