Crouching Dragon, Hidden Phoenix, He Can Really Play Center Back!

"Hey, Lu, you're going to be famous after this!" Moric rushed toward Lu Yang and pulled him into a hug.

Moric stood only 1.72 meters tall and weighed a mere 55 kilograms; his physical attributes were considered quite poor.

However, his ball control and passing abilities were exceptional, making him the best midfielder in the San Remo youth academy.

The two shared a great relationship, often practicing together and learning many of each other's strengths.

Moric learned a defensive mindset from Lu Yang; although he appeared thin and weak, he was no longer a defensive liability, which boosted his competitiveness to a certain extent.

Meanwhile, Lu Yang practiced ball control with Moric, becoming quite steady on the ball for a center-back.

"You'll definitely make the first team in the second half of the season. You're just too damn good!" Moric said, filled with envy and jealousy.

"Not at all, not at all." Lu Yang remained quite low-key.

"Don't be humble, man. This is the praise you deserve!" Moric sighed, thinking Lu just lacked confidence and was too introverted—the biggest character flaw of Easterners.

"I'm asking, in what way am I 'too good'? Elaborate on that." Lu Yang flashed a brilliant smile.

Moric was momentarily speechless.

Elaborate on that?

This...

<Serie D youth shines in Celebrity Match, one goal and one assist, stoppage-time winner!>

<Maniero confirms, this youngster is no simple player!>

<The most un-center-back-like center-back in history, Serie D's Lu Yang, a San Remo product!>

<Master and apprentice clash, Soto suffers as his own player scores the winner!>

<Betting open: will Lu Yang face retaliation from Soto? After all, he made his own coach pick up a yellow card on the pitch!>

<Is he an Eastern Divine Defender or an Eastern Divine Striker? Famous for his Lumberjack Shot!>

<Two months earlier, he could have won this year's Puskas Award!>

Facts proved that Lu Yang was indeed famous.

Not just him; San Remo itself had become famous.

Soto, a Destroyer known for not understanding the art of midfield, had actually attempted to become a head coach.

This sparked a massive debate in Italian football, and the conclusion drawn from this discussion was that not all football legends are qualified to be head coaches; for instance, Butcher-type midfielders like Soto were clearly ill-suited for the role.

Lu Yang, a 1.78-meter-tall, scrawny center-back who couldn't even make the Serie D first team, had become famous for his performance as a center-forward.

Truth be told, such a bizarre situation—if you have one, the world is at peace, because the team will have no competitiveness left, and thus, it will naturally be peaceful.

But little San Remo somehow possessed both of these "talents" at the same time.

This undoubtedly piqued the public's curiosity.

So, would San Remo be relegated this season?

After all, at the end of the first half of the season, they sat in 15th place out of 20 teams in Serie D, firmly planted in the relegation zone.

They had conceded 46 goals in half a season, nearly breaking the Serie D record for goals conceded in a half-season.

Many teams didn't concede that many goals in an entire season.

Consequently, countless reporters swarmed to San Remo, desperate for the latest scoop.

San Remo seized the opportunity to introduce themselves to the nation, gaining a moment of fame.

Ironically, Soto and Lu Yang, who had initially attracted everyone's attention, quietly disappeared from the public eye.

The former was busy organizing his staff, considering how to break the deadlock and lead San Remo to a steady climb up the table.

The latter spent every day dragging Moric to the pitch to train, impatient to familiarize himself with the player-level skills he had drawn.

Moric and Lu Yang practiced one-on-one, rotating between offense and defense, and Moric was thoroughly devastated.

Soon, the second half of the season began.

Soto took charge of San Remo.

The first thing he did upon entering the first team was to promote five youth players, including Lu Yang and Moric, to the senior squad.

"At big clubs, youth players can secure starting spots if they perform well enough. Why can't it be the same in Serie D? I don't believe the players here have better individual ability than those in Serie A, nor do I believe the gap between starters, substitutes, and youth players is larger than it is in Serie A!"

Soto arrived with the prestige of a legend, and his toughness was enough to keep the San Remo locker room in check.

Just like that, Lu Yang, Moric, and the others successfully entered the first team.

In fact, San Remo's roster wasn't that bad for Serie D; at the very least, they possessed a star left-winger, Vedian.

The 19-year-old Vedian was rumored to have already been scouted by the Serie C team Renate and would be leaving next season.

He was a player who excelled at both passing and shooting, and he had great speed; many said his future would extend far beyond Renate.

However, San Remo's defense was truly abysmal; conceding 46 goals in half a season had left them in 15th place, which, according to the standings, meant they would have to play in the relegation playoffs.

This was mainly due to their defensive stalwart, Rondo, suffering a major injury and missing the entire first half of the season.

On the training ground, the players were warming up for an upcoming practice match.

This match would determine the starting lineup for the first game of the second half of the season.

"I've watched Vedian play; he's excellent. In Serie D, his speed and dribbling are enough to tear opponents apart. The fact that the team is only fifth from the bottom despite conceding 46 goals has a lot to do with him," Soto said, speaking to his first assistant coach, Tom. "But he has two fatal weaknesses."

"One is that he's too frail. A little physical contact is enough to make him stumble and lose the ball, costing us attacking opportunities."

"The second is his lack of support from teammates. He has no midfielders to feed him good passes, no strikers to receive his service, and no teammates to help draw away defenders."

"He's like a soldier fighting alone, so desperate he's on the verge of losing his confidence."

Tom, who had worked at San Remo for over a decade, nodded in agreement: "Our midfield has always lacked an attacking core, forcing us to play on the counter. Last season, with Rondo, our defense was relatively solid. When we didn't concede, the defenders would launch long balls, and Vedian's speed could kill off games."

"We were even in the promotion zone at one point last season. If Rondo hadn't suffered a serious injury right at the critical moment of our promotion push, we would be a Serie C team by now. That's exactly why Vedian was willing to stay for another season to help us try for promotion again."

"But I never expected Rondo to get injured again in the second game of this season. The team, the fans, and even Vedian have all lost hope."

"Vedian has been lost throughout the first half of the season. He's no longer sharp, and even his signature passing and shooting have suffered due to his lack of confidence. The only reason he's still on the team is that Renate has started to doubt Vedian's talent and intends to wait and see."

Soto let out a disdainful snort: "Hmph, by the time they finish 'waiting and seeing,' Vedian will be far beyond what they can afford! Where in this world is there such a thing as a risk-free venture... By the way, are you sure that kid wants to play as a defender, not a forward?"

That kid, defender, forward—it was clearly Lu Yang they were talking about.

Tom spread his hands: "He said it's not the time to play as a forward yet. He feels more confident in his defensive duties right now and believes he can make San Remo's backline impenetrable once again."

Soto rubbed his forehead.

How interesting.

A 1.78-meter center-back, and he thinks he can make the defense impenetrable?

Where does he get his confidence?

He had originally hoped for Vedian's speed to break through, pass to Lu Yang, and then have Lu Yang score with that dazzling Lumberjack Shot of his.

It seemed that such a forward combination was nothing more than a pipe dream.

Lu Yang couldn't possibly replicate that performance again, right? That was just a flash of brilliance from an ordinary man.

Lu Yang was just an average, perhaps even subpar, center-back.

Soto muttered to himself, as if trying to convince himself, yet the light that never faded from his eyes seemed to disagree with such a conclusion.

If Lu Yang were truly mediocre, how could he have broken through his own defense twice?

Why was he always able to receive Maniero's bizarre, high-difficulty passes?

And why did he and Maniero keep thinking about him?

Beep!

A whistle blew, and the San Remo first-team practice match officially began.

The players in yellow vests were the starting lineup, while those in red vests were the reserves.

Lu Yang and Moric were both wearing red vests.

Vedian, without a doubt, wore a yellow vest.

From the start, Vedian displayed his formidable speed. Before the reserves had fully settled, he dribbled the ball straight through the middle.

A yellow whirlwind swept across the pitch, instantly cutting through the reserves' midfield zone.

No... he hadn't completely shaken everyone off; a small player on the reserve side wasn't far from Vedian.

It was Moric!

Unlike other small, playmaking midfielders, Moric didn't seem to like pushing too far forward; he had been positioned deep from the start. Now, it gave him the perfect opportunity to block Vedian.

Moric moved quickly, but instead of charging directly at Vedian, he applied pressure from the side.

Even so, Vedian flicked the ball, accelerated, and quickly bypassed Moric.

But the next moment...

Bang!

Lu Yang appeared on Vedian's path, intercepting the ball a step ahead.

"Well done!" Soto suddenly clenched his fist on the sidelines, looking unusually excited.

He was a former midfielder himself, so he always got particularly excited whenever he saw an interception.

The coordination between that midfielder and Lu Yang just now was nothing short of perfect!

That's right!

It was coordination!

Moric and Lu Yang!

As a god-tier disruptor in his own day, Soto knew full well that defense was also about coordination.

First, Moric's positioning clearly demonstrated his defensive awareness. A midfielder of his type shouldn't have been in the defensive midfield position, yet there he was.

Then, facing the rapidly advancing Vedian, Moric didn't rush in blindly; he used his body to block Vedian's path, forcing him to change direction.

Although it looked like Vedian had bypassed him, he had actually been funneled directly into the defensive zone where Lu Yang was waiting.

Similarly, Lu Yang's performance during this defensive sequence was also quite remarkable.

He and Moric shared an unparalleled level of chemistry, as if he knew for certain that Moric would force Vedian into that exact direction.

At the same time, the timing of the final challenge was crucial.

If Lu Yang had lunged in too early, Vedian, who hadn't yet released the ball, could have easily adjusted his dribbling path to bypass him; even a slight lateral shift would have been enough to get past him.

If Lu Yang had been a fraction slower, Vedian would have touched the ball first, given his superior speed.

But it was precisely that "not too fast, not too slow" rhythm that Lu Yang seized—the exact moment when Vedian was unable to adjust.

This challenge showcased Lu Yang's defensive awareness, his anticipation, and an explosive power that was quite impressive for a center-back.

A single defensive collaboration was enough to make Soto look at Lu Yang and Moric in a new light.

As a defensive midfield expert, he might not understand the nuances of attacking, but he certainly had a thing or two to say about defense.

"Who is that?" Soto asked, pointing at Moric.

"Moric. He's also one of our youth prospects; he joined at fifteen and is seventeen now. His ball control and passing are excellent, but his lack of physical bulk has been a barrier to him getting minutes," Tom explained. "To overcome his weaknesses, he took the initiative to invite Lu Yang for extra training. The two of them are very close."

"Isn't he basically an engine?" Soto asked, watching Moric with a puzzled expression.

"If Rondo hadn't been injured, the previous head coach was planning to promote Moric to the first team this season. But..." Tom's face was full of bitterness.

Soto nodded, signaling that he understood.

In the eyes of that predecessor, Moric's presence would have weakened the team's midfield defense, as he risked becoming a defensive black hole.

After Rondo was ruled out for the season, the team's defensive quality plummeted, so how could he dare to field Moric under such circumstances?

The presence or absence of a center-back affecting the selection of a midfielder—this is what they call chemistry.

But unfortunately, in Soto's view, that predecessor's understanding of chemistry was failing.

Because if he had watched Moric and Lu Yang play together, he would have known that Moric would never be a burden to the team's defense. On the contrary... he could even bolster it.

This was because he possessed many "unconventional" defensive skills.

What does "unconventional" mean?

It means his physical attributes were indeed lacking.

But sometimes, defense doesn't always require brute force.

Blocking an opponent's path as they advance, using his small stature to go unnoticed while stealing the ball from behind, coordinating with defensive midfielders or fullbacks to trap opponents, and cutting off passing lanes—these are all forms of defense.

These indirect methods, which involve supporting the primary defenders, are still defense, and they are vital.

Moric had developed these good habits, which were especially evident when he played alongside Lu Yang. When they were on the pitch together, he could perform at a level no less than that of a dedicated defensive midfielder.

To be frank, Soto was jealous.

Because he saw the shadow of Maniero in Moric.

A short, thin... midfield maestro who was far from clueless about defense!

A midfield black hole?

That was just an illusion created by Maniero to deceive opposing players, referees, and fans alike, all to garner sympathy!

He was a total fraud!

As long as Moric also possessed decent midfield playmaking ability, Soto wouldn't mind giving him a chance to prove himself in a match.

Bang!

A clearance snapped Soto out of his thoughts.

He looked at Lu Yang, who had successfully cleared the ball, and asked, "Why is he always the one clearing it?"

Tom was also stunned: "I don't know. Perhaps because... he always manages to disrupt the starters' attacks. This is the first time I've seen the starters fail to score after thirty minutes of play. Maybe Lu Yang... can actually play center-back?"

Small clubs don't have deep squads, and the gap between starters and substitutes is often significant.

Of course, this didn't conflict with what Soto had said in the locker room earlier.

If a top-tier starter is a ninety, their backup is usually at least an eighty-something.

But if a Serie D starter is a fifty, their backup likely ranges anywhere from a ten to a forty.

Theoretically, a top-tier backup can perform at a starter's level, but it is very difficult for a Serie D backup to do the same.

However, for a talented player, going from a ten to a fifty is simple, which is why they can easily displace a Serie D starter. But going from a ten to a ninety is nearly impossible, which is why youth players rarely break into top-tier squads.

Therefore, when the San Remo starters and substitutes finished the first half at zero-zero, it effectively proved that the team's established hierarchy had been shattered.

Someone on the substitute side had bolstered the team's strength!

Considering the usual gap between the two sides, this person had effectively erased a two-to-three goal deficit.

And that person was...