Targeted Tactics, Three-Person Positional Play

The score is leveled!

A one-man show against the entire team!

A coast-to-coast run from a defensive steal to a goal!

A cool Knee-Tap Lift!

An infinite Bicycle Dribble!

A super-wide Flip Flap!

Is this really something a human can do?

At this moment, everyone who thought Lu Yang lacked solid fundamentals fell silent.

This is absurd!

He is simply a one-man wrecking crew!

"Lu Yang, you're a beast!"

"Lu Yang, you're a beast!"

The players of Team B could not contain their excitement, celebrating wildly.

A last-minute equalizer in the first half is a massive boost to morale!

Lu Yang found Baizami, who had come over to celebrate, and said, "Baizami, how about that? I didn't lie to you, did I? There really is a style of play where one person just keeps pushing forward to help the team score!"

"Your dribbling is even better than mine; what I can do, you can do too!"

"Don't fear failure once or twice. As long as you use your brain and play to your strengths, no one can stop you!"

Baizami felt deeply encouraged.

So this style of play really exists?

So Messi wasn't just a made-up name Lu Yang used to trick him.

"Is this Messi?" Baizami became interested in the player Lu Yang had mentioned.

Lu Yang shook his head and said, "This was Ronaldinho. His ball control looks flashier and is a joy to watch, but like Messi, he is unstoppable."

"Find your own football, Baizami!"

Looking into Lu Yang's sincere eyes, Baizami nodded solemnly.

Since he had promised, he had to do it!

Jan Lahm was not a sore loser either. After the first half ended, he congratulated Lu Yang, "A brilliant goal, but there won't be a next time!"

Lu Yang laughed, "That would only be true if you had three Jan Lahms on your side."

Jan Lahm smiled; it was both a compliment and a provocation.

This guy named Lu Yang is truly interesting.

At halftime, Team B conducted a thorough review of the first half.

Every player voiced their own perspective.

Players in different positions feel different pressures during a match.

Moric: "Baizami, you passed back too much in the first half. You must solve this problem. Once our attack starts, we cannot turn back, or their Frontcourt Pressing will take effect. We need your help, Baizami!"

"You have the ability, and in the second half, you will have more stamina than your opponent. Don't worry about losing the ball; there is no such thing as perfect football. Even if there is only a one percent chance, as long as you seize it, we can win!"

Baizami nodded. Coordination was one thing, but he understood the basics of a Cross from the Baseline and Dribbling and Cutting Inside to Shoot; he wasn't an idiot.

Uh... was he really not?

Versace said, "Facing Canyes, I'm under a lot of pressure. I feel like it's hard to break through his side; he's much faster than me!"

Lu Yang nodded, "Alright, then we'll play conservatively on the left. You don't need to charge their baseline; instead, pull toward the center. In the second half, I will seize the moment to push into their center, but I need your help to do it."

"After you move to the center to disrupt their defensive formation, drop back into my position. I will push up to the frontcourt; if there's no opportunity, I'll drop back, and you can push up again. We'll keep attacking repeatedly, and we'll create an opportunity soon!"

Moric looked at Soguer and said, "Soguer, in the second half, once Baizami creates opportunities, there will be many crosses. You must seize them. Additionally, when we push through the center, you can pull one of their center-backs to the left and cross-run with Versace or Lu Yang."

Moric didn't set up tactics for the team's right flank because Baizami couldn't coordinate, so he specifically asked Soguer to drift to the left.

"Can you hold up?" Versace asked, worried about Lu Yang's stamina.

The tactical setup Moric and Lu Yang had just arranged wasn't a fixed formation, but a mid-to-backfield insertion tactic that could be used in any formation.

Whether it was effective or not often depended on the frequency of the insertions.

One or two charges rarely have a significant effect.

But once the frequency increases, the opposing defenders are forced to react.

Repeatedly pushing up, combined with the fact that Lu Yang had been responsible for sweeping the defense, required immense stamina.

"Don't worry, I can keep running," Lu Yang smiled.

Soto's Perpetual Motion Machine is no joke.

For ordinary defenders, pushing up to assist in the attack increases their defensive burden.

But for Lu Yang, wide-ranging defense is his specialty. If he combines pushing up with defensive duties, it becomes a full-court high press; as long as someone covers his position, it won't create any defensive gaps.

Finally, the players of Team B cheered themselves on, shouting "Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

Conversely, the situation on the side of Team A was not nearly as harmonious.

Aguilar complained that they had too few opportunities, and he believed that Canyes was not aggressive enough in his overlapping runs, failing to help him stretch the opponent's defense.

Canyes retorted that he didn't mind overlapping, but after he made three or four runs, Aguilar should have passed him the ball at least once.

"I'm running into open space every single time; do you really think I'm just a defender? You might be a Roma first-team player, but I am also one of the crown princes of Juventus!"

"My crosses are no worse than yours!"

Parrott stood on Canyes' side because he also couldn't get the ball from Aguilar's feet. Aguilar only thought about cutting inside to shoot, yet he couldn't get past that Lu Yang at all.

Furthermore, Parrott is a speed-based poacher; he needs to be in motion to capture good attacking opportunities.

However, Aguilar usually only distributed the ball to Parrott when he was trapped in a dead end. What was the use of receiving the ball when surrounded by people? Should Parrott just crash into them?

That was simply unrealistic.

Speaking of dribbling, everyone remembered that perfect display of ball control by Lu Yang just moments ago.

"I won't let him get past me again!" Lam clearly knew what Parrott was thinking, and his tone was firm.

He had been overconfident in the first half.

He hadn't expected Lu Yang's dribbling to be at that level.

Although it is said that the dribbling of top-tier attacking players is impossible to defend, top-tier defenders are not without ways to compensate.

As long as Lam didn't commit to a tackle recklessly, even if Lu Yang got past him, he could rely on his excellent speed and explosive physique to keep up with Lu Yang, then apply pressure to complete a tackle or defensive stop during the duel.

Lam had the ability to do that.

Ceballos had originally thought about sacrificing himself in the second half to play as a midfielder and distribute the ball to everyone, which would surely improve the team's offense.

However, seeing Aguilar's attitude, he instead felt his own selfish side being triggered.

Since you, Aguilar, only play for your own stats, why should I, Ceballos, sacrifice myself for the team?

To put it bluntly, this Star of Italy Training Camp is actually an individual battle; until a team is fully formed, there is no such thing as team honor.

Watching the stark contrast in atmosphere between the Team A and Team B locker rooms, the five mentors didn't know what to say.

Actually, Team A wasn't bad; their super players were equally sharp when relying on short passing combinations. But... the problem was having a selfish leader like Aguilar, who poisoned the entire team's morale.

Conversely, Team B captain Lu Yang's proactive commitment to defensive tasks made everyone trust him, leading them to follow his commands.

Following this trend, the second half might see a different turn of events.

Because Team A remained stagnant, while Team B had already made targeted adjustments.

Fifteen minutes later, the second half began.

Team B gave Team A a wake-up call right from the start.

As a defensive midfielder, Lu Yang did not stay in his own half; instead, he defended all the way to the edge of the opponent's penalty area, putting immense pressure on Team A's ball carrier.

If not for Lam being steady enough to support his teammate in time and distribute the ball to the left, Lu Yang would likely have completed a steal in the final third.

"He rushed up too fast; I didn't even have time to clear the ball!" Team A's right center-back apologized to Lam. "I saw the gap in the distance, but I couldn't get the pass off."

Lam nodded in understanding. In fact, he had also seen the gap on the right flank, but he couldn't get the pass off either.

Long passes require preparation.

The passer's leg swing, body tilt, and wind-up time are all different from a short pass.

If the opponent is too close to you, it is very difficult to prepare for a long pass; during your wind-up, the opponent can step in to poke the ball away or block your pass.

That was exactly the situation just now.

But Team A's right winger, Aguilar, ignored all of this. He spread his arms and shouted loudly in the front court, expressing his dissatisfaction.

"Why didn't you pass it over? I was open! If you had passed it, we could have scored!" Aguilar kept complaining, while neither Canyes behind him nor Parrott in the middle said a word, though the impatience on their faces grew heavier.

Canyes and Parrott had both made empty runs countless times; this was tactics, and running into space was normal.

How could Aguilar be so impatient after running into space just once?

Does he really think he's the captain?

Aguilar did not display the level of skill that matched his temper, so he gradually faced a backlash.

As the match reached the sixtieth minute, the situation on the pitch changed drastically.

"How many times has Lu Yang pushed up to the front court now?" Carlisle suddenly felt something was off; Lu Yang seemed very active in the second half.

"The fifth? Or the seventh?" Ancarelli said. "His style of play in the second half is very dangerous; he's pushing up too often."

Maniero shook his head: "Sarvic is helping him cover, and Lu Yang's pressing defense in the front court makes it difficult for the opponent to clear the ball directly to the back, so the defensive pressure Sarvic faces when covering is not high. He is a versatile warrior, capable of handling this job."

"And Lu Yang's impact in the front court is too strong. Look, apart from Lam, the rest of the midfielders and center-backs are somewhat exhausted. Lu Yang has increased their range of movement."

Perotta nodded: "Soguer is also constantly drifting to the left, leaving the middle open for Lu Yang to charge through. This is a tactical shift involving three players swapping positions. The defensive midfielder pushes up to the striker position, the striker drifts to the left winger position, and the left winger tucks into the defensive midfielder position."

"The essence of this tactic lies in Lu Yang's late runs, which impact and wear down the opponent's defensive line. His stamina is excellent; he shows no signs of fatigue even now."

Taji: "Lu Yang is picking up speed! Soguer has pulled Lam away—this is a golden opportunity!"

On the pitch, Moric suddenly delivered a pass, and the surging Lu Yang received the ball cleanly.

A Team A midfielder closed in from the side.

Lu Yang kicked the ball six or seven meters ahead and began a footrace with the midfielder.

The opposing midfielder clearly couldn't outrun Lu Yang.

By the time Lu Yang touched the ball again, he was not far from the arc outside the penalty area.

A Team A right center-back stepped up, attempting to delay Lu Yang.

Lu Yang immediately performed a Stepover.

The memory of Lu Yang's previous stepovers was still fresh, and the center-back treated him like a major threat.

Yet, deep down, he felt a sense of relief.

Keep doing those stepovers, he thought, our defensive players will surround you in no time.

However, he didn't expect that after just one feint with each foot, Lu Yang would immediately push the ball to the left and break through.

There was no chain of stepovers this time; it was just a token gesture, a brief brush outside the penalty area before he surged straight in.

The opponent was caught completely unprepared and was bypassed by Lu Yang.

At this moment, Lu Yang was face-to-face with the goalkeeper.

But because he had just broken through to the left, his actual shooting angle was very narrow.

A normal player wouldn't choose to shoot; a cut-back pass would be far more likely!

The Team A left center-back spotted Baizami cutting in from the flank and decisively moved to cover him, denying Baizami any chance to poach the ball.

The Team A goalkeeper was a tough customer, too; he charged out immediately, further narrowing Lu Yang's shooting angle.

He had essentially sealed off all space for a shot.

Lu Yang glanced toward Baizami.

The right center-back, who had been bypassed and was preparing to recover, suddenly stopped his pursuit and stood in the passing lane between Lu Yang and Baizami, cutting off Lu Yang's exit.

For a moment, Lu Yang had no passing options.

If he passed, the ball would surely be intercepted!

But...

The ball was suddenly flicked up by the tip of Lu Yang's boot, tracing a rainbow-like arc through the air.

The Team A goalkeeper's pupils constricted; he never imagined that Lu Yang could pull off a high-arcing chip shot in such a confined space!

This required an incredibly high level of shooting technique.

It was irrational!

On one hand, such a high-arcing chip is difficult to execute; if the arc isn't high enough, the goalkeeper will easily save it.

On the other hand, even if it clears the goalkeeper, the high arc means the ball stays in the air longer, making it easy for a recovering center-back to clear it.

The goalkeeper instinctively looked toward his team's left center-back behind him.

However, the area in front of the goal was empty.

The left center-back had already run out to mark Baizami!

That glance Lu Yang gave Baizami had deceived everyone!

"GOAL! A brilliant late run, an efficient and concise Stepover! Especially that final no-look chip shot—it was truly the work of a daring artist! Everyone was fooled by Lu Yang's eyes, including Baizami, who kept thinking Lu Yang would pass to him!"

"Two to one, Team B has turned the score around! They are in the lead!"

"Lam was pulled away by Soguer; he's sighing on the sidelines. If he had been there, perhaps Lu Yang would have been stopped!"

"This is Lu Yang's eighth run of the second half, and his efforts have paid off. Perhaps due to fatigue, or perhaps because they didn't think Moric would pass to him, Team A's midfield committed a massive error this time!"

"A brace! Lu Yang has taken control of the match single-handedly; this is something we couldn't see in any of the previous tests!"

"A match player—this is exactly what Maniero meant by a 'match player,' and it's all true! Dear viewers, let's take another look at the replay of that beautiful attack!"