owlsbooks Chapter 9: The Useless Man's Actions!
Chapter 9: The Useless Man's Actions!
In training matches, meeting the head coach's tactical requirements is more important than playing rationally.
As a reliable adult man who is already middle-aged, Li Jing knows better than these young men how to secure a starting position.
This training session was specifically designed by Simeone.
Although it is offensive and defensive training.
However, the main team has no goal to attack from, so they can only keep controlling the ball and passing it around.
On the other hand, if the starters let the opponent attack freely and don't play their best on defense, they will fall behind.
In short, it can be summed up in one word: exhausting.
Training that's exhausting!
The moment the whistle blew, Li Jing moved.
Instead of taking a few steps forward as a typical attacking midfielder, he suddenly released his tension like a taut spring and charged towards Pizzi.
The first step is the outbreak.
The world-class speed built up over 16,000 hours in the simulator was unleashed at this moment.
His start was full of violence, and the cleats scraped a shallow mark on the grass beneath his feet.
Pizzi had just received a pass back from the center-back and was about to look up to observe.
Then he saw a yellow shadow rushing towards him.
too fast.
The first thought that came to Pizzi's mind as he approached was:
Is this even a speed a human could run at?
This future is even faster than that of many top 100-meter athletes.
And what is this guy doing? Is he crazy?
What kind of defensive method disrupts the defensive formation like this?
That's so incredibly unprofessional!
He instinctively tried to spike the ball and change direction, but Li Jing had already rushed in front of him.
Those eyes were fixed on the ball at Pizzi's feet. Without the slightest hesitation, he charged straight at it.
Pi Qi panicked.
Despite his panic, Pizzi made the right decision.
He tried to shield the ball with his body, while secretly raising his left arm, his elbow aimed at Li Jing's ribs.
This is a common tactic used by seasoned midfielders: to distract opponents with subtle, underhanded moves. Even in official matches, referees rarely call such fouls.
But to his surprise, his elbow hit a wall as soon as he raised it.
Li Jing showed no intention of dodging.
He used his physical strength to withstand the impact with his right shoulder.
"Bang!"
A muffled thud.
Pizzi felt like he had been hit by a motorcycle.
A tremendous force came from the point of contact, and he lost his balance, staggering three or four steps to the side before finally sitting on his backside.
The ball had already rolled to Li Jing's feet.
The entire room fell silent for a moment.
Someone on the substitutes' side instinctively shouted "Good shot!", then quickly shut up.
Li Jing didn't stop.
After intercepting the ball, he immediately took two steps forward and, seeing the starting center-backs closing in, passed the ball to his teammate making a run down the wing.
Then he kept running forward.
Running without the ball.
This is his most terrifying aspect.
Li Jing's running routes are unpredictable; sometimes he cuts diagonally into the flanks, sometimes he drops back to receive passes, and sometimes he suddenly moves forward behind the defenders.
The main defensive line began to fall into disarray.
They didn't know whether they should follow along.
If he doesn't follow, Li Jing could receive the ball at any moment and turn to face the goal;
Following that will disrupt the overall defensive formation.
However, after several passes, the gap between the starters and the substitutes became apparent.
Before long, the ball was back in the hands of the main team.
Piqi patted the bits of grass off his buttocks.
His face turned even redder, not from exhaustion, but from anger.
That collision just now made him look bad in front of the whole team.
"Give me the ball!" Pizzi yelled at his teammates.
The ball was passed over.
Pizzi knew that as soon as he got the ball, Li Jing would rush up again.
Pizzi had just stopped the ball when, sure enough, that yellow shadow appeared again.
This time he was smarter; he passed the ball across before Li Jing got close.
But as soon as the ball left his foot, he realized something was wrong—Li Jing wasn't heading for him at all, but suddenly changed direction and rushed towards the line he had passed the ball.
Intercept!
Li Jing anticipated this cross.
He rushed forward and gently poked the ball with his toe, changing its direction.
The substitutes regained possession of the ball.
It was him again; he lost possession of the ball!
He was thoroughly toyed with!
"You fucking..." Piqi gritted his teeth.
Li Jing turned around and glanced at him.
That look was obviously meant to mess with Pizzi's mindset!
His gaze was calm.
This calm infuriated Pizzi more than any trash talk.
[Messi supporters detected, Pizzi humiliated! Rewarded with 200 extra training hours!]
The game continues.
Li Jing is like a tireless machine.
He pressed relentlessly in the attacking third, giving his all in every sprint.
The main defenders and midfielders were plagued by his antics, and their passing errors began to increase.
twenty minutes.
Burgos blew his whistle, signaling for more water.
Most of the players bent over, hands on their knees, panting heavily.
Although Madrid is cold in January, the high-intensity, full-field competition is extremely taxing.
Only Li Jing remained standing.
He walked to the sidelines, picked up a bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and took small sips.
His breathing was relatively steady, and there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, but he was far from being unable to breathe.
Simone stood a short distance away, arms crossed.
His eyes followed Li Jing the entire time. From the fierce pressing at the start of the game, to his tireless running across the field, and then to that precise anticipation and interception just now.
This kid...
This was somewhat unexpected for him.
I originally just wanted this kid to come over as a catalyst to revitalize the team.
But now it seems like we've stumbled upon a treasure by accident.
even,
Simeone recalled his own playing days.
He played the same way in Serie A, at Inter Milan, and at Atletico Madrid.
To win, any means are acceptable.
They can swear all the time, make all sorts of dirty tricks, and chase the ball around the field like a mad dog.
Many people called him dirty and a scoundrel.
If it's for the team, he can go from being a gentleman to a street thug!
But so what? The championship is well-deserved.
Looking at Li Jing's calm profile as he drank water, he suddenly felt that there was something about this kid that was very similar to his own.
That kind of ruthless determination to go all out for victory.
"Beep—!" Burgos whistled, "Continue!"
The players returned to the field.
After the kickoff, the main players noticeably intensified their marking of Li Jing.
Piqi followed him almost every step of the way, even when Li Jing retreated to the vicinity of the center line, Piqi followed him.
Li Jing didn't care.
He kept running.
Off-the-ball movement, runs, and receiving passes.
Thirty-first minute.
The substitute right-back received the ball in the backfield but was pressured by the starting forwards, so he could only kick it forward.
The ball wasn't of high quality; it was high and floated, landing near the center circle arc.
The starting center-backs are positioned to clear the ball with a header.
Li Jing charged in from the side.
Instead of jumping to contest the header, he suddenly accelerated and circled around the center-back.
The ball fell, and the center-back headed it into empty air.
Li Jing stopped the ball with his chest.
There was an open space in front of us.
The main defensive line had a huge gap behind it due to the previous push.
Li Jing dribbled forward.
Pizzi chased after him from behind, trying to grab his jersey, but Li Jing was too fast, and Pizzi only managed to grab air.
Salvio came over from the wing to cover.
Li Jing made a feint by stepping on a bicycle while running, causing Salvio to lose his balance.
Li Jing immediately flicked the ball to the right, dribbling past him.
The edge of the penalty area.
Li Jing looked up at the goal.
The goalkeeper was positioned a bit too far forward.
He did not make any adjustments.
He swung his right foot, pointed his instep, and fired a shot!
The movements were swift and decisive.
The moment the ball left his foot, Li Jing knew he had it.
The feel was amazing; I hit the ball perfectly with the instep, and it flew through the air without spinning, like a cannonball, heading straight for the top right corner of the goal.
The goalkeeper made a diving save, his fingertips touching the ball.
But they were unable to change direction.
"Whoosh!"
The ball hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the net.
1:0.
Cheers erupted from the substitutes' side. Several young players rushed over, wanting to celebrate with Li Jing, but stopped when they saw that Li Jing had already turned and walked back.
Li Jing passed by Pi Qi.
He didn't celebrate; it wasn't even a competition.
Celebrations are nothing compared to having the right mindset!
Besides, this guy can also accumulate hours of special training!
He didn't look at Pizzi, slowed his pace, as if passing by a training post.
Pizzi stood there, his chest heaving violently.
They were ignored.
A scandal-ridden Asian newcomer, under the watchful eyes of the entire audience, completely overwhelmed her with a flawless solo performance.
The other party didn't even bother to glance at him.
This humiliation drove him even crazier than the slap in the locker room.
[Messi supporters detected! Pizzi was thoroughly humiliated in the first training session, and all his anger is bottled up inside! Reward: 800 extra training hours!]
"Beep—!" Burgos blew his whistle, signaling the start of the game from the center circle.
Pizzi kicked the grass hard.
After the restart, the main team attempted to organize an attack.
However, the substitutes, led by Li Jing, were in high spirits and pressed even more fiercely.
Pizzi received a pass in midfield.
He had just turned around when he saw Li Jing rushing towards him.
Even Pizzi himself probably didn't realize this.
His body tensed up instinctively, clearly still haunted by the first impact.
This caused his body to instinctively tighten with fear.
However, this time Li Jing didn't go all out; instead, he simply poked the ball away from Li Jing's feet.
Then it turned into an advancing offensive!
you again!
Pizzi's rationality completely snapped.
Piqi seemed to feel aggrieved, and instead launched a vicious flying tackle towards Li Jing!
The cleats lit up.
The target was Li Jing's calf.
His teammates were all stunned, and even Simone frowned.
This was just a practice match, and it was his own teammate. How could this guy do something that could ruin his opponent's career?!
Li Jing sensed the danger the moment Pi Qi raised his foot.
He instinctively jumped up, dodging the worst blow.
But Pizzi's cleats still grazed his shin guards.
"Bang!"
Li Jing fell to the ground.
He immediately braced himself with his hands and sprang up.
I glanced down at my calf and saw a noticeable scratch on the shin guard.
Li Jing turned his head and looked at Pi Qi, who was still lying on the ground.
His eyes turned cold.
This is the training ground.
If a legitimate collision is considered a confrontation, then this is a malicious foul!
If he hadn't dodged that kick, he would have at least suffered a fracture.
Pi Qi met Li Jing's gaze, and instead of restraining himself, he provocatively raised his chin.
"What? Scared?" Piqi mouthed.
Li Jing remained silent.
He bent down and patted the bits of grass off his trousers.
Then he walked up to Pizzi and looked down at him.
This is the first time.
Li Jing's voice was very soft, only the two of them could hear it.
"If there's a next time, I'll make you regret it."
After saying that, he turned and walked away.
On the sidelines, Burgos already had his whistle in his mouth, ready to blow a foul.
But a hand pressed down on his arm.
Simone.
Atletico Madrid's manager looked at the field expressionlessly and shook his head.
"Continue," Simone said.
Burgos paused for a moment, but then put down his whistle.
The game continues.
Piqi got up from the ground, his face so gloomy it could drip water.
But I just caught a glimpse of Simeone and Burgos interacting out of the corner of my eye, and the coach didn't call the goal!
What does that mean?
Does this count as tacit approval?
Then it occurred to me that Simeone is also Argentinian.
Sure enough, even the coach hates this guy, right?
He stared at Li Jing's retreating figure, his teeth grinding together.
……
A few minutes later.
The ball is on the left flank of the substitutes.
Li Jing retreated to the vicinity of the sideline to provide support.
The teammate's pass was a half-high ball, not very fast, flying towards Li Jing.
Li Jing turned sideways, preparing to control the ball with his chest.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a red and white figure rushing towards him at high speed from the front.
Pi Qi.
This time, instead of sliding in, he lifted both feet off the ground and flew into the air.
Both shoes were fully exposed, heading straight for Li Jing's supporting ankle!
If what just happened was an unintentional dangerous action in a gray area...
That would be a standard move for a useless person.
Li Jing's pupils suddenly contracted.
……