Chapter 105: Chapter 104: Substitute or Starter (Eleven updates, a group friend lost his dream)
Violante stopped in his tracks.
He smiled and said, "Is it because Ronaldo was unstoppable in the offense, because you cut off Sneijder and Van der Vaart’s connection in the midfield and frequently initiated threatening attacks, and even scored the winning goal yourself?"
Ronaldo also smiled.
He was very happy.
Exactly!
I am unstoppable, Mr. Violante really knows his football.
However, Violante was already deducting points from Deng Kai in his mind.
Deng Kai’s intelligence had exceeded his expectations.
From just that one inquiry about Trigella, Deng Kai had actually figured out his approximate position in the Portugal U16 team.
No wonder he was a scholarship recipient from the University of Lisbon.
But Deng Kai’s mistake was that he was too eager to show off.
Was it just good luck that he beat the Ajax twins?
Was there a need to show off over and over again?
Was he trying to increase his ranking in Violante’s midfield arrangement through this manner?
This approach had the opposite effect!
Trigella clearly understood Violante and his expression changed immediately, attempting to interrupt him and change the subject.
However, Deng Kai still answered Violante first: "Because they were too conservative to dare to use a double attacking midfielder formation!"
Trigella was stunned.
This...
"Double attacking midfielders?" Violante had forgotten the evaluation he had just given to Deng Kai, as he was intrigued by Deng Kai’s words, "You mean, having Van der Vaart and Sneijder both appear in the attacking midfielder position?"
Deng Kai nodded: "That’s right, that was their only way to have a good chance of beating us."
Violante was skeptical: "The only way?"
Deng Kai was resolute: "Yes, the only way!"
"Van der Vaart’s stamina can only last for sixty minutes under high-intensity wear and tear. After his stamina starts to wane, even though he can still pose a threat, in fact, he is already bringing a negative effect to the team."
"A stagnation at the attacking core is not just about reducing the number of offensive plays. A player’s contribution to the team is never linear."
"It’s curvilinear, undulating, and it could even instantly plunge from the peak to the negative side."
"Our offensive opportunities increased significantly in the second half of the match, because we gained too much ball possession from Van der Vaart."
"And although Sneijder can still help the team from the defensive midfield position, he is not as efficient and dangerous as he would be in the attacking midfield. But clearly, such a player shouldn’t just be a substitute for Van der Vaart, sitting on the bench for the first sixty to seventy minutes of the match."
"Wasting that is a crime."
Violante felt implied criticism but had no evidence: "What about the defense? I used a defensive midfielder to replace Van der Vaart after seventy minutes in that game, and then I had Sneijder play as the attacking midfielder, which could have defeated you."
Deng Kai shook his head: "That would mean Ajax is adopting a defensive stance. We would inevitably be the attacking side, Sneijder’s position would still be pushed back to defensive midfield, but at the same time, Ajax would be without Van der Vaart."
"As for the extra defensive midfielder they would have, you’ve said it yourself, Ronaldo is unstoppable. I don’t think having an extra defensive player would cause any trouble for our offense."
Violante was at a loss for words.
"In fact, Sneijder moving up to the attacking midfielder wouldn’t worsen Ajax’s defense by much. His defense is slightly better than Van der Vaart’s, and the key point is, under Ajax’s all-out attack and defense tactics, high pressing leaves no decent offensive opportunities for the opposing side."
"A team being pressed hard can only resort to long passes to advance the ball. And we have a significant advantage in height in our midfield and defense, so if the opponent resorts to long passes, they are essentially handing the ball control to us."
Deng Kai used "we" and did not specify Sporting Lisbon.
Because the same formation and tactics can also be replicated in the Portugal U16.
Violante himself is a 433 enthusiast.
He was able to feel the strength of the dual attacking midfielders at the offensive end.
After a moment of silence, Violante looked at Deng Kai and said, "You have great ambition! But looking at your physique, you are not fully prepared yet."
Deng Kai’s gaze didn’t waver, nor did he feel inferior about his size, "But my pressing ability in the front is quite good, and I’m well adapted to this playing style."
"When it comes to defensive data in the front court, I do better than over ninety-five percent of the young Portuguese players!"
"Ronaldo, Almeida, Quaresma, this front line is too glamorous. It’s a good opportunity to achieve results, but having only one engine will somehow leave part of the firepower idle."
"The Exhaustion Period of Portuguese youth talents is approaching, and the chances for youth coaches to show what they’re capable of are dwindling. But the previous golden generation of Portugal achieved such good results during their youth that ordinary achievements no longer excite people."
"In this Euro U16, how far we go is one thing. But whether the matches are attractive and the scores emphatic are another."
Deng Kai spoke eloquently, even causing Ronaldo some confusion.
Aren’t we supposed to be analyzing the match between Ajax and University of Lisbon?
How did you start talking about ambition, positions, and the Euro U16?
Violante laughed heartily, "Kid, you must have shared this bewitching nonsense with quite a few people, haven’t you?"
Far from denying it, Deng Kai nodded, "Yes. But interestingly, these words of mine have all come true. Coach Maxa is now thriving in the youth coaching industry."
"Journalist Jiang Yunzhu has become the darling of the Record Report and the de facto authority at Sports Weekly."
"My good buddy Ronaldo has become the Portuguese ’alien’. Veloso has leaped from a despised center-back to become the best performing defensive midfielder in the U15."
"Some things are just there, you, I, and Mr. Trigella, we can all see them, it’s just a matter of who has the guts to go for it."
Deng Kai didn’t exaggerate anything.
Even Ronaldo, though he would still have been very good without Deng Kai, wouldn’t have had such terrifying league stats at this stage.
A season with more than forty goals!
And over fifty with the youth Champions League added.
He has already surpassed people like Almeida in actuality, even though many still believe his talent isn’t as good as the latter’s.
Violante and Trigella exchanged glances.
Deng Kai didn’t mention Trigella, but Violante knew that Trigella must be one of the beneficiaries.
This year his influence within University of Lisbon dramatically increased, even helping the higher-ups behind him take a significant lead in the club presidency battle.
These matters are related to "University of Lisbon signing Caesar who no one dared to want," to "The youth training rivalry between University of Lisbon and Benfica", and to "Ronaldo, Deng Kai involved in the football betting case", "University of Lisbon U15 entering the youth Champions League final."
In all of these, Deng Kai’s presence just happens to be a constant.
Naturally, Violante would not think that all this was directed by Deng Kai, no one is qualified to make that claim.
But Deng Kai’s strength on the field, as well as his intellectual and emotional intelligence, certainly played a significant role in it all.
Violante closed his eyes halfway, "Most people in this world are ordinary and mediocre. But there indeed are some individuals who possess talents and luck beyond the reach of ordinary people."
"I see such talent in you."
"As for luck... it needs to be proven with honors and trophies."
"I look forward to your performance in the league and the youth Champions League!"
With that, Violante and Trigella took their leave.
As he was about to turn the corner at the end of the hallway, Deng Kai’s voice came from the office, "You’ll see the photos of me lifting those two trophies in the newspapers!"
