Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Eukaryotes Have Appeared, How Can Tactics Not Change
Whoa!
You wouldn’t know until it’s brought up, and when it is, it’s quite the scare.
For those Nike Cup matches earlier on, Deng Kai might not be clear about them, possibly because they didn’t turn out well.
But he knew about these few players mentioned later.
This could be half of the future Chinese national football team.
It’s just the age... ahem, let’s not talk about that.
Deng Kai started to brainstorm swiftly.
If it’s this group of players... they’re certainly stronger than the national players from over ten years later.
Actually, the capabilities of domestic players when they are children are not far behind.
It’s even fair to say that the football skills of most children from different regions are quite similar.
Because at this stage, even the highest level a young player can achieve is not that significant.
Qi Cultivation at the first, second, or third level, compared to transcending tribulation and ascending, aren’t they all the same?
The real gap widens at stages like U17, U19, or even U21, where it becomes a chasm.
Why not take this chance to scope them out, and then figure out a way to bring some positive influence to these players?
If it works out, it’s a good deed done, with improvements, whether minimal or substantial.
If not, at worst, it maintains the status quo, as it’s tough to say if there could be a worse plan for the growth of these players.
Under these conditions, any change would be akin to an improvement.
If you say the football association understands the game, they can ruin every promising football talent in the country.
If you say the football association doesn’t understand the game, they can ruin every promising football talent in the country!
With this consideration, Deng Kai found an approach.
He turned to Jiang Yunzhu and said, "Then why don’t we let them play a match against our Sporting Lisbon?"
"Huh?" Jiang Yunzhu unconsciously opened her cherry-like mouth in surprise.
This...
"Although we’re not at the level of the top clubs, when it comes to the youth academy, we’re definitely top-tier," Deng Kai began to explain his opinion. "Plus, we have European competitions this year, so there’s no need to worry about popularity."
"Additionally, playing against us would give the domestic audience a chance to see the difference between our young Chinese players and their European counterparts at this stage."
Jiang Yunzhu couldn’t believe that these words were coming from a thirteen-year-old kid.
"But you... you’re still just a..." Jiang Yunzhu found it hard to believe that Deng Kai could be helpful in this matter.
"I have backup!" Deng Kai said with a laugh, "Mr. Trigella, assistant coach of Sporting Lisbon’s first team, has a very good relationship with me. He comes from the youth coach system and has significant influence within the club, including over the higher-ups."
"Just a match during the winter break shouldn’t be a problem."
"Even if the higher-ups are reluctant, Mr. Trigella has the authority to plan such a match."
"Really? Oh my goodness!" Jiang Yunzhu excitedly pulled Deng Kai into her embrace, "You’re simply my Mr. Right!"
Deng Kai raised his hands above his head, desperately calling for help.
Big!
Really big!
He was struggling to breathe!
But Jiang Yunzhu did not catch on.
Half a minute later, Jiang Yunzhu finally let go of Deng Kai, only to find him with a face so pale, he was nearly suffocated to death.
"What happened to you? Why did you suddenly turn like this?"
Deng Kai waved his hand, "No worries, I just nearly had a relapse of my back injury."
Jiang Yunzhu looked puzzled.
What does a pale face have to do with a back injury?
To this, Deng Kai stated that the kidneys are also part of the back.
During his recovery from the back injury, he had to take care of not only his back but also his kidneys.
Otherwise, the effectiveness of the medical bandages would be greatly reduced.
...
The match against the "Wahaha Team" was quickly settled.
Lisbon Athletic was also very interested in developing the Asian market.
Since the pool of young players within Europe had become solidified, Lisbon Athletic’s sources could only be considered second-tier.
This seriously affected their reputation as a "talent shop."
To break the deadlock, they needed to look toward other regions.
Africa was too chaotic, with no conditions for establishing football youth training.
Lisbon Athletic wanted partners who could provide them with kids who already had a solid foundation, not to go to Africa themselves to start from scratch and establish a youth training system—they didn’t have the money or energy for that.
South America had a rather mature but chaotic system, with Lisbon Athletic having some arrangements there, which were very laborious and unstable.
Asia, on the other hand, was a quality incubation base for young players.
The only question was whether Asian players could actually play football.
After all, there were no world-class superstars from Asia right now.
This cast a shadow on the market value of Asian players.
But who could guarantee that in the next ten or twenty years, there wouldn’t emerge a megastar of Asian descent?
It was a move that could be played in advance.
Especially since China was so sincere about it.
After helping Deng Kai with this little trouble, Trigella had more important things to discuss with Deng Kai.
That was Deng Kai’s role and the team’s tactical issues.
The outcomes of matches, which were not so significant in the youth teams, had become more important with the advent of the Youth Champions League.
Lisbon Athletic’s U15 needed to win more games.
This would be good for Ronaldo, the team, as well as for Maxa and Deng Kai.
But looking at the current situation, the talent of the other players on the team was indeed limited.
Only Ronaldo and Deng Kai could significantly impact the outcome of the matches.
Ronaldo was always outstanding, no matter the situation, as he had proven in the game against Pilsen.
Perhaps one moment he looked disheveled, but as soon as the football came to his feet, he could instantly become the biggest threat to the opponent.
Therefore, how to activate Deng Kai became the only task for Lisbon Athletic, especially since activating Deng Kai could directly boost Ronaldo’s stats even further.
"I’ve noticed that you’re incredibly efficient on the counter," Trigella said, far more professional than the likes of Maxa, and a sharp observer, "Especially counter-attacks in the offensive field, most of your goals come from that."
"If the team arranged a full-court pressing tactic for you, could you become the core of that tactic?"
This was a rather meaningless question.
Because nobody would say they can’t.
But Trigella asked anyway.
He believed in Deng Kai’s ability to judge his own strengths and his honesty.
Indeed, after pondering, Deng Kai shook his head.
Trigella was slightly disappointed.
"We don’t need full-court pressing," Deng Kai replied, "Our stamina, including our inherent tactic, doesn’t support full-court pressing."
"Just pressing in the offensive field would suffice! As soon as we lose the ball, we should immediately press in the offensive field, with the defensive players in the back slightly disconnecting from us. Even if we don’t recover the ball, we wouldn’t give the opponents too many chances to counterattack."
Trigella got excited right then, "But this would mean that during the pressing phase, we’d have fewer men in the midfield and forward areas than the opposition. Even if we recovered possession, the player with the ball would be under immense pressure."
"This demands a lot from the midfield linchpin!"
"Even Simon, when he played in the youth team, couldn’t maintain possession and organize the team well in front of multiple defenders and attackers."
Deng Kai didn’t hesitate to puff out his chest, "I can!"
Deng Kai was very confident, extremely determined.
Before the game against Pilsen, he wouldn’t have dared to confidently claim that he could.
But now, he really could.
Because... his reward after that game was a critical hit!
