Chapter 437: Makino Getting Targeted?!
It wasn’t just the coach. No, even Higo himself, watching from afar, was in awe at how Zion Suzuki handled the situation, snatching the ball so calmly without having to throw the ball away and give up the possession.
Everything was so smooth from the beginning to the end, and now that Zion passed the ball again to his teammate, Team B was ready to attack again.
’Damn, is this what Kumiko-chan talked about how a modern goalkeeper should be?’ He muttered in bewilderment. ’The last defender and also the first attacker for the team, giving one more option to distribute the ball and making sure that the team could restart the attack as quickly as possible. So, that’s how it should be done...’
Honestly, it wasn’t the first time Higo saw something like this. No, Kumiko had already made sure that Higo learned everything about being a goalkeeper, forcing him to watch so many videos. At that time, Kumiko also tried to teach him the art of modern goalkeeping, but unfortunately, Higo still couldn’t get the knack of it.
It was definitely the combination of talent and the lack of the right mindset. After all, while Higo trusted the girl unconditionally, on the back of his head, a thought still lingered.
’As a goalkeeper, is it enough to make sure that I am not conceding a goal? Why would I need to learn how to move the ball with my feet?’
At that time, it was like a playful complaint, as the boy still followed the training menu seriously. However, his failure to grasp the essence of this role definitely affected his progress, and with the national tournament incoming, Kumiko didn’t dare to experiment too much with Higo at that time.
Now, though, that he witnessed how Zion took control over everything so casually, that training session emerged in his head once again, and this time, his competitive spirit burned brighter than ever.
’Yeah, if he could do that, how could I not be able to do the same?’
Of course, it was just some sort of a flash in the pan kind of thought. In reality, there was no way Higo would dare to do something he was not sure of in the middle of the game, especially in front of the national coaching team.
’Yeah, Kumiko-chan will get my head later if I try something stupid here.’ He shuddered secretly, turning his attention back to the game.
A moment later, another chance was on the board for Team B.
This time, it came from the combination between Koki Morita and Kawabe, and after getting a small space on the right side from catching Sugawara off guard, the boy didn’t hesitate to throw a fat cross, curling straight to the far post, where Taisei Miyashiro, once again, appeared from everyone’s blind spot.
’Shit!’
BAM!
With the ball coming straight to his head, it was easy for Taisei Miyashiro to redirect it to the far side of Higo’s reach. However, the method was quite simple, and with his clairvoyant ability, Higo didn’t even need to move that much, just moving his right hand slightly upward to block the header.
"Oh! Another save!"
"This should be the second one, right?!"
While people outside were excited over this development, Higo just shook his head calmly, getting up from the ground. "Yamane-san, maybe you can move a little bit deeper? The gap between you and the others will be so easy to be exploited just like before." He toned it down like a suggestion.
Miki Yamane frowned a little bit. He was guarding Mamoru on that side, and moving slightly toward the box would only give a space that his kouhai would eat easily. Still, he couldn’t deny the suggestion, though, as this was the second time Teisei Miyashiro took advantage of that gap.
Still, Hiroki Ito finally chimed in. "Let’s just do what Higo said first, Miki. He is right, that side is leaking like crazy."
Well, Miki Yamane didn’t have any choice but to follow the order here.
Still, that didn’t solve the root of the problem. No, it wasn’t the leak on that side, but the B team completely targeted Makino in all of their chance. It was clear that Taisei Miyashiro would always appear near that boy, trying to get an upper hand in almost everything.
The opponent knew quite well that Makino was the weakest link there. The boy would always recover late, moving a little bit out of position, and sometimes forgot to communicate with the others. This might not be a problem in Hakodate Nishi’s game, but in this level, all of those small mistakes were punished decisively.
Then came another chance, and this time, Mamoru finally managed to get through his senpai’s defense. Seeing this, Makino reacted decisively, just to hear Miki Yamane shouting at him, "DON’T MOVE!"
Unfortunately, the warning came too late, because Mamoru saw this and took a sharp turn immediately. This allowed him to avoid Makino and enter the penalty box at the same time, putting another threat on the goal.
The only saving grace here, though, was that Hiroki Ito managed to react accordingly. The boy had kept his eyes closely on Makino, and the moment this happened, he moved quickly, using his body to prevent Mamoru from getting the ball while also letting Higo come forward to pick it up.
"Nice defense, Ito-senpai." Higo sighed in relief.
Still, Ito didn’t pay attention to him. No, the man turned around and looked at Makino with a serious gaze. "Stop treating this as if you are playing with three central defenders. We only have two, so adapt with this quickly before you are out of the equation."
The warning was quick and decisive, so Makino himself didn’t have any time to feel frustrated. The boy was so stunned, too speechless to know what to say about it.
However, before he could snap it out of his thoughts, another surprise came. This time, it was from the sideline, as the head coach suddenly shouted, "Substitution for the A team! Naoya Takahashi and Ryusuke Higo are out!"
Comments