Chapter 451: Higo & Makino’s Big Play!
"Come on, Taki! Don’t shy away from collision!"
"What the fuck, Yamada?! Where the hell do you think you are passing the ball to?!"
"Come on! Back down! Back down! Don’t rush things up, try to play the tempo first!"
It had been ten minutes since the game began, and much to no one’s surprise, Jubilo Iwata managed to control the game pretty early. Their trio of midfielders, Adailton, Yoshioki Ota, and Daigo Araki, sure knew how to dominate the midfield.
Hell, it was such a strange thing to be seen. Those three didn’t look like they were quite strong. Hell, their posture was just around 170 to 175 cm, not that tall for a midfielder. Yet, here they were, dictating where the ball would go with a quick-pass play that made the Young Samurai midfielders run around in circles like a bunch of headless chickens.
From the outside perspective, things didn’t look that well for the national team. Hell, Akiba-sensei, the team’s assistant coach, couldn’t help but frown and whisper at Kageyama-sensei, ’It seems nothing much changes from the last time against JEF.’
In return, though, Kageyama-sensei just arched one of his eyebrows slightly while Kumiko, standing behind them, had to hold back the urge to smack her forehead.
’Really? He cannot even see that?! How could he become the team’s assistant?!’ Inwardly, she started to berate her own mentor.
The reason was simple. While indeed, they were getting dominated, so far, every line still worked quite well with each other. The midfield was compact, the defensive line didn’t get baited so easily, and the front line all moved together to chase for the ball, putting pressure on whoever handled it.
This was something that couldn’t be seen in the first game against JEF United Chiba.
More than that, the team’s communication line was alive and active, with each player getting in touch with the others. They moved in such an organized way that so far, no threat had been sent toward the team’s defensive line at all.
’Still, of course, Akiba-sensei cannot be wrong!’ She murmured in a high, Mickey tone. ’The team has to hold more possession! They are talented enough to do that! They are just lazy, not wanting to use their brain more! As if things are easier said than done.’ She finished her monologue rant with a scoff.
Right now, the team was in a good direction, adjusting to the rhythm of playing against a professional team. They just needed to have one play big enough to get their confidence up.
Well, it seemed that Kumiko didn’t need to wait for that for too long, because soon, Jubilo Iwata finally got their first real chance of the game.
Coming from Adailton in the pocket area, the Brazilian midfielder suddenly saw a little gap between the Young Samurai’s defensive midfielder and defensive line to create a space for himself. The man didn’t hesitate, cutting inside to provide himself with a room before recoiling his right foot for a rocket.
"SHIT! DON’T LET HIM DO THAT!"
Makino’s partner in crime, Toichi Suzuki, made a quick tackle move to block the shot. However, to everyone’s surprise, instead of a powerful BANG that they were expecting, it was a soft thud that could be heard, showing that the shot didn’t come.
Instead, it was a little chip to the half-space of the penalty box, where one striker, the one wearing jersey number 18, snuck in to receive the ball.
"HA! Nice pass, Ada-san!" That man grinned as his eyes were on the ball, having already imagined what he would do with that. ’I don’t need to adjust my stance at all. Just twist my upper body, first time shoot, then...’
BANG!
The sound of the collision could be heard echoing throughout the whole pitch, enough to make those who weren’t used to it flinch. However, it wasn’t the shot that came in reality. No, if anything, that striker fell with his butt first, being surrounded by two of the national team players who regained the possession calmly.
Yeah, it was none other than Higo and Makino who did that.
When they saw Adailton was about to make a move, a piece of information suddenly popped into their head. ’Every little move he makes can be a deception. Don’t get fooled, and instead, use your peripheral vision to confirm your surroundings first. Stay calm, and you can handle him.’
With that analysis in mind, they both glanced around, finding a player trying to sneak from everyone’s blind spot. Without even communicating, the duo from Hakodate Nishi knew exactly what the opponent was trying to do.
’A combination attack!’
As the chip was made, Makino had already moved, blocking that striker’s way to get the ball. At the same time, Higo was also clearing his way, claiming the first free ball of the game.
Everything sounded so complicated, but in reality, the play only lasted for two seconds. The execution of that complicated defensive method was so well done that their teammates had their jaws dropped when they saw this.
"Holy fuck! What the hell is that, Higo-kun?!"
"Hey, Makino-kun, who are you trying to impress here, Bastard?! Don’t act so smugly like that!"
"Nice defense! Nice defense!"
It wasn’t just them. The coaching team also rubbed their eyes secretly, finding this to be unbelievable. Then, Kageyama-sensei couldn’t help but turn his eyes at Kumiko curiously. "Is it a normal operation in your team?"
"Yup! This is just a normal role distribution in our team." Kumiko smiled proudly as she confirmed the coach’s words. "We might not be a wealthy team in terms of tactics, but I still believe that in the whole country, no one can beat us in a defensive approach like this." The girl stated confidently.
Those who heard this just had the corner of their mouth twitching speechlessly. After all, Kumiko was just an 18-year-old girl, so who was she to brag like that in front of the industry veterans like them?
Still, the fact was in front of them, and it couldn’t be denied with just words. Kageyama-sensei also started to get interested, inwardly thinking, ’The duo from Hakodate Nishi... If they can work well in this game, maybe I can use them for good?’
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