Team Spirit

Chapter 102 (1.1 words) Lu Kai completely defeats Owen and kicks Liverpool off the throne!
The second half began with both sides switching sides and starting the game.

In the 46th minute, Lugiel delivered a cross from the wing.

Parkinson surged forward and slid in at the far post to shoot.

Unfortunately, the soccer ball flew away.

This shot is very difficult.

In the 54th minute, Parkinson passed the ball laterally, avoiding Lu Kai's control area.

His teammate Darius received the ball and instead played a through ball to Jamie on the right.

Jamie makes a diagonal pass from the right edge of the penalty area.

Once the ball is passed out, it will be a chance for a teammate to pounce on it in the six-yard box and score.

But Kevin stretched out his foot and touched the ball, causing it to deflect in a reverse V-shape.

Foster inexplicably received the ball, passed it back, and Parkinson, unmarked at the edge of the box, unleashed a powerful shot.

The football went straight into the net.

"GOAL! 1-3! Reading has pulled one back."

"As expected of a League One team, their adjustments during halftime were very effective. That's the self-adjustment ability of a high-level team!"

Alfred grumbled from the sidelines, "It's just good luck. Who can stop a pass that changes direction?"

Victor nodded: "However, they have indeed made some adjustments. Parkinson is no longer trying to pass directly; the probability of him being intercepted by Lu Kai is very high."

"On the contrary, he used this to create opportunities for his teammates, thereby revitalizing Reading's threatening attack."

Lu Kai also noticed this.

In the 61st minute, Reading's right-back "Auror" Moody crossed the ball from the right wing.

Butler outjumped Williams and fired a shot.

when!
The football hit the crossbar, almost resulting in a second goal.

Williams is still too young, and his defense is not as good as Duff, Kevin, Williams and others.

Reading's morale soared.

In the 65th minute, Madeira engaged in a fierce battle with Rugil on the right wing and successfully won possession of the ball.

He immediately sent a message back to Lu Kai.

After receiving the ball, Lu Kai raised his foot and immediately made a pass – a feint.

Parkinson, who rushed forward, was thrown off balance.

Lu Kai then dribbled the ball down the middle to advance, his long strides making it impossible for Parkinson to catch up.

Near the center circle, Darius attempted to intercept Lu Kai.

As a result, Lu Kai directly changed the angle of the ball by five degrees, causing the ball to fly past Darius's left side, while he accelerated and rushed past Darius's right side.

[Player and ball pass each other!]
Reading's midfield was completely breached, forcing their defense to split up players to cover Lu Kai.

Lu Kai pushed the ball all the way to the edge of the penalty area, where he had many passing options available because Reading's defense had completely collapsed.

boom!
Lu Kai chose the riskiest approach, sending a through ball.

Adrian could have easily cleared the ball with a single kick, but he didn't expect Lu Kai to dare to pass it like that.

Putting aside his footwork, his through-pass awareness is much better than Parkinson's.

Holt's receiving the ball inside the penalty area was a clear one-on-one opportunity.

High risk, high reward.

boom!
Holt unleashed a powerful shot across the crossbar.

Whitehead failed to prevent the goal.

"GOAL! Four to one!"

"Lu Kai delivered a world-class assist! This is absolutely a testament to his individual ability!"

"Holt scored his first EFL Cup goal."

"Datford killed the game!"

"This goal timely extinguished Reading's fighting spirit, and its strategic significance is more important than the goal itself!"

The Dartford players celebrated.

Lu Kai even pointed to Xiao Li on the sidelines.

It means your brothers avenged you.

Dartford then made a substitution.

Super sub Ashley Young replaced Morgan.

Markofo replaced Madeira.

Maintain the vitality of the wing guards.

No one in the Dartford squad can play the full 90 minutes in that position.

The requirements for running speed are too high.

Four wings are just enough.

In the 73rd minute, Ashley Young created a good opportunity by dribbling down the left flank, forcing Robinson to commit a foul.

Thirty seconds later, Lu Kai continued to feed the ball, and Ashley Young came back again, cutting inside and scoring.

Darius had no choice but to commit a foul and received a yellow card.

Although Xiao Mianyang is weaker in physical confrontation, his breakthroughs are much more refined than Morgan's, making it easier for him to draw fouls.

Green Gunners took a tactical free kick.

Kevin won the header, but it went too wide and posed no threat.

In the 76th minute, Dartford used their last substitution.

Marin replaced Holt.

In the 79th minute, Marko dribbled down the right flank, showcasing his skills, and finally delivered a cross.

Marin volleyed home at the near post.

Unfortunately, the angle was too small, and the goalkeeper blocked it with his body.

Looking at the situation alone, it's impossible to tell who is in League One and who is in League Three.

In the 82nd minute, Rugiel dribbled past Barton laterally and then passed the ball diagonally to the other side.

Foster moved forward, drawing Kevin to follow up on the defense, which inadvertently lowered Green Gun's offside line.

The offside trap tactic failed.

Jamie on the right received the ball, feinted, and unleashed a powerful shot that flew right through the gap left by Kevin.

That's the point of pulling.

An Qi didn't expect the opponent's shot to be so decisive, and his save was a beat too slow.

"GOAL! Two to four! Reading hasn't given up yet."

"Perhaps they really can create a miracle!"

I don't know when it started, but it's now considered a miracle for a League One team to catch up with a League Three team.

That's the charm of football.

In the 85th minute, the entire Reading team was in high spirits.

Butler won a corner kick.

After Parkinson took the corner kick, Duff headed the ball away.

Robinson's long-range shot went wide.

In the 87th minute, just when Parkinson thought his chance had come, his through ball was once again intercepted by Lu Kai.

Parkinson looked completely bewildered.

Why does Lu Kai still have physical strength at this time?

He clearly couldn't stop the previous passes; he was almost at his limit.

Lu Kai's answer to this was: "[Generator] The last five minutes of physical fitness points will be credited to your account!"

boom!
Facing Rugier's aggressive challenge, Lu Kai once again dribbled past him with the ball.

There's nothing else to it, it's just recklessness!

Rugier turned and accelerated; he was originally faster than Lu Kai.

But due to the effects of his physical condition, he found that he could no longer keep up with Lu Kai.

boom!
Lu Kai delivered a pass with the outside of his foot, looking for Brad up front.

Brad made a slight adjustment and played a through ball to the right.

Markofer made a run from deep and fired a shot from the right side of the penalty area, winning a corner kick.

Brad took the corner kick, and Lu Kai scorpion-tailed the ball at the near post, sending it low into the six-yard box.

This height is difficult to handle and really tests a player's goal-scoring instinct.

boom!
Amidst the chaos of battle, Marin fired a shot and scored.

Then they immediately broke out of the crowd and celebrated wildly.

Because this could very well be the pinnacle goal of his career.

Compared to the new signings in the team for the past two seasons, Marin clearly felt that his own strength was insufficient.

He was grateful that the team still gave him the opportunity to play.

Therefore, it is especially cherished.

"GOAL! Five to two!"

"This is terrifying! Dartford has gone on a killing spree!"

"They didn't give Reading any face at all."

"This scoreline practically guarantees they've advanced to the third round of the EFL Cup!"

By the 91st minute, the outcome of the match was no longer in doubt.

Parkinson finally delivered a high-quality through ball.

However, Williams quickly turned around to defend and actually caught up with Foster, knocking him aside.

Anqi then confiscated the football.

With a big kick.

The final whistle blew.

……

Sky Sports: "League 3 Greens thrashed League 1 Reading 5-2! Will Dartford pull off another League Cup miracle after last year's grassroots FA Cup run?"

BBC: "Reading has issued a statement regarding their EFL Cup exit, saying the team is focused on promotion this season and has no other competitions in mind!"

The Echo: "Lu Kai has been named Man of the Match for the second consecutive EFL Cup game! One goal, one assist, and three play-off plays – isn't that a hat-trick in itself!"

The words "wearing a hat" are in green, which matches Dartford's nickname, "The Green Guns."

This is common practice in the English media.

For example, Arsenal's Thierry Henry wore a hat, which was red.

However, Lu Kai reacted strongly to this news, stating that he would no longer accept interviews from Les Echos.

Les Echos was completely baffled.

Back in Italy, Ancelotti showed Pirlo a news item in the margins of the Gazzetta dello Sport about Dartford's advancement: "I told you, 3-0 at halftime, this game was a sure win. Conceding two goals after that would just be doing them a favor!"

"Horizontal inscription: Dignity!"

Pirlo felt something was off, but he couldn't refute it.

He mainly felt that Ancelotti was too trustworthy.

But with fame comes trouble.

The announcement of the inaugural Golden Boy award by Tuttosport is drawing ever closer.

The previous lists of the "Top Ten Prodigies" and "Three Golden Boys" were all recommendation lists designed to introduce some obscure geniuses who had not yet entered the public eye.

In reality, there are many players who are even more popular than those on the aforementioned list.

For example, Rafael van der Vaart, the Dutch prodigy who is highly regarded.

And then there's the most valuable Brazilian striker, Adriano.

And Kaká, the super attacking midfielder who emerged as a dark horse in the Brazilian league.

The grand prize will be announced on November 24th, and these rising stars will also be among the contestants.

According to media estimates, the previous Thirteen Protectors might not even have made it into the top three.

Sure enough, some media outlets immediately came out to mock Lu Kai, who had the highest online traffic among the Thirteen Protectors.

Mundo Deportivo: "How much of a disappointment is the 100-goal golden boy? Lu Kai's stats this season have declined by 70% compared to last season!"

Daily Sport: "It turns out that the statistics from the seventh tier are worthless! Lu Kai, who played in the fourth tier, only managed four goals and three assists in seven league matches! If he were playing in the top league, he might not even be able to score a single goal!"

No wonder the Catalans hate Lu Kai so much.

In recent years, Barcelona's rising stars, regardless of their position, are considered exceptional if they can score four or five goals or provide five assists in a single La Liga season.

If you suddenly throw in a hundred balls, how are the others supposed to compete?
If Lu Kai's credentials become more valuable, then La Masia's credentials will become less valuable.

They also really wanted to help Iniesta win the Golden Boy award.

Unfortunately, judging from the current trend, Iniesta has no chance.

Even Torres would have a hard time.

In response to the sarcasm and ridicule from the Catalan media, The Sun published an exclusive interview with Lu Kai.

Emily personally took charge of the operation... and the knife.

Emily deliberately wore a hot leather mini skirt suit today, going for a fashionable and sexy look.

She finally understood that if she wanted to attract Lu Kai, she needed to differentiate herself.

Eva Green has a dark and mature style.

Jiang Mengyun has a gentle, girl-next-door vibe.

Lillian has the style of an elite office secretary.

There aren't many tracks left for her.

Emily: "Many people think your statistics have declined significantly; your goal and assist numbers are far lower than during the same period. Do you have any explanation for that?"

Lu Kai smiled slightly: "If I want the data, it's actually very simple. If I want a hundred goals, to be honest, I can create them in a minute!"

"Not even a week!"

Lu Kai held up three fingers: "Three days!"

"One hundred balls are easy to make!"

He tilted his head and blinked: "It's so easy to make."

Emily was stunned.

That speech, those actions...so cool!
Ma Di: ? ? ?
Lu Kai: "Why don't I know anymore?"

clap clap clap!
He slapped his handsome face three times: "A man has a sense of shame."

"I'm sixteen now... Based on my fifteen-year-old data, I wouldn't be able to sell it now!"

"I'm a green-gun kid, so first and foremost I have to be worthy of the team. The team's victory is the only real victory!"

"Just this sentence."

Lu Kai waved his right hand outwards: "The rest, Wan'erqu!"

The interview was reprinted by major television stations.

Simply because the content was too shocking.

Lineker: "I never imagined Lu Kai would set such high standards for himself! Many adult stars are still obsessed with statistics, but Lu Kai has already moved to the next level!"

Wenger: "Lu Kai's thinking is very mature. Any team needs a player like him who considers the whole team. This dedication and big-picture perspective are exactly what Arsenal has always been looking for."

Ferguson: "He has transcended the level of a player; he is a true leader! It's incredible that he's only sixteen."

Florentino: "If all Real Madrid's stars had this kind of awareness, Real Madrid would become the strongest team in the world."

Tuttosport praised Lu Kai's words highly: "Lu Kai's words are thought-provoking. The Golden Boy award should not only focus on statistics, but also take into account a player's career planning, football intelligence, role in the team, market value, technical talent, popularity and other factors."

"Because we all know that the most talented person may not be the one who makes it to the end. The one who makes it to the end is often someone who excels in all aspects."

Lu Kai's interview not only received recognition from the top levels of football, but also circulated widely among the public.

His writing style is even known as "Lu Kai style".

Cristiano Ronaldo, who had just been promoted to the reserve team, calmly stated in an interview: "I've been promoted to the reserve team. As for the U19 team's performance, it's not impressive right now."

At La Masia, Mota asked his roommate Iniesta, "How long are you going to keep this poster up? Seriously, it's starting to disturb everyone's rest."

Iniesta, looking at Eva's seaside report, said, "Sorry, not a week, just three days."

"Eva is beautiful...so beautiful!"

After two consecutive goal droughts, Rafael van der Vaart, the favorite for the Golden Boy award, nonchalantly remarked, "The ball is too easy to score, why don't I score now?"

"Men have pride!"

"We're Ajax kids, all we care about is the team winning. Everything else can go play!"

Indeed, Rafael van der Vaart, who is also a midfielder, has been described as having a goal drought after two games without scoring.

He's been incredibly strong this season.

However, he is very interested in Dartford Lukay's activities.

Because Tuttosport considers Lu Kai to be his biggest rival in winning the inaugural Golden Boy award.

because……

Dartford faces a super tough match in the third round of the EFL Cup – England's football powerhouse and Premier League giants – Liverpool!

It's no exaggeration to say that the outcome of this battle will directly determine whether Lu Kai or Van der Vaart will win the award!
Currently, the ranking of global football competitions is roughly as follows: Serie A > La Liga = Premier League > Bundesliga.

If we're talking about the top five leagues, then we're including Ligue 1.

However, Ligue 1 was actually significantly weaker than the top four for a long time.

This is a top-tier league.

The Dutch Eredivisie, Portuguese Primeira Liga, Russian Premier League, etc., are considered to be in the second tier.

The Serie B, Segunda División, English League One, German 2. Bundesliga, and Ligue 2, which are subordinate to the top five leagues, are slightly inferior to these second-tier leagues, falling between the second and third tiers.

League Two and other slightly weaker national leagues like those of Türkiye, Belgium, and Switzerland are considered the third tier.

English Third Division belongs to the fourth level.

However, there are actually very few leagues with four professional levels, so some people believe that the English Third Division is essentially just a non-professional competition like those in Italy, Spain, Germany, and France.

It has little value.

The problem is that League Three teams have the opportunity to play against Premier League teams, and if they can win, that's a real possibility.

Does that mean it's actually more prestigious than the second-tier Dutch league?

At least they're no longer incomparable, right?

……

[Ding! You have defeated your first League One team in the EFL Cup and have received a reward:]

【Hardcore - Bronze 1-3】

[“Precision Lob Shot - Bronze” upgraded to “Small Hop Penalty Point - Silver”]

[Small Hop Penalty - Silver: Your shot animation is improved. The longer you stay in the air, the greater the power boost you receive.]

[“Basic Tackling - Iron” upgraded to “Tackling and Holding the Ball - Bronze”]

[Tackling and Keeping the Ball - Bronze: Your tackling ability has been slightly improved. After you tackle, there is a certain probability that you will retain possession of the ball.]

[“Stomping Ball Skill - Iron” and “Ball Pass - Bronze” have been upgraded to “Back-to-the-Back Ball Pass - Silver”]

[Back-to-the-basket dribble pass - Silver: Player's balance and agility are improved. Anti-dizziness ability is improved.]

!!!

Good grief, they've even started penalizing players with hops.

This method of penalty points doesn't require a system; Lu Kai knows how to do it too.

But there are differences.

These penalty kicks really test a player's ability to make quick judgments, because you have to make a shooting choice based on the opposing goalkeeper's reaction while you're in the air.

Players who aren't quick-witted should be used sparingly.

In addition, this shooting method actually requires a certain amount of instantaneous power and footwork from the player.

Because they can't get any momentum when they're airborne, their shots often lack power and accuracy.

To improve the quality of a shot, one can only rely on the player's own physical attributes.

Therefore, Lu Kai's small hop step penalty is definitely more effective than Jorginho's.

At the very least, it's at the level of Bruno Fernandes.

【Slide to keep the ball】is a superb defensive skill.

There are only two targets for defense.

First, it disrupts the opponent's attack.

Second, to win possession of the ball.

【Slide and hold the ball】is the best combination of the two.

Maldini of AC Milan is known for his tackling and ball control.

The "back-to-the-basket dribble" is a very cool skill.

But Lu Kai values ​​the "anti-dizziness" ability mentioned in the skill description even more.

Many players disappear when they break through, often missing good passing opportunities.

This is often not a problem with one's thinking, but rather with one's perspective; one's dynamic perspective is too narrow.

Players with a narrow dynamic field of vision often experience dizziness when spinning rapidly, which severely impacts their only reliable skill: dribbling. Therefore, overcoming dizziness is crucial for a player to develop into a top-tier dribbler, passer, and even goalkeeper.

This is a hidden higher-order attribute that is not in the attribute list.

From this perspective, the success of Anthony the Genius becomes easier to understand.

The hardware itself is good!

(Just kidding, don't take it seriously)
Boom boom boom!
Victor knocked on Lu Kai's office door.

“Lu, the team’s attack seems to have run into some problems recently.” Victor handed the data sheet to Lu Kai. “In the last two league games, we drew 1-1 with the opponent.”

"Including Reading's previous two league matches, they have now drawn four consecutive games."

"Should we make some adjustments to our forward line?"

After nine rounds, Dartford are currently in the middle of the English Third Division, ranking twelfth in the standings.

The defensive line is in better condition than before, but it clearly still needs adjustments.

“I asked Alfred to see what adjustments he wanted to make, but he said there was no need to adjust the forward line,” Victor said somewhat helplessly.

Alfred completely ignored tactical matters.

Lu Kai turned his head and saw Alfred "inadvertently" passing by outside the window.

He gave Lu Kai a look that signaled him to quickly get rid of Victor.

This assistant coach talks about tactics all day long. If I understood tactics, would Ferguson still be managing Manchester United now?

“Indeed, there’s no need to adjust the forward line.” Lu Kai affirmed Alfred’s opinion. “Our two strikers, Eastwood, are very well-rounded in all aspects, with no weaknesses, and their goal-scoring efficiency remains at a top level.”

"He's definitely going to attend."

"As for Holt... he's the only forward who can clearly help on defense, and he's very willing to participate in defense."

“Akinfenwa’s weight is what it is; when the intensity of the game is high, he only has half the stamina. Moreover, he is strong but slow to move; he is a surprise weapon, not a regular one.”

"Marin is slightly weaker, so it's good enough if she gets a chance to be a substitute."

Victor objected: "I think we could put players like Morgan and Madeira up front. One tall and one fast, a perfect combination."

Lu Kai shook his head: "From a player's perspective, being good at stealing the ball in the attacking third is definitely not a problem. Whether it's the fox in the penalty area, Inzaghi, or a speedy striker, they can all produce top stars."

"But for the team, in the long run, this kind of player and this style of play is not advisable."

"The simplest principle is that when a player needs to stay near the offside line for a long time to launch counter-attacks, his dribbling, attacking, speed, physical strength, passing, and field awareness are wasted."

"At the same time, the team is also short one player."

Therefore, Lu Kai did not agree to make changes to the forward line.

“But the wing-back position definitely needs to be changed,” Lu Kai pointed out. “Substituting the two wing-backs ten minutes earlier should solve the problem.”

The right solution for Dartford to solve their attacking woes is for their wing-backs to fly up into the box.

This would be a win-win situation for both the team and the players.

However, with increased running and sprinting, players experience greater physical exertion and must be replaced earlier.

Once the four wing-backs are familiar with their playing time, they will be able to better manage their energy.

This way, Green Gun's flanks can maintain their strongest impact in every game!
Viktor was dumbfounded.

They haven't actually made any changes to the forward line, but it might actually solve the problem!

Alfred is awesome.

I almost thought he didn't understand football.

After Victor left, Alfred handed Lu Kai a cup of tea-flavored Biluochun rice balls, saying, "Thanks! Put this milk tea on my tab!"

Lu Kai smiled slightly, indicating that it was no trouble at all.

Besides, do you think he would put the cost of his milk tea on his own tab every month?

If you pour a drink for anyone, who would remember how much they actually drank when they look at the bill at the end of the month?

Meanwhile, Viktor gathered the team's four wingers: "Um, I have something to announce..."

He went on and on, explaining that this wasn't about reducing starting players' playing time, but about protecting everyone's health, because wing-back is the most physically demanding position in the team, bar none.

Moreover, any one of them will be a starter or a substitute.

Therefore, we must form a correct understanding, engage in healthy competition, and ensure that all four wings work together towards a common goal – “Learning to Strengthen the Team”!
Ashley Young didn't listen at all; his monthly bill came out, but he felt like it was a bit more this month.

"Did I drink this many cups of milk tea?" Ashley Young, puzzled, approached Jiang Mengyun, wanting to check the bill details.

"Did you drink a lot?" Lu Kai walked out of the office. "That's a good thing. I heard that people who masturbate too much lose a lot of protein, and they need to drink more milk to replenish it so as not to affect their puberty development."

"You seem to have grown taller!"

Ashley Young exclaimed with delight, "Really? Then give me another cup of Tieguanyin milk pudding!"

……

September 25th, the tenth round of the league.

Dartford defeated Maxfield 1-0, with Ashley Young, who thinks he's grown taller, scoring the only goal of the match.

The offensive doesn't seem to have improved.

But in the next round, Dartford went on a six-1 run, displaying an amazing offensive burst.

Five of the goals were scored with contributions from Morgan and Madeira.

The dual-wing effect is obvious.

October 3rd, national team match day.

An Qi has left the team.

Dartford is also getting better.

Because they all have national team players!
An Qi was called up by the national team coach Bora Milutinovic, achieving a leapfrog development from a bench player for Dalian Shide, to a youth national team player, and finally to a true national team player.

An Qi was trained locally, but he still managed to succeed outside of China.

This has boosted confidence in youth training in mainland China.

To put this philosophy into practice, Shide launched the "African Young Lions Program," selecting more than 20 players aged 14 to 17 from Cameroon and bringing them back for training.

With a large amount of resources invested, they are confident that they can develop at least ten national team players from this group of players.

And attempt to naturalize.

Football reporters, led by Lin Tao, were puzzled: "Since we can naturalize black players, why can't we naturalize Lu Kai? We shouldn't even talk about naturalization, because Lu Kai is one of our own."

The response from the relevant parties was: "Lu Kai has already played for the England youth team."

But this was refuted by fans.

Because there is no conflict between the youth national team and the senior national team.

Many players have played for the youth national teams of England, France, and Spain, but ultimately chose to play for the national teams of Cameroon, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast.

The real reason for this incident is also documented during the presidency of the American Pearl Party.

Obedient immigrants are definitely more useful than disobedient native rednecks, right?

However, after An Qi returned, Lu Kai smiled slightly at the Young Lions Project.

This plan was doomed to fail, not only because of the many misconceptions about human nature, but more importantly because it was not human-centered.

The biggest problem facing the Young Lions program is player recruitment!
If you can't even train people, what kind of players are you going to train?
Anqi's observations and experiences this time were eye-opening for the Dartford players.

Lu Kai also used this opportunity to have Alfred educate the players about the dangers of excessive indulgence and strictly prohibit the players from participating in related activities.

The punishment is severe.

Morgan and several other players had strong opinions, but they had no choice but to comply.

Ashley Young, on the other hand, remained calm and said inscrutably, "The most fundamental difference between humans and animals is that humans walk upright and use tools!"

However, substitute goalkeeper Scott had a lot of complaints about Anqi.

Because Anqi actually returned before Dartford's match against Liverpool, Scott's dream of playing time was dashed.

In contrast, even if Liverpool's international players were to return, manager Houllier might not dare to let them play.

Considering Dartford's fierce battle against Chelsea last season, the nature of the EFL Cup, and the impact of international breaks.

Liverpool's squad is 100% veterans plus youth academy graduates.

This fueled the Green Guns fans' imaginations about the game.

"Akinfenwa, stay behind. Everyone else can go now." Lu Kai kept Akinfenwa until the very end. "I'm planning to start you in this match against Liverpool."

Akinfenwa was taken aback: "Me? This... can you change it to someone else? I'm a die-hard Liverpool fan..."

“Foolish!” Lu Kai handed a data report to Akinfenwa. “It turns out that players who beat a club are most likely to be recognized and bought by that club and its fans.”

"If you truly love Liverpool, you should aim to join Liverpool."

"If you want to join them, you have to be seen by them first, instead of being a humble speck of dust."

"I'm not asking you to shine in this game, but you have to do what you're supposed to do and act like a competent player. Can you promise me that?"

Akinfenwa nodded, a new perspective dawning on her.

This avoids the path of becoming a subservient follower who says, "Be gentle, she's afraid of pain."

Iniesta: ???
……

October 8th, the third round of the EFL Cup.

Dartford got a fantastic draw!

Because this match is being played at Liverpool's home ground, Anfield.

Half of the tickets will be split between Dartford and Dartford.

Their broadcasting fees and other expenses are also higher than those of other teams.

Liverpool won the Community Shield and the European Super Cup early in the season, becoming the second English team to win five titles!
It's incredibly popular.

So this match, which was not important to begin with, was completely sold out!
Forty-four thousand fans flooded in, which is the maximum capacity of Anfield Stadium at this time.

It's important to know that the EFL Cup is often played midweek, and it's mostly composed of substitutes and academy players, so the star power is limited.

Many Premier League teams play EFL Cup matches at home with a spectator count of around 10,000.

Liverpool has truly defied the odds.

Their home Premier League matches this season have not all been sold out; some matches have not reached 40,000 spectators.

However, since Liverpool is a working-class team, ticket prices are already low, and the League Cup tickets are even lower, so the overall ticket revenue is far less than that of the Premier League, FA Cup, etc.

Dartford's share would amount to around £400,000.

Lu Kai's assessment was: Not as good as Qiu C!

The media did a great job of generating buzz before the match, because the match itself was already very interesting!

Sky Sports: "The Five-Time Champions Derby! England's first five-time champions of the new century, Dadatford, face off against the second five-time champions, Liverpool!"

BBC: "Green Gunners vs. Red Army! There are too many red derbies, what do you think of the red-green derby?"

The Times: "Can Arsenal beat Liverpool, whom they couldn't beat?"

The Echo: "Dartford Don Quixote! After failing to challenge a London Premier League team last year, the Green Gunners are back this season to challenge another Premier League giant in another city! Small teams can have big dreams too!"

Kent Post: "I want to be king? EFL Cup defending champions Liverpool face a challenge from lower-league newcomers Dartford!"

The Sun: "Lu Kai vs. Irving! In the battle for the greatest golden boy, Lu Kai is ahead in every aspect!"

Otherwise, it would have to be Emily who understands journalism.

She made a detailed comparison of the achievements of Owen, England's most popular player, and Lu Kai, the player with the most online traffic, over the past year.

Both clubs have won five championships, so it should have been a tie.

But Dartford achieved this honor two months ahead of schedule!

This is Lu Kai's first victory!
Of course, you don't need to worry about whether Liverpool's UEFA Cup, FA Cup, EFL Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and Charity Shield are more prestigious than Dartford's FA Trophy, Europa League, Premier League, EFL Cup, and Charity Shield.

Anyway, I'll go first.

Then Lu Kai scored 55 goals and 45 assists last season, becoming a 100-goal golden boy.

The statistics completely overwhelmed Irving.

This is the second victory.

Let alone Irving, even Raul, who had the best stats in the top league last year, was outclassed by Lu Kai.

Only counting it as one win is too lenient on Irving.

In terms of personal achievements, Lu Kai also has an England youth team championship, making him a six-time champion.

While Owen admitted that the national team had dominated in England and led them to qualify for next year's World Cup finals.

But why can't the qualifiers award a champion?

This is a triple victory!

In addition, Lu Kai's title of "Golden Boy with 100 Goals" is recognized by the official Golden Boy Award of Tuttosport, and he entered the final competition of the first Golden Boy selection.

Owen's title of "Golden Boy of England" is merely a popular, unofficial designation.

This is the fourth victory.

Finally, Lu Kai's victory in the Europa League qualifies him for the Ballon d'Or at the end of the year, where he will receive an award.

Owen is currently in fierce competition with Raul and Kahn for the Ballon d'Or. If he loses and doesn't win the Ballon d'Or, he will go home empty-handed.

This is Lu Kai's fifth victory!
Because Lu Kai has five wins while Irving has zero wins, this is his sixth win!
And so on, seven or eight wins, and so on... Lu Kai won every battle!
Therefore... Irving is far inferior to Lu Kai!
You can tell from the writing style that this report was written by Lu Kai himself.

But the crucial point is that Emily, this die-hard fan, actually didn't see any problem with it and had it published in the newspaper.

In no time, Lu Kai's claim of knocking out Irving spread throughout the streets and alleys.

The world of football was shocked.

As the bidding war for broadcasting rights intensified, the BBC offered Dartford an additional £200,000 in broadcasting fees.

Emily's article is worth a fortune!
It's just that its reputation has been ruined.

People said she was just trying to attract attention.

What's the difference between comparing Lu Kai to Irving and comparing Ashley Young to Ronaldo?
Faced with ridicule, Lu Kai couldn't ignore it, since Emily was taking the blame for him.

In a pre-match interview, Lu Kai stated confidently, "It's meaningless to discuss who is stronger between me and Kyrie Irving; all comparisons should be based on reality."

"And now there is a direct showdown, and whoever wins will naturally be the better one."

"Unfortunately, Irving is not on the roster for today's game."

The reporter expressed anger at Lu Kai's words: "What do you mean? Are you saying that Irving is avoiding the game because he's afraid of you? So you're better?"

Lu Kai smiled and said, "Thank you for your recognition, but I have never said such a thing."

Reporter: "You're smart enough not to admit you're better than Irving!"

Lu Kai: "What I mean is... if we were to win by sheer luck today, it would only prove that Dartford is stronger than Liverpool!"

???

The whole audience was stunned.

If there's even a one in ten thousand chance that Lu Kai and Irving could discuss who's stronger or weaker...

Therefore, Dartford and Liverpool are completely incomparable.

After all, this is the greatest football club in England in the 20th century!

One of the greatest clubs in the world!

How dare he?
In the audience, Emily was moved to tears.

Eva Green, on the other hand, was a little jealous.

Everyone knows that Lu Kai said those things on purpose to shield Emily from the bullet.

One can imagine the terrible cyberbullying Lu Kai will face after this match!

Not everyone is a Liverpool fan, but compared to Lu Kai's outrageous statement, everyone would support Liverpool!

Do not!
Even before the end of the match, or even during the entire game, Lu Kai will be booed by Liverpool fans the whole time!
Anfield will become Lu Kai's hell!

Lu Kai needs to be saved!
Jiang Mengyun walked towards the interview platform. If someone needed to shield Lu Kai from 44,000 bullets, then that person could only be…

"Kick Liverpool off that damn throne!"

During the interview, Alfred, who had kept his eyes closed the entire time, suddenly stood up, clenched his fist, and shouted, shielding Lu Kai behind him.

Lu Kai cooperated by taking a step back, completely shielding Alfred in front of him.

The next moment, a dozen or so reporters from the Liverpool faction couldn't sit still any longer and crumpled up their papers and threw them at Alfred.

Immediately afterwards, pens, shoe soles, bottled water, and banana peels flew everywhere.

The pre-match press conference went out of control!
It's no wonder Liverpool's reporters lacked professionalism.

It's all Alfred's fault for hitting people where it hurts too badly.

You can say anything to Liverpool fans, but never mention this joke.

Just like you shouldn't mention Istanbul or the 3-0 victory in Champagne in front of Milan fans.

Don't mention Calciopoli in front of Juventus fans.

Don't mention Bayern Munich in front of Bundesliga fans.

Don't mention the Bundesliga in front of Hamburg fans.

Don't mention hamburgers in front of 2. Bundesliga fans.

Because it really hurts so much.

However, one veteran journalist present, who had witnessed Ferguson's famous slogan at a Manchester United press conference years ago, frowned:

"Why does this voice sound exactly like Ferguson's back then?"

While Ferguson was in his office, pretending to work overtime to watch the game, he recalled that moment and murmured, "If Alf hadn't shouted those words behind my back, perhaps everything would have been different?"

In any case, this "red-green derby" was originally just something the media created for publicity.

After this battle, it seems that it has truly become a war between mortal enemies!
If the FA Cup match against Chelsea last season was a desperate struggle to intimidate them and force a draw, then the goal was to split the winnings at Stamford Bridge.

So, since Liverpool has already split the profits from this match, why did Lu Kai have to go through all that trouble?

Even if the EFL Cup match ends in a draw, there will be no replay; instead, it will be extra time and a penalty shootout to decide the winner.

Anfield away dressing room.

Lu Kai looked at the group of players: "Alright, now I'm the biggest joke in English football if we lose."

"And you will become the second biggest joke."

"So we have no way out now."

The players looked at each other in bewilderment.

Barton is also a Liverpool fan: "Kai, even if you don't do this, we will still give it our all. You have to believe in our professionalism."

Lu Kai shook his head: "I have never doubted everyone's professionalism."

"But in my hometown, there is a saying: 'Fight with your back to the river.'"

"Actually, everyone knows that last year in the FA Cup, we were fighting for money."

"We've already received the money for this year's EFL Cup, but I still want to give it a try."

"Let's see how far we can go if we want to win."

Alfred removed the banana peel from his hair.

He noticed that when the word "win" appeared, almost everyone in the locker room unconsciously shuddered.

This means that... no one had thought about this.

Beat Liverpool!

They don't even dare to think about it!

This is normal. Calling them third-tier English players is an understatement. They haven't even shaken off their non-professional mentality.

Only Lu Kai, from the moment he entered the English Second Division, was already demanding more of himself and the whole team.

"I want to win this battle!" Lu Kai roared. "Not to climb over Liverpool to get ahead, not to take back what I lost... I haven't lost anything."

"I just want to tell everyone..."

"Football! Anyone can play it, damn it!"

"It's a match! Damn it, someone has to win!"

"That championship! Why the hell can't I win it?!"

The entire room exploded instantly!
At this moment, a whole new universe was blasted into everyone's mind!

Ashley Young was the first to shout out that great word: "Crown...fuck!"

Patton followed closely behind: "Fuck you!"

The others followed suit, speaking one after another, in waves:
"Horse riding!"

"Horse riding!"

"Horse riding!"

Amorin felt like he was on fire and seized the opportunity to ask Ashley Young, "Why the hell is it? I thought you were going to shout 'Champion'?"

Ashley Young explained, “I’m fluent in Chinese. In Chinese, this means the same thing as Sparta in Greece, Smida in Korea, Yamete in Japan, Amant in America, and Lu in Green Gun!”

"It's specifically designed to motivate everyone!"

Outside the locker room.

Gerrard looked embarrassed.

As one of England's most popular stars, he suggested that the whole team come early to greet the Dartford players and give them some autographed items.

friendship first, competition later.

It can also satisfy everyone's craving for celebrities.

His exact words were, "They will be overjoyed by our arrival."

"Um...maybe...we shouldn't go in?" Gerald's face was pale, afraid of being beaten.

Carragher nodded repeatedly, his legs trembling.

Meanwhile, veterans such as Litmanen, Smicer, McAllister, and Hyypia all frowned.

The sounds coming from inside told them.

This match is unlikely to be that simple.

Liverpool may need to prepare to fight to the bitter end!
This green gun is extremely bloodthirsty!

(End of this chapter)