Team Spirit

Chapter 9: Lu Kai's improvement, internal strife for points

In the second half, the opponent took advantage of Ashley Young's short and thin stature and committed multiple fouls.

The referee's officiating skills were not very good and he missed several calls.

One of them directly led to the opponent scoring a goal.

Money is hard to make and shit is hard to eat.

Ashley Young, covered in mud, realized how painful it was for the team's main player and core player, and gradually he became a little afraid to break through with the ball.

As a result of his cowardice, Dartford's attack collapsed.

Under the siege of the enemy, we won another city.

Zero to two.

Dartford trailed by two goals at home.

The fans watching at the scene began to boo.

Lu Kai made a gesture.

Alfred gritted his teeth and replaced the team's right winger with To Madera.

As a result, the right midfielder did not make any noise, but was so excited that he almost knelt down to Alfred.

Thank you for saving my life!

With so many people booing, the end was a relief.

Continuing to play football is a torture.

While making the substitution, Lu Kai was also communicating with his teammates, asking them to pass the ball to him more often and use short passes back and forth to reduce the opponent's pressing pressure.

After the kick-off, Lu Kai kept running, catching and passing the ball continuously.

Use [Basic Short Pass·Black Iron] to help the team organize.

His organizational skills are not strong, but he has good vision and can always run to the right receiving position.

Croydon's continuous pressing failed, and the players slowed down, preparing to retreat a little and then fight a positional battle in the midfield.

After all, Dartford finally got the ball, and they will definitely want to cooperate well and launch a threatening attack.

As a result, Lu Kai "got ahead of himself"!
A direct long pass initiated a counterattack.

The ball that was finally controlled was "wasted" on the spot.

"No! Dartford's right player is so fast!"

To Madeira started to speed up, came from behind and took advantage of the opponent's full-back. He was caught up when he received the ball, but after controlling the ball, he passed it to overtake again.

boom!
To Madeira swept into the penalty area.

Unfortunately, the opponent's central defender cleared the ball out of the baseline.

And Oliver didn't keep up and didn't run to the right position.

Even if the ball is passed in, it won't pose any threat.

During the corner attack, Oliver and Dartford's two central defenders received special attention.

Lu Kai is 1.78 meters tall, which is not considered short in amateur competitions, but he is too thin.

Ashley Young is 1.68 meters tall and can only provide support from the outside.

It's easy to get drowned once you go in.

boom!
George took a corner kick, but it was a little too big and the quality was not high.

Croydon's defensive players routinely pushed Lu Kai away at the moment of kick-off.

Lu Kai ended up at the back post because of this.

That’s exactly where the football landed.

Lu Kai jumped high and swung his head towards the football.

[Basic Header·Black Iron]!
Swish!
The football went into the net.

"GOAL! One to two!"

"Lu Kai scored with a header. This kid's header is really cool!"

"He's scored in two consecutive games. What on earth has Lu Kai been through during the winter break? It feels like he's completely transformed!"

"Many young players experience a period of rapid improvement, commonly known as a period of growth. Lu Kai must be entering his own growth period!"

"If Arsenal's youth team wasn't so impatient and gave Lu Kai another half year, perhaps Lu Kai would have given them a surprise." "What a shame, what a shame."

Although Lu Kai is now the club chairman of Dartford Royal VCD and also the team's starter.

But it is still far behind the quality of Arsenal's youth training.

After all, the latter will have the opportunity to play in the Premier League in the future.

As for Dartford...theoretically, if they can be promoted to a real professional league within 20 years, that is, the fourth-tier league in England (now English League Three, and English League Two after the establishment of the Championship), it will be a huge success!
But twenty years later, the 35-year-old Lu Kai probably couldn't play anymore.

In the 62nd minute, the key point of the game appeared.

Lu Kai and Ashley Young had a classic wall collision, with the latter cutting inside with the ball.

But the opposing defensive players retreated and did not give Ashley Young a chance to cut in.

This is not the same as Ashley Young's chair performance in training.

"This way!"

Just when Ashley Young didn't know what to do next, Lu Kai's voice appeared on his left.

Lu Kai took the initiative to pull to the side.

The forwards' range of activities is often close to the center and the penalty area, because this is the most threatening and easiest area to score goals.

The forward does the opposite and actively goes to the wing to help with support and pulling, which is called "pulling to the wing".

Not all forwards like to play wide, and many think this is a sign of their declining importance.

Not all forwards are suitable for playing wide, as this requires a certain amount of speed and flexibility.

But Lu Kai didn't mind at all.

Don't even talk about pulling the edge.

Future forwards will also have to actively participate in defense.

Facts have proved that forwards who play on the wing contribute more to the team, and forwards who return to defense contribute more to the team.

This is an advanced trend in football.

If you use it, you will be stronger than a team that doesn’t use it.

boom!
After receiving the pass from Ashley Young, Lu Kai made a cross to Oliver in the penalty area.

The quality of this cross is average, but the choice of point is very accurate.

With the help of his level 6 vision, Lu Kai found an absolute opportunity!
When the opponent's center back saw that Oliver was about to head the ball, he got so anxious that he rushed over from behind and knocked Oliver down.

The referee blew the whistle and pointed to the penalty spot without hesitation.

"Penalty! Well done! Lu Kai, Oliver!" Alfred cheered on the sidelines.

The scene finally became lively.

The 300 fans of Dartford were like 300 Spartan warriors, calling for the penalty kick with their blood boiling.

Lu Kai immediately found the referee and tried to get him to show a red card to the opposing center back.

But the referee only showed a yellow card in the end.

After all, Oliver hadn't been exposed to football yet.

This kind of foul will only result in a red card if it happens in Serie A or La Liga.

In the Premier League... it's possible that you won't be given a penalty.

After finishing the communication with the referee, Lu Kai turned around and found that the team's midfielder George was actually talking to Oliver.

The latter carried the football behind his back.

Is this... asking for a penalty?
Sure enough, George said, "Oliver, let me play. I haven't scored a goal in a long time."

Oliver politely declined, saying, "As a striker, I haven't scored many goals. This opportunity is very important to me."

George frowned: "The team's first penalty taker has always been the core of the midfield."

Oliver retorted: "Victor is the team's first penalty taker, not the core of the midfield. That's his strength and status."

"I'm the second penalty taker. Now that Victor is not here, of course I should take the penalty."

George was a little angry and actually reached out to grab it.

At the critical moment, Lu Kai came over and grabbed George's hand, then hugged him and pulled him back, preventing the situation from getting worse: "George, according to team rules, this belongs to Oliver."

(End of this chapter)