Team Spirit

Chapter 164 (1.1 views, please subscribe for the full chapter) Iron Man Left Boot, Freeze, Turn Chelsea into Real Madrid
Compared to the FIFA World Player of the Year, the Ballon d'Or has actually fared quite poorly in recent years, and is not as prestigious as people think it is today.

In other words, while the first-place winner has star power and the second and third-place contenders have popularity, the overall ranking of the awards, the influence of other players' rankings, and the publicity of the list are all far from sufficient.

This can also be seen from the way it was released.

For example, the initial release was just a 40-minute program on Canal+ TV.

For example, the official publication was only in the magazine "France Football".

Last year's Ballon d'Or announcement was also rather hasty, with no ceremony and no players present to accept the award.

Both last year's and this year's FIFA World Player of the Year awards were held at the Madrid City Hall, with a wide range of guests invited, including a red carpet event and entertainment.

Nearly 100 media outlets broadcast the program.

The two are not even in the same league.

However, one thing is certain: the Ballon d'Or is now considered an award that "pays more attention to a player's performance in the current year."

To put it simply, it's fairer and more based on merit.

The criteria for the FIFA World Player of the Year award are based on a combination of factors, including the player's influence.

It is well known that a player's influence and ability often do not overlap.

Quantitatively speaking, you will only be considered for the FIFA World Player of the Year award if you have been eligible to be shortlisted for three consecutive years.

Similarly, when you're no longer eligible for this list, you can often still manage to stay on for another two or three years.

So from a time perspective, as long as you are strong enough, although you may be suppressed in the early stages, you will not be at a disadvantage in the overall FIFA World Player of the Year award, because the benefits come later.

But if you're not strong enough, if you're just a shooting star or a comet in the football world, then this award is very unfair to you.

However... isn't this also a kind of screening mechanism?

It places certain demands on the consistency of the players.

There is no absolute good or absolute bad. The Ballon d'Or wins the favor of fans in terms of its immediate appeal, so it often lacks star power, is not favored by capital, and has a relatively weak influence.

But it was precisely because its prestige became increasingly apparent that it eventually surpassed the FIFA World Player of the Year award, thus gaining financial backing and becoming the top award.

However, due to the massive influx of capital, the Ballon d'Or has been unable to maintain its competitive purity and has gradually become more like a "World Footballer of the Year" award.

Ultimately, this is the inevitable path for every award.

In the early stages, they win over audiences and build a reputation through fairness. In the mid-stages, they use that reputation to secure resources and funding, expanding their influence. In the later stages, they rely on their influence to secure resources and funding, damaging their reputation in the process, only to be defeated by newly emerging awards, or they fall into a vicious cycle.

Even the Golden Globe Awards aren't something you can just suddenly appear in this year and get nominated this year; it takes a whole year.

As a result, Lu Kai ranked 22nd in the Ballon d'Or this year. Considering all the honors Lu Kai achieved in the third tier, it can be considered a breakthrough for him.

After all, these days, data from Ligue 1 and Bundesliga are considered to lack value, and data from second-tier leagues are generally not referenced, let alone third-tier data.

Therefore, all things considered, Lu Kai's nomination for the Ballon d'Or is a momentous event, especially for fans of Chelsea, England, China, and even Asia.

But similarly, it's not a big deal. People are too busy debating who among Nedved, Zidane, Maldini, Shevchenko, and Henry deserves the award.

Similarly, this list will not immediately change fans' opinions of Lu Kai, but it is changing the industry's opinion of him.

This change in professional perspective will influence the fan community within a year or two and be noticed by everyone.

Let the bullets fly is always the most classic model in communication studies.

Therefore, the most immediate significance of Lu Kai's nomination is probably the additional £1 million bonus that Umbro gave him.

His three-year endorsement contract with Umbro included a bonus clause regarding awards.

It was shortlisted for one million pounds.

He was awarded five million pounds.

Pay per use.

Including prize money from other awards, Umbro's contract with Lu Kai could theoretically be exaggerated to 40 million pounds over three years. Converted, that's 93 million pounds over seven years, far exceeding James' seven-year, 86 million dollar contract, which is approximately 50 million pounds.

This is the concept behind the contract that Adidas previously offered to James: various bonuses were artificially inflated, but he wouldn't actually receive most of them.

[Ding! You've made your first appearance on the Ballon d'Or shortlist and received a reward:]

[Freeze - Silver: Your man-marking ability has been improved. The player you defend or help defend the most will suffer a debuff, the effect of which is proportional to the number of times they are defended.]

Man-to-Man: 73+3

[Continuous Backward Runs - Special: Enhances the effectiveness of the team's tactics involving continuous backward runs.]

[Nedved's Left Boot: Nedved, who won his first Ballon d'Or, became a source of pride for Eastern European football. Left Foot +1. Injury Resistance +1. Long Shots +2]

[Left Foot: 3+1 (Additional Amplification)]

[Damage Resistance Attribute: 4+2 (Additional Amplification)]

Long-range shots: 79+2

!!!

The combination of the skills 【Freeze】 and 【Burning】 is really awesome.

Those who defend against me the most and those whom I defend against the most will both suffer great misfortune.

I've always heard people on Xiaohongshu say that football novels are practically erotic and violent, which I couldn't understand before, but now I do.

He made a series of late runs, penetrated the penalty area, and unleashed a powerful shot...

It's hard to look at.

As for Nedved's left boot, the Czech Iron Man is truly magnificent.

This year's Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards have been controversial, mainly because it feels like they're not quite right to give them to anyone, or that they could have been given to anyone.

If Nedved had helped Juventus defeat Milan, there would be no controversy.

In comparison, even after winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and Confederations Cup, Henry was still only a worthy opponent for Nedved.

……

On December 24, influenced by Lu Kai's nomination for the Ballon d'Or, the AFC, ultimately a professional organization, finally succumbed to the pressure.

They announced that they will revise the Asian Footballer of the Year award mechanism to include players of Asian origin in the selection, regardless of whether they have participated in AFC competitions.

This move immediately received widespread support from fans.

After all, which family doesn't have a few players playing in European leagues these days?

Soon after, China Football Club had to announce an expansion of the China Footballer of the Year award. Not only foreign players currently playing in China, but also Chinese players playing abroad, would be eligible to participate.

The fans were overjoyed.

If this standard had been followed from the beginning, An Qi, Li Weifeng, and others would have had the opportunity to receive this honor.

On December 26th, while others celebrate Christmas, the English First Division plays its 25th round.

Dartford won 3-0 at home against Bradford.

Two days later, the 26th round of the English League One.

Dartford beat Rotherham 2-0 away from home.

In the final match of the first half of the season, they successfully climbed to second place in League One, officially entering the direct promotion zone.

As 2004 approached, the winter transfer window opened for English football.

Dartford are conserving their energy and have no plans to strengthen their squad for the time being. However, they are making efforts in youth training and are actively contacting some of the younger players on Lu Kai's roster.

At first, one or two names were leaked, but the scouts involved were quickly dismissed by the team.

The damage was not significant; one issue was that the list was split up by Lu Kai, and at most others only knew one or two names.

Secondly, the few young players who were exposed were not outstanding.

Especially that mediocre boy named Harry Kane, who was only recently released by Arsenal's youth academy and is currently playing for Ridgeway Rovers FC's youth academy.

Arsenal's youth academy director stated that the player is prone to weight gain, has poor athletic ability, is introverted and shy, has poor interpersonal skills, and is relatively short in stature.

"If we dismissed Lu Kai because of his serious injury and the possibility of him being injury-prone, and that our judgment was wrong, then our judgment regarding Harry Kane will be absolutely accurate."

“There are just too many kids like him in England. Countless people are eliminated every year, and he will never become the next Lu Kai.”

"Those media outlets hoping to see Arsenal miss out on another story of genius can leave now; they won't get away with it."

Unfortunately, the interview was released a little too late.

Watford signed Harry Kane immediately, only to find out later that Kane was a complete waste of talent, and they were filled with regret.

Their youth team's "super talent" Ashley Young was once snatched away by Lu Kai and became Manchester United's target.

Although he was neglected after his leg was broken, his overall strength is still quite good. If you really brought out those British stars to compete, they might not be stronger than Ashley Young.

Dartford has too many dazzling players, and there are more and more of them. There are too many talented players who can't be selected, so why look at those who have broken their legs?
Watford successfully stopped Kane, but after a few training sessions, they are already considering retiring.

Their assessment of Kane was, "It seems Dartford only wants to sign him because he's also a player Arsenal let go, nothing more. Dartford has a thing for Arsenal's discarded players, but not every Arsenal discarded player is a Ballon d'Or prospect!"

Lu Kai was not flustered after learning about the situation. Kane had been mediocre for a long time and could be taken down at any time, so there was no need to rush.

The real big news of this winter transfer window was Liverpool striker Morgan's announcement of his retirement.

He's only twenty-one years old!
In fact, it's more accurate to say it's a buyout rather than a retirement.

Because Liverpool paid Morgan a huge sum of three million pounds.

Morgan originally had three years left on his contract with Liverpool, meaning he could have received at least five million pounds while bedridden. However, after discussions, both sides reached an agreement.

They were all suffering terribly from injuries.

It's worth mentioning that Kewell, who recently left Liverpool, also suffered injuries during his time with the Reds.

Liverpool has inspected its medical team, physical training, catering, and other departments, preparing for upgrades and improvements in an effort to completely resolve the issue of injury-prone players.

This is clearly not an isolated case.

Morgan's surgery was successful, and he will return to Dartford as a shooting coach after initial recovery, engaging in football in a different way and starting his new journey.

This incident has had a significant impact on Dartford's players and has sparked heated discussions throughout the UK.

People have realized the importance of health and how precious it is to be able to play football.

To some extent, it slowed down the decline of some of the British Empire's stars.

The FA Cup is coming on January 3rd.

Dartford easily defeated Peterborough United 2-0 with their third-string lineup.

On January 10th, in the 27th round of League One, Dartford defeated Nottingham Forest 1-0 at home.

On January 17th, in the 28th round of League One, Dartford lost 1-2 to Millwall away from home. They remain second in League One.

On January 20th, the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-finals kicked off.

Dartford's opponent is none other than the most formidable of the four semi-finalists – the "blue money" Chelsea!

The other match was a clash between Bolton and Aston Villa, both considered weak teams.

People lamented Dartford's bad luck.

Because Chelsea's current momentum is too strong.

Abramovich's £140 million investment was truly worthwhile, as the team remained in the top three for most of the league title race after the first four rounds.

EFL Cup semi-finals.

The FA Cup is currently underway.

They easily advanced to the Champions League knockout stage as group winners.

The situation is very good.

In contrast, Dartford, who have spent a whopping £24 million, are also in a very good position.

The success of these two big-spending teams has inspired many other clubs to follow suit.

So it really is true that all you need to do is throw money at it!

Dartford and Chelsea first met at Penguin Stadium.

Dartford deployed a five-man defense and were dominated by Chelsea throughout the match.

Under Mourinho, Chelsea's defense was so dazzling that many people thought Chelsea could only defend.

But regardless of the era, Chelsea's attack has always been quite sharp.

Moreover, this season they have a dream attacking line of Duff, Madeira, Hasselbaink, Crespo, Mutu, and Joe Cole!
However, Dartford's defense was solid. Chelsea pounded on them for a while, but in the end, they seized an opportunity on the counter-attack, and Madeira delivered the fatal blow, turning the tables on his former club.

In the final moments, Drogba won a free kick on the wing.

Lu Kai's cross from the wing was met by Lescott with a curling cross.

With his mighty strength, Bao Zheng uprooted mountains and struck Shandong with his head, thus leveling the city!
One to one!

The two sides shook hands and made peace.

Abramovich was satisfied with the score, as it made it clear to everyone that Chelsea were destined to win.

After the match, various statistics showed that Dartford would have definitely lost if they hadn't had some good luck at the end.

Moreover, as the players from both sides become more familiar with each other, Dartford will inevitably fail to hold on in the second leg.

Those goals conceded weren't just one or two.

After the match, Ten Hag wrote three tactical analyses in a row, but all of them resulted in failure.

Dartford's three-year EFL Cup journey has finally come to an end.

January 24th, English League One, Round 29.

Dartford's second-string team drew 3-3 with Preston, securing an important point and avoiding dropping to third place.

January 27th, FA Cup fourth round.

Dartford's third-string lineup delivered a superb performance, with Murray scoring twice to help the team secure a 3-2 victory over Brighton.

Dartford are competing on four fronts, advancing on all four fronts.

The fans were terrified.

Despite their usual practice of competing on multiple fronts, this season is definitely the one everyone feels is under the most pressure.

Many people feel that Dartford may not last until February.

Not to mention the crazy March, the injury-plagued April, and the decisive May.

On January 30th, at Stamford Bridge, 42,000 fans cheered continuously, supporting their respective teams.

Chelsea fans made up the vast majority of the stadium.

The small number of Green Spear Expeditionary Forces crossed 34 kilometers from the Far East of London to the west of London.

The decisive second leg of the EFL Cup semi-final is about to begin.

Both sides have complete military forces.

Chelsea made limited adjustments compared to the previous match.

A slightly uncomfortable Lampard sat on the bench, replaced by Scott Parker, the "new Lampard" signed by Chelsea for £10 million in the winter transfer window.

It's common knowledge that anyone named "Scott" is bound to be good:

Hasselbaink
Duff, Joe Cole, Madeira
Makelele, Parker

Barbayaro, Gallas, Terry, Glen Johnson

Kudinic
-

The key point is that the players who didn't play on the other side include: Lampard, Veron, Gudjohnsen, Petit, Bridge, Desailly, Mutu, Crespo, Glenkjaer, and other famous or strong players.

There aren't enough seats on the bench!
Many of Lu Kai's teammates in this group are from the England national team, including Johnson and Cole, who were all "trained by Alfred".

Ranieri, the "Tinkerer," admitted that his use of these players, including Madeira, was based on Alfred's tactics.

This is undoubtedly an acknowledgment of Alfred's abilities.

Alfred retorted with a retort:
"Ranielli clearly failed to develop the abilities of Chelsea's players properly!"

Of course, not in front of reporters, otherwise it would be too impolite.

This is what Lu Kai said during the pre-match tactical preparation.

Alfred repeated it with great surprise, which meant he had a question.

Ten Hag shook his head impatiently, thinking Lu Kai was being stubborn: "So can we really stop Chelsea? The facts have proven that no one can do it, not even Arsenal or Manchester United."

Lu Kai held Ten Hag's defensive formation suggestion in his hand: "This is the best defensive tactical plan I've seen this season."

Ten Hach smiled.

Of course, he's not one to stand still.

But Lu Kai immediately crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the trash can: "But we're not going to play defense today."

"As everyone says, there's no one at Chelsea who can completely stop them now."

"So today, we're going to attack."

"The best defense is a good offense!"

Ten Hach was very distressed about his work, and complained in a low voice: "Anyone can talk big, anyone can say catchy phrases, the key is how to do it!"

"We'll lose by one or two goals if we play defensively against Chelsea."

"Going head-to-head with Chelsea is likely to result in a crushing defeat!"

Even as the match was about to begin, Ten Hag still tried to persuade Alfred to adopt a defensive strategy.

Even if we don't use the extreme six-defender formation he proposed, we should at least stick with the five-defender formation from the last match.

However, Alfred had made up his mind and insisted on using that unremarkable 433 formation!

Lu Kai, Drogba, Valbuena
Patton, Essien, Touré

Ashley Young, Lescott, Duff, Williams
Casper

-

Since both teams have Duff, Dartford's Duff will be temporarily called "Green Duff," while Chelsea's will be called "Blue Duff."

Not only do they not add more defenders, they actually reduce one of them. What's the point of playing?

Lu Kai didn't waste words with Ten Hag, since Ten Hag didn't play football.

Moreover, many brilliant ideas will not be recognized until they are realized, no matter what you say.

For example, Lu Kai's opening tactic.

With the sound of a whistle, the match began.

Dartford kicked off first.

Drogba passed the ball to Lu Kai. Lu Kai then launched a long pass directly to the right side of the attacking third.

The entire audience was stunned!
"Ah, what... what does this mean?"

"Is Lu Kai planning to launch a long-range lob shot right from the start? But Cudicic isn't positioned far forward; he's right near the goal."

"The key point is that the ball went to the right and didn't even enter the penalty area."

"Besides, it's only just after the kickoff, how could Dartford possibly have a player in that position? Ribery hasn't even left the center circle yet."

This match has garnered a great deal of attention.

First, there's the "money derby".

Second, the "London Derby".

Third, a “communist derby”.

Fourth is the "Golden Ball Players Roster Derby".

Fifthly, Dartford was almost certain to lose, and many fans who had disliked Dartford in recent years gathered together, since all the Barcelona fans were present.

This kickoff just gave the haters a chance to celebrate:
"Hahaha! Is this the true value of finishing 22nd in the Golden Globe Awards?"

"I'm laughing so hard! No wonder he's the Chinese Beckham!"

"That's awful! I've never seen such an outrageous kickoff!"

"Don't ask, the answer is that I've redefined genius!"

Even Dartford's die-hard fans can't deny the damage done by that kick.

But the situation on the field changed drastically the next moment.

Dartford pressed forward with all their players, arriving near the teeing ground.

"What's going on? Is this... high press?"

"Is this because Lu Kai made a passing mistake and felt embarrassed, so everyone rushed up to steal the ball and try to get back at Lu Kai?"

"Isn't this team too abstract?"

However, when Dartford's defenders were almost all on the halfway line, Chelsea had no choice but to retreat into their own formation.

Half the field, twenty-one players, and all concentrated on one side.

The scene was quite crowded.

Even now, Ten Hah continues to shake his head.

Lu Kai's kick was actually of very high quality.

He needs to pass the ball as close to the goal line as possible, but not out of bounds; it needs to go out of bounds.

The goal was to launch a high press deep in the attacking third and put immense pressure on Chelsea.

But what kind of pressure can you exert?

After they kick off, wouldn't a long kick be enough?

For others, what difficulty is there in taking a throw-in from the backfield?
On the contrary, it is when the attacking third throws the ball in from the sideline that it becomes difficult to take the ball due to pressure.

This is currently a mainstream view.

Lu Kai's thinking was that since the difficulty in taking throw-ins was due to pressing, dense crowding, and pressure.

So, should we use the same tactics on the opponent's easy throw-ins from the backfield?

Is it just as difficult to take a throw-in in the attacking third, and just as easy to lose possession?

Losing possession in the attacking third poses no danger.

But losing possession in your own half is fatal.

This also gives the opponent more space to launch counter-attacks. For example, if Chelsea manages to catch the ball and then makes a long pass to Madeira, they're basically doomed.

But Dartford's defense was prepared.

One player stays in his own half to avoid the situation where "when all the players are in the opponent's half, the opponent has no offside rule and can lie in a more advantageous position to prepare for a sprint."

The other three defenders will also primarily focus on disrupting the ball.

Once the ball is dead, the team can reposition itself.

The risks are far less than people think.

You can only understand things that go against your intuition after you've done them yourself.

Sure enough, Chelsea had a tough time taking throw-ins, and no matter how they ran, they couldn't find open space.

Because several of their players stayed up front, hoping to capitalize on this easy counter-attack.

Cole eventually found his position and caught the throw.

But Lu Kai closely marked Cole, and his two man-marking targets today were Cole and Glen Johnson, helping Ashley Young take on some of the defensive duties on the flanks.

Cole was contested by Lu Kai and found it difficult to turn around after receiving the ball.

Ashley Young and Barton immediately surrounded them.

Cole was surrounded by opposing players, so he couldn't even make a long pass and could only pass back.

Parker retreats to receive the ball.

But Essien marked him closely. A defensive midfielder and a full-back, all concentrated in the third zone of the pitch, that small area in the upper right corner, was simply unheard of.

Parker had no choice but to pass the ball across to his center-back teammate, as the ball was about to be conceded.

Moreover, in order to avoid being intercepted, the pass was made with great force and at a very high speed.

It was a cross-field attack reminiscent of a striker making a run down the wing.

Terry controlled the ball, and it flew a meter and two or three inches away.

On the one hand, the ball was moving too fast and was difficult to stop, so it stopped a bit far away.

Secondly, Terry is not Brazilian, so he can control the ball with glue.

Thirdly, Terry looked towards his teammates' positions in the center circle, preparing to launch a long pass to deliver a fatal blow and teach the outrageous Dartford a profound lesson!

But just before Parker made the pass, Lu Kai had already abandoned the "dead man" Joe Cole he had been marking and lurked in the opponent's penalty area, cutting off Parker's forward passing route.

As the ball flew out, he lunged at Terry.

Looking up ahead, Terry had no idea that after he controlled the ball, it was closer to Lu Kai!

boom!
Lu Kai intercepted Terry's pass in the penalty area and was one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

Terry quickly pulled him away.

Kudinic also rushed out quickly.

After shaking off Terry, Lu Kai had no shooting angle left, so he preemptively passed the ball across, only to be brought down in the penalty area by Cudicini.

This is at least a yellow card foul!

But the referee did not blow the whistle.

because……

boom!
Drogba, who was already pressing in the penalty area, sprinted towards the ball.

Despite the physical contact with Gallas, Drogba remained unaffected and unleashed a powerful shot.

The football hits the net.

Stamford Bridge stadium remained unresponsive.

More than 20% of the fans were holding beers and looking for their seats.

Three minutes into the game, it was difficult for all the fans to arrive, since nothing was likely to happen.

Amidst all this commotion, the stadium announcer rang out:

“GOAL!!!”

"One to zero!"

"The goal was scored by Dartford!"

"Less than a minute! Dartford get off to a dream start!"

"This is amazing!"

"From Lu Kai's misplaced kickoff, it was almost certain that Turford would press high up the pitch in the final minute!"

"Who would have thought that Terry just hit the ball a little too far, and the Green Gunners seized the opportunity."

"Drogba breached Chelsea's goal, something Dartford barely managed to do in the last game, but he did it in the first minute of this game!"

"This is really hard to accept."

On the sidelines, all the Dartford substitutes rushed out.

It worked!
Their tactics were a complete success!

Ten Hach was quite lost in thought, Lu Kai's words kept echoing in his mind:

"How can a throw-in from the backfield be considered one of the safe balls? This should be the most dangerous possession! We must seize every opportunity like this, and even actively create such opportunities!"

"Our perception should be adjusted. Although it was the opponent's possession, it was actually an attacking opportunity similar to a corner kick."

"The environment can change a player's mentality and ability. Players who are pressed in the backfield cannot make good observations, they will make more mistakes, and their passing and receiving will become worse."

"As you run, the opportunity will appear!"

Ten Hach sighed.

really!

Lu Kai's tactical expertise is so profound, could it be that he is Dartford's true...?

Senior Brother!
I'm just the second junior brother!

This explains why Lu Kai's tactics are so strong.

Alfred: Be bolder!
On the sidelines, Ranieri looked frustrated by the goal conceded.

But he couldn't blame Terry.

He then pressed his hands down, signaling the players to calm down, be steady, and not rush into an attack; to wait a few minutes before making a move.

Ten Hagh, noticing this, shook his head repeatedly.

Too bad!
The eldest brother and master even foresaw this!

Ranieri's actions and reactions, including the Chelsea players' subsequent steady performance, are a normal occurrence and a standard procedure.

Teams that can remain composed for three to five minutes after conceding a goal due to a mistake will be praised, because you need to regain your form and confidence in this way.

Not all teams have that ability and that kind of brain.

But Lu Kai precisely targeted that point. In the following minutes, he unleashed a relentless, all-out offensive on the team.

Based on the first leg match between the two teams, Dartford doesn't actually have the ability to dominate Chelsea.

If we really try to press them, it will be very easy for Chelsea to launch a counter-attack, and they will strike hard!
But now Chelsea has relinquished the initiative, allowing Dartford to easily penetrate Chelsea's half and launch a sustained attack. Chelsea, aiming for a more conservative approach, won't focus too much on counter-attacks; while players like Madeira and Randuff pose a threat, they are actually unable to generate effective counter-attacks.

This is the phenomenon where a player's ability is limited by tactics.

In the third minute, Lu Kai passed the ball to Ashley Young, who was making an overlapping run.

The fact that a mere full-back could go all the way down to the byline is enough to prove just how powerful Dartford's attack was.

This means they're really not going to defend at all.

Ashley Young: Damn it, isn't this because I'm good at dribbling?

Ashley Young drew the defense and then passed the ball back to Lu Kai.

Lu Kai flicked the ball across to Toure, who suddenly surged forward.

Touré dribbled past several defenders near the edge of the penalty area and fired a shot.

It's very powerful.

Unfortunately, Cudicini's skill remained intact, and he saved the ball.

In the fifth minute, Dartford continued to press Chelsea's half.

Barton moved forward down the middle lane, creating space for Parker.

Lescott seized the opportunity to pass the ball directly to Lu Kai, and he finally managed to get the ball out of the box.

Lu Kai flicked the ball with his heel, and it went through Parker and Johnson.

Ashley Young was already ahead of Lu Kai in position, and after receiving the ball, he swept it across the field.

Drogba managed to get a shot off despite being double-teamed by Terry and Gallas.

This was almost a sure goal.

But Cudicini made another brilliant save, blocking the ball, and Terry then cleared it with a long kick.

Chelsea were given a scare.

The continuous threatening attacks caused changes on the sidelines.

Chelsea's mindset, which was initially "I made a mistake, I need to play it safe and let you guys have a couple of chances," turned into "Holy crap, that was intense, we almost conceded a goal, I feel like we're about to collapse."

The latter mentality will increase the pressure on the defenders and cause the midfielders and forwards to unconsciously participate in the defensive recovery.

Chelsea's mentality has shifted from that of attackers to that of defenders.

The difference is that attackers pay more attention to their teammates and are thinking about attacking routes, so they play better and coordinate better in this aspect.

Defenders are focused on disrupting opposing players, making it difficult to initiate plays immediately after receiving the ball, thus significantly reducing the quality of their offense.

Both "better" and "lower" refer to the same player.

Therefore, a player's performance will vary depending on their role.

In the sixth minute, Chelsea finally found a chance.

Johnson dribbled forward, hit a one-two with Madeira, and continued his advance.

Madeira then turned and accelerated.

Lu Kai guarded Johnson, while Ashley Young closely followed Madeira.

Johnson played a through ball.

Madeira immediately accelerated.

However, Ashley Young got close to him first.

Both of them are veterans of the Green Gun faction and know each other very well.

Madeira's early techniques were all learned from Ashley Young, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was half of Ashley Young's apprentice.

Ashley Young knows him, but he doesn't know enough about Ashley Young's abilities after his dramatic height increase.

In an instant, the ball rolled far away, but Kasper intercepted it first.

Madeira could only turn around and reach out to Johnson, implying that the ball was her fault.

Ashley Young smiled broadly.

Sure enough, he can defend against top players.

He couldn't defend against those who weren't very good at it.

Isn't this a kind of "King of Football" filter?

boom!
Kasper launched a long ball directly from the backfield.

Dartford had no intention of playing in their own half today.

Firmly implement the brilliant strategy of "waging war on someone else's territory".

Kasper sent a long pass to Drogba, who had moved to the left flank.

However, Terry's shoving of Drogba from behind was a clever tactic.

Drogba's touch was too heavy, allowing Parker to steal the ball.

Dartford players immediately pressed Parker, who had no way to pass the ball forward.

Lu Kai, who had switched positions with Drogba, was originally next to defender Gallas, but he immediately dropped back to meet Capac's possible pass back to Makelele.

Parker immediately found the safest route – passing back to Gallas.

He chose this route, after all, as the coach said, it's always better to play it safe.

However, as soon as he passed the ball, Lu Kai immediately turned back and ran towards Gallas.

Lu Kai is certainly not as fast as the ball.

But this put immense psychological pressure on Galas.

If Gallas's ball control is even slightly off, another "Terry moment" might occur.

At this moment, Gallas took double precautions.

The first layer of protection involved not stopping the ball directly, but turning around to stop it after letting the ball pass.

A direct miscontrol of the ball is tantamount to passing the ball to Lu Kai.

But when he turns and stops the ball, he can use his body to hold off Lu Kai.

The second layer of insurance is to pass the ball back to the goalkeeper.

There are no threats along this route.

However, what Gallas didn't know was that turning the lights off twice turned them on!
Compared to directly stopping the ball, letting the ball pass by and turning to stop it is actually more difficult.

After Gallas completed the move, the football bounced forward slightly.

Lu Kai had already come up.

Gallas made a powerful back pass... but miskicked it!

Because of the distance, only the toes of the foot slightly grazed the football.

The next moment, Lu Kai picked up the ball again, dribbled past, and accelerated, creating a one-on-one opportunity.

Kudinic is desperate.

He had just experienced this scene five minutes ago, and he wondered if he was going through a recurring cycle.
However, the last time the incident occurred inside the penalty area, he was able to make a timely save.

This time, he was powerless to reach the penalty area!

With no other option, Kudinic gritted his teeth and went for it, taking a gamble.

Then I saw Lu Kai swaying left and right.

After three swings, Cudicinić collapsed to the ground.

Lu Kai, having dribbled past the goalkeeper, calmly and powerfully slotted the ball into the empty net.

“GOAL!!!”

"Two to zero!"

"We're insane! We must be insane!"

"The score should be reversed! How could this be?"

"Two goals in six minutes, Dartford are insane! They've stunned Chelsea!"

"A bizarre match! A strange match! A match that was inexplicable from the very start. Perhaps Chelsea was under a mysterious spell from the East at that moment!"

"By this time, almost all the fans in the stands had taken their seats, but it felt like the game had already gone on for ninety minutes!"

"This is a disastrous start for Chelsea fans!"

"What exactly is going on?"

"Can anyone tell me why Lu Kai managed to snatch those big gifts from Chelsea's defenders twice in a row?"

"If you say that Madeira made such a mistake, we can guess that Lu Kai, as Madeira's superior, had a deal with her."

"But Lu Kai is clearly not familiar with Terry and Gallas!"

"Terry can use national team connections to make deals, but how do you explain Gallas? Gallas's actions this time are clearly more outrageous!"

The scene was crazy.

The frenzy was even greater in front of the television.

Those anti-fans who were eager to see Lu Kai get a beating immediately turned off their TVs.

The discomfort of this feeling is comparable to having a beautiful young girl on the cover, only to find out when you click in that it's a group of middle-aged women battling it out.

Just as Chelsea had begun to recover and were able to gradually launch attacks and push Dartford back, they are now unable to attack again.

In this situation, Ranieri could only keep telling everyone to calm down, use their brains, and stay composed.

Chelsea players themselves also need some time to adjust their mentality.

Dartford then took almost complete control of the situation.

In the ninth minute, the experienced Makelele realized that Dartford's attacking combinations, positioning, and passing were getting better and better, and they even made some wildly imaginative attacking attempts.

This kind of attempt, if successful, is basically a goal, but it is often risky, so players don't use it casually.

Unless the lead is exceptionally large, or the players feel there is no penalty for a failed attack.

Both of these situations apply now.

So Makelele used a brutal flying tackle to bring down Valbuena, who was about to dribble past several people.

He received a yellow card.

However, it also disrupted Dartford's rhythm to some extent.

Unfortunately, Makelele is currently the only player at Chelsea with this awareness.

Overall, Chelsea is adopting a completely defensive approach.

If Madeira and Landav don't drop back to participate in the defense, they will hardly receive the ball.

Hasselbaink almost caught a cold from the cold.

In the 14th minute, Lu Kai dribbled down the left wing and went one-on-one with Johnson.

Three bicycles in a row moved slowly, not very fast.

Johnson retreated while fighting, having lost all interest in intercepting Lu Kai's pass.

The team needs to stabilize right now!

We can't give Dartford another chance.

Parker also returned, forming a double-team defense against Lu Kai.

Lu Kai naturally passed the ball back to Barton.

Barton passes the ball to Toure.

Touré's defense was wide open, and after receiving the ball, he took a step and unleashed a powerful long-range shot.

The football went just wide of the goal.

Kudinic was still shaken and told his teammates not to give them a chance to fire in the middle.

But it's tough being a teammate too.

Ashley Young, a left-back, is positioned further forward than Lu Kai, a left winger, which will inevitably draw away a defender. Lu Kai has already scored a goal and provided an assist in this match, showing excellent form, and will also need to be double-teamed.

If Green Gun moves around a bit more, he can easily create two open spaces.

Chelsea didn't mount a proper attack until the 21st minute.

Madeira mainly relied on his speed to break through the halfway line, then cut inside to shake off Ashley Young before passing to Cole.

Cole passes the ball to Hasselbaink, who has dropped back.

Randolph cuts inside without the ball, and Hasselbaink receives the ball and passes it diagonally into the penalty area, creating an excellent opportunity.

Landoff feigned a run down the wing, but actually feinted past Green Duff and was about to unleash a powerful shot to reclaim his life.

Essien had already tracked back and poked the ball towards the goalkeeper, but Kasper caught it.

Landoff immediately fell to the ground, wanting a penalty kick.

But the referee waved his hand repeatedly; he saw very clearly that Essien's tackle was clean.

In the 23rd minute, Ranieri signaled to his players to take advantage of their improved form, press high up the pitch, and try to score a goal.

Lu Kai keenly sensed the change in the situation.

Chelsea had at least seven players involved in pressing in the attacking third.

Lu Kai dropped back to provide passing options for his teammates, intentionally moving through the middle to feint and draw Makelele out of the box.

This leaves Chelsea with only two center-backs guarding the midfield area.

As the saying goes, "ducks are the first to know when spring arrives," and Ashley Young saw the gesture Lu Kai had given him.

He passed the ball directly to Barton, who was close behind, and then made a forward run himself.

Before Barton could even receive the ball, he heard Lu Kai say from behind, "Empty, hit the wall!"
Knowing that no one was behind him, he boldly turned around, waited for Ashley Young to accelerate slightly, and then made a perfect diagonal pass.

This is the essence.

Because there wasn't really no one behind Patton, but two.

However, both players were still some distance away from him.

Lu Kai anticipated that the opponent wouldn't press the ball, and he had previously reached out to contact Ashley Young. Afterwards, he spoke to Barton to attract the opponent's attention. The opponent thought the ball was going to Lu Kai, so they had no intention of going to Barton.

By the time they realized Barton had the ball and was about to pounce back, Barton had already passed it out.

Ashley Young dribbles the ball down the left flank.

Terry had no choice but to rush over and try to stop him.

But this left Lu Kai completely empty-handed.

Ashley Young shoved Lu Kai aside, then suddenly accelerated, not giving Terry a chance to take him down.

Terry wasn't resolute either, thinking of turning around to chase the ball and try to interfere with Lu Kai.

As a result, Lu Kai made a through pass without stopping the ball, threw out a frisbee, and gave Ashley Young plenty of space.

Ashley Young can't outrun Madeira, let alone Terry who can stop and turn suddenly?
The contrast between the two even makes him look like Madeira!

Gallas desperately tried to catch up, but Bitley was faster, moving diligently toward Ashley Young.

But after taking two steps, Ashley Young found his position and delivered a curved cross with his left foot.

Compared to Lu Kai's left foot, Ashley Young's left foot is practically golden!

And they don't need much training; they've been like this since they were little!
Drogba accelerated after Lu Kai hit the wall. His start wasn't particularly fast, but once he got going, Parker and Babayaro couldn't keep up.

At least I couldn't close the distance between us.

Drogba received the ball and immediately went one-on-one with Cudicini, the only two players in the entire penalty area.

Kudinic is truly speechless.

He was certain he was in a loop.

How come it's a one-on-one situation again?!

boom!
Drogba unleashed a powerful shot of extremely high quality.

Kudinic, who rushed out to intercept the ball, failed to reach it.

Stamford Bridge was killed in the 23rd minute!
“GOAL!!!”

"Three to zero! That's insane!"

"Datford are unilaterally slaughtering Chelsea!"

"It's only been twenty-three minutes!"

"What kind of game are Chelsea playing? They're like a sieve against Dartford!"

"Datford's attack today was as strong as Real Madrid's!"

"They don't have galactic battleships, but they've kicked out a cosmic cannon!"

Drogba was very excited after scoring twice. He pointed at Ashley Young, and Ashley Young pointed at Lu Kai. The three of them ran to the sidelines from different directions at the same time, and after meeting together, they performed a sliding knee slide at the same time!
Ten Hach applauded mercilessly.

"I'm impressed! I'm truly impressed this time!"

Lee Fowler looked up at him.

Even the eldest brother is so amazing.

Need I say more about Master's abilities?
Despite the fact that there's still an hour left in the game, ten Hag can confidently say... win!
However, while everyone was celebrating, Ashley Young noticed a problem after he got up.

After he slid down to his knees, he left two marks, which were the marks left by his knees as they plowed through the grass.

But why did Lu Kai and Drogba both have three stripes left after their knee slides?

How was that middle line plowed out?
Ashley Young glanced down at his crotch, and an answer he didn't want to admit was about to slip out!
(End of this chapter)