Team Spirit

Chapter 219 Is this playing football or hanging from a horizontal bar?
At the start of the match, the Chinese East Asia team tried to give Green Gunners a hard time by launching a high-pressing attack in the midfield and forward areas.

The green-armed midfielder passed the ball around, and it came to Modric's feet.

Some commentators couldn't even name Modric, and those who did only remember the infamous moment when Lu Kai elbowed him and made him vomit.

Zheng Bin charged toward Modric.

The latter actually took the confrontation head-on, then turned and got past Zheng Bin.

Then, facing Li Yan, Modric sped past him with a fried dough ball and finished eating him raw.

Advance through the middle!

boom!
Modric played a through ball.

Ribery received the ball on the right wing and crossed it in.

Giroud's forward run was a little too slow, and he couldn't get a header on goal immediately. The ball bounced off the ground and was caught by Anqi.

The scene was filled with exclamations of surprise.

"Is Modric that good? I thought I was seeing Zidane just now."

"What's going on? Wasn't Modric pretty bad when he played in the Premier League last season?"

"This level of competition, this speed, doesn't match the packaging! It's solid evidence of reverse false advertising!"

"This guy plays football so elegantly, he seems even more at ease than Chen Tao."

Domestic fans mainly watch the top five European football leagues, but watching it on TV is different from watching it in person.

The English Premier League and the Chinese Super League are not even in the same league in terms of speed, pace, physicality, strength, and so on.

Moreover, Modric has already adapted to the Premier League, a typical example of someone who is outwardly gentle but inwardly strong.

The Chinese national football team thought he was easy to bully, but in reality, they met with a soft rebuff.

A minute later, the same thing happened to Ribery.

Xu Yunlong tried to defend Ribery one-on-one, but when he rushed in, he was a step slower than Ribery with every step.

His maneuvering seemed fierce, but Ribery suddenly broke through and delivered a reverse triangle pass.

Lu Kai, who had made a run from the back, unleashed a powerful shot that hit the target area.

An Qi made a brilliant save to defuse the situation.

There was thunderous applause.

In the first five minutes, the Chinese national football team didn't launch a single decent attack.

The initiative has completely shifted to Green Gun's side.

Chinese national football team head coach Zhu Guanghu began to sweat.

This... it's just a disassembled green gun!

According to various media analyses, this green-speared team is probably only 20% to 30% as strong as the team that won the Champions League two months ago.

After all, Green Gunners cost the Chinese national football team a full 400 million euros!
The result is that they were all compressed into this state?
"Is the difference really that big?" Yang Mi and Liu Shishi were also present as special guests alongside the commentators today.

Huang Jianxiang explained, "There isn't such a big gap. In fact, the strength of this batch of national football players is still quite commendable."

"It's just that club teams have an advantage in terms of player understanding, tactical execution, and tactical proficiency when facing national teams."

"Therefore, even the strongest national team in theory cannot beat top clubs."

"Matches between clubs are the highest test of professional football skills."

Zhan Jun added, "Of course, the national team players are selected from the best of the best, and as time goes by, their advantages in individual ability will become apparent."

"Including their reading of the game, etc., so the Chinese national team will definitely get better and better as they play. On the other hand, the Green Gunners have more young players, their concentration is not enough, and it will be difficult for them to maintain this level of attacking intensity in the later stages."

Both of them were trying to save face for the Chinese national football team.

Immediately following was a whistle.

Chen Tao performed a series of bicycle kicks on his left side and was brought down by Zhao Xuri, the defensive midfielder of the Chinese national team.

There were a few boos from the crowd.

It seems that some people are dissatisfied with Chen Tao's flashy performance.

Due to club issues, Chen Tao still has many haters in the country.

But Lu Kai immediately came over, pulled Chen Tao up, and gave him a thumbs up: "You played well, you just need to keep up that spirit."

Chen Tao nodded repeatedly, deeply moved.

His playing style is flashy and often criticized domestically.

But after he joined Green Gunners, Lu Kai asked him to play "more flamboyantly" and unleash his talent.

This is a tactical free kick position.

Modric took the penalty.

He sent the ball deep into the far post of the penalty area.

Ashley Young made a run and a pass just before the byline, sending the ball into the six-yard box.

The football bounced up from the ground, causing chaos.

Chinese national team center-back Ji Mingyi blocked the ball immediately, but his reaction was not fast enough and his touch was not smooth enough, causing the ball to bounce to the side.

Vardy kicked the ball first, getting ahead of him.

With no shooting angle available, Vardy could only lob the ball across the penalty area to see if a teammate was available on the other side.

And indeed, there were people.

Kompany, positioned just outside the six-yard box after getting to the near post, headed the ball back towards the net.

Giroud raised his left foot to shoot from the edge of the six-yard box.

But the football was too high, and he couldn't get a good grip on it.

Moreover, there was also the Chinese national team center-back Zhang Yaokun blocking his path.

The ball failed to create a shot on goal; instead, it curved slightly past Zhang Yaokun and found Lu Kai inside the penalty area.

With his back to the goal, Lu Kai hooked the ball towards himself with the back of his foot.

He deftly blocked the football with his chest.

Lu Kai is flanked by two national team players and goalkeeper An Qi.

However, they were all obscured by Lu Kai's back and could not see his movements.

The next moment, Lu Kai suddenly fell backward.

boom!
A bicycle kick!

"what!"

Liu Shishi and Yang Mi screamed.

I thought Lu Kai had fallen.

But the next moment, Huang Jianxiang, Zhan Jun, and fans from all walks of life cheered.

"GOAL!"

"One to zero!"

"Lu Kai, it really is Lu Kai!"

"He opened the scoring for Dartford in the sixth minute, netting the first goal of the match!"

After getting up, Lu Kai smiled and shook his head, indicating that he was also surprised by the goal.

This made the nearby national football players feel much better.

This kind of goal conceded can only be attributed to bad luck on one's part and exceptionally good luck on the other's part; it's not a matter of who made a mistake or slip-up.

really.

Although the Chinese national football team conceded a goal, the overall atmosphere remained positive.

Zhu Guanghu just smiled helplessly and wasn't angry.

"Can you still kick like that?" Yang Mi asked, her voice slightly strained.

Huang Jianxiang proudly said, "It might not be possible for others, but it's perfectly normal for Lu Kai to do something like this."

"He has always been a super player who can score goals in any way, by any means, and with any part of his body!"

"He is also the player with the most goals and assists over the past five years!"

The two women didn't pay much attention to what Huang Jianxiang said after that.

Their expressions were out of control "anywhere".

"Could it be that he can still use..." Yang Mi blurted out, almost uttering a taboo word.

But Zhan Jun was quicker: "Yes! He's scored a similar goal before, it was in a Dartford match..."

Fans watching on TV gave it a thumbs up.

Zhan Jun, a walking encyclopedia, has an excellent memory and a wide range of knowledge. Today, he recognized many celebrities in the stands.

It wasn't until the twelfth minute that the Chinese national team launched a truly threatening attack.

Li Yan advanced down the middle and then sent a through ball.

Gao Lin ran into position, received the ball, made a slight adjustment, and unleashed a long-range shot.

The ball went just wide.

The fans at the scene still gave a very enthusiastic applause.

Today, the fans support both sides, since they are both home teams, and they can cheer for any threatening attack.

In the thirteenth minute, Green Guns kicked off.

Young Joe Hart throws the football to Kompany.

As soon as they saw that the center-back had the ball, the Chinese national team slowed down their retreat.

Not urgent.

The center-back will definitely pass the ball to the full-back or midfielder, and then Green Gunner will slowly organize the attack.

So everyone...

boom!
Kompany launched an attack with a long pass.

Vardy emerged from the left flank, shaking off Wang Liang and creating a one-on-one opportunity. The camera focused on Vardy; everyone else in the frame was a Chinese national team defender, but they could only chase after him from behind.

Vardy cut inside from the wing, covering a greater distance, but Zhang Yaokun did not close the gap, maintaining a two- or three-body-length advantage.

Vardy then advanced to the left side of the six-yard box.

Zhang Yaokun had just closed the distance to a body length and was trying to reach out and pull Vardy.

An Qi also cooperated in the attack to block the attack.

There's a high probability that the two can prevent Vardy from scoring this time...

boom!
Vardy flicked the ball with his right foot and delicately slotted it home.

Guardiola, who was on the bench, immediately stood up, ready to cheer.

The same applies to Mota.

Because they all saw Vardy's micro-management.

Why was Vardy eventually caught up with by Zhang Yaokun?
Even though he ran a longer distance, Zhang Yaokun couldn't close the gap with his dribbling speed.

There's only one reason: he slowed down.

He is preparing to shoot.

This is not unusual; many star players slow down before shooting.

But Vardy's deceleration was different.

His shot was a beat too late.

Thus, the ball was only deflected after An Qi made a save, allowing it to successfully bypass An Qi's left side and roll towards the far post of the goal.

Such a delicate shot is definitely not something an English striker could produce.

You'd be more like Ribery.

But it actually appeared in Vardy.

This means that Vardy, whose technique was relatively rough and simple compared to top players, underwent a qualitative change under Green Gun's long-term training!
"GOAL! Two to zero!"

"Vardy has extended Dartford's lead."

"His speed is just too fast. I feel like no one on the national team is faster than him, right?"

"Some fans in China have always disliked Vardy, thinking he's all hype. But today's match at least confirms that Vardy is truly strong!"

"Positioning, speed, and shooting are all top-notch!"

"Of course, don't forget Kompany, who provided the assist. This center-back's long pass was simply astonishing. Is this how Europeans play football?"

"In the past, we looked down on the English style of long passes and crosses, considering it a sign of poor technique. But now it seems that long passes are also a science!"

"Kompany has a bit of the style of an Italian center-back, which is reminiscent of Cannavaro last season."

The camera focused on the two young green-gunned players.

Although they are called young players, they have actually been with Green Gunners for quite a long time and can be considered veteran players.

Therefore, their tactics and techniques have undergone significant changes.

It's not about how much it has improved, but rather that a fundamental change has occurred, and the understanding of football has reached a new level.

Their style of play could very well set a trend.

An Qi, who also worked at Green Gun, deeply understands this point.

If he hadn't left the Green Gun, he probably would have cleared the ball much earlier, and Vardy wouldn't have been able to get a one-on-one opportunity at all.

However, after leaving Green Gun for so many years, in order to cooperate with teammates and coaches, An Qi's save habits have gradually returned to the "mainstream" style.

Their attacking range has been greatly reduced, and their participation in the stadium has also declined significantly.

He himself enjoyed this tranquility.

The goalkeeper just needs to keep a close eye on the goal; why always run out of the penalty area to cover the backfielders' mistakes? Why always get involved in passing and receiving the ball, putting them under immense psychological pressure?
In the 15th minute, Ribery also showed off his speed.

Ashley Young made a long pass directly from the backfield.

Ribery, who was two meters behind Xu Yunlong, managed to overtake him and receive the ball ahead of time.

However, Xu Yunlong's bold tackle cleared the ball out of bounds, which can be considered a successful defensive play.

In the 19th minute, the Chinese national football team was awarded a corner kick.

After the ball was kicked out, Giroud headed it away.

The height and strength of Green Gunners' tall players made things quite difficult for the Chinese national football team.

This is already a bankrupt version of the Green Gun.

Last season, there were four or five players like this, who are over 1.9 meters tall, on the Green Gunners' field!
In the 21st minute, Zhu Guanghu angrily reprimanded his players from the sidelines, ordering them to press relentlessly.

Green Gun passed the ball back all the way.

Lu Kai played as a defensive midfielder in this match, mainly to allow the team to better attack and defend independently, give young players opportunities, and test the current attacking limits of Green Gun without Lu Kai's help.

In this way, even when Lu Kai is off his game, or when he is closely marked by the opponent and trading blows, Green Gun can still pose a significant threat.

This time, Modric will take the tactical free kicks.

He kicked the ball directly to the left side.

Filipe Luis did not rush to cross the ball after receiving it, because Modric had signaled to him to switch play after the kickoff.

Filippo made a long pass to Chen Tao, who was positioned on the right side of the center circle.

After passing the ball to Ashley Young on the right, Chen Tao then made a diagonal run down the flank.

Ashley Young played a through ball.

Chen Tao caught up with the ball deep on the right side of the penalty area and crossed it with his right foot.

However, Ji Mingyi followed up very well this time, blocking the ball with his foot at close range.

The football bounced out of the penalty area.

High-altitude ball.

Chinese football players are not good at handling this situation.

Aside from clearing the ball with a header, they often have no choice but to wait for the ball to fall before trying to control it.

Essentially, this stems from a lack of footwork skills, leading to a closed-minded approach to ball handling.

In other words, with better footwork, they have more diverse ways to handle situations.

This is also the root cause of many teams lacking creativity—they lack not brains, but technique.

Sure enough, Lu Kai is positioned near the penalty spot, with a Chinese national football team player in front of him and another in front of him.

But they didn't come over to engage in a fierce confrontation with Lu Kai or try to seize the point.

Because if they had these maneuvers, their skills would not be sufficient to allow them to control possession of the ball.

Therefore, they must concentrate on watching the ball, remain undisturbed, and wait for the ball to fall before intercepting it and passing it, etc.

But the next moment.

Lu Kai turned his back to the goal, controlled the ball with his chest, and then fell backward.

It was almost exactly the same as his first goal.

Upside-down kick!

boom!
The football headed straight for the left corner area.

An Qi, focused on his work, didn't even have time to shift his center of gravity and was unable to make any save.

"GOAL!"

"Three to zero!"

"Lu Kai again! Another bicycle kick! He scored two bicycle kicks in this match, isn't that amazing?"

Is this playing football or hanging from a horizontal bar?

The Chinese national football team's coaching staff was completely dumbfounded.

"Is that human being?"

"The speed at which he handled the ball was too fast!"

"Is his brain an Intel chip? How can he react so quickly?"

These people weren't completely mediocre; they could still see how terrifying Lu Kai was—quick!

It's not about speed or movement.

It's not about speed, but about how quickly it's processed.

Lu Kai's handling of the football is always the optimal solution.

While others need three steps, he often gets to his stomach in just one.

Yang Mi asked curiously, "Would Lu Kai score even more points with this kind of goal, like diving? It's so cool, and so difficult!"

Liu Shishi nodded vigorously: "It feels like Lu Kai doesn't even need wires to act anymore, he's practically flying through the air playing football."

"If everyone could play like this, football would definitely become popular in China."

Huang Jianxiang smiled wryly: "The problem is that, not to mention in China, even in the whole of Europe, Lu Kai is the only one who plays like this."

"Ronaldinho is also unique, just as incredible, even more flamboyant than Lu Kai, but his simple and deadly maneuvers are far inferior to Lu Kai's."

"Lu Ke is the world's number one this year!"

Many viewers in China were stunned by this term.

Number one in the world.

Our Zhongguo?

Is it really possible?

From the stadium came Lu Kai's signature celebratory sounds.

He made his signature move, "Lu".

All of this is constantly reminding everyone... it really could be!

(End of this chapter)