Team Spirit

Chapter 220 The Path to Mastery: The Aesthetics of Violence

In the 28th minute, the Chinese national football team's East Asia team made a mistake in passing the ball back on the right wing.

Vardy intercepted the ball and broke into the penalty area, firing a shot from a tight angle.

The football slipped through the goal.

An Qi immediately reprimanded Wang Liang for his mistake.

The situation for the Chinese national football team is not good.

In the 35th minute, An Qi launched a long ball from the backfield, looking for Zheng Bin.

Zheng Bin performed well this time. Despite being interfered with by Ashley Young, he made a sliding tackle to clear the ball as it came down.

Xie Hui, who had moved to the left, caught up with the ball and made a cross pass.

Gao Lin made a run into position inside the penalty area, preparing to pounce on the ball and shoot.

However, Joe Hart rushed out early and dived to catch the ball.

Unless Gao Lin kicks Joe Hart, there's no way to win.

"Such a strong attack capability."

"This is typical of the Green Gun goalkeeper style; their coming out of the box is quite good."

In the 37th minute, Lu Kai passed the ball to Filu, who had made a run down the left flank.

Figo beat Chen Tao one-two to get to the byline and delivered a cross.

Zhang Yaokun headed the ball away, sending it to the other side.

Ribery received the ball on the right and dribbled into the penalty area before slowing down to observe the situation.

Xu Yunlong stretched out his foot directly.

As a result, Ribery flicked the ball away with a cowtail kick, and was then kicked down by Xu Yunlong.

The referee blew his whistle and pointed to the penalty spot.

This was an indisputable penalty kick.

Xu Yunlong was thus stained yellow.

The Chinese national football players looked dejected.

This could very well lead to conceding a goal.

Lu Kai stood at the penalty spot, and because of his status in China, no one came to interfere or damage the turf.

Ten seconds later, An Qi could only watch the ball helplessly.

How do you save a penalty kick from ten points in the corner?
"GOAL! Four to zero!"

"Green Gun is going berserk!"

"Lu Kai completed his hat trick early on! His performance today was absolutely amazing!"

"It seems we still have a long way to go to catch up with Champions League teams."

At this point, no one mentioned the Green Guns' significant loss of strength; they only said that they were a championship-caliber team.

Otherwise, it would really look bad for the Chinese national football team.

Some of the national football team's top officials who came to the scene also looked gloomy.

This Lu Kai is really showing them no respect at all.

If they're down 4-0 before halftime, how many goals will they lose the whole game?

In the 44th minute, Lu Kai switched the ball to Filo on the left.

The latter's cross was blocked by Wang Liang, resulting in a corner kick.

Chen Tao took the corner kick.

An Qi took the initiative and rushed out to punch the ball out of the penalty area.

Modric received the ball outside the box and unleashed a long-range shot.

An Qi made a timely save, putting on a good performance and keeping the ball out of the net. However, due to the complex environment inside the penalty area and obstructed vision, he lost possession of the ball.

Li Weifeng, positioned closest, unleashed a powerful shot to score on the rebound.

"GOAL! Five to zero!"

"Li Weifeng, captain of the Chinese national football team East Asia, also scored a goal, but unfortunately he did so as a Dartford player."

"Who would have thought that the Chinese national football team, which was full of confidence in the East Asian Cup, would be defeated like this?"

"Among the current national team teams, this is already a very dynamic team. The other national team teams may be stronger, but they are probably slightly inferior in terms of physical fitness, speed and other aspects."

At the end of last year, the Chinese national football team underwent a major internal reshuffle after failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.

This year, more than 60 national team players were recruited to serve in various competitions, with the aim of selecting the true elites.

This is a bold innovation, but its effectiveness is hard to guarantee.

The large number of players recruited created opportunities for manipulation, resulting in over a hundred new faces being selected for the national team, leading to the absurd phenomenon that "everyone in the Chinese Super League is a national team player."

But this East Asian national football team was quite impressive, as they went on to win the East Asian Cup, ending the national team's long history of not winning a title.

During halftime, a song and dance performance was arranged on the field.

To some extent, it made people forget that Green Gun didn't open the champagne.

Inside the locker room, Lu Kai also stated that a completely new lineup would be fielded in the second half, so there would be no champagne celebration at halftime.

Based on this calculation, if we really want to celebrate, we should celebrate when we score three goals in twenty minutes.

Because the Celtics fielded two teams in this game.

The second half began quickly.

The Chinese national football team's East Asia squad also made a large-scale rotation.

Forward Li Jinyu replaced Xie Hui.

In midfield, Hao Junmin replaced Zheng Bin, and Zhou Haibin replaced Li Yan.

In defense, Sun Xiang replaced Xu Yunlong, Zhang Yonghai replaced Ji Mingyi, and young player Feng Xiaoting replaced Zhang Yaokun.

Goalkeeper Li Leilei replaced An Qi.

In this way, even if the defeat is too crushing, you can tell the outside world that it's just training and exploring more possibilities, and that winning or losing is not important.

For Green Gunners, they made even more substitutions in the second half, and their lineup has now become:

Al-Nison, Aubameyang, Mertens

Chen Tao, Lu Kai, Ramsey
Marcelo, Bonucci, Li Weifeng, Smalling
Neuer

-

Apart from three players from the Chinese national team, all the others have been replaced.

This is clearly a consideration for Guo fans; otherwise, Chen Tao and Li Weifeng should have been substituted as well.

The moment this lineup was announced, the Chinese national football team in East Asia became visibly excited.

They have a chance to catch up.

Because Aubameyang, Ramsey, and Smalling are all players from the youth academy.

Most of the other players who were substituted were new signings or 17-year-old rookies, who are only a step away from youth training.

Their strength is definitely very weak.

Sure enough, after the start of the second half, the Chinese national football team launched another fierce attack.

They really managed to suppress the green gun.

In the 48th minute, Neuer threw the ball to Bonucci.

The Chinese national football team has fallen into another slump.

They haven't caught up yet, but because they have the advantage on the field, they've become complacent and their defensive speed is slow.

boom!
Bonucci launched an attack with a long pass.

The quality of his pass is astonishing; it's surprising that he's a defender.

"How come the Green Gunners' long passes are all so good? What a waste! They'd be more than capable of playing in midfield!" Zhu Guanghu commented using the standards of the national team, finding that the passing ability of defenders like Bonucci and Kompany was truly unmatched in their positions.

Excellent basic skills!
In the attacking third, Aubameyang made a forward run, and just a moment ago he was two body lengths behind Zhang Yonghai, but the next moment he was three body lengths ahead.

too fast!
Aubameyang caught up with the ball on the right side of the penalty area.

An Qi acted immediately.

Aubameyang's shooting angle was blocked too much, so he could only pass the ball back in a triangular pattern.

However, he and Arnidsen lacked understanding and the pass back went too far.

Al-Nison missed a shooting opportunity, and Wang Liang on the other side then narrowly received the ball.

However, Chen Tao had already pressed forward.

Wang Liang could only extricate himself by kicking the ball away.

In the 51st minute, Mertens received the ball on the right and challenged Sun Xiang one-on-one.

He has exceptional explosive power and is extremely agile, using a series of feints and spins to get past Sun Xiang.

He then sprinted into the depths of the penalty area, outmaneuvering Zhang Yonghai before delivering a shot that resembled a cross.

Li Leilei blocked the football.

Aubameyang attempted a follow-up shot in front of the goal, but the ball bounced too high, making it too difficult to shoot. He managed to kick the ball away with a volley.

Aubameyang quickly said sorry to everyone.

"This group of players still needs long-term targeted improvement in their individual abilities." Alfred could clearly sense that the Green Gunners had reverted to their form from a few years ago.

The players back then, just like they are now, had a lot of areas that needed improvement.

But Alfred was not discouraged; instead, he was filled with curiosity.

He knew that the players Lu Kai was willing to spend time honing all had special qualities and were all highly talented.

On the contrary, in the past two years, the Celtics have mostly brought in finished players who don't need any polishing. These players are mostly already established and are just there to make a quick buck, not players who truly embody the Celtics spirit.

The spirit of the green gun: defying fate and breaking free from constraints to set sail.

This Dartford team is bound to become a new miracle!
In the 57th minute, the Chinese national team also retaliated.

After a series of passes, Hao Junmin unleashed a long-range shot.

Neuer easily saved the ball, demonstrating excellent basic skills.

In the 62nd minute, Lu Kai made a run forward and received a pass from Chen Tao.

He pulled the ball back to his right and faked a shot, tricking the defenders into blocking the shot and gathering in his direction.

Then, he used his right foot to control the ball, followed by a light touch and a controlled dribble, before moving behind his left foot and delivering a through pass.

This series of operations is dazzling.

After passing the ball, Chen Tao made a forward run and entered the penalty area, where the ball came to him.

Just as he was about to shoot.

Feng Xiaoting pulled and rammed him from behind, applying pressure.

Chen Tao then collapsed to the ground.

The referee immediately blew his whistle.

Penalty! Another penalty!

"Oh, it seems that young Feng Xiaoting is dissatisfied with the verdict."

"The national football players all crowded around."

"From a professional point of view, there was no problem with this penalty. If Feng Xiaoting's challenge had happened outside the penalty area, it would have been fine, but inside the penalty area... the key point is that he also touched the ball."

"You could say that this kind of penalty kick shouldn't be called, and there are similar situations where it wasn't. But if it is called, there's definitely no problem with it."

Since both teams were relatively new to the game and hadn't accumulated much emotion, the ruling only caused minor controversy and didn't escalate into a conflict.

Then Lu Kai took the soccer ball and approached Chen Tao: "Come on, you can come here."

Chen Tao found it incredible.

But Green Gun has become accustomed to this.

In situations where the team structure is unstable and players are vying for power, the ownership of penalty kicks and direct free kicks must be clearly defined; otherwise, it will trigger a scramble and lead to internal strife within the team.

However, the Green Gunners' internal structure is too stable, and Lu Kai doesn't need to take penalties to demonstrate his status in the team. Moreover, the data from the warm-up matches won't be included in the official matches.

Therefore, Lu Kai often gives way to others.

Even in official matches, in order to inflate player statistics and make them more valuable, Lu Kai often gave up penalty kicks, free kicks, and corner kicks.

This is a difference in levels.

The reason for giving up the penalty to Chen Tao this time is firstly because Chen Tao has been working diligently so far, and he himself won the penalty kick.

Secondly, because this is a "home game," fans also want to see the exciting story of "both Chinese and Guo players scoring goals."

Thirdly, this is also an opportunity to vindicate Chen Tao in China, improve his public image, and suppress his haters.

Fourthly... it is also a test of his character, or rather, his "fate".

The opportunity has been given to you. Whether you can seize it, whether you have a strong mentality, and whether you will falter at the crucial moment depends on your own performance.

Ten seconds later, the whole stadium erupted in cheers.

Chen Tao excitedly rushed to Lu Kai to celebrate together.

"GOAL! Chen Tao scores from the penalty spot! Six to zero!"

"Green Gun is going on a killing spree!"

"Chen Tao was very excited; his eyes were red. His experience this year has truly been legendary."

"At the beginning of the year, he was blacklisted by his club. After the issue of refusing to renew his contract became a big deal, he was blacklisted by major clubs and was criticized by the Football Association. He was also removed from all levels of Guo's teams."

"He should have been selected for this year's national team East Asia squad, and he should even have been a key player, but he was not selected."

"Even now, after joining the Champions League-winning Dartford team, Chen Tao has proven himself by winning and converting a penalty in a match against the Chinese national team East Asia!"

There was constant applause at the scene.

Fans began chanting Chen Tao's name.

The young man was incredibly touched.

Ashley Young kept shaking his head on the bench: "At this rate, Taozi will have to work his ass off for me, Lu?"

Modric nodded: "Besides, Chinese people value relationships even more. Captain Lu's relationship with Chen Tao is, in Chinese terms,... a life-saving grace!"

"It feels like Chen Tao would be willing to help Lu block bullets at this moment."

In the 66th minute, Hao Junmin made a run down the left flank and delivered a cross.

Unfortunately, both forwards were contained by the Green Gun defenders, and neither of them touched the ball.

The football flew out of bounds from the other side.

In the 73rd minute, Bonucci once again showcased his long pass skills.

Mertens was positioned near midfield and on the sideline, unmarked, and easily received the ball.

However, the Chinese national team players moved closer before he even received the ball, and they would try to tackle him if he made a mistake in controlling the ball.

Mertens controlled the ball perfectly and attempted a breakthrough on his second touch, speeding past the approaching Zhou Haibin.

Facing Sun Xiang ahead, Mertens made a sharp inside cut.

Sun Xiang kept close behind, but Mertens' pace was quick, and the former couldn't find an opportunity to tackle or challenge him. Mertens made a sudden stop on the right side of the penalty area, then dribbled the ball down the wing and into the penalty area.

Sun Xiang was left behind.

Zhang Yonghai came over to reinforce the defense.

Mertens swept the ball across the field.

Aubameyang intercepts the ball and shoots.

Unfortunately, the football hit Li Leilei and bounced out.

Feng Xiaoting held off Chen Tao and kicked him out of the predicament.

Lu Kai met the falling ball with a volley from outside the penalty arc.

The football transformed into a streak of white light and flew into the penalty area.

No one had time to make a move.

boom!
The football went into the net.

"Huh, did this ball change direction?"

"Li Leilei did not make any save attempt."

"It did change direction; the ball hit Aubameyang's buttocks and bounced into the goal."

"So this goal was scored by Aubameyang."

"GOAL! Seven to zero!"

"How come the green-skinned 2.0 who came on in the second half is also scoring so many goals?"

"I originally thought the Chinese national football team could catch up."

There were cheers and laughter at the scene.

After scoring, Aubameyang screamed and clutched his buttocks. Coupled with his tall, thin, dark-skinned appearance and his long, bullet-shaped hairstyle, he looked hilariously funny.

Aubameyang is unaware that with just this one match, he has already established a strong fan base in China. He will likely have far more domestic fans than any other player on the team in the future.

This is what they mean by "hard work in football is no match for a good slap on the butt!"

In the 76th minute, Li Jinyu broke through on a one-on-one and scored with a long-range shot.

But before they could even celebrate, the referee signaled offside, and the goal was disallowed.

Li Jinyu was somewhat frustrated.

However, the camera then focused on Li Weifeng.

Li Weifeng was criticizing the newly substituted goalkeeper Neuer, believing that Neuer rushed out too early, thus giving Li Jinyu a shooting angle.

Neuer should play it safe on this play, and the defenders should be able to contain Li Jinyu.

"You see, this might be the reason why Green Gun can keep improving."

"Even though they didn't concede a goal, they were analyzing the defensive failure and looking for the reasons."

"How many times in domestic competitions can one display this spirit of diligent study and research?"

“At this point, most ordinary teams tend to pass the buck and shirk responsibility.”

In the 81st minute, Hao Junmin attempted to break through Smalling's defense on the wing.

He flicked the ball with his fingers.

Surprisingly, Smalling was not slow at all.

Keep in mind, Smalling is a tall guy, over 1.9 meters.

This……

Moreover, because the Smalling template was too large, it blocked Hao Junmin's path, so he had to take the outer lane and detour to overtake.

In this way, Hao Junmin will never be able to surpass Smalling.

Smalling intercepted the ball and passed it back to Li Weifeng.

Li Weifeng passes the ball to Lu Kai.

Lu Kai, without stopping the ball, turned halfway and passed it to Mertens.

Mertens also accelerated after receiving the ball.

But he really could eat Sun Xiang raw.

boom!
Mertens swept the ball powerfully.

The football has entered the penalty area.

Aubameyang and Feng Xiaoting were locked in a contest, but Aubameyang's speed was limited, and his flying tackle failed to reach the ball.

But Al-Nison made a run around the front, pressured Wang Liang, and pounced on the opportunity to shoot.

"GOAL! Eight to zero!"

"CM legend JR has also scored a goal in real life!"

"Actually, through this first half of the game, it's not hard to see that there is still a gap between JR and players like Mertens who have been with the Celtics for a year or two."

"In terms of hardware, he is also slightly inferior to Aubameyang, and his talent is not as strong as he is in the game."

"But compared to Madeira, whom Lu Kai discovered early on based on a football game, Alnisen's performance at the same stage was actually better."

"We have every reason to believe that he will become a great star in the future!"

It's worth noting that Madeira has been one of the top stars in the Premier League in recent years, a prominent figure who would be considered a star in any team.

JR's stats in the game are higher and more comprehensive than Madeira's.

In the 86th minute, young Marcelo dribbled the ball down the left flank.

Gao Lin made a token attempt to press, but Marcelo accelerated and easily shook off Gao Lin.

Cao Yang then faced Marcelo one-on-one.

I thought this young Brazilian player was nothing special, but Marcelo showed off his skills and completely outplayed Cao Yang, completing a breakthrough.

Cao Yang started the game, but his stamina was relatively low, and he was left behind by Marcelo.

Wang Liang fought and retreated simultaneously.

Marcelo forced him to the baseline before passing the ball back to Chen Tao in a triangular pass.

Chen Tao delivered a cross with a fancy rabona pass to the ball.

Imitating Lu Kai.

But this is also a technique he personally likes very much.

He once used this move in a game with Guo's team, but afterwards he was criticized by a high-ranking official for being unconventional, attention-seeking, and showing off, and his playing style was subsequently restricted.

It was only after Green Gun came that he was freed again.

This time, the flower-shaped footwork wasn't just for show.

He was on the left side of the penalty area. Although he was good at passing the ball with his left foot, his dominant foot was ultimately his right foot, and his footwork was also just right.

A cross from the right foot is a reverse C-shaped curve, with only one possible landing point.

Furthermore, it is more difficult for the receiver to handle the ball.

Because the football is essentially moving from behind them to in front of them, it's difficult to stop or shoot.

But the right foot's crossover kick produces a C-shaped arc.

The curve is closer to the penalty area, making it more eye-catching.

For the person at the landing point, it's relatively easy to handle because the ball is essentially flying towards you from in front of you, which is the situation everyone deals with most often in training.

The football flew into the penalty area.

Everyone wanted to head the ball, but they found that the ball was being awarded to them at a higher elevation.

This is……

Back!

Mertens made a run into space at the far post and unleashed a powerful volley as the ball came flying down into the air.

The football headed straight for the open goal on the right.

"GOAL! Nine to zero!"

"Chen Tao completes the pass and shot! It was a beautiful assist, with excellent vision, spotting Mertens unmarked at the far post."

"Mertens was definitely one of the key figures in the second half of the game. His breakthroughs were very sharp, and the Chinese national team felt the terror of small, fast and agile players."

"That shot was of very high quality."

"The Chinese national football team must work harder on defense, otherwise it would be really embarrassing if the score reached double digits!"

Alfred looked somewhat troubled on the sidelines.

Staff members have already come over to remind him to turn on the water.

Although a score of nine to zero is also outrageous, ten to zero is a completely different story.

There's no need to turn a friendly match into a friendship-ending one, is there?
Alfred looked at Lu Kai.

Lu Kai also nodded.

To be precise, he didn't play much after scoring his second bicycle kick in this match, mainly focusing on observing and cooperating with the younger players on the team.

If he had really gone all out, the score would have been in double digits long ago.

This year, any of the national football teams that came here would have had the same effect.

Unless several national team teams put up a fight, fielding their strongest lineups, and adding some tough, disruptive elements, it might be possible to limit the score to five goals or less.

So let's not use double numbers if we're not going to use double numbers.

We've already added a lot of water, so adding a little more won't hurt.

Then, under Lu Kai's direction, Green Guns began passing the ball around in the backcourt.

They occasionally launch an attack, but they don't pay much attention to teamwork; they just let the Trident team rely on their individual abilities.

However, no one expected that in the third minute of stoppage time, the last corner kick of the match would take place.

Mertens took the corner kick, but the ball was cleared out of the penalty area.

Fifteen-year-old Ramsey, unaware of his own limitations, unleashed a powerful shot that found the net.

Ten to zero!
The Chinese national football players at the scene were all stunned.

You... have no martial ethics!
What happened to the promise not to attack?
Lu Kai shrugged.

There's nothing we can do about it.

That's fate.

"Oh! Ramsey is practically the Grim Reaper of the Chinese national football team!"

"Ten to zero! The Chinese national team defended tightly in the final moments, but still couldn't stop Ramsey. The score has now reached double digits."

"This match will be the greatest disgrace in the history of the Chinese national football team!"

"That senior executive in the football team who suggested taking advantage of Green Gun's high popularity, major overhaul, and weak strength to play a warm-up match to regain confidence for the East Asian Cup is probably going to be packing his bags this time!"

"This match has completely humiliated the Chinese national football team!"

"Is this the gap between our domestic football and the top level of football? Green Gun didn't field many famous players today, and even fielded a lineup of almost entirely new players and youth academy graduates in the second half, yet they still managed to score five goals."

"Anyone with eyes can see Lu Kai's restraint..."

Finally, the whistle blew.

The whole game is over.

The Chinese national football team's last warm-up match before the East Asian Cup woke everyone up.

Just when everyone thought football was hopeless, Lu Kai encouraged everyone in a post-match interview: "Actually, the Chinese national football team in East Asia still has its merits, and I am optimistic about their performance in this East Asian Cup."

"There is no problem with the current national football team players' abilities. I think many of them would be successful if they went to play in Europe."

"Moreover, this batch of promising talents is also very outstanding, full of talent, and some of them are even comparable to top foreign geniuses."

"But how to help them grow better is a question that everyone needs to consider."

"How can a player like Chen Tao, who gets attacked by the leaders and the media for just one fancy footwork, grow? If this continues, Ronaldinho will only end up as buck-toothed Suarez when he comes to this land."

"I have my own ideas about how to improve the level of domestic football, and I have also put them into action."

"Finally, I would also like to encourage our national team players and domestic fans not to be discouraged by this match, after all, you are facing the world's number one star this year."

"Losing to me is not shameful!"

The last sentence did indeed have a comforting effect.

After all, the best consolation is not to tell a loser that you have a chance to succeed, but to tell him that others have also failed.

With this, the Green Gun China Tour has come to an end.

The curtain slowly rises on the new season.

Lu Kai also checked the season results and rewards:
[Violent Aesthetics - Adriano Master: Your shooting ability has been enhanced. Your left foot is equivalent to your right foot when shooting.]

[Bicycle Pro Robinho: Your dribbling skills have improved. Your bicycle kicks will be flawless.]

[Shooting: 86+3]

Long-range shots: 87+1

[Shot power: 82+1]

Dribbling: 87+3

[Guardiola Aura - Special: Enhances the player's passing and receiving finesse. The player gains additional growth in the league.]

!!!

The less you describe, the stronger your skills!
This time, the system is targeting Brazilians for exploitation.

Whether it's the "violent aesthetics" technique of switching from left to right foot when shooting, or the "bicycle boy's" flawless bicycle technique, both are incredibly powerful skills.

The arrival of Guardiola's aura came at just the right time, with the league boost fitting perfectly with his coaching style.

[Ding! You have activated the Path to Mastery:]

You are transforming from an elite player into a master player—a magnificent metamorphosis that will help you surpass your limits. Completing the Path to Mastery significantly increases skill drop rates and quality rewards, and offers a greater chance to obtain special item boosts. You need to complete the following challenges:

At least seven attribute values ​​must reach 95: Currently 0.

[Complete a back-to-back hat trick]

[Complete five hat-tricks in a single season (assist hat-tricks also count)]

Become the league's (Premier League) assist leader

[Become the Premier League Golden Boot]

[Player mission completion count: 6/10] (Golden Ball defensive midfielder Carrick, I'm not a flop Forlan, Call me Tsar Arshavin, Even a bamboo pole can have its day - Crouch, Portugal's new king Amorim, Maicon is short between two points - Maicon)
[Three nominations for the Ballon d'Or or FIFA World Player of the Year: Achieved]

[Top ten finish in the Ballon d'Or or FIFA World Player of the Year awards: Already achieved]

[Championship coefficient reached 15: Currently 27.5, achieved] (World Cup 6, European Championship 5, Champions League 4, Top 4 Leagues, Europa League, Confederations Cup 3, Bundesliga 2, other major championships 1, Super Cup type 0.5)

!!!

To be fair, a player who can complete all of the above options truly deserves the title of "football master".

Lu Kai has already completed most of the most difficult tasks, such as the "champion coefficient" and "top ten in awards". The most difficult task at present is actually "7 items with a score of 95", but as Lu Kai grows, this will be a natural outcome.

This "Path to Mastery" can be completed by Lu Kai in one to two seasons at the fastest.

(End of this chapter)