Team Spirit

Chapter 222 Marcelo the Egg, European Super Cup

Outside the Louis II Stadium, the green-gun bus slowly drove in.

This is the official venue for the European Super Cup.

When the Green Gunners got off the bus, Lu Kai was surrounded by reporters, while most of the other players were ignored.

This is enough to prove how lackluster these new recruits were.

However, when a boy with naturally curly hair walked by, the reporters' stomachs all started rumbling.

They were hungry.

That boy was like a walking piece of braised pork, making your mouth water.

“This is…” Lu Kai looked at Marcelo, somewhat puzzled.

Liu Shishi, who participated in the documentary filming from the perspective of the female lead, laughed and said, "I don't know why he suddenly wanted to grow his hair long and went around asking for hair growth tips."

“I gave him a secret recipe for hair growth using ginger water.”

"But then I heard that Ashley Young had found him a more authentic and traditional hair growth formula, which Marcelo loved."

Lu Kai knew Ashley Young was unreliable: "Have you seen that recipe?"

Liu Shishi nodded and whispered, "He probably just found it online. It's not a hair growth recipe, it's a braising spice recipe."

Lu Kai's expression was quite interesting.

Liu Shishi: "Mainly because Ashley Young's formula uses a lot of ingredients, Marcelo felt it would be more effective, so he has been using it consistently. If he keeps using it like this, I think he will soon go completely bald."

Lu Kai couldn't help but chuckle: "Tell him as soon as the video is finished, lest he actually braise himself into an egg."

Liu Shishi nodded; she thought so too.

This is a highlight for the Green Gun documentary; she even filmed the entire process of Marcelo washing his hair.

This content will definitely be a huge hit in the country.

Marcelo's future nickname might not be "Afro" anymore.

It's a braised egg!

……

Soon, the players from both sides lined up and entered the field.

Dartford's opponent in this European Super Cup is Russian Premier League powerhouse CSKA Moscow.

Their starting lineup is:

勒夫
Krasic, Carvalho
Zhirkov, Rasimich, Aldonin, Odiya
Berezutsky, Alexei, Ignashevich

Akinfeev
-

During this period, the Russian Premier League held a relatively high status, being considered one of the "sixth largest leagues in the world" alongside the Portuguese and Dutch leagues, and several Russian Premier League powerhouses had a strong presence in European competitions.

Of course, even the Chinese Super League once had this reputation.

The starting lineup for Green Gun is as follows:
Vardy, Giroud, Ribery
Lu Kai
Patton, Motta

Filho, Vidic, Kompany, Ashley Young
范德萨

With a whistle, the game officially began.

In the third minute, Moscow won a corner kick.

They took a tactical corner kick, passing the ball to the edge of the penalty area, where Krasic unleashed a long-range shot.

The ball went just wide.

Krasic led the team to victory in the UEFA Cup in the first half of the year, shining brightly and earning the nickname "the new Nedved".

Looking at it now, it truly lives up to its reputation.

On the Green Gunners' bench, Modric and Chen Tao were talking to Guardiola about the attack; they could feel the strength of this Moscow team.

This is a formidable team with a complete roster, far superior to the inexperienced new Green Gun team.

Alfred was pleased with the two young midfielders' eagerness to learn.

Lu Kai had also told him to give more encouragement to the two midfielders.

This season, Lu Kai needs to exert his offensive power, so he often moves forward in position.

Then the midfield command must be handed over.

He needs a midfielder who can get the ball to his feet.

The players with the most ability in the Green Guns are Modric and Chen Tao.

Green Gunners are developing a new core player!

Of course, this development opinion was not made public, because even the Green Guns coaching staff did not think these two players were the best choices.

The most popular midfielders right now are either players like Ronaldinho, with explosive flair and unparalleled individual skills.

Or it could be players like Lampard or Gerrard, who have exceptional long-range shooting skills and are strong and versatile.

Modric and Chen Tao do not belong to this type.

Lu Kai explained that only players like Modric and Chen Tao have the potential to develop into true "all-around midfielders".

Stable organizational skills + imaginative forward passing + active running + high involvement on both offense and defense + excellent dribbling and ball control + outstanding physical strength.

This is the midfield that Lu Kai wanted.

Each item doesn't need to reach the top level; super-first-class or even first-class is enough, but lacking any one item is unacceptable.

Currently, the definition of a midfield core player in the market focuses more on the absolute excellence of one or two aspects of a player, only looking at their strengths and not paying attention to their all-round development.

In the ninth minute, Giroud received the ball with his back to goal and passed it to Vardy on the left. Vardy feinted twice and then unleashed a powerful shot, but the ball went wide of the post.

In the 14th minute, Ignashevich launched an attack by making a long pass from the backfield.

Zhirkov received the ball on the left wing and then played a through ball.

Löw received the ball on the wing, feigned a cross to find Krasic who had rushed into the penalty area, but actually cut inside himself, evaded Kompany, and got a shooting opportunity.

A powerful shot.

Van der Sar made a clean save.

However, after Zhirkov passed the ball, he actually made his way into the penalty area, caught up with the ball just before the byline, and scored a last-minute follow-up shot.

Van der Sar blocked all shooting angles, and the ball was saved and went out of bounds.

"A high-quality double save!"

"Van der Sar is very reliable. If he weren't so old, Fulham probably wouldn't have been willing to let him go. Even if they did, many top clubs would probably accept him. It's not like it's Green Gun's turn."

Green Gunners fans applauded Van der Sar.

Neuer and Joe Hart on the bench were not jealous.

They all felt that Van der Sar wouldn't affect their starting positions, and their only rivals were each other.

In the 21st minute, Löw headed the ball across.

Carvalho, who had made a late run, fired a powerful shot that went wide.

Although Moscow held the initiative, they couldn't break through Green Gunners' goal anytime soon.

The crucial moment arrived in the 27th minute.

Zhirkov crossed the ball from outside the penalty area, and the ball struck Vidic's arm, which he couldn't retract in time.

The referee blew his whistle and awarded a penalty kick.

Lu Kai immediately came over to explain that Vidic had made a move and had the intention to stop.

According to future standards, it may be possible to avoid awarding a penalty kick.

But at this stage... basically, if you touch their hand, it's a penalty kick.

As expected, the referee stood by his decision.

Just over ten seconds later, Russian star Ignashevich scored a penalty.

One to zero.

The Central Army in Moscow has taken the lead!

In the 32nd minute, Ashley Young set an example by dribbling the ball forward.

He then broke through Motta's defense, successfully reaching the byline and delivering a cross.

Giroud attempted a header, but was interfered with by Alexei, who headed the ball but failed to create a shot on goal.

The ball was then headed to the edge of the penalty area by Berezutski.

Barton, who had moved up from the back, delivered a low, volleying kick.

The quality is very high.

Unfortunately, Akinfeev saved it.

This goalkeeper is young but has outstanding ability and will become a representative of Russia's Bronze Generation in the future.

That Russian team was also the strongest Russian team of the new century, with players such as Akinfeev, Zhirkov, Berezutsky, and Pavlyuchenko, and its core player was none other than Arshavin.

"Lu Kai gave Ashley Young a thumbs up, saying that the latter's attacking play on the right flank was quite good."

"It's quite a sad story. For the past two years, Ashley Young has been a mere supporting player for Green Gunners at their peak." "In the Europa League, Green Gunners' strongest left-hander was just an accessory behind him."

"In the Champions League, everyone at Green Gunners is a king, with many players performing at a top level, making Ashley Young increasingly inconspicuous."

"I never imagined that one day, with the Green Gunners' talent pool dwindling, Ashley Young would become the offensive engine."

Many Green Gunners fans felt a pang of regret.

"Young has gotten stronger!" Guardiola didn't think the short-legged player was useless. He keenly noticed that Ashley Young played differently on the right and left wings.

He likes to dive inside the paint on the left wing, where he poses a greater hidden threat, but this is not easily perceived by outsiders.

Arshavin's explosive performance was largely due to Ashley Young's ability to contain him.

When Ashley Young is on the right wing, he prefers to go to the outside, which is closer to the typical wing-back style of playing down the line. He has a clear sense of positioning, so he looks much more threatening.

Sure enough, in the 36th minute, Ashley Young once again completed a solo run down the right flank.

However, this time he didn't cross the ball directly, but instead tried to break through.

After a one-on-one with Zhirkov, he suddenly dribbled in the opposite direction.

Ribery then slid down to the byline.

The two made a crossover run, with Zhirkov staying behind to defend Ribery.

Ribery's Rasimic tried to catch up with Ashley Young, but he couldn't keep up for long, and Ashley Young took several steps ahead.

boom!
Ashley Young crossed the ball from just outside the penalty area.

It appeared to be a pass into the penalty area, but it was actually a triangular pass that landed outside the edge of the penalty arc.

Lu Kai, who had previously failed to break into the penalty area and then retreated from it, turned around again, stood at the top of the arc, and unleashed a powerful shot without stopping the ball as it flew towards the goal.

[Violent Aesthetics]!
The football went straight into the net.

"GOAL! One to one!"

"Lu Kai scores a spectacular long-range world-class goal!"

"That kick was so powerful and heavy, it was simply a display of violent aesthetics!"

"As one of the few high-quality players in the Celtics right now, Ashley Young has performed exceptionally well."

"I knew it. Right-footed players should play on the right wing. I don't know why Ashley Young has been playing on the left wing all the time... I guess the Green Gunners are short of left-footed players, so they have to make Ashley Young fill in."

Left-footed players on the left wing, right-footed players on the right wing – this is the ideal situation.

Players who are born with their left foot are ultimately a minority.

Most mid-to-lower-tier teams lack left-footed players, so right-footed players have to fill in on the left flank, especially for the winger and wing-back positions.

Moreover, Green Gunners were a low-level team in their early days.

We can only send Ashley Young, who has a 50/50 leg, to the left wing.

The term "50/50" doesn't actually mean that the left and right feet are exactly the same size.

These players mostly use their dominant foot, but their other foot can also produce decent passes and shots.

However, what the outside world doesn't know is that Green Gun's weak foot was never "forced" but rather something they deliberately did.

Without so many weak feet, how could their goal tally always be so high?

This is the next version of the kicking method.

If we look at it twenty years from now, Ashley Young's playing style as a right-footed left-back over the past two seasons would definitely make him worth over a hundred million.

At present, Roberto Carlos, who is known as the most offensively potent player, actually cannot match Ashley Young in terms of the overall offensive boost he brings to the team.

Ashley Young's breakout performance has also improved Ribery's situation.

In the 39th minute, Ribery received a pass from Ashley Young on the wing and cut inside.

He easily got past Berezutsky, who was guarding him alone.

Ribery knocked on Lu Kai's door.

Lu Kai drove the ball through the wall to Giroud.

Giroud and Ignashevich fiercely battled for position and chased the ball, but under pressure from Akinfeev's onrushing attack, Giroud's risky sliding shot went wide.

He immediately stood up and apologized to Lu Kai for wasting a brilliant pass from the captain.

Lu Kai said it was okay.

In this match, his main task for Giroud was simply to wear down the opponent's center-backs.

Just provide enough competition.

Scoring goals is not something go-karts are good at.

Giroud: ? ? ?
In the 45th minute, the first half is about to end.

Motta sends a long pass to Vardy to initiate an attack.

Vardy is extremely fast and successfully caught up with the ball after accelerating.

However, he was repeatedly hit by Ignashevich and almost lost possession of the ball.

Fortunately, he managed to regain possession of the ball thanks to his excellent explosiveness, and then passed it back to Lu Kai to receive it.

Lu Kai made a long pass to the right side.

Ashley Young received the ball, and Ribery made a forward run.

Ashley Young played a through ball.

Ribery caught up with the ball deep on the right side of the penalty area and crossed it in.

Giroud fought desperately for the ball in the six-yard box.

Vardy also broke into the six-yard box.

Motta also made a run from the back and penetrated into the penalty area.

They put a lot of pressure on the Moscow defenders.

However, the ball flew straight towards the edge of the penalty area.

"Looking for Lu Kai again?"

"Isn't it a bit too big?"

"Lu Kai is adjusting his position, he's..."

"Left foot?"

The next moment, Lu Kai shifted his body slightly to the right, raised his left foot, and unleashed a powerful shot.

[Violent Aesthetics]!
The football went straight into the net again!

“GOAL!!!”

"Two to one!"

"Another world-class goal!"

"Lu Kai scored twice, single-handedly turning the score around!"

"This is the individual ability of the world's number one football star!"

"You know, this kick was delivered by Lu Kai using his weaker left foot! But the quality was incredibly high. Has he developed his left foot to the level of his dominant foot?"

The scene before them surprised not only the commentator but even Ashley Young.

Lu Kai knew all too well how bad his left foot was.

After all, he could use both hands to shoot back then, while Lu Kai was completely crippled.

Lu Kai's left foot has improved somewhat in recent years, but Ashley Young still considers it "equivalent to nothing."

Ashley Young was genuinely terrified by that kick today.

Are mainland dogs really this overpowered now?

Is Ashley Young's last comfort zone about to be surpassed by Lu Kai?

First half stoppage time.

Krasic won a free kick just outside the Green Gunners' penalty area.

Zhirkov kicked the ball out, and the 1.9-meter-tall Berezutsky successfully seized the opportunity in front of Vidic, heading the ball across.

Ignashevich was in a better position and headed the ball past Kompany.

Although Van der Sar managed to get his hands on the ball, it still went into the net.