Master Tutoring Class

Chapter 273 Timing, Rhythm, and Distance
Wei Lai's main purpose in going to Spain was to eat.

Of course, he also cannot indulge in his appetite and allow his physical functions to decline.

After three days of hearty meals, Wei Lai began his physical and specialized training.

He Chaoyue tried her best to keep up with Wei Lai's training pace, but she wouldn't force herself if she couldn't.

"Physical conditioning training during the winter break and summer vacation is very important. If you train well, you can benefit throughout the season, not only ensuring your attendance rate, but also reducing the risk of injury."

Wei Lai watched as He Chaoyue's hair turned into seaweed again, sticking to her forehead, and couldn't help but say, "I've never played in the Segunda División, but the pace and intensity are definitely much higher than the Segunda División, not to mention La Liga. I felt it when I played against Brighton. Their physical fitness and condition were very good, and their energy distribution was also very reasonable. You need to increase your strength and physical fitness."

"I understand!" He Chaoyue understood that Wei Lai was sharing some of his experiences, and he listened attentively.

“I have a question for you!” He Chaoyue looked at Wei Lai; “I hope you will answer truthfully.”

Wei Lai nodded.

He Chaoyue: "If I were playing for Amsterdam Arena, would my skills be good enough to be a substitute?"

He didn't even ask about the starting lineup, which is obviously impossible.

Wei Lai looked at He Chaoyue and suddenly sighed.

"You still don't understand!"

"What?" He Chaoyue asked, puzzled.

Wei Lai said, "To put it simply, in the top five leagues, including the Dutch Eredivisie, technique is no longer the primary factor, because that's the default. Technique is a personal matter; no one will specifically emphasize so-called technique, and coaches won't teach it. Tactics are the primary factor!"

"The key is understanding the tactical system, understanding one's role in the team, and making choices on the overall offensive and defensive ends."

"Technology is important, but it is the foundation."

"When you enter the top five leagues or the Eredivisie, you join the first team. This means that the coaching staff has recognized your skills, and what they want to develop is your tactical ability."

"For example, you can think of yourself as the template for upgrading to Conrad Lehman. What is he responsible for in our team?"

"Strong drives! Finishing on the weak side! Collaborative runs! But all of this is preparation for the final offensive blow."

"So don't think about technical issues, you can only practice those yourself. What you should consider is your tactical role, what help you can bring to the team in the tactical system, that's the key!"

“A tactical role!” He Chaoyue thought for a moment; “Isn’t this the puzzle piece you mentioned before?”

“That’s right!” Wei Lai nodded; “It’s a bit more advanced, after all, it involves a tactical system, which is different from the lineup positioning.”

Wei Lai scratched his head: "No! Don't you have tactical classes? Don't you teach tactical systems?"

"Yes!" He Chaoyue nodded; "But I don't quite understand it!"

Ha~~~~~!

Wei Lai suddenly sighed; "You have to understand it, otherwise it will be difficult to adapt to higher-level leagues. When you reach the Spanish Second Division, the tactics become very complicated, especially in the Europa League or the later stages of the league. It's all about tactical reserves and bench depth. Before you become a core player, you must know how to play a supporting role."

In the evening, a simulated classroom session.

"That's it. I plan to teach him some basic tactical thinking, and I hope you can help me put together some simple tactical templates. You know, I'm not very good at these things." Wei Lai looked at Coach Ferguson, then scratched his head: "It's really abnormal that he knows nothing about tactical thinking!"

Coach Ferguson stared at Wei Lai.

"Have you ever considered that the abnormal one is you!"

"Huh?" Wei Lai pointed at himself in confusion; "Am I not normal?"

Coach Ferguson said irritably, "What kind of tactical thinking does a 17-year-old have? Knowing how to run along the tactical route is already considered smart. Isn't that the result of one-on-one coaching plus natural talent?"

"Get lost! Go practice your ball skills!"

A simulated classroom, a lesson taught by the football king's coach.

His teaching style remained as free and unrestrained as ever.

"Angle! Angle! Use skill, not just swing your thigh and shoot with force. What angle can you aim at like that? Judge the goalkeeper's position, choose the angle for a long shot, use your eyes, your ears, your skin, use every organ in your body to sense this attack, where is the most threatening spot!"

"Don't let the goalkeeper see your intention to shoot. The key to long shots is to be unexpected, to keep the goalkeeper guessing what you're thinking. Your passing is accurate, there's no reason you can't take a long shot well. You just need to feel the right moment!"

After practicing for a while, the football coach started complaining again that the basics were poor and that the basics needed to be improved.

His personality is very energetic and impulsive, and his teaching style is also unpredictable and unconventional.

He didn't care at all whether Wei Lai could keep up with his teaching pace; he was just teaching anyway.

If you can't teach them, then the student is too stupid, not your problem!
Wei Lai spent nearly two weeks in the town of Dusang, during which time he underwent independent training and practiced for the 'Valley Cup'.

The Valley Cup officially began on December 29th.

Frame! Frame! Frame!

Three hand-held tractors traveled along the country road, the smell of diesel fuel mixed with the scent of grass, creating a unique aroma that filled the air.

Wei Lai and other players from the Duosang team sat on the pallet of a hand-operated tractor, five people per vehicle, just enough to pull a whole team.

This was quite a novel experience.

I used to travel by bus, this is the first time I've ridden in a tractor, and it's not bad.

"Old Pique said he'd crush us, but they don't know we also have a star foreign player!" Old Fernandez turned to Wei Lai; "It's all up to you, kid!"

During this period, Wei Lai's performance in joint training was nothing short of amazing.

It could even be described as a gap in strength.

The residents of Dosan have all seen this.

They soon learned that they had a super strong foreign midfielder in their team.

He even managed to dominate Cudiresrout's Francis Alonso in the Eredivisie.

As a result, Wei Lai was quite popular in the town of Dusang during that period.

Wei Lai scratched his head; "I'll do my best!"

Old Fernandez, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, held the handrail with one hand and pointed to the hillside ahead with the other.

"Once we cross that little hill, we'll see Cudilezro. The rest of us have arrived ahead of time; we're probably the last ones," old Fernandez laughed. "But the main character should be the last to appear!"

Beyond the hillside, on a plain nestled among the mountains, lies a small town.

Three hand tractors lined up and entered the town, heading straight for the stadium.

The town's stadium was surrounded by a large number of residents, as well as many fans who had come to watch the excitement.

The arrival of Wei Lai and his group was met with enthusiastic cheers from the residents of Dosang.

"So many people!"

Looking around, Wei Lai could count at least 5000 people.

It's almost fair to say that the entire population of both towns was mobilized.

"Let's go, our soldiers!"

Old Fernandez blew his whistle and walked at the front like a warrior, with the other team members immediately following behind.

On the field, the players of the Cuddirolles team have already begun warming up.

"Old buddies, you have so many new faces around!"

Mayor and head coach of Cudilezlo, Old Pique, couldn't help but mock the lineup of the Dossan team.

Suddenly, he froze.

He rubbed his eyes and pulled his son, Little Pike, over to him.

"I have a bit of face blindness, is that... Wei?"

Because of Alonso, the entire town of Cudileros is very willing to watch Eredivisie matches.

Therefore, they could certainly recognize that Wei has arrived, currently the hottest rising star in the Dutch Eredivisie.

"It really is him!" Little Pique was also stunned.

Did you have this kind of relationship with Dasang?

Alonso also saw Wei Lai, and his eyes widened.

"What the hell! Why is this guy so persistent?"

The league is another matter.

How come I still see this guy at an amateur tournament in my hometown?
Wei Lai also saw Alonso and, for some reason, felt a sense of familiarity.

"Hello!"

Wei Lai smiled and waved his hand.

Alonso's face immediately fell, and he turned his head away.

Wei Lai couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Still so shy!"

"What?" He Chaoyue asked.

Wei Lai shook his head: "It's nothing, I just ran into an acquaintance."

“Alonso?” He Chaoyue asked.

Wei Lai nodded.

On the Cudilesro team's side, Alonso said with a serious expression, "Guys, things are a bit bad, watch out for their number 18!"

"Is that Wei?"

"How did he get here?"

"real or fake?"

"Wasn't he in the Netherlands? How did he end up in Spain?"

They racked their brains but still couldn't figure out why Wei Lai was here.

Wei Lai may not be a household name now, but he is still quite famous in the football circle.

The fact that Amsterdam Sport has nurtured such talent is itself a halo.

“Three players from the Spanish Second Division, but they’re all substitutes!” Wei Lai said, looking at the opposing team’s lineup.

I used to think Cudileros was very strong, but now it seems that it depends on Alonso's performance.

Of course, this is also the problem with Raul's constant complaining about being poor and praising Cudileros, which led Wei to make the wrong judgment that the opponent was very strong and his own side was very weak.

But now it seems that Dassan's side has a significantly stronger squad on paper. Just the Dutch midfielder Wei Lai and the Spanish Segunda División starting striker Benjamin alone could form an attacking force on their own.

“Actually, you can still play even without me!” Wei Lai said, looking at Raul.

Raul: "It's safer with you around."

Before the competition began, a resident led a cow around the field.

There was no trophy; the prize for this competition was very down-to-earth.

Whoever wins, takes the cow back to town.

Despite being an amateur competition, it was organized quite formally.

Not only were there a referee and linesmen, but there was also a commentator who kept talking incessantly, which Wei Lai couldn't understand a word of.

There were two stands in total, with residents from both sides occupying different stands, cheering and encouraging each other.

The Dorsan national team's jerseys are white, with no commercial logos other than the jersey brand label and a simple team emblem.

Wei Lai did some simple warm-up exercises on the court, waiting for the game to begin.

"I now declare the first round of the Valley Cup officially open!"

As the commentator spoke, the referee immediately blew his whistle.

Dassan kicked off first, and Benjamin immediately passed the ball to Wei Lai, who then passed it back to the center-back.

He turned to Alonso and said, "Dude, relax, we're not playing in the league!"

Alonso gritted his teeth.

Looking at Wei Lai's face, how could he possibly relax?

King against king, general against general!
Alonso is really going all out with Wei Lai.

Wei Lai's several consecutive passes failed to result in forward passes, mainly because his teammates' awareness was not up to par. Although he created space, they didn't seem to know how to utilize it effectively.

Moreover, these guys seem to rely heavily on their own passing, always preferring to have the ball passed to themselves.

"no solution anymore!"

After several attempts, Wei Lai decided to go it alone.

These teammates seem to be lying down and relying on others for support.

Wei Lai turned to observe Alonso, who was indeed charging towards him.

He leaned back sharply, holding off Alonso, and simultaneously flicked the ball with the instep of his foot, passing it to full-back Fernandez.

Wei Lai immediately pulled Alonso into the starting line and successfully took the lead.

"One! Two!"

Wei Lai shouted, and Fernandez immediately passed the ball to Wei Lai.

"Don't even think about running away!"

Alonso lunged forward.

Wei Lai suddenly cut down and stopped abruptly. Taking advantage of Alonso's momentary pause, he stepped back with his right foot. Alonso immediately lunged back, but Wei Lai dribbled with his left foot and surprisingly broke through.

"what?"

Alonso was a little confused.

Wei Lai rarely makes such vertical breakthroughs in the league.

Wei Lai passed the ball diagonally to He Chaoyue, letting him head it up, while he himself ran to the flank to receive the pass.

Having reached this position, Wei Lai has entered his comfort zone.

He Chaoyue passed the ball back, and the opposing defensive midfielder hurriedly stretched out his leg.

Wei Lai deftly flicked the ball with the instep, dodging the opponent's pressure, dribbled laterally, and looked up at the goal.

"The goalkeeper's positioning! A brief obstruction of vision! An unexpected timing for the shot!"

The goalkeeper's view was just blocked the moment Wei Lai passed the center-back.

"It's now!"

Wei Lai swung his left foot and right arm, then lightly rubbed his foot together.

The ball flew in an arc towards the goal.

"What the hell!"

By the time the goalkeeper saw Wei Lai again, the ball was already flying towards the goal, and he couldn't help but curse under his breath.

His legs trembled slightly, as if he wanted to react.

But the ball had already gone into the net!
Swish!
An absolute blind spot!

Just 10 minutes into the game, Wei Lai scored with a curling shot from the edge of the penalty area.

The residents of Dosan cheered and shouted excitedly at the scene.

Wei Lai also responded to the enthusiastic cheers by forcefully pumping his fist.

"That was handled really quickly!"

He Feng watched Wei Lai from the sidelines and couldn't help but sigh.

When Wei Lai received the pass back from He Chaoyue, he had already broken free with his first touch and was ready to shoot.

The second touch was purely to obstruct the goalkeeper's view.

When the time is right, take a shot.

The entire sequence, including the shot, involved a total of three touches of the ball, and the purpose was extremely clear.

He Feng finally understood why Wei Lai was able to establish himself in the Dutch league.

This speed of decision-making and efficiency in handling matters is something many young players lack.

There is not a single fancy detail, only the ultimate clean and crisp evolution!

The whole stadium was cheering and shouting.

The players on the Cudilezro team were somewhat bewildered; they couldn't react at all, but Wei Lai had already taken a shot.

Alonso stared blankly at Wei Lai.

He felt that this guy seemed to have changed again!

While such curling shots and vertical breakthroughs from outside the penalty area weren't entirely absent, they were certainly not as clean and efficient as they are now.

Even breaking through is secondary; long-range shooting is the real problem.

Wei Lai's ability to deliver long passes that find their mark and convert them into shots is terrifying to even think about.

It feels like they're going to suffer another major setback in the second half of the season.

After scoring the goal, Wei Lai's performance continued.

In amateur matches, there is almost no pressure from pressing, so Wei Lai began to boldly attempt to break through.

His height meant he couldn't have the same high foot frequency as agile players. The football king's coach told him that he needed to find his 'feel' when dribbling past opponents.

And that feeling might be what we call rhythm!

The football king coach likes to demonstrate by example, so he clearly saw a lot of details.

For example, when to lower your shoulders, when to pause, and when to make a feint.
Finally, the football coach pointed out a crucial issue.

'distance'!
Breakthroughs require careful control of distance.

It's too close; you might accidentally shove your head into it.

It's too far; the other party will realize it soon.

A suitable distance, a suitable timing, and a sense of rhythm in your footwork.

This is Wei Lai's true dribbling skill.

On the field, when Wei Lai was about four meters away from his opponent, he suddenly looked up and simultaneously flicked the ball laterally with the instep of his right foot. As the opponent's center of gravity shifted, Wei Lai's supporting foot touched the ground, maintaining a straight line distance from the ball. He shifted his weight to the other side, and his right foot turned inward again, allowing him to accelerate past his opponent.

The single-leg outward flick and inward turn is a very simple dribbling move, but as long as you control the distance and rhythm well, it can also become a very sharp dribbling move.

Dang Dang!

Fried meatballs!

Wei Lai flicks the ball inward with his left foot and pushes it with his right foot. This sequence of movements is completed in one second, making it simple, quick, and effective.

Now he somewhat understood what Coach Pogba meant by "dang dang" and "dang dang dang".

It's a kind of rhythm control based on superior movements.

However, that guy isn't very bright and doesn't know how to express himself.

Wei Lai pushed the ball all the way to the byline and then chipped it to the far post.

Raul chested the ball down, landed, and poked it into the net with his toe.

Wei Lai couldn't help but grin as he watched, and whispered something.

"He should have shot on goal the very first time!"

In an Eredivisie match, the ball would have been poked away the moment Raul landed.

Of course, if it were the Dutch Eredivisie, he wouldn't be able to dribble past people like that.

In the second half, Alonso scored from a set piece to pull one back.

But soon, Wei Lai, from the same position and the same angle, scored again with a curved shot.

The match ended after 90 minutes.

Dorsan Town defeated Cudileros Town 3-1.

Old Pique angrily pointed at Old Fernandez's nose and cursed him, saying that he had brought in a strong foreign player and disrupted the fair play.

Old Fernandez ignored this, led the cow away, and walked off.

(End of this chapter)