"Ah, his favorite way to score is to create a solo breakthrough in the center, just like Kaká."
"In the first selection, the opponent had 11 people, and there were defenders and midfielders to pincer him. But in a 3-on-3 match, the number of people the opponent can commit to defense is much less."
After watching Tendou's first match, Ego Jinpachi knew that Tendou was never the type of stationary center forward. He wouldn't just stand foolishly in the penalty area waiting for his teammates to deliver the ball to him. But as he gradually integrated his skills into football, Tendou, as a center forward, had a style that was indeed becoming more and more outrageous.
He liked to play football in the style of Kaká, tearing an opening in the most congested central area, and then, based on the situation, choosing to score himself or pass. This style of play was actually most suitable for the center of the pitch. In this position, he could better utilize the advantage of his impact.
This was at odds with Ego's vision for Tendou. He still hoped that Tendou could become the Ronaldo type, a striker with a built-in 1:0 attribute. To reduce the distance of his runs and use his stamina for scoring goals.
From the current look of things, Tendou wouldn't be able to change his playing habits in a short time. In fact, you couldn't blame Tendou for this. After all, he used to play basketball and was used to being a ball hog. Quietly waiting for the ball to come to him was not his style.
However, Tendou also realized that as a forward, he couldn't carry everything on his shoulders. The area of a football pitch is much larger than a basketball court, and the running area is several times larger. The area of an international football pitch is 105m-110m long and 68m-75m wide, with an area of about 7,140 square meters. A basketball court, on the other hand, has an area of only 420 square meters. And in a 90-minute regular match, besides the 15-minute halftime, players have almost no other rest time.
Having everyone do their own job is a better way to save stamina. Even Kaká's defensive area was fixed in one zone, allowing him to concentrate more of his energy on the attack.
However, in a special field like Blue Lock's, Tendou could try to do so. Firstly, the area was shrunk by many times, and secondly, it was a 3-on-3 team match, and the pace was very fast. 5 goals might seem like a lot, but it really doesn't take much time. Just like in this match, a goal was scored in almost every round. It wouldn't take long for one side to score 5 goals and end the match.
2:1!
Tendou's outburst made the expressions of Karasu's trio turn grim.
"If we don't contain him, we can't win this match," Hiori's pre-match premonition had come true. He had suggested at the time not to play against Tendou's team. Hiori had been on the same team as Karasu in high school and knew Karasu's abilities very well; he was the most formidable high school student he had ever met at the time. And Karasu could only rank fifth in Blue Lock. Then how strong must the No. 1 Tendou be?
"Now is not the time to complain." Karasu didn't regret it; he was thinking about how to defeat the enemy. He had thought that Tendou was a talent freak with outstanding physical talent and explosive athletic ability. Who would have known that his opponent's footwork was even stronger than his own, and much stronger at that.
If Mikage Reo was "all-nothing," then Tendou was an "all-around warrior." This made Karasu feel even more that Tendou was not simple at all!
People say that Ronaldo is the perfect template for all forwards. Karasu was born late and didn't know if the "alien" was really that strong. Just looking at the highlights, Ronaldo did seem like a BUG. To have that kind of physique and still possess such breakaway speed, and the key was that his footwork was that of a top-tier Samba dancer. Such a player was indeed a perfect forward.
And now, Karasu felt like he had met a 17-year-old Ronaldo. At least when facing Tendou, Karasu's developed brain couldn't think of a very good way to contain him. Good technique, you can deal with. Good physique, there are ways. But when the two are combined, it's extremely difficult.
"No matter what, let's tie the score first and then think about what's next."
Karasu briefly communicated with his teammates and then kicked the ball off. After all, a football match has never been a contest of who has higher "stats." Otherwise, how could the squad of that Treble-winning Inter Milan have taken down the cosmic Barcelona and the South German powerhouse Bayern?
The match continued. While they were adjusting, Tendou's team also made adjustments.
Karasu received the ball and, as usual, wanted to find Mikage Reo. Strike a snake at its weak point. Since the opponent had such an obvious weakness, wouldn't you be a fool not to relentlessly attack it?
But then.
He had only advanced 5 meters with the ball before he was met with Tendou's personal marking. Mikage Reo, on the other hand, had dropped back his position, sticking close to Hiori.
"Sending their own weak point to mark our weak point?"
"Not a bad response. But you're underestimating Yo!"
Karasu passed the ball to Hiori without hesitation. They were teammates in high school and were the team's main players. Hiori knew Karasu's strength, and likewise, Karasu knew Hiori's.
But this time, Karasu had miscalculated.
Perhaps inspired by Tendou's brace, the "Nagi-man" (Reo) finally calmed down. Mikage Reo had temporarily let go of his "beloved" Nagi. He understood that to complete his "revenge," they must first get ahead, to win this match.
Having calmed down, he displayed his proper level. Karasu was right about one thing: a player like him was either all-around or all-nothing. Dribbling, passing, heading, defending, shooting... in every aspect, Mikage Reo could score 99 points. But that last point, he could never break through, because he didn't have the talent to break the limit.
"But even if I can't score 100 points, scoring 99 points like others is also a kind of progress!"
Seeing the guy with delicate features like a girl, Hiori, trap the ball, Reo immediately closed in, proactively using his body to press him and turn up the intensity.
Hiori's greatest strength was passing, but coming from a sports family, he had received an elite education since he was a child. This level of difficulty was not enough to make him flustered. He faced Reo with skillful dribbling, and with a simple feint and a fake change of direction, he actually accelerated and burst past Reo. Then, he immediately looked for a teammate, ready to release the ball. This was Hiori's style of play.
However.
"You're not going anywhere, Young Lady No. 2!"
The moment he was half-passed, Reo suddenly extended an arm and placed it on Hiori's chest.
"This is..."
Hiori was stunned. This push from Reo's hand kept him away from the ball, making it impossible for him to perfectly generate power. In this posture, it was impossible to make a good pass.
"The same ball-shielding as Karasu?!" Otoya was also surprised. This damned sense of distance, being so close yet always unable to reach the ball, was precisely Karasu's specialty.
"How can it be the same? My ball-shielding is stronger than his."
But... even if it wasn't 100 points, it had at least reached 90.
This bastard weak point actually stole my skill pack.
...
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