After Karasu's analysis, the two in the room finally woke up as if from a dream.
No wonder that four-eyed guy, Ego, had said at the beginning that he would eliminate all the freeloaders in this round of selection.
A 3v3 football match has a rhythm as fast as basketball. It requires every player to handle offense while also doing a good job on defense. Therefore, outstanding individual ability becomes particularly important.
As long as you can lock down your opponent in a 1-on-1, the match becomes relatively simple. Conversely, if you can't, you will have to send more manpower to help defend with the very limited number of players. This way, your own team will fall into a passive state.
Understanding all this, both Reo's and Chigiri's hearts grew heavy.
Right now, in their 4-man team, Tendou was No. 1, and Karasu was No. 5. And the two of them were both ranked outside the top ten. In other words, if the team lost, it would most likely be because the two of them were dragging the team down.
They had to become stronger.
Reo had found his path forward in this match; next, he just needed to continuously perfect his "Chameleon" ability.
And Chigiri? For now, he still only had speed; his dribbling was basically just kicking and running. If, in the end, they had no choice but to play against Rin's team, and because of him, Tendou was snatched away...
"I would rather die than let that happen!"
Chigiri clenched his fists, planning to go for extra practice immediately after his shower.
Tendou was much calmer. After taking a shower, he picked up his tablet and continued to watch matches. Although football tactics are always evolving, and there's no such thing as tactical regression, history is the best "teacher." The more you watch, the more you think, and you can always get inspiration from the rich experience of the "old-timers."
For example, the football emperor, Franz Beckenbauer. This great god was the inventor of the "libero" position. What is a libero? Not bound by a specific position, one can flexibly change their position and responsibilities according to the situation on the field. This is a libero.
It's just a pity that with the development of modern football, the libero position has gradually withdrawn from the stage of history. Not because it's outdated, but because players like Beckenbauer, who were so versatile and could cover the entire field with their individual ability, have become extinct.
In modern football matches, some smart head coaches, due to tactical needs, choose to divide the concept of the libero into several parts. Developing to this day, it has evolved into multiple positions such as the attacking libero, the wing libero, and the midfield libero. But even with this simplification, it's still difficult to find a few players in the world of football who can perfectly master the "libero" position. They can't even find one true libero, let alone a genius like Beckenbauer.
Ego had been struggling with Tendou's position for a while. Forward, midfield, backfield, even goalkeeper—Tendou could play them all. In the end, he set the tone, letting Tendou develop in the direction of Ronaldo.
But after watching Beckenbauer's matches, Tendou felt that he was very suitable to develop in this direction.
Tendou had read a very interesting report before. The famous German football data media outlet, "Transfermarkt," had selected the most expensive lineup in Bayern's history. They selected 11 players from Bayern's historical lineup based on their peak performance. This report was published in 2019, and Transfermarkt had valued Beckenbauer at 190 million euros. That is, if you put a peak Beckenbauer in 2019, his market value would be 190 million euros. And in 2025, in an era where player values are beginning to inflate, his value would probably be around 280 million euros. This shows just how valuable a top-tier libero is.
But I digress.
In short, instead of being fixed in one position, Tendou felt that he could do more. He would be able to max out his stats sooner or later. At that time, there would be almost nothing he couldn't do. Focusing on only one position was a waste of his talent.
After watching Beckenbauer's matches for a while, Tendou rubbed his eyes, put down his tablet, and went to train.
...
Meanwhile.
Mikage Reo, Chigiri Hyoma, and Karasu Tabito were already doing extra practice. Since Tendou didn't plan to snatch anyone from Rin's team, they naturally didn't need to save their stamina and could practice a bit more.
When Tendou arrived at the field, the three of them were already drenched in sweat.
However.
They didn't plan to play against Rin's team, but Rin took the initiative to come to them. Not long after Tendou finished his warm-up, Rin, along with Bachira, Aryu, and Tokimitsu, came storming over.
"Have a match with us, Tendou Kageyoshi," Rin invited proactively, his tone challenging.
"Find someone else. I'm not interested in you," Tendou said without turning his head, continuing his left-footed shooting practice.
Bachira, on the other hand, took the initiative to find his "old teammates," telling Chigiri about what had happened today. Reo was also eavesdropping, and when he learned that his Nagi had been beaten so badly by Rin's team, his heart couldn't help but skip a beat...
"Eh? Even you guys lost that... badly?"
A score of 5:2 could already be called a crushing defeat. And it was a strong team composed of Nagi, Bachira, and Isagi. Chigiri felt that he had to re-evaluate the strength of Rin's 4-man team.
"Then... what about Nagi? Did he say anything?"
Only the "Nagi-man," Reo, could ask such a question. He was still very worried about his companion.
"Not really. After all, with Nagi, you probably don't have to worry about him being eliminated. Isagi, on the other hand, seemed to have taken a big hit," Bachira recalled the scene and said with a wry smile. "At first, I thought we would go very far. I didn't expect this to be the result in the end."
The few of them chatted as if no one else was around, with a bit of a sentimental air. Rin, listening, had black lines all over his head. What kind of place did these guys think this was? Actually starting to chitchat. A bunch of mediocre trash.
However.
What angered him the most was still Tendou. He had completely ignored him. That posture was comparable to his detestable older brother. Rin thought that Tendou's refusal to play against him was because he looked down on him.
Since that's the case, I'll let him see my strength.
Tap!
Before Tendou could kick the ball, Rin, with a sprint, charged to his side like a comet and snatched the ball from his feet.
"If I win, you'll have a match with my team!"
Itoshi Rin stood with the ball at his feet, his entire body exuding a coldness that kept others a thousand miles away.
Bachira and the others all stopped and looked in Tendou's and Rin's direction. The two of them stood face to face, the atmosphere indescribably tense, as if the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder.
'They're gonna fight! They're squaring up!'
'Yeah! Go get him, Tendou!'
'Get Bachira back for us, Tendou! Please, please!'
'Even if he gets him back, he'll be on Tendou's team. What are you so excited about?'
'I don't care! I just don't want Bachira to be on Rin's team!'
'Disgusting. Can't win on your own so you pin your hopes on someone else. Even if Tendou were to choose, it would be Rin. He doesn't need Bachira.'
'Why are you guys arguing?! You just want to snatch people all day! Of course, finding out the relationship between Tendou and Sae is more exciting!'
The bullet comments suddenly scrolled past Tendou's eyes. This was his habit, to ensure he knew at the first moment whether the camera was on him. As long as it wasn't a match, Tendou would always do this.
"Well then, I might as well play with him."
...
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