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"Faster, faster!"
"Pass!"
"Stop him! Stop—"
"Damn it! Damn it!"
At the Atlético Madrid training base, a team scrimmage was underway.
Before the match, there might have been a hint of suspense, but now, it was just as expected.
Team 1, representing the main players, was currently leading Team 2, composed of substitutes, 3-0.
Assistant coach Jesús was blowing the whistle on the pitch.
Simeone's other assistant, tactical communicator Burgos, expressionlessly flipped the scoreboard.
Head coach Diego Simeone, dressed in a black suit and tie, stood with his hands in his pockets, his face ashen, glaring at the pitch with an unfriendly gaze.
Torres couldn't believe the score.
He and Griezmann exchanged glances, both feeling that the win was too easy.
The last time they faced Lance, in the Champions League round of 16 knockout stage, everyone had experienced Lance's oppressive presence.
What was going on today?
"Attack, attack! Pass it to me!"
There was still time in the match.
Substitute Team 2 was still trying to find a way.
The ball was moved from the backfield to the front, with substitute defensive midfielder Augusto controlling it.
Lance flanked from the left, and substitute forward Robert Núñez flanked from the right.
Logically, passing to Lance would be more threatening.
Augusto hesitated.
He passed to Robert, who had his hand raised for the ball.
Robert took a wild shot from outside the box, missing a rare counter-attacking opportunity.
"Stop, everyone stop!"
Simeone could no longer hold back and quickly called a halt to the game.
Lance hadn't said anything yet.
The head coach was the first to rush up to Augusto's face, almost nose-to-nose, and furiously yelled, "What are you doing? Why didn't you pass to the left? Can't you see him? He's a big person!"
"Coach, I..."
"I'm sorry, Coach, we usually have better chemistry; I was the one who asked for the ball."
Robert tried to chime in from the side, but Simeone's angry glare silenced him.
"I'll deal with you later! Augusto, you tell me, why?"
"It's not my fault. We haven't played together before. I subconsciously wanted to pass to someone familiar, right? Besides, Lance might not even score; it's the same no matter who I pass to..."
"Enough!"
Simeone had figured it out.
Some people in the team were still holding a grudge against Lance because of being eliminated by him last time.
The main team hadn't said anything.
Team 2, as if by agreement, had barely passed the ball to Lance throughout the game.
On the other hand, Lance's few opportunities were all created by his own effort, and he tried to make the most reasonable decision with every touch, passing to teammates in better positions.
Simeone looked around.
The team members had various expressions.
Many in Team 1 were also gloating.
It seemed that, apart from a few like Torres, Griezmann, Saúl, and Koke, most people didn't really like Lance.
There was jealousy, racial stereotypes, and hatred from being eliminated... He understood Spanish culture very well.
In Europe, besides seriously xenophobic countries like Sweden and Italy, invisible discrimination in Spain was also rampant.
When the club signed Lance, Simeone was worried about this situation, and now it had indeed happened.
As the tactical core, if his teammates didn't pass to him, what was the point of playing?
But relying solely on the coach's authority to suppress the issue wouldn't solve the problem at its root.
Lance would have to gradually win over these teammates with his sheer strength.
Simeone still had great confidence in Lance.
"Lance, don't be too selfless. When it's time to be selfish, be a little selfish; you understand."
"Coach, I understand."
Lance nodded.
He should have said so earlier!
If he had said so earlier, I wouldn't have passed!
Lance was used to the tacit agreement coordination of Bayer Leverkusen.
Now, passing the ball and not getting it back was incredibly frustrating.
Considering he had just joined a new team, he couldn't be too self-centred, so he played more conservatively.
Furthermore, Lance tried not to use any cheats, attempting to play with his own strength.
Since the head coach had spoken, Lance no longer needed to hold back!
Let them witness what it means to be the world's most expensive player!
...
There wasn't much time left in the training match, only the last 15 minutes of the 45-minute period remained.
Team 2 was almost beyond salvation, with most of their teammates essentially giving up.
After the restart, a group of people moved sluggishly, looking half-dead.
Only Lance was still running with all his might!
"Equip the Cannavaro template!"
"Equip the Bachira Meguru template!"
"Equip the Hyuga Kojiro template!"
[Rage Value: 100%]!
Griezmann was still dribbling when Lance suddenly blocked his path.
The French rising star remained calm, intending to use a small trick to get past Lance and pass to Torres to create a threat.
However, his vision blurred, and as the opponent's figure flickered, Griezmann's feet found nothing but air! His heart pounded!
"Impossible!"
Even Ramos of Real Madrid couldn't dispossess him that easily.
How could Lance do it?
To the astonishment of everyone on the pitch, Lance simply charged forward.
He dribbled past two main defensive midfielders, Koke and Gabi, then used a feint and change of direction to shake off Giménez, weaving through the main central defenders.
Accelerating, he burst into the penalty area and unleashed a signature Tiger Shot, a warning shot!
Swish—
Goalkeeper Oblak didn't even react; the ball had already hit the back of the net behind him!
"Huh?"
"My God!"
"How can this be?!"
Players from both Team 1 and Team 2 stood dumbfounded, unable to believe it.
Atlético Madrid's main defence was a force in La Liga, on par with Barcelona, and recognised throughout Europe as an impenetrable wall!
And it was breached by an 18-year-old player on a solo run?
"This..."
Even Simeone's face showed his discomfort.
I asked you to put in a little effort; I didn't ask you to dismantle everything!
You're making me, the head coach, lose face!
"Good!"
Simeone, with a wry smile, led the applause, and the coaching staff watching also joined in.
Who would dare to question the club's signing now?
150 million was truly well spent!
After scoring, Lance showed no joy, merely retrieved the ball from the net like a cold, emotionless killer and walked to the centre circle.
It was clear that the solo run and goal were just routine operations for him.
Just 5 minutes later, the same scene unfolded again!
Team 2 found a counter-attacking opportunity and moved the ball to the front.
Lance received the ball but didn't pass it.
He sprinted down the wing.
At the byline, a skilful Marseille turn fooled everyone!
A low shot from a tight angle once again found the net!
Two goals in 5 minutes!
At this point, the Atlético Madrid players' expressions completely changed.
"Is this real or fake?"
"So fierce? He's a devil!"
Team 2's morale suddenly soared.
They unexpectedly started to overwhelm the main Team 1.
Outside the penalty area, Augusto had the ball.
He saw Lance run into open space, and this time, he didn't dare to hesitate, quickly sending a through ball to Lance.
Hate aside, he didn't want to be a lapdog for Team 1.
Who would want to lose when they could win?
The next second, Lance received the ball, flicked it lightly with the outside of his foot to bypass Gabi, and immediately took a volley shot!
The [Volley Raiju Shot] fired!
A thunderous shot once again pierced Oblak's goal!
Oblak, the goalkeeping god who was first in average saves per game, had the lowest goals-conceded rate, and was first in clean sheets in La Liga last season, picked up the ball from the net for the third time in 10 minutes.
Oblak's expression was innocent.
"I really haven't regressed; Lance's shots are just unstoppable, it's not my fault."
The 45 minutes ended.
3-4.
Main Team 1 'surprisingly' lost to Substitute Team 2.
Lance's four-goal haul in 15 minutes completed the comeback, purely relying on his individual brilliance to turn the tide.
Everyone present clearly understood that if Lance had been given more time, he might have completely dominated Team 1.
"Huh?"
"He's really that strong!"
"Why!"
The Atlético Madrid players were brought back to the nightmare of February, when they were also eliminated by Lance in the same way.
After half a year, this guy had become even more terrifying!
Griezmann was already starting to shiver.
But the good news was that this guy would be their teammate!
The ones who should be scared were Real Madrid and Barcelona!
In an instant, Griezmann wasn't so sad anymore.
He was incredibly excited for the new season.
What kind of results could Atlético Madrid achieve under Lance's leadership?
"At least one championship..."