[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-am-the-football-star":3,"chapter-i-am-the-football-star-i-am-the-football-star-chapter-22":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I AM the Football Star",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1686243,2153,"Chapter 22 - 9: Eevee Moment Card, Fatal Weakness","i-am-the-football-star-chapter-22",22,"\u003Cp>Even though they are underage players and not fully developed in terms of physique, San Remo’s current situation doesn’t allow them to set aside their talents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With San Remo’s backline, they might as well admit defeat if Lu Yang and Sotu are not on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, in San Remo’s midfield, Morici is the only player with real midfield command ability. Without his organization and control, San Remo can’t even play the simplest long pass; it’s all about big clearances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arnold, as the team’s right winger, was directly opposite Lu Yang’s position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing next to Lu Yang, he said, \"You’re the Lu Yang? I heard you’re going to freeze me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yang shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arnold laughed, \"It’s too late to wimp out now, I’ll teach you a good lesson.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yang replied, \"I shook my head because it’s not ’heard,’ I’m indeed going to freeze you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arnold’s face darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bisceglie’s number 7 is Arnold, but their real core is actually the number 10 player, who can deliver deadly through passes in midfield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Similarly, their number 9 central forward is a pivot center forward, mainly responsible for receiving and creating chances for Arnold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This shows Arnold’s true level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the team’s core and frontline pivot creating chances for him, and being in a league-leading team with plenty of offensive opportunities, he’s scored only fourteen goals in twenty games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Take a look at Vedian’s previous living environment, and you’ll find that Vedian, in fact, is quite strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bam!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opposing number 10 soon initiated a precise through ball, and Arnold was already moving forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lu Yang extended his foot, disrupted the pass, successfully intercepting it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the sidelines, Sotu raised his arms and calmed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew the kid could do it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yang’s defensive positioning and interception are indeed excellent by Italian D Division standards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without Lu Yang, San Remo might have already conceded a goal just now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minutes later, a more dangerous situation arose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opposing number 9 successfully received and held the ball; he’s quite strong, and San Remo’s midfield and another center-back couldn’t handle him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shielded the ball for a while, waited for the right opportunity, and then sent a lob pass over the top, kicking the ball to the right side of San Remo’s half before being double-teamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a huge gap there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arnold sprinted quickly, successfully received the ball, and charged straight towards San Remo’s goal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>San Remo’s right-back was chasing Arnold, but the distance between them kept growing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Here it comes, Arnold’s fast break is coming!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wow! San Remo’s right-back simply can’t catch up with Arnold, and now it’s just a sixteen-year-old youth player between Arnold and the goalkeeper. He can’t possibly stop Arnold!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A goal is imminent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, we can see that this center-back named Lu Yang is quickly retreating, trying to block Arnold’s path forward. This is a duel between a defender and a forward.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lu Yang’s idea is good, but he’s too young. People are very prone to tripping themselves up during fast retreating.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Arnold is cycling, and his speed hasn’t decreased much. Such feints are enough to make any center-back lose their judgment ability, even be shaken off.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, as Arnold’s feet flew over the ball in his cycling motion, the retreating Lu Yang suddenly stepped forward and poked the ball away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball was kicked out, and then Arnold collided with Lu Yang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arnold fell to the ground, making a pained expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the referee shook his head, indicating it wasn’t a foul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yang quickly passed the ball to Morici, then said to Arnold on the ground, \"Your dribbling rhythm isn’t good. Such poor little tricks won’t get past any professional footballer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arnold felt humiliated and immediately sprang up from the ground, charging at Lu Yang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yang showed no fear whatsoever, puffing out his chest and standing up to Arnold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arnold staggered back a bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Lu Yang is a center-back, and Arnold isn’t particularly strong even among forwards; there’s still a physical difference between the two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The referee immediately came over to stop both of them, warning Arnold not to cause trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arnold looked displeased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the sidelines, Sotu was very satisfied with this scene, gesticulating to Tom, saying, \"Did you see that, Tom, that’s the defense I want! You must be able to stop the opposition, but you also have to be strong enough!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Think about San Remo’s matches, how long has it been since our players had a face-to-face conflict with others? Weak players might steal honor, but weak teams gain no honor at all!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tom looked exasperated, thinking, is it fair to say you were just mocking Maniero?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm, Lu’s Defensive Retreat Step is excellent, it’s the crucial basic skill for defending speed-type players.\" Tom reluctantly agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But internally, he also agreed with Sotu’s point about being \"strong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You can play soccer without being dirty, but you can’t play without being strong!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the next half-hour, Lu Yang fully displayed his dominance on the backline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was ground through passes, overhead passes, or long cross-field passes, Arnold was left fruitless. Most of the time, Arnold didn’t even touch the ball before Lu Yang intercepted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bisceglie’s conventional tactics failed; their blade was blunted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first half ended in a zero-to-zero tie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Sotu was not optimistic because he thought the opponent was very likely to make targeted adjustments in the second half, changing their approach. For example, letting their number 9 center forward come out, no longer being a pivot but trying to be a finisher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the number 9 facing the center-back was much easier to deal with than Lu Yang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Sotu... it’s not that he doesn’t want to adjust, he simply can’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should he let Lu Yang mark the number 9 center forward?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then wouldn’t Arnold be freed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They have two, maybe three blades, but Sotu only has one shield; he inevitably loses sight of one while attending to another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Attack, we must find a way to attack!\" This was the only message Sotu could convey to the team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second half began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three minutes later, Bisceglie’s home crowd erupted in cheers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"GOAL!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their number 9 center forward, bearing down on San Remo’s right center-back, broke into the penalty area and scored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Lu Yang had to stay near the edge of the penalty area to shut down Arnold and prevent the number 9 from passing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"See, this is the price you pay for always following me. We are invincible! We are league leaders!\" Arnold tried to unsettle Lu Yang with his words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he underestimated Lu Yang’s psychological strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But you haven’t gained any stats!\" Lu Yang retorted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arnold was taken aback, almost furious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the fifty-ninth minute of the whole match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bisceglie repeated their trick, Arnold drawing Lu Yang away, while the number 9 center forward faced off one-on-one with San Remo’s right center-back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time, Morici stepped forward. He was already in a defensive midfield position and had moved back in advance, allowing him to double-team the opposing number 9 center forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the number 9 center forward’s pivot role once again became apparent. He leaned back against the center-back, extended an arm to hold off Morici, and then passed the ball back to the edge of the penalty arc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, Bisceglie’s number 10 core player arrived and unleashed a powerful shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball pierced through the net; the goalkeeper was helpless, unable to save it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"GOAL! The match is over; San Remo simply can’t stop Bisceglie’s attack!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bisceglie always has one more key player than San Remo. This is the difference in overall team strength.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lu Yang indeed froze Arnold, but then again, isn’t he also being constrained by Arnold?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have a feeling there will be more goals this match, and San Remo might not just lose by two goals!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is definitely going to be a resounding victory!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The remaining thirty minutes will be a torment for San Remo.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The commentators offered their opinions, mostly quite professional.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Hans frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yang did what he said he would, but unfortunately, San Remo and Bisceglie aren’t teams of the same caliber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is a gap individual ability can’t bridge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a pity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, did San Remo’s center-back even play this match? Why is our team scoring so easily?\" Arnold taunted in Lu Yang’s ear again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yang stayed calm; if the Eevee Moment Card didn’t have a time limit, he was planning to save it for the later stages of the match — he could have shown Arnold the divine splendor now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, even without using the Moment Card, Lu Yang already had a breakthrough idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Bisceglie team isn’t as strong as they seem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They have at least two fatal weaknesses!\u003C\u002Fp>",1467,"2026-06-06T13:45:07.891Z",1,"novelbin.me","57cf3920915ecf7cbbfae8e4ed14b85e00eeabe87216dcb55adf79fec268e918","i-am-the-football-star-chapter-127","i-am-the-football-star-chapter-126",836,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-the-football-star-cover.jpg"]