area51novel Chapter 66 How can the difference between people be so great?
Chapter 66 How can the difference between people be so great?
18 is old.
People in this age group.
They should still be at school, racking their brains and struggling with all kinds of test papers and exercises.
But it was at this crucial juncture in life that I officially entered maturity.
One name has become a trending topic on Chinese social media.
It even dominated the headlines on the sports channel:
—"Chinese prodigies officially come of age! European football continues to heat up!"
—From Youth Training to First Team Core: A Chinese Youth's meteoric rise!
— "On his 18th birthday, Monaco's rising star attracts global attention!"
The discussion in the comments section was also in an uproar:
"What? I hadn't paid much attention before, I only knew he was a rising genius in China, I didn't expect he's only just come of age?"
"This time, Chinese football has truly produced a monstrous genius!"
"Let's put everything else aside for now. I have a question for you guys in the comments section: what were you doing when you were 18?"
"As for me, I'd probably be burying myself in my studies at school..."
"Aren't all people in this age group students?"
"Peers: Study and strive."
"Jiang Ming: Core player of a French Ligue 1 team."
"Just like...crying-laughing emoji.JPG"
"While others are adapting to their professional careers at 18, he is already changing the course of the game. This rate of growth is simply too exaggerated."
"His technical maturity is seriously mismatched with his age."
"How can the difference between people be so great..."
As the discussion continued to escalate, time slowly moved forward.
The match day arrived as scheduled.
……
2016 1 Month 31 Day.
Angers, France.
The Jean-Bauin Stadium was brightly lit under the night sky.
The Angers fans in the stands had already started waving flags and cheering.
They've emerged as a dark horse this season, climbing to third place in the league.
They even managed to draw against the invincible Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 at home, ending their nine-game winning streak in the league.
This match is of great significance to Angers.
Can the team use this as a foundation to secure a European qualification spot again after 44 years?
"Zhuangdianer Station! Zhuangdianer Station! Good evening, viewers!"
"You are now watching a key match in the 23rd round of the 2015-16 Ligue 1 season, where Angers host Monaco."
"I'm commentator He Wei. Thank you to Lay's Sports for their strong support of the broadcasting rights for this event."
He Wei paused for a moment, then continued, "Today happens to be Jiang Ming's first official match since he came of age."
"Hopefully, he can deliver a perfect performance to kick off the new year off right!"
……
In the away team's locker room.
Yaldin tapped the tactics board, drawing everyone's attention back.
"I know everyone's exhausted from working on multiple fronts lately."
"But even with our depleted formation, we were able to turn the tide against Lille."
"The team we're facing now is just a team that got lucky and finished third."
"I hope you can pull yourselves together and show them that established powerhouses never rely on luck, but on skill!"
Come on!
His words instantly ignited the atmosphere in the locker room.
The team members shouted slogans, their morale soaring.
……
In the home team's locker room on the other side.
Angers' manager, Moulin, said in a lighthearted tone: "We're competing on a single front now, and our physical condition is far superior to Monaco's!"
"Moreover, all three of their forwards are still injured, which is a huge advantage for us!"
"Let me tell you, our strategy for later is to pull back the defensive line and focus on counter-attacks!"
"If we put away the spatial ability, that Chinese kid's long teleportation technique will be useless!"
"Once Monaco gets bogged down in positional play, they won't have a tall striker to provide aerial bombardment..."
Mulan smiled and said, "In the end, we'll be the ones laughing last!"
……
"Alright, with both teams' players entering the field, the starting lineups for this match are now officially announced!"
"The home team, Angers, has deployed a 4-1-4-1 formation!"
"Goalkeeper Letellier."
"Defenders: Angura, Ismail, Roman Toma, Manso."
"Defensive midfielder Seth."
"Midfielders: Sunu, Ndoye, Capelle, and Katekovfon."
"Yatara is the striker!"
He Wei explained, "Angers' formation is very interesting, with two wingers."
"It looks like it was designed specifically to reduce space in the midfield."
"When defending, set up a 4-1-4-1 formation, and drop back to help defend when necessary."
"When attacking, the two wingers move forward, and the formation changes to 4-3-3."
"This way, they can quickly rotate and launch counter-attacks after winning the ball in midfield."
"As for Monaco, they still use the familiar 4-2-3-1 formation."
"Jiang Ming will start in the attacking midfield position. It seems that Jardim still wants to place the core of the attack on him."
……
Studio.
"Monaco's schedule has been so packed lately! Everyone's exhausted!"
"That's right, even Jiang Ming is starting every game, he played the entire last match, who can keep up with that?"
"Have you guys noticed that Jiang Ming's stamina seems to have improved lately? Didn't they say he could only play half a game?"
"Hey, I bet his poor stamina before was an act! Jardim was deliberately holding back to make the other teams underestimate him!"
"Monaco has too many injuries now, so they're dropping the pretense and laying their cards on the table!"
"Hiss... Yardin is truly a top-tier coach; how could he even come up with an arrangement like this?"
"Ya Sheng is capable!"
……
The players from both sides took their positions.
The referee glanced up at the watch on his wrist.
Once the confirmation time arrived, the opening whistle was blown.
"Beep—"
The game officially begins!
The game begins.
Angers, having gained possession of the ball, seemed to have planned this all along.
The first touch was a back pass to the defender, and the entire formation immediately retreated.
They completely gave up the space in the center circle.
It's obvious they're telling Monaco: Come on up and do it yourself.
Monaco didn't rush into a move either.
Anyone can see that this is clearly a large net that has been cast out.
We're just waiting for them to crawl in.
Therefore, both sides were extremely cautious after the start of the match, and neither side made the first move.
……
The 12th minute of the match.
Jiang Ming, near the center circle, glanced at the left flank and sent out a long pass.
Costa immediately moved forward on the left flank.
But all of this was exactly what Angers coach Moulin had anticipated.
The defensive line dropped back, leaving Costa with no space to cut inside when he received the ball; his only option was to go down the byline.
Meanwhile, Angers' winger had dropped back and, together with the full-back, sandwiched Costa at the junction of the byline and the touchline.
This resulted in a localized encirclement and attack by two opponents against one.
"What is Costa going to do? There's no space to pass in the inverted triangle shape!" He Wei muttered.
"He took a step forward, intending to force his way inside."
"Oh dear, too bad, we were double-teamed again. Goal kick."
Seeing this, Mulan rubbed his hands together with a smile.
That's right, that's the effect he wanted!
By closing in the space, Monaco's long pass came in, and the teammate receiving the ball had absolutely no room to deal with it.
Either pass it back or drop it to the bottom.
At this point, the winger drops back to help press and close out the defense, creating a two-on-one situation.
In Mullan's view, there are very few people in the entire football world who can pose a threat in this situation.
the other side.
Jardim stood on the sidelines with his arms crossed, seemingly unconcerned.
He remained as calm and collected as ever.
Restricting long passes?
hey-hey……
These guys have no idea about Jiang's current abilities.
As long as the team can weather this period of testing.
Next, it's Jiang's turn to shine.
……
Live stream chat:
"The first special round has passed, and neither side has made a move yet. Could it be a 0-0 draw?"
"It's not that Monaco didn't try, it's that Angers played too defensively, making it impossible for them to break through."
"There's no space for long passes, no strikers, and nobody in the penalty area who can actually hit the ball."
"I got hurt by smashing the dog. I don't even know how to play this in Pro Evolution Soccer."
"Yeah, yeah, it's so boring I almost fell asleep watching it."
……
In the blink of an eye, it was the 21th minute.
Jiang Ming received a back pass in midfield and took two steps forward with the ball.
"Oh? Could it be that he's going to break through on his own, just like last time?" He Wei asked in surprise.
But Jiang Ming stopped as soon as he reached the heart of Angers' midfield.
He made a short pass to Bernardo Silva on the right wing.
"Oh, so you still didn't come by yourself."
"That's true. The opposing midfield is so tight, and with the wingers cutting inside, there are a total of five players. There's simply no room for them to make a move."
Bernardo Silva didn't rush in blindly; after receiving the ball, he immediately passed it back to Jiang Ming.
Jiang Ming received the ball, and without even looking, he passed it to Costa on the left wing.
Costa did the same, receiving the ball and passing it back to Jiang Ming.
"Huh? What is Monaco doing? Jiang Ming has been passing the ball out from midfield with one touch, going back and forth across the field?"
"Could it be Van Gaal's tactic of drawing large circles?"
"To be honest, this tactic is worse than just taking a couple of long-range shots from the edge of the box..."
He Wei hadn't finished speaking yet.
A sudden change occurred on the field!
The moment Jiang Ming received the ball this time, it was as if he had opened his third eye.
Without pausing, he delivered a through pass.
It was precisely inserted into the gap in the right side rib area!
Bernardo Silva had already taken advantage of the fact that the Angers players were distracted by the cross pass and no one was marking him.
He quickly moved forward and positioned himself, creating a one-on-one opportunity!
Keep the ball moving...
He didn't need to stop the ball at all!
That was a perfect pass!
Angers' goalkeeper Letlille instantly spread his arms, trying to block the near post.
But Bernardo Silva simply pushed lightly with his weaker foot.
The ball slipped through the gap between him and the defender who was covering.
It rolled into the far corner!
1-0!!
"YEAHHHHHH!!!"
A tremendous roar erupted from the away team's fan section.
"Beautiful!! Goal!!" He Wei's voice rose immediately.
After nearly twenty minutes of silence, Monaco finally broke the deadlock!
"Jiang Ming delivered a through ball down the flank, Bernardo Silva surged forward for a one-on-one opportunity, and slotted a shot into the far corner with his weaker foot – a perfect combination!"
Watching the replay of the goal, He Wei suddenly realized something, and a brilliant idea flashed into his mind.
He exclaimed excitedly, "I understand!"
"Jiang Ming passed the ball directly back, not in a wide arc!"
"He used quick short passes to stretch Angers' entire line from side to side!"
"When the ball is passed to the left, Angers' line has to shift slightly to the left, and the same applies when it's passed to the right."
"Jiang Ming seized the opportunity when Angers' formation shifted laterally."
"A quick, decisive pass! It tears apart Angers' defense, which hasn't even gotten back into position!"
"This style of play demands extremely high precision and speed in passing."
"A slight mistake could lead to a turnover and a counter-attack!"
He Wei finished explaining the entire goal-scoring process.
The fans immediately understood.
"So that's how it is! Monaco has no focal point in the penalty area and can only rely on Jiang Ming to stretch Angers' defense."
"This will create enough space for the wingers on both sides to receive the ball."
"This will create space for both cutting inside and shooting!"
"My God! What kind of strategic thinking is that? He's only 18!"
"Strategist Jiang Ming, the new card is now available!"
"In my opinion, his most ruthless move is his passing!"
"A quick and accurate pass that completely shattered Angers' formation!"
"Jiang Ming! Take us to Russia!"
……
Sidelines.
Yaldin clicked his tongue in amazement.
Seeing his tactics successfully implemented, he was in high spirits.
He looked at the young Chinese man on the field, surrounded by his teammates.
Two days earlier during training, he noticed that the kid's short passing was off.
The ball's reception and passing were incredibly smooth.
It's like they've been cheated.
Therefore, the team is currently facing a shortage of attacking talent.
Yardin boldly implemented a tactical reform...
From high pressing to localized passing and control!
The core of the entire local passing and control system is Jiang Ming alone!
Now it seems...
His tactical reforms are no less impressive than Guardiola's!
Yaldin was smug.
……
On the other side, Mulan scratched his head, looking a little confused.
This……
Could it be that there's something wrong with my tactics?
No, no, that can't be it.
He thought about it and concluded that the players on the field must not have pressed the ball properly.
In short, we need to find someone to take the blame!
He yelled at the players on the field, "Hey! What's wrong with you guys? Why didn't you go up and steal the ball from him? Why are you letting that Chinese kid get the ball so easily?"
The Angers players on the field were completely bewildered: "Huh? Boss, didn't you say before the match that there was no need to push forward too much, and that we should just target the threat at the edge of the penalty area?"
"You also said there was no need to press forward, that the back line just needed to hold its ground, and that the only defense was to prevent being pushed out and attacked from behind..."
Mulan was momentarily speechless, coughing twice: "Uh... you guys really did what I said? Don't you understand the concept of improvisation?"
"Alright! It's just a small mistake! When we go up next time, don't let him catch the ball so easily!"
……
The Angers players returned to their positions with bewildered expressions.
Both sides returned to the center circle.
The game has restarted.
After this goal.
Jiang Ming completely exposed the disguise that Yardin had arranged.
The speed at which he passes the ball has become faster.
"Wow! What a fantastic catch!"
"Without excessive pauses or adjustments!"
"A concealed kick!"
"Just the right amount of lead time!"
"What kind of passing master is this?"
He Wei was increasingly surprised as he looked, his expression constantly shifting.
Who does his playing style resemble?
On the field.
With such efficient passing, Monaco's team played better and better.
The main thing is that he can always receive the ball steadily at his feet.
There's no need to think too much, just go for it.
Especially the three forwards.
Such a cake, if it weren't for saving face on stage.
Otherwise, they might just yell "Oh ho ho ho!"
That was so awesome...
……
The 39th minute of the match.
The Angers players, who were completely bewildered by Jiang Ming's series of brilliant passes, finally couldn't hold back any longer.
We must destroy Monaco's "core".
They immediately followed the coach's instructions.
When the Chinese player receives the ball again, he should press forward to intercept.
"Here it comes! Angers' counterattack!"
"Jiang Ming...wow! He guessed the other party's focus right away!"
"He turned and changed direction to get rid of the defender on his right!"
"Highly efficient dribbling!"
"Pass it straight to the left wing, to Costa..."
"Costa, what should we do? Just pass the ball!"
"Is it Carrillo in the middle? No! It's at the back post!"
"B. Silva follows up, unleashing a powerful shot!"
"Goal!"
"2-0!!"
"Continuous 3D Pinball!"
"Monaco continues to find weaknesses in Angers' defense by switching the ball left and right!"
"It's Jiang Ming launching an attack again!"
"Get rid of the ball, pass it out, move it around..."
"Today, he seemed to have eyes that could see the entire room!"
"No matter how Angers moves their formation."
"No matter how much they compress the space."
"Jiang Ming always manages to find the most correct passing lane in the first instant!"
He Wei paused here.
He watched the Chinese teenager on the broadcast screen, constantly catching, turning, and passing the ball.
A feeling involuntarily arose in my mind.
The people standing on the field are not 18-year-old boys.
Rather, he was a midfield commander who brought possession-based football to its ultimate form.