Chapter 52: Impact

"German third tier?"

Shinji Kagawa smiled with surprise, a laugh that made Wei Lai's face flush slightly.

He felt as though this guy was mocking him.

"No offense intended! To some extent, what he said is quite right!" Shinji Kagawa said with a smile, "Wei Lai-san is a very peculiar player. Usually, players master the fundamentals first, and then move on to higher-level abilities such as reading the game, defensive linkage, and systematic tactics!"

"Yet you are doing it in reverse. In fact, your game awareness does match the level of the third-tier league, and even exceeds it somewhat. But having the awareness doesn't mean your body can execute the corresponding movements."

Shinji Kagawa blinked. "You clearly know what needs to be done, but because your body can't keep up, you end up in a state of panic."

Wei Lai was slightly stunned.

Wasn't this precisely the problem that had been plaguing him?

During the simulated Premier League matches in his training course, there were times when he clearly knew what to do and where to be.

Yet the moment he received the ball, he would begin to panic.

It was a textbook case of his physical execution lagging far behind his tactical awareness.

Passes made in a state of panic naturally resulted in frequent errors.

Looking at Wei Lai, Shinji Kagawa asked, "Wei Lai-san, what do you think top players in the top five leagues are actually competing on?"

Wei Lai thought for a moment. "Technique?"

Shinji Kagawa smiled. "Aside from a few exceptional top stars, there isn't a massive difference in technique. Don't forget, this is the top tier; if a player's technique is lacking, the club will simply spend money to buy someone whose technique is good!"

Wei Lai tried again. "Awareness?"

Shinji Kagawa replied, "Getting close to the answer!"

Wei Lai fell into deep thought once more. Combining his feelings in the virtual arena and his encounters with these professional players, he finally offered an answer.

"Tactical comprehension!"

"Bingo!"

Shinji Kagawa snapped his fingers and said in pleasant surprise, "I didn't expect you to make that connection."

"For any team, the tactical system is the foundation, and players must adapt to that system. If an individual player cannot adapt, the club will simply spend money to buy a better one!"

"Within this tactical system, there are attacking cores, defensive cores, playmaker cores, and sometimes teams built around a single primary core! These core players and role players act like puzzle pieces, together constructing a systematic team capable of competing in top-tier leagues."

"Tactical comprehension is part of blending into the system. If you want to become a star in the absolute sense, you must first become a part of the system."

"If you want to become a historical-level player, you must shatter the shackles of the system."

"In our world, there are two world-class stars who shine as brightly as twin stars in the football firmament, completely overshadowing the radiance of all other players."

"The way they play makes no sense, yet at the same time, it makes absolute sense."

"For instance, when faced with a three-man trap, one will choose to dribble past them, while the other will choose to shoot."

"The training we receive tells us that in such situations, the ball should be moved to a safe area, but they don't think that way. Without a doubt, if anyone else did that, they would certainly face a manager's furious roaring. Yet not only did they do it, but they also succeeded."

"Their sheer absolute ability supports them so that they are not bound by the framework of the system, and such players are called historical-level!"

"If professional players are categorized by tiers, I suppose they can be divided into five classes!"

"The first class: puzzle pieces. Those who understand tactics, commonly known as role players!"

"The second class: specialized cores. Those who master the tactics and leverage them. These players possess specific expertise—whether in attacking, orchestrating, or defending!"

"The third class: systematic cores. The founders and pillars of a system."

"The fourth class: major cores. Those who carry their own set of tactics, transcending parts of the system while still relying upon it!"

"The fifth class: absolute cores. Those unbound by any system, the ultimate proof of a top team. When trouble strikes, everyone thinks of them first and relies upon them, and they are able to answer those expectations!"

Wei Lai sighed. "So, I don't even qualify to be a puzzle piece!"

"Don't be discouraged!" Shinji Kagawa laughed. "Wei Lai-san, your future at the very least will reach the second class as a specialized core, because you already meet those conditions. As long as you train your fundamentals well, you will naturally reach that level!"

"With even further effort, you might even touch the realm of a systematic core."

Wei Lai looked up. "What about the fourth and fifth classes? What conditions do those require?"

Shinji Kagawa fell silent for a long time before slowly shaking his head. "Sorry, I don't know the answer either!"

...

On the third day, the second warm-up match arrived.

The opponent was the youth academy of Royal Antwerp from Belgium, a club that could be considered a semi-giant in terms of Belgian youth development.

The overall match was considerably more intense.

Compared to the Mexican Wanderers, these Belgian youth players certainly caused the Little Lions some trouble, but only to a certain extent.

Once the Little Lions adapted, they immediately launched a sharp counterattack.

Especially after the thirty-fifth minute, taking advantage of a moment of laxity in Antwerp's defense, they scored two goals in the space of just five minutes to establish their advantage.

In the second half, faced with Antwerp's fierce attacks, the Little Lions seized two more opportunities.

The first came from Wei Lai's interception and counterattack.

The second came from a sudden change in tempo.

However, in the eighty-third minute, Belgium suddenly produced a stroke of brilliance. A sudden lofted ball into the penalty area led to a fierce physical duel between Sonny and the opposing center-forward. During the clash, Sonny's arm struck the ball, and the Little Lions were penalized with a penalty kick.

The opponent converted it precisely, securing a goal to salvage some pride.

Even so, the Green Youth Lions still claimed victory with a 4:1 scoreline.

Unlike the first match, this resounding victory over Antwerp's youth team brought cheers of joy from both the Little Lions and the fans in the live broadcast room.

What particularly excited the fans was that the overall strength of the foreign-aid version of the Green Youth Lions seemed even stronger than imagined.

After all, in the warm-up match on the first day, although Antwerp had lost to Barcelona Juvenil, they had only trailed by a single goal.

Yet against the Little Lions, they had conceded four goals in quick succession. Comparing the two, the attacking prowess of the Little Lions was perhaps superior to Barcelona's youth setup?

With this thought, the fans naturally grew even more excited.

They eagerly anticipated the match on the fourth day.

Valencia's youth academy—that would be the true test to measure the overall strength of the Little Lions.

However, the attention of the young players was soon drawn to another piece of news.

Antonio Alonso, a seventeen-year-old Spanish prodigy aged seventeen years and one hundred and thirty-seven days, had made his La Liga debut for Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium.

In his debut match against Sporting, he came on as a substitute in the sixty-first minute and provided an assist in the eighty-third, helping his team defeat their opponents 4:1.

This news was not only widely publicized across Spain, but it also sent shockwaves through the hearts of the Chinese youngsters.

Playing in La Liga at seventeen!

The impact on them was immense.

He was barely two years older than them.

Yet while they were still searching for a breakthrough in youth academies, this guy was already playing in one of the top five leagues.

If they asked themselves honestly, could they play in the top five leagues in two years?

Taking a step back, even if they did make it, could they produce performances matching that of Antonio Alonso?

The answer was self-evident!

Wei Lai, He Chaoyue, Xiang Ming, Yang Fan, and the others gathered together, watching Antonio Alonso's debut performance as a group.

No one spoke; they were all watching the match intently.

Unlike the others, whose eyes were mixed with envy, bewilderment, and a sense of urgency, Wei Lai fixed his gaze strictly on every single technical movement of Antonio Alonso.

Seventeen-year-old Antonio Alonso played in La Liga with complete ease, pulling off several dribbles and delivering an assist.

Fifteen-year-old Wei Lai had played in the English Premier League and couldn't even last ten minutes before being shouted off the pitch.

Wei Lai clenched his fists, silently vowing to himself.

In two years, I'm going to play like that too!