Super Wingstorm

"Is that all you’ve got?"

Yang Yang was oblivious to the shock of everyone both on and off the field. His eyes were only on his opponent.

Losing the ball while dribbling—it was the first time it had happened this match. Omni-Bass’s number seven was already fuming with humiliation, and hearing Yang Yang’s words only stoked his fury, making him grit his teeth in anger.

’It was just a fluke, what are you so smug about?’

"Just you wait," Omni-Bass’s number seven snarled before turning and walking away.

Clearly, he was genuinely furious.

Yang Yang watched his back, a cold, unconcerned smile on his face.

...

...

After the ball was cleared to the front field, it was quickly intercepted by Omni-Bass again.

It wasn’t that the Baken Academy players weren’t trying, but their midfield was overly reliant on Henk Demyer. With their core player neutralized, the entire midfield operation fell into disarray, leading to numerous mistakes.

After a few passes, the ball once again came to the left flank.

As a strong team in the Amsterdam South Inter-School Cup, Omni-Bass’s number seven was undeniably skilled for his age. Although he was provoked and a bit hot-headed, he had learned his lesson from before and proactively dropped back to receive the ball.

His strength was his speed; his greatest advantage was charging forward head-on with the ball.

This time, after receiving the ball, he dribbled down the right wing, charging rapidly toward Yang Yang.

’That was just luck. Let’s see you defend against this!’

Yang Yang immediately realized that his opponent wasn’t holding anything back this time. He was going all out.

’When facing an attacker one-on-one, the defender is under immense pressure and has to make a decision in a split second. It’s easy to be misled by a feint the moment the attacker shows a slight intention, and then rush in blindly. That’s a huge mistake.’

’The more critical the moment, the more you have to stay calm and patient. Stick with your opponent and wait for the right opportunity.’

’And that opportunity often appears in the transition between two of the opponent’s moves, or when they lose control of the ball.’

The opponent quickly dribbled to the edge of Baken Academy’s penalty area and suddenly used his right foot to cut inside. Yang Yang immediately turned his body forty-five degrees to face him, backpedaling continuously. Although he didn’t let the attacker get past him, he conceded a large amount of space on the right flank.

’Heh heh, still not taking the bait?’ The opposing number seven was overjoyed.

"Damn it, he’s going for the byline!" Dick Van Puer cried out from the sidelines, his voice filled with anxiety.

’How could he fall for such a simple feint?’

But Van Puer’s warning was clearly too late. The Omni-Bass number seven suddenly pulled the ball back with his right foot, then poked it forward with his left, executing a sharp change of direction from cutting inside to heading for the byline.

He never intended to cut inside at all. He was strongly right-footed, and cutting in would limit his effectiveness. His real specialty was getting to the byline for a cross.

But just as he was feeling smug, thinking he had finally beaten his opponent, a figure blurred before his eyes. The rookie defending him had suddenly cut in front of him, perfectly positioning his body to block the path. He used his hips to muscle the attacker behind him, forcing his sprint towards the byline to a premature end.

After blocking him, Yang Yang caught up to the ball and pushed it sideways with his right foot, passing it into the penalty area.

The center-back teammate providing cover behind him once again cleared the ball with a powerful kick, and Baken Academy averted another crisis.

Once again, enthusiastic applause erupted from the sidelines, and you could even faintly hear cheers from the fans.

"Well done, kid from China! Beautiful defending."

"So solid in defense! That was brilliant!"

"I’m starting to like you, haha..."

Hearing the applause and cheers from the fans on the sideline, Yang Yang’s lips curved into a smile, and he raised his right hand to the crowd in thanks.

’Being praised actually feels pretty good.’

Turning back to look at his stunned opponent, Yang Yang chuckled and said, "I knew you were going for the byline."

The Omni-Bass number seven’s heart skipped a beat. ’Could it be? Did he intentionally leave that huge gap on the right as a trap?’

Thinking it over more carefully, he immediately realized that just before he had cut inside, his opponent seemed to make a distracting move. ’Could it be that even then, he had already decided to leave the right flank open to lure me towards the byline?’

Looking at Yang Yang’s back, he suddenly felt a sense of apprehension.

He had failed to get the better of him twice in a row; how could he dare to be careless now?

But he couldn’t help feeling frustrated. ’Is this guy really the legendary wash-up from the Almere Youth Team?’

...

...

"He... he actually defended successfully!" Dick Van Puer could hardly believe his eyes.

If the first defensive play was luck, then the second one couldn’t be explained away by luck anymore.

But was this really Yang Yang? Since when did he have this kind of skill?

"His improvement is just too fast," John Reep said, equally astonished.

Although he knew Yang Yang had made significant progress in training recently, with his defensive performance being particularly good, he never imagined the improvement would be this drastic. It was simply staggering.

"Both defensive plays used only the simplest, most common, and practical techniques. But his composure and calmness when facing the opponent, as well as his grasp of timing, were both eye-opening. Especially that pass he made across the penalty area after winning the ball—he didn’t even look up at his teammate, yet it was as if he knew exactly where he would be."

"This..." Dick Van Puer was taken aback. "You mean to say..."

Some superstars who possess a superior ability to read the game can grasp everything happening around them in an ever-changing match, as if they were watching a recording. Based on this, they can deduce the defenders’ thoughts and make unexpected choices.

Stars with this kind of ability are rare, but they are always stunning to watch, like Raul, Bergkamp, or Ronaldinho.

But could Yang Yang possibly have such an ability?

Not long ago, he was running around like a headless chicken during team practice. He didn’t seem like it at all.

John Reep shook his head and sighed. He was finding it harder and harder to understand this player. But based on his performance in the few minutes since he came on, with proper development, he might actually become a competent defender in the future.

"In any case, let’s observe him for a while longer."

Dick Van Puer nodded slightly. He sensed that the head coach seemed to have the intention of keeping the Chinese player.

...

...

Despite being thwarted twice while trying to break through on the left flank, Omni-Bass did not change their line of attack.

They relied most heavily on their number seven’s breakthroughs on the left wing, and with Baken Academy’s right-flank defense currently being a weak point, why would they change their strategy?

But in the several one-on-one encounters that followed, the opposing number seven failed to get even the slightest advantage over Yang Yang. Whether it was a direct dribbling breakthrough or a through ball into the space behind to compete on speed, Yang Yang gave him no opportunities whatsoever.

This left the Omni-Bass number seven extremely frustrated, but there was nothing he could do.

Although Baken Academy’s defense had stabilized, their midfield organization was still weak, and their offense showed no signs of life.

After winning several one-on-one duels, Yang Yang grew increasingly confident. As time wore on and stamina drained, the opposing number seven gradually changed his approach, and Omni-Bass began to attack from other directions. The pressure on Baken Academy’s right flank immediately lessened, and Yang Yang started to try and support the midfield.

However, the players, led by Henk Demyer, clearly didn’t trust him. Several times, Yang Yang ran into open space on the right wing, but no one passed him the ball, causing them to miss attacking opportunities. This made both Dick Van Puer and John Reep shake their heads and sigh on the sidelines.

In terms of skill, Henk Demyer was indeed the best player on the team, but he was narrow-minded and lacked team spirit. Just because he had a conflict with Yang Yang, he disregarded the team’s interests—hardly the behavior expected of a captain.

But Almere had only been founded less than seven years ago and didn’t have many young talents. With Henk Demyer’s potential, getting into the Ajax Youth Academy might be difficult, but helping Almere compete in the second division of the Netherlands league in the future wouldn’t be a problem.

Any team would be more lenient with such a homegrown talent from their youth system, a fact that both John Reep and Dick Van Puer were well aware of.

Yang Yang also realized that his teammates had no intention of passing to him, but he didn’t care. Whenever there was a chance, he would still run into open space to be available for a pass. For him, this was a rare opportunity to get match experience, especially for practicing his [God’s Vision].

The match time ticked away, but the score on the field remained zero to two. Baken Academy’s offense still showed no signs of life. After being repeatedly thwarted in their strong attacks on the left flank, Omni-Bass began to focus more on the right flank and the center.

But just as the match reached the seventy-eighth minute, Omni-Bass launched a strong attack on the right flank. Baken Academy’s entire defensive line shifted to their own left side, and Yang Yang was forced to track back into the penalty area to defend. However, the opponent suddenly switched the play with a big kick, sending a long pass over to the left flank.

The opposing number seven sprinted forward from midfield, chasing after the ball.

Everyone on and off the field was stunned. Head coach Dick Van Puer even cried out, "This is bad!" The Omni-Bass center forward was waiting for an opportunity at the edge of the penalty area. If their number seven caught up to the ball and sent in a cross from the byline, it would be extremely dangerous. Weren’t the first two goals conceded in exactly that way?

At that very moment, Yang Yang shot out of the penalty area, also chasing after the ball’s landing spot.

The Omni-Bass number seven was known for his speed, but Yang Yang was full of stamina. His sprinting speed was not only on par, but actually seemed a bit faster. Despite starting later, he managed to turn a disadvantageous situation into a fifty-fifty contest.

The opposing number seven, in particular, after losing out several times in a row, was now facing a Yang Yang who charged out like a hungry wolf. He looked skinny, but he seemed completely unafraid of a collision. Faced with this, the number seven’s confidence faltered.

Once his momentum wavered, his speed dropped a beat. As a result, Yang Yang reached the ball first and, without waiting for it to land, flicked it up lightly.

After a period of basic training, Yang Yang’s fundamental skills had indeed improved significantly, and it was on full display in that light flick.

Yang Yang flicked the ball just high enough to go over the number seven, landing behind him on the outside. Without losing any speed, Yang Yang blew past his opponent’s side like a gust of wind, continuing his pursuit of the ball.

Once again, fervent applause and cheers erupted from on and off the field.

But Yang Yang paid it no mind. After catching up to the ball, he dribbled it rapidly down the right wing, advancing forward.

Yang Yang had successfully won the ball and immediately launched a counter-attack. Baken Academy transitioned from defense to offense.

And on the entire right wing, the only one standing in Yang Yang’s way was Omni-Bass’s left-back, who had pushed up near the halfway line.