Ground football: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him

Moreirense Football Club, Head Coach's Office.

Although it was late at night, Trigra, his assistant, and Deng Kai were still organizing the data.

"The starting center, Anderson, is 22 years old and 1.88 meters tall. He is a typical center, but his footwork is not good and he cannot play the role of a pivot."

"At the same time, his shooting skills are not good; his pre-shot motion is too long, and his shots are often disrupted by others."

"Heading is possible; three out of the four goals they've scored so far have been headers. But apart from a very few chances, Moreirense basically has no chance of crossing; they have no forwards who can break through to the byline."

After his assistant finished speaking, Deng Kai nodded and said, "Okay, if your footwork isn't good, use your head and chest to act as a fulcrum. As for creating scoring opportunities, I can handle that. I just need him to keep the ball in the attacking third."

There is no difference in this regard, because this is not the first time Deng Kai has said this.

The team's starting lineup and substitutes were all determined based on Deng Kai's playing habits.

Mr. Trigla, however, was very supportive and cooperative with Deng Kai.

This assistant, who had been an assistant coach at Moreirense for so long, swore he had never seen anything like it.

Was Trigla's child kidnapped by Deng Kai?

"Alex, 22 years old, 1.76 meters tall. It's not written here, but I know Alex is the fastest on the team," the assistant coach began. "However, due to the team's conservative tactics, he almost never has a chance to push forward except during counter-attacks."

"Furthermore, his crossing ability is quite good. I've always believed that if he had received better training from a young age, he could have become like Beckham!"

"But he was ultimately eliminated by Porto's youth team because his defense was too poor and his physical strength was lacking; he would lose the ball with the slightest touch."

Deng Kai thought for a moment: "Fast speed, good crossing, poor defense and physique—these characteristics could make him an attacking or even overlapping full-back. He'd only attack and not defend."

"It just so happens that the team's right winger, Flavio, has good dribbling skills but lacks speed and the ability to get to the byline. Alex can fulfill that role, creating a two-pronged attack with Ronaldo on the left wing."

Assistant Coach: "Huh? What about the defense..."

Deng Kai: "When Alex goes up, Gillop moves to the right, and his speed is an advantage. Macedo can drop back to form a false center-back to protect the middle."

"Aren't Cordero and Macedo competing for a position? Whoever can better cover the space left by Gilop's movement will be the team's starting defensive midfielder."

"Emerson, as an all-around midfielder, is responsible for sweeping behind me. Once the team gains confidence, he can also participate in the attack."

Finally, Duncan and Trigla finalized the team's starting lineup.

=

Cristiano Ronaldo, Anderson, Flavio

Emerson, Macedo, and Duncan

Serafim, Fonte, Kirop, Alex

Ricardo

=

Cordeiro (midfielder), Altino (center-back), Orlando (center-back), and Gomez (goalkeeper) are among the team's key substitutes.

The team uses a 4-3-3 formation, focusing on attacking down the flanks. The left flank, where Ronaldo plays, is the strong side and the main attacking route.

In actual matches, Deng Kai's positioning is closer to that of an attacking midfielder, very close to the left flank, and not as far apart as seen in the formation chart.

This is also thanks to Deng Kai's improved running ability and speed.

Flavio on the right wing is mainly responsible for receiving passes and will be positioned relatively inside. When the opportunity arises, he will try to attack the gaps in the flanks. Alex is the real attacker on the right wing and is responsible for crossing the ball from the wing.

Alex's crosses have two levels of effectiveness; his crosses from the byline are mainly aimed at the center of the goal, which is basically Anderson's area.

If you don't cross from the byline, but instead send a cross at a 45-degree angle, you can lob it to the far post and find Ronaldo.

The gaps left by Alex's runs will be filled by changes in the defensive formation.

But this also essentially eliminated the team's original captain and starting center-back, Altino, from his position.

The soul of this defensive line lies in Kirop; his role is irreplaceable.

Goalkeeper Ricardo is more reliable and experienced than backup goalkeeper Sergio Gomez, so he will definitely start.

But Gomez has a stronger attacking ability and actually has more potential.

……

In fact, it didn't take long for Deng Kai, Cristiano Ronaldo, Fonte to become familiar with Anderson, Alex, Gillop, Gomez, and others.

They're all young people, so they have a lot to talk about.

Trigla's tactics basically revolve around these young people, and as beneficiaries, they naturally need to maintain friendships with Trigla's spokesperson, Deng Kai, and others.

These are all very real things that Cristiano Ronaldo wouldn't have access to in the youth academy.

Because youth training teams focus more on development, everyone will develop their strengths under the guidance of coaches.

But professional teams look at results, and it's normal to sacrifice your personal characteristics for the sake of results.

Anderson's footwork is poor, so he definitely hopes his teammates will cross the ball to him more often.

Alex is fast and definitely wants to play on offense.

Kilop had long since grown tired of being Altino's substitute; he wanted to be a starter.

Now that their wishes have come true, they naturally want to put in their best effort.

On January 27th, the 16th round of the Portuguese Second Division kicked off.

Moreirense's opponent is Penafil, who has just escaped the relegation zone.

This shows that there is still a certain gap in strength between the two sides.

Before the match, the general consensus was that Peñafil would win.

Triguera's arrival did not bring any confidence to Moreirense fans, because instead of Jardel and Quaresma, he was joined by Ronaldo and Duncan.

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Fonte: I'm saying it again, I'm here too! Can you guys please stop ignoring me?

As it was Deng Kai and Cristiano Ronaldo's first professional match, the two of them, oh no, and Fonte as well, were all very excited.

But soon, Ronaldo's interest in professional football diminished considerably.

Thirteenth minute.

After receiving a pass from Deng Kai on the left wing, Cristiano Ronaldo attempted to break through the opponent. After several feints, he began to perform stepovers.

He felt that the other person was about to be shaken off.

He had even already planned his next move after shaking off the other person.

boom!

The opponent used a somewhat dangerous tackle to break the ball at Ronaldo's feet, bringing him down to the ground as well.

The key point is that the other side hasn't committed a foul yet.

Cristiano Ronaldo was very unhappy on the ground. He believed that although the opponent touched the ball first, it was a dangerous move and he should have received a card.

However, the referee ignored Ronaldo completely.

In professional football, results matter more.

Moreover, the referee even thought Ronaldo was too fragile. He had a good chance of not falling down after being kicked. Ronaldo's collapse after just one touch looked like a performance.

This is due to the different scales of professional competitions and youth training schedules.

Cristiano Ronaldo felt he had been treated unfairly.

Little did he know that the other person was also glaring fiercely at Ronaldo, inwardly cursing... "What the hell are you showing off!"

I like playing football on the ground: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him.