With maxed-out heading ability from the start, I became the king of Arsenal.

Upon seeing the system notification, Sun Yu felt a slight sense of regret.

I should have gotten the contact information of the London Evening Standard reporter yesterday so I could have read their article.

He is now trying to figure out one thing—whether it was the competition results or the essay that provoked his "mentor".

Sun Yu didn't mean to be sarcastic or sarcastic. Slade gave the original owner a contract, allowing him to eat in the cafeteria for three years.

Sun Yu was able to restart his professional career as a center after Slade terminated his contract.

Perhaps things didn't go as the other party intended, but for Sun Yu, it did have a crucial impact.

Sun Yu certainly wouldn't hold a grudge against him, but it was only right to take some of his defense points.

Sun Yu arrived at the inner circle of the training base early in the morning. For him, every training session requires careful preparation.

Before training, his teammates were all talking about Berbatov.

In yesterday's Community Shield match, "Handsome Guy" jogged all the way through half the game and scored a goal to help Manchester United defeat Chelsea 3-1.

Main striker Ricardo Fowler cursed, "I gave it my all, and I couldn't even score a single goal."

"He just ran over there at a leisurely pace, hooked the ball behind him, and then he could shoot."

"This world truly laughs at poverty but not prostitution!"

That's not the literal meaning, but the translation is pretty much the same, which made Sun Yu spit out two meters of water.

After training began, Sun Yu noticed a problem: the relationship between Pulis and Gudjohnsen was very tense.

During a break in training, he asked Ricardo Fowler, a cheerful and outspoken man.

Fowler shook his head with a smile: "That guy has been unable to keep up with the team's training pace since he joined, and the boss has a lot of opinions about him."

"The boss has been holding back, after all, it's not easy to get a senior veteran like him."

"But that guy said during halftime of the warm-up match that the team's tactical style was too rigid, and that possession-based football is the future. I laughed so hard..."

Sun Yu understood; the biggest conflict between the two was that Pulis treated Goodjohnsen like a lottery ticket.

Goodjohnsen believes his visit to Stoke City is a form of technical assistance.

This reminded Sun Yu of an interview with Vardy he had seen in his previous life, in which he said that after Cambiasso transferred to Leicester City, he would spend all his time in the locker room bragging about how awesome he was at Inter Milan.

This guy was constantly trying to seize control of the locker room, doing a lot of bizarre things like notifying the team to hold meetings without consulting the captain, which almost caused the team to be relegated.

If it weren't for several key players marginalizing him, Leicester City wouldn't have been able to climb out of the relegation zone from bottom and stage the "Foxes Miracle".

But to be honest, Gudjohnsen is unlikely to make much of a splash in Stoke City.

First, his competitive form doesn't look good, and second, Pulis is a very pragmatic head coach.

He only looks at whether a player can fulfill his tactical requirements; professional experience is just a secondary consideration.

Sure enough, the two clashed not long after the tactics lesson began.

The reason is that Pulis required several players in the center forward group to practice ball protection, waiting for teammates to receive the ball after receiving it.

Gudjohnsen was the first to come on, but under pressure from Huth, he couldn't hold onto the ball at all.

Pulis shouted, "Edur (Gudjohnsen), you can't play for the team if you can't do this!"

Gudjohnsen, somewhat embarrassed, publicly emphasized his theory: "We can definitely play smarter. I can handle the ball well. Every player has their own strengths, so why can't we get the ball to midfield first?"

"We have two centers whose roles overlap, so I can definitely act as the hub for offensive and defensive transitions."

"My lord, times have changed!"

Seeing Goodjohnsen spread his hands, revealing a knowing smile, Sun Yu knew he was doomed.

Sure enough, Pulis slammed his tactical board onto the grass in a rage, then yelled, "I don't need you to teach me!"

"I'll say it again, you haven't met the team's tactical requirements!"

"Don't think you can lecture me just because you played for Barcelona. That's Messi's style of play; you and Messi aren't even from the same species!"

"No matter what tactics you use, you'll only mess things up!"

Pulis pointed at Sun Yu: "I bet even this kid plays better than you!"

"Sun Yu, it's your turn! Protect the ball with all your might!"

Sun Yu felt his heart pound several times, and he jumped twice on the spot to hide his nervousness.

Ricardo Fowler yelled to his teammates from the sideline, "Fuck, this kid's like he's on a spring!"

Amidst the laughter of his teammates, Sun Yu stepped onto the court.

Pulis loudly reminded Sun Yu: "Five balls, it counts as a success if you hold the ball for five seconds after receiving it or if the guard commits a foul."

The center-back Collins, who has four years of Premier League experience, was responsible for marking Sun Yu.

This guy played for Sunderland for six seasons before; he's a tough guy.

As soon as the two entered the combat zone, Collins used his arm to brace against Sun Yu's back, preventing him from gaining his footing.

Midfielder Whelan immediately delivered a low cross, and Collins bumped into Sun Yu hard from behind, trying to steal the ball while Sun Yu was still unsteady.

Trying to outsmart me?

Sun Yu decisively moved laterally, using his arm to firmly block the opponent, and turned to receive the ball as it came to his feet.

Upon seeing this, Pris's eyes widened in surprise.

As the saying goes, an expert can see the details; he could tell at a glance that this was no ordinary move.

Sun Yu stopped the ball with a single kick, placing it in a position that he could control but that his opponent couldn't reach with their leg.

Given Sun Yu's physical strength, Collins simply couldn't steal the ball.

Assistant coach Mark Robbins immediately began the countdown: "5, 4, 3..."

Upon hearing the countdown, Collins continued to ram into Sun Yu with increasing force.

Sun Yu did not confront him head-on; he always managed to step back slightly when the other man made a collision, thus dissipating the impact.

Collins had no way to deal with Sun Yu. With the countdown about to end, he became enraged and rammed into Sun Yu with all his might.

next moment!

Sun Yu, who had been keeping his body turned to the side, decisively pulled the ball behind him and then turned around cleanly to get rid of Collins.

Collins went all out but missed, almost falling flat on his face, which caused a burst of laughter from those around him.

"Wow! That's a classic back-to-the-basket move! I told you not to underestimate him!"

Ricardo Fowler's exaggerated comments were infectious, and his teammates around him joined in the shouting.

Collins's defense penetration value +1

Goodjohnsen's armor penetration value +3

Ok?

Upon seeing the system notification, Sun Yu subconsciously glanced at Goodjohnsen.

His effortless handling of the situation was tantamount to delivering a resounding slap to the other party.

My performance clearly demonstrates that the problem wasn't with the tactics.

Rather, it's because "Old Gu" lacks the ability.

Pulis smiled and nodded, saying, "Very good, prepare for the second ball."

The second pass was a half-high ball, and it took Sun Yu a lot of effort to stop it.

Collins was attacking relentlessly from behind, and the two battled for five seconds before Sun Yu regained possession of the ball.

Collins's defense penetration value +1

The third ball was passed to the right side of the two players. Sun Yu accelerated decisively, and Collins, seeing that he could not catch up with Sun Yu, simply fouled him from the side and behind.

Three successful ball protection attempts!

Sun Yu's three back-to-goal ball protections made Pulis's dopamine levels surge on the spot. For the first time after signing Sun Yu, he realized that this young man might really be able to become a Premier League-level center forward.

Pulis knew very well that Sun Yu had been playing center-back before coming to Stoke City and had not received any specific technical training as a center forward.

That would be truly incredible!

It's worth noting that Collins had started more than 30 times for Sunderland in six consecutive seasons; a center-back of this caliber is not exactly known for his good looks.

Pulis also noticed a detail.

After controlling the ball, Sun Yu doesn't need to observe its position to maintain control.

His ball control is actually pretty good!

Sometimes a small habit can distinguish between talented players and ordinary players.

Sun Yu doesn't need to keep his eyes on the ball; he can simply look up and observe the movements of the defenders and his teammates.

This is a world of difference compared to a center forward who keeps his head down to protect the ball!

At that moment, Pulis felt that Leighton Orient should shove Slade down the toilet and flush him away.

I searched all over the UK for a year and couldn't find a player like that, and they just said they didn't want him.

Indeed, even the most brilliant ideas of a clever person are no match for the quick thinking of a fool.

Pulis stopped the training session and then beckoned to captain Shawcross: "You guard him twice. Give it your all, but be careful not to overdo it."

Sun Yu's heart skipped a beat; this substitution had directly turned the difficulty from "normal" to "hellish".

In his view, Shawcross would be a name on any list of the world's top ten most violent footballers at any time.

One commentator even called Shawcross a "court killer who stays within the bounds of the law."

Therefore, Pris also wanted to offer a few words of advice.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shawcross walked over from the side.

As this guy walked over, Sun Yu instantly felt a powerful pressure.

He instantly perked up; if he could withstand the test against Shawcross, he would secure his position as the team's fourth center.

Don't underestimate this order of play; Stoke City's formation is 4-4-2.

With this draft pick, playing fifteen games a season shouldn't be a problem.

Sun Yu tried his best to muster his strength.