Chapter 44: Rapid Advance! Crazy September! On September 11th, Sheffield United traveled to Derby County for the fifth round of the league.
Derby County, as a veteran English powerhouse, had many shining moments in the last century, and the famous English coach Brian Clough emerged from here.
The match kicked off at 3:30 p.m. that day, with Sheffield United getting the ball first in the first half.
"Maël advances with the ball, he has had many highlights in the previous two games!
"A cross! Just a little bit off! Sheffield United gets a corner kick opportunity! Maël is taking it, this is his first time, it seems he has become the team's first corner taker.
"To the center! Very high quality! Ah, Evans actually missed the shot."
"…"
"The first half ends like this, both sides' defenses are in good shape and haven't given each other too many chances, especially the marking of Maël, Derby County has done a good job!
"This young player needs more variety, he is talented and very young, I believe he can do it.
"The full-back defending him today is of top EFL Championship level, and has been targeted by many wealthy clubs and is expected to join Chelsea next season."
"Okay, the second half begins, let's see how both sides perform next."
"…"
"This is Evans' pass! Gilbert breaks into the penalty area, is he about to score his second goal of his career?
"A push shot! Saved! Another shot! Goal! Beautiful! Youngster Gilbert scores the second goal of his career, and the first to run to him is Maël, they are both from Arsenal!"
"…"
"The game is over! One to zero, Gilbert scores the winning goal, Sheffield United achieves two consecutive wins after Gareth Speed took office!
"They have made a good start to the whole of September! Hopefully they can get more points, improve their ranking as soon as possible, and get rid of the risk of relegation!"
After the game, Maël, who won, happily carried Gilbert, the hero of the win, and the two walked around the away fans area to thank them.
The fans have remembered these two, and they called out Gilbert's name in this post-match.
"Arsenal's two little blessings have successively contributed to the team! Gareth Speed himself admitted that they have become an indispensable part of the team!" - Sheffield Evening News
September 14th, inside the training base.
Maël suddenly stopped training and lay down on the grass, his legs trembling slightly.
Gilbert was training with him today, and quickly approached, lifting Maël's leg with his hand, and twisting his ankle to help him stretch.
"Cramping?" he asked with concern.
"No."
Maël shook his head and smiled, "I'm feeling my muscles."
Gilbert: "…"
He curled his lip and rolled his eyes, put down Maël's leg, and just wanted to ask someone - do you know how speechless I am?
Maël didn't do it for anything else, mainly because his speed had improved again.
[Skill: Sprint lv2]
[Proficiency progress: (1/800)]
[Efficacy: You have begun to train the speed of muscle contraction and reaction ability, the proportion of fast muscle fibers is slowly changing, and you have a certain ability to sprint quickly!]
As time goes by, he has slowly become accustomed to the process from lv1 to lv2, but the improvement of physical attributes is not as simple as regular skills after all, and it can still bring him some pleasure.
Slowly having speed, his threatening ability on the wing will increase exponentially.
"The schedule is tight, and Step-Over Dribbling must also be added to the training program, otherwise the body will not be able to bear it at all."
He made a decision in his heart, in fact, it is not only because of the tight schedule, but also because he felt his limitations in the last game.
When he encounters a strong full-back, he actually doesn't have many options, and now the EFL Championship teams know that he likes Bicycle Kick.
Although Long Shot is still threatening, after all, there are not always good opportunities to shoot from distance in every game, and not every shot can be scored.
"If I pick up the Step-Over Dribbling I practiced before and practice it to lv3, then everything in the future will be different."
Maël has made psychological preparations for four-line training. Many excellent wingers don't have too many skills to get past people, just a flick and a buckle, plus some physical changes.
Step-Over Dribbling belongs to this category of techniques.
His Speed is also steadily increasing. When the time comes, if lv3 Speed can be paired with two lv3 dribbling skills,
even in the Premier League, he should have a certain success rate in dribbling, not to mention the EFL Championship.
[Skill: Brutal Shot lv3]
[Proficiency Progress: (218/800)]
Glancing at the proficiency of Long Shot, he was increasingly looking forward to the moment of improvement, which would inevitably become his first lv4 skill.
He had also discovered these days that using skills in matches, or the positive feedback from successful attempts, would significantly enhance his skill proficiency.
Now, let's continue forward with the schedule! On September 15th, Sheffield United, based at Bramall Lane Stadium, welcomed Scunthorpe, a team currently ranked in the middle of the standings.
"Although Sheffield United has achieved two consecutive victories, this may be the 'honeymoon' period for new manager Gareth Speed. The team's overall strength is not strong, and they have relied on the kid twice already." - Ball News Prediction
It must be said that this media outlet's prediction had some merit.
At the start of this match, Scunthorpe stunned Sheffield United with a tough opening gambit.
"Collins' through ball! Very beautiful, this ball tore apart Sheffield United's defense. Can Dagnall receive this ball? He's very fast, a one-on-one opportunity!!"
"A powerful shot!! Goal!! One-nil, Scunthorpe takes the lead on the road!"
"..."
"Corner kick taken! Good spot! Will Scunthorpe get a second goal?! Canavan's header, no! Muffin's follow-up shot... Oh!! Two-nil, Scunthorpe takes a two-nil lead in the first half! The two defenders' two shots completed this goal, they are in great form today!"
"..."
"It's Dagnall again! What's wrong with Sheffield United's defense today? They've given this quick-witted striker another one-on-one opportunity. Can he score?"
"Brace! Three-nil!! The home team's hopes of winning are slim. Let's see if they can score a consolation goal."
"..."
"Maël is attacking, he's in good form in this match, and he has some advantages when facing Canavan, whether in Strength or Speed, he seems to be better than this ball-playing, assisting full-back.
"Breakthrough... he's past him! The third successful breakthrough in this match, can this Cross hit the mark?"
"It's a fake Cross and a real cut inside! Maël has entered the penalty area, he's very close to the danger zone! A ground ball Cross, at the far post! Ward!! Goal!! A powerful shot! Ward scores his first goal of the season, and Maël also completes his fourth assist of the season, he is truly an excellent winger!"
"..."
"The referee blows the whistle to end the match. This match ends with Scunthorpe winning three-one! Gareth Speed suffers his first defeat since taking office, hopefully he can regroup!"
After the match, Maël and Gilbert sat by the advertising boards, watching the sparse crowd of fans leaving with dark faces, feeling slightly powerless.
Maël also tasted his first personal defeat. Honestly, this feeling was not good, and it didn't get much better because he had stats to show for it.
If he could choose, he would want to keep winning!
The current him, of course, still has a long way to go to reach that step... but he never gives up.
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