December 18th, a cold wind swept through Sheffield City, and pedestrians put on cotton-padded jackets to resist the cold.
The players wore long-sleeved tights for warmth during training, and many even wore gloves.
Maël's extra training plan was also affected by the increasingly cold weather. People were already reluctant to go out in winter, let alone engage in strenuous training.
The feeling of torment intensified, and instinctive laziness was trying to undermine his will. Every day, he wanted to stay at home a little longer.
"Maël! The King of Long Shots is coming! Ooh ooh!!"
At times like these, he would find his highlight reels from the games and watch his goals and celebration videos.
He also often touched his 'Monthly Best Trophy' and 'Best of the Match Trophy' in a daze, and often juggled the match ball from the Hat-trick game at home.
The purpose, of course, was to recall his emotions at the peak, ensuring his enthusiasm for improving his abilities.
It must be said that these were two somewhat neurotic but useful methods that could, to some extent, motivate him to go to the training base in the face of the bitter cold.
After the afternoon training session, Maël's short passing ability improved.
He had spent more time this month practicing his Cross ability, striving to acquire his second lv4 ability as soon as possible.
However, when the short pass panel appeared, it was already very close to lv3. He practiced it occasionally on weekdays, and it leveled up quickly.
[Skill: Instep Pass lv3]
[Proficiency: (1/800)]
[Effect: After long practice, your short passing ability has taken a qualitative leap. The Instep Pass, which was not easy to exert force on, has been used by you with great proficiency, possessing a certain Strength and ball Speed.]
"The increase in ball Speed."
He was overjoyed, feeling a strange sensation coming from his ankle and instep, as if he knew how to exert force when making a short pass.
Although short passing is very basic, it is not easy to pass well.
Many players with poor fundamentals will deform their short passing technique when under pressure or nervous during a match, and the ball they kick will bounce and jump.
This undoubtedly increases the difficulty for teammates to receive the ball and gives the opponent a chance to intercept. Generally, this kind of ball is called a 'knife-edge ball'.
Moreover, as a pass kicked with the leg sideways, it is difficult to exert force and generate ball Speed.
Because the range of leg swing is limited, the force relies entirely on the explosion of the waist, hips, and ankle. Without a lot of practice and without mastering the experience and skills, most of them are soft and weak.
Don't think ball Speed is not important!
The higher the level of the league, the higher the requirement for ball Speed. One second to a teammate's feet and two seconds to a teammate's feet are two completely different concepts.
If you delay here by one second, and he delays there by one second, the opponent's chasing players will rush back.
Moreover, when you want to use a short through ball to break through the opponent's defense, when using your instep to Cross, if you don't have Strength, it's no different from passing directly to the opponent.
"When the Cross reaches lv4, I need to practice my weak foot."
Maël thought of this. His position was left winger, and many times after beating a man, he had to twist to his right foot to pass, which was definitely not the optimal choice.
Before going to the Premier League, it was best to improve the ability of his weak foot. At that time, he could shoot and pass with both his left and right feet, and playing football would be much smoother and more efficient.
After returning home, Maël brought up all the panels and reviewed all his abilities like an inspection.
Cannon Shot lv4, Strong lv3, Explosion lv3, Flexibility lv3, Observation lv3, Precise Arc lv3, Instep Pass lv3, Curved Shot lv3, Bicycle Dribbling lv3, Step-Over Shoulder Feint lv3.
A total of ten skills, all above lv3!
He basically possessed balanced abilities. Next, he would advance towards the outstanding lv4!
...
December 19th, the second-to-last league round of the month arrived. This time, it was Sheffield United's home game.
Their opponent was Swansea, a regular in the top league who had encountered even greater turmoil this year.
As the last game before the Boxing Day competition, it was obvious that most of the players were somewhat absent-minded compared to before.
The game was slightly dull, even boring, with a slow pace and few intense confrontations, enough to make people doze off outdoors in winter.
"Bang!"
In the 31st minute of the first half, Maël's Long Shot caused the Swansea goalkeeper to fumble, and the ball bounced back to the six-yard line.
Bologanovic, who had been waiting for this opportunity, swept the ball into the net with one kick, giving the team a lead in the score!
One to zero!
However, besides this goal, neither side achieved anything else in the first half.
Maël only played 45 minutes in this match, with 2 successful dribbles. Unfortunately, his luck wasn't great, and several crosses didn't yield any significant stats.
He was substituted by Gareth Speed after halftime and sat on the bench to rest.
"Saving energy for the Boxing Day battle."
That was Gareth Speed's explanation to him when he came off, which seemed a bit flimsy.
"There's still a whole week."
He wanted to play a bit more, but he didn't argue with Gareth Speed, smiling to express his confusion, "I actually have energy to spare."
"Swansea doesn't have a strong desire to win."
Speed walked over and patted him on the back, "The game isn't very suspenseful, so we should rotate players as much as possible. It wouldn't be worth it if you got injured.
"Compared to the Boxing Day battle, this game is nothing. Think about it, what would our fans be like if we lost a game at home on Christmas Day?"
Maël calmed down a bit. He hadn't realized the importance of the Boxing Day battle before.
Thinking about it carefully, it should feel the same as watching the National Football Team lose during the Spring Festival and National Day in his previous life, a kind of astonishment and anger of suddenly being fed shit during a festive occasion.
"A game we truly can't afford to lose."
Understanding this, he sat quietly on the bench and watched the rest of the game, saving his energy for the next round.
As Gareth Speed expected, Swansea's desire to win really wasn't strong, and the second half was even more boring than the first.
In the end, Bologanovic's goal became the winning goal.
Sheffield United secured an easy victory at home, earning their 6th point of the month.
Two days later, through Evans' introduction, Maël met with a therapist who had served several Premier League players. They met at a coffee shop.
More effective ways to relieve fatigue have always been his pursuit.
This can greatly speed up his body's recovery, avoid the risk of injury, and give him more energy and time to grind proficiency.
From this perspective, he must be willing to invest in this area and strive to find an excellent team of therapists!
"Harry."
This was a middle-aged man in his forties with a beard, but his face had a contrasting kindness, "I've watched many of your games and learned about your daily habits from Evans.
"First, let me express my respect to you. You are an amazing player, gifted and strict with yourself. I look forward to you becoming the next Cristiano Ronaldo."
He shook hands with Maël and continued, "As we discussed on the phone, your main request is to relieve fatigue by changing your diet and getting massages?"
Maël nodded and explained his habits in detail, "I only have about 3 days of rest each month, and I spend the rest of the time doing extra training.
"The only difference is that after game days, my body is very tired, so I do less extra training; on weekdays, when my body is less tired, I do more extra training."
As he said this, he smiled slightly, seriously telling others about this, and even he himself admired himself a little.
"How many hours of extra training do you usually do?" Harry's eyes moved slightly as he asked carefully.
"4-6 hours."
Maël shrugged and replied, adding jokingly, "Many players only work 2-3 hours a day, but I maintain an 8-hour work system, and sometimes when the team has opponent analysis meetings, I have to work overtime for 2 hours."
"That's too much."
Harry didn't expect someone to abuse themselves like this. He shook his head and said, "Practicing like this carries a high risk of injury. It's just that you're young now, so the problems aren't obvious.
"Have you learned anything about physiotherapy?"
"No, I know almost nothing about it." Maël answered truthfully. Apart from changing his diet once early on, he hadn't learned anything else about it.
"Let me introduce it."
Harry took out a document, which he had prepared for finding a new job, "I just mentioned Cristiano, and there's another reason: his physiotherapy team is the most reasonable.
"It includes a personal nutritionist, personal doctor, masseur, and various therapists.
"These people will serve him in all aspects, formulating meticulous and regular plans to keep his body in optimal condition at all times."
Maël was very interested, as it was his first time encountering these things.
However, after hearing the other party list so many types, he could already imagine the enormous expense of supporting such a team.
And this wasn't even the end of it. In the future, as his influence grew, he would inevitably have a public relations team, a personal fan community operations team, and so on.
But... by the time he reached that level, he might have already become a walking money-making machine and wouldn't lack money.
On second thought, if he could support a team full of talent, allowing these top talents from all walks of life to serve him alone, enhance his personal value, take care of his body, and ensure his performance on the field...
That didn't sound bad either? He was somewhat looking forward to that day, but for now: "I probably can't assemble such a complete team yet."
"I understand."
Harry didn't show any other expression on his face. He introduced himself, "My specialty is human movement science, and I specialize in fatigue recovery and injury prevention."
"If you are willing to hire me, I will perform two muscle massages for you every day after training, each lasting 1.5 hours."
"I will also create a detailed recovery training plan, which may require you to spend an extra half hour each day practicing my training course."
He thought for a moment and recommended, "Actually, I have a very good partner, who is my sister—saying that might make you suspect my motives, but she is indeed a very good nutritionist."
"We used to work together at Chelsea, then went to Fulham, and later worked as private therapists for four Premier League players."
"She has received consistent praise, and the players have raved about her. She always understands everything about the players, knows what they need at the moment, and makes thorough preparations in advance."
"While ensuring a balanced diet, she can also take care of the players' tastes."
After listening to him, Maël asked the most crucial question: "What are your salary requirements? I mean, together?"
"Because we are private therapists."
Harry sat up straight and began to lay the groundwork, "We have to rent near the neighborhood where the player lives, with everything focused on the player, without any distractions, and be prepared to work overtime at any time, etc."
After laying the groundwork, he finally mentioned the key point: "My weekly salary in my previous therapist job was 1800 pounds, and now I have improved, so I hope to get a salary of 2000 pounds."
"As for my sister, she can be slightly lower, 1500 pounds, which also includes the money for purchasing various ingredients."
3500 pounds a week... Maël felt a pang in his heart, a bit of a sting. His after-tax weekly salary was only 6000 pounds, and it would only be higher after a raise.
This was really not something an ordinary EFL Championship player could afford, and some Premier League players might not even spend that much money.
He wasn't worried about being scammed. He had inquired about the market price before coming, and the price for relatively good therapists was indeed around this range.
"Two-month trial period."
Maël hesitated but agreed. He urgently needed a therapist and had to be willing to invest in himself. "I will pay the full salary to show my expectation for a pleasant cooperation in the future. If the results are good, I will take the initiative to raise your salaries in the future."
He hired two people, which could be considered the initial formation of his own team, and he also learned to draw a pie like a boss.
However, if they really helped him a lot, he would really raise their salaries.
"I hope we won't let you down."
Harry stood up with a smile, feeling more grateful to Maël. "I have confidence."
A boss who was so straightforward as to not bargain and was willing to trust his employees was indeed likely to evoke goodwill.
ps: The previous data was wrong and I was whipped by the brothers, it has been changed, I was confused, sincere apologies.
Today I updated 18k, continue tomorrow! Everyone, please support and encourage me, help me get into the top ten of the new book monthly ticket list, brothers!
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