March 9th, EFL Championship Round 36, Sheffield United hosts Nottingham Forest.
For this round, Maël was given a chance to rest. Gareth Speed saw that he had just returned and was physically and mentally exhausted, so he simply let him rest.
Maël really needed a rest. After the winter transfer window closed, he hadn't had much rotation, and his body was reaching its limit.
If it weren't for the effects of improved diet and massage therapy, he might suddenly make a sharp turn in the second half of a game, twisting his foot or straining a muscle.
Speaking of which, after experiencing countless games, he gradually discovered the risk resistance brought to him by the 'Coordination' and 'Strength' skills.
Most EFL Championship teams have a rather dirty style of play, and he has suffered quite a few flying tackles and other malicious fouls; he has also tried to make difficult turning movements when he was exhausted.
In the former case, it was because his Strength was sufficient and his physique was relatively strong, so he remained intact for almost a season.
Maël recalled Kimmich's tackle on Haaland. Because of the huge difference in Strength between the two, Kimmich made a fierce flying tackle, and Haaland took a heavy blow.
As a result, the person who tackled was seriously injured, and the person who was tackled staggered a few steps and continued to sprint with the ball!
This is the role of Strength in resisting crude offenses. A striker like Haaland will not be injured by ordinary malicious fouls unless it is a particularly egregious foul aimed at breaking his leg.
In the latter case, it was the Flexibility brought to him by Coordination, which was also very important.
Whenever his body reached its limit, but he had to twist himself to make a move, Flexibility could always save him at a critical moment, preventing him from spraining his body.
"These two skills must be practiced continuously."
Maël had an idea. Protecting his body was his top priority, and he never took it lightly.
Now he can be regarded as steadily improving. As long as he continues along this path, he will surely reach a height in the future that he cannot imagine now.
In this case, it would be too stupid if he didn't have the awareness to protect himself and put himself at risk of injury at all times.
Of course, he was not too anxious. There are still three skills he is practicing, and there is also a physical ability being upgraded to lv4.
He will consider practicing Strength and Coordination after the extra practice schedule slows down.
Just a reminder to himself, he must not forget these two skills that have been silently guarding him, and he must bring them up for continued practice in the future.
Just grind! Grind to the end, and then cooperate with good physiotherapy and diet, maybe his probability of injury in the future will be infinitely close to zero!
[Skill: Instep Pass lv3]
[Proficiency: (754/800)]
[Skill: Explosion lv3]
[Proficiency: (659/2000)]
[Skill: Weak Foot lv2]
[Proficiency: (121/800)]
[Skill: Stamina lv2]
[Proficiency: (460/800)]
After finishing the extra practice that day, Maël glanced at the proficiency panel and found that Instep Pass was almost lv4.
As he became more proficient in this skill, he used Instep Pass more and more frequently in recent games, and his ground ball assists also increased.
"When it reaches lv4, it will be a great weapon."
He had this feeling. Ground pass assists have always been more common than high-altitude balls.
The reason why he has many Cross assists is partly because his Cross is lv4, which is indeed accurate, and partly because the league he is currently in is the EFL Championship.
The Premier League in 2010-11 was still playing the 4-4-2 formation, so the tactics of the EFL Championship are naturally extremely simple.
To sum it up, it is the short sentence that all fans know - long pass and rush, Cross from the bottom!
When he goes to the Premier League, to Arsenal, at least before Giroud joins the team, the effect of his Cross should be weakened.
At this time, it is extremely important to have the ability to pass a threatening ground ball!
This ability, along with Long Shot Curved Shot and other abilities, will become the key for him to gain a foothold in a Premier League powerhouse.
Without thinking too much, Maël went home to eat, and at 7:30, he turned on the EFL Championship broadcast channel to watch the broadcast of this round of the league.
Nottingham Forest scored first, which he was not too surprised about. The team hasn't scored first in many games this season, and the defense is too prone to making mistakes.
The two new full-backs have strong one-on-one abilities, but they are too young and inexperienced. Sometimes when the main force makes a small mistake, they follow suit.
...
In the 74th minute of the match, Lotton, overlapping on the wing, swept the ball across the middle, and Evans slotted the ball in with a push! One to one!
"Good shot!"
Maël drank his fat-free yogurt while reaching out to high-five Harry and Safina next to him in celebration.
Six minutes later, Lotton once again dribbled the ball up from the wing, cut inside, and blasted a brilliant long shot into the goal!
Two to one!
Lotton with a goal and an assist! "What's up with him?"
Harry looked at Maël with a smile and joked, "Is Maël possessing him?"
"Haha..." The three of them laughed together, and Safina added, "It's really possible. Lotton's position is right next to Maël. Now that Maël isn't there, he might really be substituting himself in."
"No, no, no."
Maël said "no" three times in a row, shaking his head and jokingly saying, "Maybe he has amazing talent himself, and my presence on the field compressed his position, preventing him from showing his abilities all along.
"I am the biggest villain on the team. My existence dilutes the existence of my teammates. I'm going to quit football."
"Haha..." The three of them laughed again. They eventually saw a satisfactory ending as Sheffield United defeated Nottingham Forest two to one at home! This is momentum!
It is a momentum infused by countless victories. The players are full of confidence, believe in their abilities, and are willing to persevere to the end when the situation is not good! They are used to winning, but they are not arrogant, so they can unleash a fighting power stronger than their actual strength.
To some extent, this momentum came about because of Maël's arrival.
...
March 12th, EFL Championship Round 37, the match against Leeds United arrived.
Maël stood on the field again, enjoying the familiar feeling, which was incredibly wonderful and attractive.
Having rested for a round, his condition was excellent, and he could be considered to be playing with full Stamina.
"Maël! He's here again! Fake shot and then a cut, he's heading into the penalty area! Li Hai pulled him down! Penalty, it's a penalty! Janu Hans is here to take it. He is the team's first penalty taker. After recovering from his injury, he hasn't had a goal or assist for a long time.
"Shot!! He scored!! A steady penalty, not giving Leeds United any chance! He ran towards Maël, he wants to thank this teammate who helped him find his goal-scoring touch!"
"..."
"Maël is wandering in the middle and received the ball. He is always very active. If Janu Hans is the starting point of Sheffield United's attack, then Maël is the end point!
"Leeds United's defenders are marking him very closely, there is no chance to shoot! He can only pass it back, he is still staying in the middle!
"O'Brien made a move! He poked the ball away from Gilbert's feet! Not far away! Maël got the ball!! Trying a Long Shot!! Deflection! Changed direction! The goalkeeper has no way!"
"Maël's 30th goal! He has tied the EFL Championship league's goal record! If he can score another one, then he will become the player with the most goals in a single EFL Championship season at the age of 17!
"And with 9 rounds left in the match, it doesn't seem difficult for him. Maybe he can achieve it in this match!
"Incredible! After shattering countless 'youngest' records, he has finally extended his clutches to the entire league's record. I can only describe his performance as terrifying!"
"..."
"Janu Hans! The second! Sheffield United's third!! He is in good condition today, an assist from Maël's low pass! "At the moment of stopping the ball, he created an angle for himself to shoot, and the subsequent shot was even more tricky, not giving the goalkeeper any chance to save it!"
"It's already the 69th minute, it can be said that this goal has eliminated Leeds United's hope of a counterattack!"
"..."
"Maël is being replaced by Gareth Speed. He completed 1 goal, 1 assist, and 1 penalty created today, a phenomenal performance! "Gareth Speed didn't let him continue to pursue breaking records in this match. The victory has already been locked in, so it's better to save the player's energy for the next match!"
Maël waved to the fans at the scene as he left the field, without any other emotions. After high-fiving Gareth Speed, he returned to the bench.
In the 89th minute of the match, Gilbert received a pass from Janu Hans in a corner kick and scored his 8th goal of the season! Four to zero! "Clap clap clap!" Maël stood up from the bench, applauding and cheering for him.
Gilbert also noticed him, put his index and middle fingers together on his forehead, and swung them away towards him, making a very chuunibyou gesture.
Maël laughed. The strongest Arsenal captain of the original Arsenal U17 did not seem outstanding in this team.
But... this friend who came with him still achieved good results today, 7 goals and 4 assists, creating 11 goals.
At least, Gilbert would not often spread his hands and complain to him at home in the Cherry Street cottage, often sigh about some things, and often make excessive behaviors.
They are slowly adapting to the league and will soon go through this season together.
...
March 14th, training base.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
After a burst of kick-wall training, Maël felt a strange sensation in his ankles and insteps, which trembled slightly.
[Skill: Arcing Instep lv4]
[Proficiency: (1/2000)]
[Effect: After possessing all the qualities required for a standard short pass, you are still seeking breakthroughs. Gradually, you discover that you can add a certain amount of curve to ground balls by shaking and rubbing your wrists during the pass! Piercing through defenses seems as easy as pie!]
Here it comes!
Arcing Instep at lv4! "Shaking Arcs?"
Maël smiled excitedly, and couldn't help but recall a divine drama he had watched in his previous life, which seemed to have something called 'Gun-Shaking Technique,' which seemed to have a similar effect.
However, the curve of ground balls on the football field is absolutely real. Later players like De Bruyne and Arnold were all experts in this area, and they often had extraordinary passing quality.
Let's take a look at the abilities he currently possesses.
Cannon Shot lv4, Arc Guiding lv4, Curved Blade lv4, Arcing Instep lv4, Strong lv3, Explosion lv3, Flexibility lv3, Judgment of Situation lv3, Bicycle Dribbling lv3, Step-Over Shoulder Feint lv3, Weak Foot lv2, Stamina lv2.
"Everything I do has a bit of curve."
He exclaimed jokingly, feeling cheerful, "My strength level is improving with each passing day, I'll grind out a football god sooner or later!"
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