Another Goal

After the substitute team finished celebrating, they helped Lucas up from the ground.

A few close substitute players ruffled his hair before returning to their seats.

Not only the substitute players but also several members of the main team congratulated Lucas.

Deulofeu even embraced Lucas warmly and exclaimed, "Luca, how did you manage to do that just now?"

Even as a true winger himself, he couldn't single-handedly dismantle an entire defense line like Lucas did.

To Deulofeu's amazement, it was his friend Lucas who played as midfielder and rarely dribble the ball, who did score such an amazing goal.

"Do you want to learn?" Lucas asked with a serious tone.

"Yes!" Deulofeu responded eagerly.

Deulofeu nodded quickly.

Lucas said "I've learned from Messi watching his games. If you want to improve, watch more of Messi's games, observe closely, and learn from him. With time and dedication, you'll naturally progress!"

Lucas said this somewhat jokingly, but to his surprise, Deulofeu actually believed it.

"Oh, I see! No wonder I thought your technique for surpassing opponents just now seemed familiar!"

Deulofeu secretly made up his mind that after the youth team's training session ended, he would try to observe Messi up close in the first team.

He firmly believed that with consistent effort and daily learning from Messi, he would eventually succeed.

Lucas was momentarily speechless. Seeing Deulofeu's enthusiasm and eagerness, he couldn't bring himself to discourage him.

Besides, it wouldn't be a bad thing for Deulofeu to make an impression on the first team.

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..

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This could leave a lasting impression on the coach and increase his chances of being considered for promotion from the youth team in the future.

The game continued because the main team was trailing in score, which left them feeling unconvinced. As a result, they intensified their attack right from the beginning.

They implemented the pass control tactics of the first team, bolstered their presence in the midfield, pushed their defensive line forward, and concentrated a significant number of players in that area.

This approach had the advantage of effectively intercepting passes, compressing the opponent's passing space, and forcing them into making mistakes.

Whenever the opponent made a mistake, the main team would seize the opportunity to steal the ball in the opponent's frontcourt and launch an immediate threatening offense.

However, there was a drawback to this strategy. If the opponent executed a quick counterattack and the main team failed to intercept the ball during the opponent's forward advancement, their defensive vulnerability would become a significant weakness.

Guardiola's pass and control tactics didn't enhance the offense as much as it improved the defense. Essentially, it was a revolutionary defensive tactic.

The defensive objective was to prevent the opponent from gaining possession of the ball.

Without the ball, the opponent naturally couldn't score, resulting in them being under Barcelona's relentless pressure.

After all, if you hold onto the ball for too long, you will eventually lose it!

To counter this tactic, when Mourinho was at Real Madrid, he developed a targeted quick counterattack strategy.

The key aspect of this strategy was to minimize the number of passes. Players were instructed to avoid excessive dribbling and quickly move the ball, preferably with just one pass.

Moreover, the passes were to be played forward, without resorting to crossing or passing the ball backward.

The two wide players needed to possess speed during counterattacks and be capable of making runs into open spaces, allowing the players behind them to have suitable passing options.

The aim was to be concise and avoid getting entangled in a midfield battle against Barcelona.

By bypassing the midfield and swiftly transitioning the ball from the backcourt with two or three passes, they could pose a threat to the opponent's goal within a matter of seconds.

Even if such a counterattack failed to result in a goal, it would still create a significant deterrent effect on the opponent, making them more cautious and reluctant to advance too many players in the opponent's half.

To achieve such an effect, the defensive side needs a skilled backcourt player who can pass the ball effectively, along with one or two speedy and technically strong wingers.

Fortunately, the youth team has players who fit these criteria.

One such player is Lucas, who possesses the attributes of Messi.

In the 18th minute of the game, the main team slowly began to gain control in the frontcourt, while the substitute team made consecutive mistakes.

After the main team regained possession, they launched an attack on the substitute team's goal.

However, due to the crowded penalty area, their few shots failed to pose a threat.

The goalkeeper caught the ball.

Lucas noticed the empty space in the main team's half and immediately gestured for the ball.

As the main team's primary midfielder, the bench players naturally treat him like a big brother!

The goalkeeper passed the ball to him without hesitation.

The ball reached Lucas's feet. Two main team players quickly closed in, attempting to dispossess Lucas as they did with other substitute players.

However, Lucas skillfully controlled the ball, turned around, and effortlessly evaded a defender.

He then cleverly used the defender as a shield to block another oncoming player.

The move was executed beautifully with smooth ball control and a sudden change in direction.

Without hesitation, Lucas swiftly delivered a diagonal pass to the right winger of the substitute team while simultaneously indicating his tactical intent.

Upon receiving the pass, the right winger immediately surged forward, entering the main team's half.

There were only three defenders remaining in the main team's backcourt, and one of them, realizing the situation was unfavorable, quickly rushed forward to impede the substitute team's right winger.

The other two defenders retreated while preparing to cover their positions.

The substitute team's right winger, unable to proceed due to the defender blocking his path, promptly passed the ball to a teammate in an oblique forward position.

The pass seemed errant and appeared to be a mistake.

However, in an instant, a yellow-clad figure darted past and successfully intercepted the ball.

It was none other than Lucas who made the interception!

"Stop him!"

The central defender of the main team panicked when he saw Lucas with the ball!

After completing the interception, Lucas sprinted forward towards the ball and managed to beat the defenders to regain possession.

However, Lucas didn't have a significant speed advantage, and the central midfielder of the main team caught up with him.

They were approximately 35 meters away from the goal, and if Lucas were allowed to advance with the ball, there was a high chance of creating a scoring opportunity.

Therefore, the central midfielder of the main team immediately took action, grabbing Lucas's jersey and forcefully colliding with him, attempting to bring him down.

In an official game, this tackle would likely result in a foul.

Even if he couldn't get the ball, he had to make sure to bring the player down.

However, since this was just a training match within the team, such a tackle could potentially injure the opponent, so he had to be cautious.

Lucas was at a physical disadvantage compared to his opponent in terms of height and weight, making him vulnerable in this physical confrontation.

As a result, the collision caused him to lose stability.

Fortunately, the substitute team's left winger had already moved into a good position, allowing Lucas to pass the ball before falling to the ground.

Once the left winger received the pass, he swiftly cut inside and approached the penalty area.

One of the two defenders had to step forward to defend him, but he managed to pass the ball to the right before the opponent could close in.

An attacking player who followed up on the play volleyed the ball, catching the goalkeeper off guard.

However, as the ball flew towards the goal, it touched the legs of a defender from the main team, causing a deflection that sent it bouncing into the net.

At this moment, the players from the main team had just returned to the penalty area.

The score was now 2-0 in favor of the substitute team!