The amazing discovery of the Coach

"Again!" De Bruyne said, unconvinced.

Although Lucas felt De bruyne's defense is somewhat weak, but still better than a motionless dummy. Thus, he gladly accepted the challenge.

This time, it was supposed to be Lucas defending and De Bruyne try to break through. However, instead of taking the opportunity to launch an attack, De Bruyne aimed to steal the ball from Lucas, choosing to remain in a defensive position.

Clearly, De Bruyne was someone who didn't easily admit defeat.

After Lucas regained possession of the ball, he attempted his usual tricks.

Although De Bruyne was once again deceived by Lucas's feints, he did not fall for them as easily.

De Bruyne had realized that Lucas could disrupt his judgment by shifting his center of gravity.

He understood that the opponent would break through in a certain direction solely based on his change in center of gravity and if try to steal by extending his legs that would lead to showing his defensive error.

To De Bruyne's surprise, however, this time Lucas who made a move first, As He is trying to predict what will Lucas do. Suddenly Lucas pushed the ball forward, accelerated instantly, and dashed past De Bruyne like a gust of wind.

By the time De Bruyne reacted, it was too late. He not only missed the chance to extend his leg for a tackle but also lost the opportunity for physical confrontation.

After successfully completing the breakthrough, Lucas stopped the ball and looked at De Bruyne curiously.

"Kevin, why didn't you extend your leg to disrupt my change in center of gravity when you noticed it?"

De Bruyne reflected on the question and responded, "I was previously deceived by your feint, and when I saw your center of gravity shift, I was concerned it might be another feint. So, I reacted slightly slower."

Lucas nodded, acknowledging his answer.

This wasn't a problem exclusive to De Bruyne; it was a common challenge faced by all defenders against Messi.

Messi's agility exceeded that of ordinary players, and coupled with his extraordinary balance and extreme ball control, he could effortlessly shift his center of gravity and execute various deceptive moves.

If a defender managed to anticipate Messi's intended breakthrough direction based on the change in his center of gravity and blocked it, Messi would swiftly change direction in a fraction of a second, utilizing his faster movement frequency.

Defenders struggled to keep up with his rhythm, ultimately watching him go past them.

Messi would have an easier time if defenders weren't tricked into blocking his passing lanes.

He could continue his forward breakthrough without interruption, easily evading the defensive player.

After all, Messi's movement frequency surpassed that of most players. If a defender failed to match his movements in the initial step, it was nearly impossible to catch up with him in the subsequent step.

In summary, compared to the average attacking player, Messi seamlessly combined the body feint and breakthrough into a single motion.

..

.

Ordinary offensive players usually start by making fake moves before taking advantage of their opponents' mistakes to complete a dribble, deceiving the defensive players in the process.

Messi, on the other hand, is different. He seamlessly combines these two movements, making every action appear like a feint.

Regardless of the choice you make as a defender, he can easily surpass you.

Hence, defending against Messi requires more than just experience; it demands prediction.

Only defensive players with exceptional anticipation can effectively stop Messi.

Such individuals are rare in today's football.

"Do it again, I don't believe I can't find a way to defend you!"

De Bruyne witnessed Lucas's immense power, but it fueled his fighting spirit even more.

The opponent was likely no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, possibly just a member of Werder Bremen's youth team.

If De Bruyne couldn't even guard against such a player, then how can he play against those top class players.

...

..

Half an hour later.

"Stop playing, I'm exhausted!"

De Bruyne collapsed to the ground, his body sprawled out, his gaze fixated on the sky, and he began questioning life.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

Why has this young kid dribbled past me more than forty times without me managing a single successful steal?

Do I even know how to play football?

Lucas was also exhausted. The continuous dribbling had put a heavy strain on his knees.

Even if De Bruyne hadn't stopped, Lucas would have voluntarily called for a halt.

He wondered how Messi had managed to persist for so many years.

Lucas felt that with such frequent acceleration, changes of direction, and overtaking others, his knees would give out sooner or later.

...

Since his last in-depth conversation with Allofs, Werder Bremen coach Thomas Schaff had eased his mind and stopped placing excessive pressure on himself.

However, letting go of the pressure didn't mean he allowed things to become a mess.

He had a deep attachment to the team and didn't want to be responsible for its relegation.

Therefore, even if he didn't have the best cards at hand, he made every effort to make strategic changes and maximize the team's potential with the available resources.

Regarding whether Werder Bremen could remain in the Bundesliga after the season's end, it was now resigned to fate.

With many old players departing in the new season and several new loaned players arriving, he needed to adjust the team's starting lineup.

To choose the most suitable starting lineup, he had to thoroughly assess the capabilities and characteristics of the young players within the team.

It's best to complete understand these players characteristics before the start of the training camp for the new season. This way, he could have a comprehensive understanding of each player's technical attributes once the training starts.

If the players fail to meet his requirements, he can also utilize the summer transfer window to strengthen the team.

As a result, he cut short his vacation, drove to the club, and planned to start working early.

While passing by the training ground, he noticed Lucas and De Bruyne engaged in training.

Observing the two training together, Schaff felt a little biit of curiosity.

Considering their competitive relationship within the team, he expected them to have difficulty getting along, but he was pleasantly surprised to see them training together in harmonious way so quickly.

With curiosity piqued, he stood on the sidelines and watched for a while.

He found himself unable to move, captivated by the scene before him.

Half an hour later, both young players collapsed from exhaustion, while Schaaf on the sidelines couldn't contain his excitement.

Forty attempts, all of them successful breakthroughs, with the opponent failing to defend even once.

This astonished him greatly, as if he were witnessing something out of a science fiction movie.

Despite De Bruyne's defensive shortcomings, the opponent didn't make a single mistake; every attempt was successful, utilizing no less than ten breakthrough techniques.

Is it typical for someone of this age to possess such remarkable dribbling skills?

This seemed almost unbelievable.

How could Barcelona be willing to let such a player go on loan? Aren't they afraid of losing him to other teams?

Are we getting a breakthrough king for free?

A player of this caliber, placed in any team, would become the focal point of the future, a winger who deserves focused training.

He possesses the qualities of a core player around whom a team can be built, much like Messi and Ronaldo!

However, he recalled that this individual played as a midfielder in Barcelona's youth team!

Could it be that Barcelona's vision is lacking, and they don't know how to utilize their talent?

Or perhaps a world-class team like Barcelona has developed a new tactic of deploying wingers in midfield?

(End of this chapter)