I am practicing in Tokyo

Chapter 53 Midfielder

"Defensive playmaker?"

Coach Fukai never thought about letting Fujii Shu take on this task. When he was a player, he was a frontcourt player. He had insufficient training experience in the middle and backfields, and he never thought about delaying such an excellent offensive player.

Become a midfielder.

"The requirements for the defensive midfielder of the 442 diamond midfielder are no lower than those of the front midfielder. They must not only have the passing organization ability of a midfielder, but also frequently intercept the opponent's offensive players. Physical and technical skills are indispensable. And Fujii Shu,

It can do exactly this perfectly.”

Coach Yasuda explained patiently that there was no time to use it in tomorrow's game, but fortunately it was only the second round, and the opponent Otsu High School was probably as strong as Horikoshi High School.

I hope Otsu High School didn't discover this weakness.

Coach Yasuda thought with a little worry in his heart.

January 3, 2013, Tokyo National Stadium, National High School Competition, second round.

At the kick-off in the center circle, No. 10 midfielder Makino Shitaka of Otsu High School held the ball and passed a long pass to No. 9 winger Toru Honda in the frontcourt.

"It's so fast. It's said that this winger from Otsu High School practiced sprinting when he was in junior high school. Nakamura, the No. 10 midfielder from Hachioji High School, can't keep up at all!"

In the live broadcast room of TV Asahi, the commentator Matsuki Yasutaro was a little nervous. Captain Nakamura, who was guarding the midfield and backcourt, couldn't catch up even though he tried his best to catch up with Toru Motoyamada, who was riding the best.

With his shoulders lowered and the ball turned around, Toru Honda shook off the central defender Nagahama-senpai who stepped forward to intercept, and nimbly cut in from the wing to the center. The technical characteristics of Bayern star Robben can be vaguely glimpsed.

Facing Ryuunosuke who took the initiative, he dribbled the ball from the center to the right. During the movement, he made a sudden shot with the arch of his right foot, sending the football rolling past Ryuunosuke and into the goal.

"Hahaha! Remember me! Remember my number, my name, Uncle Honda Tooru!"

Toru Honda, who scored the goal, ran to the sidelines and knelt down, rushed in front of the live camera, pointed to his No. 9 number, and laughed happily.

Fujii's face was expressionless, he was only one goal behind, so he didn't panic.

Fourteen minutes into the first half, he received the ball. He was guarded by two players, one behind him, both of whom were fast full-backs. It seemed that the opponent was determined not to let him sprint with the ball.

A fried meatball with no difficulty, passed by the first full-back who was overestimating his capabilities, rushed the ball more than ten meters away, and naturally used the Marseille pirouette to get rid of the second defensive back.

The television cameras could hardly keep up with his pace. Matsuki Antaro, who was watching his figure, opened his mouth and let out a series of vague exclamations.

"Hey, hey, hey! It's fast, it's really fast! Not only the speed, the dribbling rhythm changes even faster!"

Fujii looked up and swept across the frontcourt. There were three defensive players blocking him. He pulled to the right, and a central defender blocked him. He directly bumped into it. The advantageous rules of offense when the ball was on the ball allowed Fujii.

An unscrupulous shoulder knocked away the sturdy defensive center back, and the distance between the goal and the goal was only nineteen meters!

Picking up the football, a rainbow pass passed the ball over the head of the next defender. The last defensive player stepped forward to press. Fujii squeezed together with him, suppressed the opponent with his body, raised his feet, and concentrated his strength.

In football, when shooting from a side position fifteen meters away, he lowered his posture, pumped his leg muscles, and shot hard.

“goooooooool!!!”

The ball went straight towards the goal. The Otsu High School goalkeeper's one-handed block was knocked away by Peiran's huge force. He shot an unstoppable shot, causing cheers and waves of people in the stands. The net rippled and the football landed in the goal.

on the green grass.

Matsuki Antaro delayed for a few seconds before roaring loudly, clenching his fist and swinging it downward.

After scoring the goal, Fujii trotted to the side of the court, put one hand to his ear, and made a listening gesture to the stands. This was a celebration imitating the melancholic prince Baggio of Italy. It was not ostentatious, but also impressive.

"Huh-huh-ha! Huh-huh-ha!"

Thousands of spectators in the stands were conquered by his goal. Most of the fans who came to watch the high school students' game did not support the home team, in order to appreciate the young people's hard work and struggle in their prime.

The sound was suppressed for a while, and then suddenly rose up, scoring goals against five people in a row. This wonderful performance deserves such preferential treatment.

In the 15th minute of the first half, the score was equalized by Fujii Shu, 1-1.

"Look at the performance here! Hachioji High School's No. 13 midfielder Fujii Shu scored a goal with his own ability. He can always step forward in times of crisis. We said before the first round that as long as he performs

Excellent, the signing fee may reach several hundred million yen, but now I want to change my mind, his worth has already reached this level."

Sergio in the live broadcast room also began to praise Fujii Shu. How could he remain indifferent to a player with such an incomprehensible performance?

On the bench of Otsu High School, coach Maruyama was not shocked. He knew that his team could not guard against players like Fujii Shu. Although he sent someone to target him, it was just to show his attitude.

Come in! Let’s see who scores more. The team I’ve prepared is best at attacking.

Coach Maruyama was sure of victory. He signaled to his players on the field to step up the offense!

The ball returned to the feet of Otsu High School. Midfielder Makino Shitaka followed the attack arrow and passed the ball through the back to winger Toru Honda. Captain Nakamura had no way to do anything to Toru Motoyama and allowed the opponent to throw him away.

Assault from the flank.

This time Honda Toru tried a long shot, and the ball missed the crossbar and hit the ball high. However, the midfielder and backfield players of Hachioji High School failed to bring much resistance to him. If this continues, sooner or later the ball will be conceded.

"Fukai, make a substitution. Substitute Nakamura Shikei. Use central defender Arimura Nakaharu. Let Fujii Shu play as a defensive midfielder. Arimura Nakaharu will help defend near him. In the first half, we must stabilize first."

Coach Yasuda, who was sitting next to him, said decisively, "We can't continue playing like this and we must make adjustments."

"Hi! I'll notify the referee."

Coach Fukai stood up from his seat. At the opportunity of a dead ball, he raised his number plate on the sidelines. No. 10 Nakamura Shikei came off, and No. 15 Yumura Nakaji came up.

Oh! Did you see it?

Coach Maruyama of Otsu High School unexpectedly watched the substitution adjustment. His eyes stopped at Coach Fukai's side, the chubby and amiable Coach Yasuda, the champion coach of Kashima Antlers. He still recognized him.

Reinforcements have been brought in, Yasuda Koichi, what a big name!

Coach Maruyama, who could only coach the high school student team, sneered a few times. The temporarily invited Daibutsu would be of no help in the face of such a situation that was targeted in advance, unless...

His eyes moved to Fujii Shu, who was whispering a few words to Nakaharu Arimura, who had just come on the field. Unless this genius was really qualified for the role of defensive midfielder, which is the opposite position from the frontcourt player. Nakamura Shi, who was born as a midfielder

Jingdu can't do the job, and a frontcourt player won't make much of a splash.

"Put this on, tree!"

Captain Nakamura, who was about to leave the game, took off the captain's cuff from his arm and put it on Fujii's arm. It was obvious that he was a little disappointed when he left the game early, but he still forced a smile.

"After I get off the field, you will be the captain. You have to shoulder the responsibility of the captain. I believe you can do better than me."

After saying that, Captain Nakamura turned around and left, returning to the bench, his back a little forlorn.

(End of chapter)