"Outstanding big-picture view, outstanding defensive ability, organizational ability, offensive ability, understanding of the game situation, and a keen judgment of the flow on the field."
"Tendou Kageyoshi!"
"Number 7 of Blue Lock, let's all remember his name!"
"In the one-on-one duel just now, he briefly defeated the genius Itoshi Sae!"
The on-site commentators were full of passion.
In front of the screen, Chigiri Hyoma did an excited sliding kneel after scoring. Isagi, Nagi, Otoya, and the others chased after him and tackled him in the corner. But the commentators were still talking about Tendou.
The demise of the libero. It was believed by fans to be due to the emergence of the zonal marking concept by the Italian tactical master Arrigo Sacchi. But in reality, a true libero is very difficult to be contained by zonal marking. What truly made the libero extinct was the retirement of superstars like Beckenbauer from the stage of history.
If you were to bring a peak football emperor with his "one-super-many-strong" ability back to today's football world, he would still be that Kaiser!
Yasumori Hoichi looked at the 0:1 score, his right foot stomping hard. What he had worried about had happened. The team had been dominating possession without scoring; wasting chances was bound to be punished. But to ask him to find a countermeasure in a short time was also asking too much of him.
This was because the position of a creature like a libero is not fixed. He is the most "free" person on the field. An outstanding big-picture view always allows the "libero" to create local numerical advantages in defense and offense for the team. This is the strength of a libero.
But to achieve this is very difficult. It requires a monstrous big-picture view and perception. Otherwise, the moment the other side makes a large-scale switch of play, it doesn't matter how fast you run. You need to have the ability to read the opponent's attacking intentions in advance.
"What kind of f*cking bullshit luck is this!"
"Why is a player like this not on the national youth team, but on the other side?"
Hoichi's head had grown a size bigger.
In the audience stands, and in front of the screens, many young fans who had never witnessed the era of the libero had their jaws drop. It was only through the accounts of the older fans that they learned how awesome a libero was.
...
Real world.
The audience was very satisfied with the reaction of the audience in the anime. There was a sense of superiority, like watching country bumpkins come to the city.
'Is this all that surprises you?'
'What would you do if I told you that Tendou is a full-field libero?'
'Ignorant fools. Don't you know what the surname Tendou means?'
'What does it mean?'
'As arrogant as the wind!' (A reference to Tendou Souji from Kamen Rider Kabuto)
The 3D audience had a good laugh, even singing a duet. Even one of Tendou's volleys was called the "Rider Kick" by them because in Kamen Rider Kabuto, the protagonist's Rider Kick had some similarities to Tendou's volley.
...
A one-goal lead. But this was far from enough.
"Get serious, genius. I don't want the match to lose suspense too early."
Returning to the center circle, Tendou looked at Sae with a smile. The latter responded with a cold glare. If this continued, they would concede more goals. 30 minutes might really have been him thinking on the bright side. They had only held on for 12 minutes before their goal was breached.
...
Blue Lock field.
The match restarted.
The fans were surprised to find that the national youth team had abandoned their high-pressure offense. After kicking off, they were passing the ball around in their own half. Occasionally, they would press forward, but they would retreat as soon as they made contact.
The commentators were very satisfied with the national youth team's performance. After conceding a goal, they didn't get anxious but first stabilized their formation, to get through this period where the Blue Lock team's morale was at its peak.
They were not in a hurry, and the Blue Lock team was even less so. Under Tendou's command and deployment, the Blue Lock team's defensive line was as solid as a fortress, not in a hurry to extend their lead. After all, this wasn't inside Blue Lock; they didn't need to fight for points. Even with a 1:0 score, if they could maintain it until the end, they would still be the winners.
An official match has the playing style of an official match. The game began to become dull. So, the match reached the 20-minute mark. The national youth team finally completed a shot, but because it was blocked in advance, the shooting angle was too small, and the ball flew directly out of bounds.
The fans started to get dissatisfied. Especially those who had bet heavily on the national youth team. They cursed, "What the hell are you acting at?" at the players.
Rin had wanted to press up several times but was called back by Tendou. The national youth team, before Sae's addition, was a team with Aiku's Four Great Heavenly Kings as its core. A defensive counter-attack was their comfort zone. Taking the initiative to attack would easily expose loopholes in their defense. If the opponent seized the opportunity, it would be a fatal blow.
Tendou just leisurely roamed around Sae. No matter how the other party "enticed" them, they were unmoved. If you have the guts, just play like this with me until the end of the match.
Ego nodded with satisfaction. As long as there was no problem with this link, Tendou, even if the game plan did not proceed as he had expected, there would not be too much of a problem. This was the value of a libero. And also the reason why, in Blue Lock, Tendou was becoming more and more like an emperor. The players all listened to him.
...
On the field, the match time had already reached 24 minutes. Seeing that Tendou and his team were not taking the bait, Shidou Akito was the first to get impatient. There was not much time left before the agreed 30-minute mark. Was he really going to be kicked out by Sae?
They began to make large-scale switches of play, attempting to use this method to reduce Tendou's influence on the field.
But Tendou.
He could always accurately judge their intentions, always roaming in the middle of the field, ready to provide cover and sweep on both sides at any time. If that wasn't enough, he would just have his teammates strengthen the defense on the sides.
And so, the national youth team's long passes were also ineffective. Not only did they fail to create an advantage, but because the ball was in the air for a long time and the transfer speed was too slow, it gave the Blue Lock team more opportunities to set up their defensive line.
The match entered the 25th minute, and the national youth team still only had one pathetic shot. The fans began to sing their national anthem, which made Tendou feel a little uncomfortable.
But the national youth team seemed to have drawn strength from it and finally stopped trying to entice them, but pressed forward proactively.
Shidou Akito called for the ball. Sae did not refuse and passed it to him. He had promised Aiku that he would do his best to assist the national youth team during this time.
Akito received the ball and immediately tried to power dribble but was intercepted by Tendou. He stopped abruptly to look for another opportunity, but Niko didn't give him the chance, coming in from the side with a slide tackle and stealing the ball from his feet.
Niko and Isagi could be said to be two sides of the same coin. With similar talents, one shone in the attacking third, while the other moved to the backfield and found joy in it. He believed that forwards were pests, and he was the insecticide that could kill them with one spray.
Blue Lock's counter-attack opportunity had come again.
Yasumori Hoichi was already roaring on the sidelines, telling his players to retreat quickly. The flames of war had already spread from Blue Lock's backfield to near the midfield.
Tap! Tendou took possession of the ball from Niko's feet. Shidou Akito immediately pressed him, but what he was met with was a clean power dribble.
Swoosh!
No technical skill at all, all physical talent. Tendou started at high speed and, in an instant, left his opponent behind.
Still a run through the middle. At this moment, he was practically possessed by the Son of God, Kaká.
...
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