From Arsenal to the Ball God

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Dipping Shot Level 2 and Coordination Level 3!

The next day, Ma’el stepped onto the training field, once again engaging in personal ability training.

This is his foundation, not to be forgotten, not to be disturbed by any secular distractions or the allure of fame.

He must always remember how the youth league kid wearing worn-out shoes transformed step by step into a top Championship player today.

Having finished the long shot practice earlier, he added crossing and dipping shot training to his schedule, not neglecting speed and coordination body training either.

Overall, it’s four items being trained simultaneously now!

Speed and coordination are aiming for Level 3, crossing for Level 4, and dipping shot is still at the initial training stage!

On October 27th, the newly practiced skill, dipping shot, finally reached its first upgrade.

[Skill: Dipping Shot Level 2]

[Skill Level: (1/300)]

[Utility: After a lot of training, you slowly grasped the technical essentials of this move, learned the technique of using the inside of your foot for a push shot, and with adequate preparation, you have the capability to inflict damage on the goal!]

The Level 1 name for this ability is Push Shot, as the name implies, it’s like mindlessly imitating, using the inside of the foot for a raw push shot, not very threatening.

After the upgrade, the word ’dipping’ appeared, representing a certain level of shot quality.

”Bang! Bang.....!”

Ma’el set up the markers, using the bicycle maneuver and step-over move to cut inside, aiming for the far corner with several dipping shots.

He can clearly feel the improvement in this technical move, most of the dipped footballs curl into the net, and those that don’t still pack enough shot force and arc.

”Before returning to the Premier League, get it to Level 3!”

He set his target, given that long shots are already at Level 4, if he can also get dipping shots to Level 3, his shooting skills would be completely sufficient.

He can shoot directly or cut inside, causing substantial trouble for defensive players whenever he takes the ball.

[Skill: Precise Arc Level 3]

[Skill Level: (98/800)]

[Skill: Stable Level 2]

[Skill Level: (641/800)]

[Skill: Sprinting Level 2]

[Skill Level: (548/800)]

After finishing today’s training, Ma’el glanced at the skill level of the other three main training skills, all steadily improving, and not slow at all.

If all goes as planned, coordination and speed can break through to Level 3 next month!

By then, an initial form of a physical monster will appear on the Championship side lanes.

His deep cross and cut-ins will become more nimble and smoother!

...

On October 30th, Sheffield United played the last round of the month at Bramall Lane Stadium.

Their opponent is Coventry, currently ranked 9th in the Championship, quite similar to them.

It’s a tense match, with both sides fiercely battling in the midfield, making the game fragmented and far from smooth.

”Cut inside! A shot! From Ma’el, but no power, caught by the goalkeeper! He’s very active today, running energetically on the field, last game’s hat-trick boosted his confidence.

”It’s hard to clearly define where a person’s charisma comes from, but looking at Ma’el, I kind of understand.

”The charisma on a player emerges after many big games, scoring spectacular goals, accumulating numerous honors, resulting in a kind of composure, a kind of confidence!

”His naivety is slowly fading, replaced by maturity, considering his age, one could say he is ’young but wise’!”

”...”

”Ward’s cross! Bolodanovich is in position for a header.... It hits the mark!! Goal!!!

”One to zero! Sheffield United has taken the lead with difficulty, utilizing a simple attacking routine to penetrate Coventry’s goal!

”With 40 minutes left, Coventry doesn’t need to rush, as there are still plenty of opportunities for them to score!”

”.....”

”One-on-one!! Will Coventry equalize? A push shot..... Robert saved Sheffield! He blocked the ball with his outstretched right leg after falling, a save as valuable as a goal!

”Steven controls the ball, now it’s Sheffield United’s turn to counterattack, they are advancing quickly!

”Gilbert passes the ball to Janu! Janu shoots from the center!! It deflects off a defending player and bounces back, now Ma’el has it, will he take another shot?”

Under the dazzling lights of Bramall Lane Stadium, many fans stood up with eyes full of hope, eyes on the player holding the ball at this moment.

He’s wearing a red and white number 31 jersey, spirited and with a hint of fierce temperament.

”Bang!!”

As he blasted a full-instep shot, the football slammed into the far corner of the goal like a guided missile. The Coventry goalkeeper leaped following that, extending his body to the fullest and reached for the ball.

”Whoosh!” But all was in vain, as the ball stayed on the planned course, until it smashed into the net and stopped, cushioned.

”Yeah.....!” The home team fans, already standing, erupted into frenzied celebration, almost having foreseen the arrowed Ma’el on the penalty box line would send the ball into the goal.

Ma’el did not sprint off in celebration, instead, he stood in place and stretched both hands into the sky.

Like a dancer completing a magnificent waltz, or like a bullfighter finishing a performance, wrapping up with a glance and applause.

”Ma’el has killed the game! Two to zero! There’s no suspense now, with 10 minutes left, the possibility for Coventry to equalize is very slim!

”Such an elegant goal, such an elegant celebration, standing in his zone even before kicking, you are ready to shout for him!”

On the edge of the field, Garrispeed felt a bit numbed, yet excitedly high-fiving and shaking hands with those around, yet repeatedly chuckling and shaking his head.

He once teamed up with Alan Shearer at Newcastle United, having clearly experienced how much a sharpshooter means to a team then.

But he never thought that in his first coaching station, he’d be fortunate enough to encounter such a sharpshooter.

”Already nine goals in the league, right? Four goals and three assists in a single month, performing even better than last month, I don’t know when he’ll stop, only that he’s likely to retain the Player of the Month.” — Garrispeed’s post-match interview

...

On November 4th, having spent a whole day dealing with resistance bands and anti-slip pads, Ma’el finally raised his coordination to Level 3.

[Skill: Flexibility Level 3]

[Skill Level: (1/2000)]

[Utility: Knowing your body’s capabilities, enhancing your balance and starting to pay attention to the flexibility degree of training, this boosts your stability and body elasticity when performing difficult moves!]

Ma’el’s muscles shivered, feeling much more agile, boosting his control over the body once again.

This ability will never weaken his other physical strengths, only enhance them.

Ibrahimovic is a good example, having practiced taekwondo, his coordination and flexibility surpass most stars, enabling him to often score extraordinary miracle balls.

But looking at his power and confrontation capabilities, one realizes these are not conflicting at all.

”The human body is indeed like a treasure.”

Ma’el, in high spirits, contemplated the future: ”Better explore it all, convert it entirely into one’s own strength.”

He took big strides towards the team dining hall, now, only speed and dipping shot haven’t reached Level 3 yet.

Next up, he can focus on these two items, quickly stirring the Championship grounds slightly, then taking them to the Premier League!

...

ps: Adding an extra update, yesterday’s content was overly transitional, fearing boredom for everyone.