Chapter 100: Meeting fans online, but crystal fans...

"Here, Ricardo!"

"Hahaha, you touched it!"

Jiang Yuan, Casemiro and others formed a circle and started the warm-up for today's training - grabbing the circle.

Circle grabbing is a training method that has only appeared for a few decades. It requires a certain number of players to form a circle and pass the ball to each other, and then the player in the middle will grab it. This training method is a good simulation of the small-scale ball possession in the game.

The purpose of circle-grabbing training is to improve the passing accuracy and tacit understanding of the players during running. During the whole process, the player in the middle who grabs the ball will be regarded as the opponent's pressing player, and the rest of the people need to pass the ball to each other to prevent the player who grabs the ball from touching the ball.

Of course, there are many variations of circle training. Porto is now using one of the variations of circle training in their warm-up, which requires the passing player to kick the ball out with one kick. The receiving player does not have any chance to adjust and must pass the ball out at the same time as receiving the ball, so as to increase the rhythm.

In high-level teams, one-touch ball-grabbing drills are usually used as a main course in team coordination training, but for a team like Porto, this level of dribbling can only be used as a warm-up.

"Jiang, can you get the ball?"

Poor Jiang Yuan is the one trying to grab the ball, but facing the experienced big brothers in the team, he can't get the ball no matter what.

The key to stealing the circle is to predict how the player with the ball will pass the ball, as well as how the player receiving the ball will receive the ball. All of this requires experience, but Jiang Yuan obviously does not have this experience and is always fooled.

Fortunately, when Jiang Yuan was trying to grab the ball, Casemiro often made some "mistakes" and replaced Jiang Yuan to pass the ball.

When making substitutions, Casemiro leaned over to Jiang Yuan's ear and secretly taught him some tricks: "Don't look, you can't tell. Just guess it."

Jiang Yuan nodded. It was too difficult for him to predict the trajectory of the ball, so he just guessed.

Sure enough, since Jiang Yuan mastered this unique skill, he has spent much less time as a monkey in the middle.

After practicing for about 20 minutes, everyone was almost warmed up, and Lopetegui began to arrange the next training - shooting training.

Of course, this training is not only for forwards. The shooting training includes players in three positions: forwards, midfielders, and defenders. Except for the goalkeeper who is responsible for guarding the goal, all players must participate in shooting training.

The reason why shooting training is not entirely the responsibility of the forwards is that modern football has gradually put forward requirements for the goal-scoring ability of midfielders and defenders.

In the 02 World Cup, FIFA made a statistics on the proportion of goals scored in each position to the total number of goals.

Forwards accounted for 52.3%, midfielders accounted for 35.6%, defenders accounted for 10.4%, and 1.7% were own goals.

The total number of goals scored by midfielders and defenders is very close to the number of goals scored by forwards, which also shows that, except for some teams that use single-player and bullet-flow tactics, the defenders and midfielders of all teams must have good shooting ability.

For example, Porto's defensive midfielder Casemiro and attacking midfielder Neves, the former has excellent heading ability, and the latter has excellent long-range shooting ability. The shooting ability of the midfielder will bring great pressure to the opponent team's defense, and can also attract defense for the forward of his own team and create better opportunities.

The training content that Lopetegui set for the players today was to stop the ball and shoot after receiving the cross. Torres was responsible for passing the ball at the corner kick.

Captain Martinez was the first to come on the pitch. The Colombian showed his sense of the ball right from the start, stopping the ball perfectly and connecting the shot with a fast speed and a tricky angle. Fabiano tried his best to save the ball but was unable to kick it out.

“Haha, good shot!”

The teammates applauded, the quality of this ball was indeed very high.

Quaresma was the next to come on and he still stopped the ball perfectly. After stopping the ball, he flicked it with the outside of his right foot, took a big step with his left foot, and swung his leg with the outside of his right foot to shoot. The arc was very good, but unfortunately he lacked luck and the ball hit the crossbar.

Next was Casemiro. The Brazilian's feel for the ball was impeccable. He made a beautiful stop and then a powerful shot, and the ball went into the net.

"Hey--"

Jiang Yuan was very envious as he watched his teammates stop the ball one by one, each one more brilliant than the other.

Although his ball sense has greatly improved and his ball-stopping skills have gotten better and better after a few months of training in Porto, Jiang Yuan's ball-stopping skills are still not as good as his teammates.

Wait!

Jiang Yuan suddenly thought of something.

Since I can't stop the ball, why don't I just not stop it?
When it was Jiang Yuan's turn, Torres kicked the ball out from the right corner. Jiang Yuan took a look at the ball and took small steps to adjust his position.

Then, he raised his right foot and volleyed the ball. Fabiano's calf had just exerted force, and Jiang Yuan had scored a goal before he jumped out.

A small-scale turtle movement + Mbappe's volley + Quaresma's outside instep volley with the outside of his right foot...

It’s really difficult, but it’s also really cool!

"Wow!"

"Jiang, good shot!"

Jiang Yuan's goal was the one that received the loudest applause so far. He shot the ball without stopping, showing Jiang Yuan's ability to judge where the ball would land and control his body.

Lopetegui walked over with his hands spread out: "Jiang, I remember my plan was to stop the ball, take one step and then shoot. What do you mean by omitting the first two steps..."

Hearing this, Jiang Yuan touched his head, as if Lopetegui had indeed said this.

"Sorry, Mr. Hullen, I will stop the ball next."

Jiang Yuan said embarrassedly, ready to accept Lopetegui's criticism.

"Forget it!"

Lopetegui waved his hand: "If you had told me earlier that you could volley so accurately, I wouldn't have let you stop the ball and shoot!"

"Mr. Hu Lun, do I still need to stop the ball now? Sometimes I may not be very good at stopping the ball."

Jiang Yuan touched his fingers and his face turned red. To be honest, his ball-stopping skills were not as good as those of some U19 players.

Seeing Jiang Yuan's aggrieved look, Lopetegui couldn't help but smile bitterly: "I said to adjust one step after stopping the ball because I took into account your actual shooting situation, but it would be better if you could shoot it yourself."

"Thank you, Mr. Hullen!"

Jiang Yuan's eyes lit up.

Finally no need to stop the ball!
The following shooting training was more like other people watching Jiang Yuan's aerial slashing performance than shooting training.

With a success rate of 60% in scoring goals from volleys in the penalty area, there is probably no other player like him in the entire Portuguese Super League.

Oh, sorry, there is no one else like him in the entire world of football.

Casemiro swallowed his saliva, but ultimately couldn't hold back his curiosity.

"Jiang, do you really think that volleying is easier than stopping the ball?"

Jiang Yuan nodded: "Of course, my ankles always tense up unconsciously when I stop the ball, and I can't stop the ball where I want it to stop."

If Jiang Yuan was asked to stop the ball at his feet, it would not be difficult for him as a Portuguese Super League player to do so. However, Jiang Yuan could not be like his teammates who could stop the ball in the right shooting position with just one kick and save the time for adjustment.

"alright, you win!"

Casemiro gave Jiang Yuan a thumbs up.

Brother, your technical features are quite unique!
In the team cafeteria after the training, Lopetegui drove Casemiro away and sat opposite Jiang Yuan in a domineering manner.

"Hu Lun... Mr. Hu Lun, what are you doing?"

Jiang Yuan was just about to open a bottle of Yakult and toast with Casemiro, but Lopetegui sat down directly over him, and the sense of oppression from the head coach instantly filled Jiang Yuan's whole body.

"It's okay, Jiang, relax, just treat this as a normal chat. Here, this salad dressing is delicious."

Lopetegui took out a bottle of Mercadona salad dressing from his pocket. This is a Spanish brand that is not available in the Porto cafeteria. Lopetegui brought it specially.

"Uh..." Jiang Yuan took a look at the food on his plate: steak, potato chips, broccoli, black cod, salmon, and a glass of beetroot juice.

What do you want me to pair this bottle of salad dressing with?
Jiang Yuan didn't know what to do, so he simply spread the salad dressing on the steak and took a big bite.

That wonderful feeling...almost made me sick.

Is this something humans eat?
"No...nice salad dressing, thank you, Mr. Hullen"

"Hahaha, Jiang, as long as you like it!"

Lopetegui was in a good mood as Jiang Yuan approved of his favorite taste.

"If you like it, eat more and then listen to me. I want to talk to you about stopping the ball..."

While Lopetegui was talking, Jiang Yuan took a big gulp of beetroot juice and finally stopped feeling like vomiting.

"Jiang, your problem with stopping the ball is that you can get the ball off the ground, but it's hard to get it in the ideal position. Am I right?"

"Yes, I always have to adjust my foot a little more, which makes me miss the best chance to shoot"

The situation on the court changes rapidly. Top defensive players can change their positions in half a second, and this small adjustment in position will make the offensive players lose shooting space. This is why Jiang Yuan has amazing running skills, but he is always unable to complete a shot after receiving the pass in the frontcourt, or to make a more beautiful pass.

Lopetegui nodded. If Jiang Yuan's ball-stopping level was placed in the U19 or lower-tier league, it would still be quite good. After all, after several months of training, Jiang Yuan is now able to handle long passes.

But for higher-level leagues, if Jiang Yuan wants to improve, a higher level of ball-stopping ability is essential.

"Hermier and I think that you can't control the strength of your ankle well, but we need to observe it. I tell you clearly, Jiang, this problem can only be solved and cannot be avoided. You should understand this, right?"

"Of course, if I can stop the ball, I don't have to volley, right?"

Jiang Yuan blinked.

"No no no!"

Hearing that Jiang Yuan would not kick in the air, Hemiel quickly waved his hands and shook his head.

"When it comes to volleying, you still have to kick it when it's time to do so."

"oh oh……"

……

At 9: in the evening, Jiang Yuan, who had just finished strengthening his ankles with an elastic band in the gym, returned to the dormitory. Felix was lying on the bed watching the La Liga match between Espanyol and Athletic Bilbao.

Felix was watching the movie very attentively, and Jiang Yuan didn't intend to disturb him, so he sat on the bed and played with his mobile phone.

Jiang Yuan was browsing Tieba, and he was surprised to find that he was quite popular in the football section of Tieba. The news that UEFA Youth League defeated Chelsea U2 0:19 was even pinned to the top by the administrator.

"Let me see what's going on!"

Jiang Yuan was very busy with training and hadn't been online for a long time. He took this opportunity to take a look at the domestic forums tonight. To be honest, he still cares about what domestic fans think of him.

There are more than 700 posts, the vast majority of which are about bragging about themselves, and some are about criticizing their various technical shortcomings. Only a small number of fans give objective evaluations.

Jiang Yuan took a rough look at the comments criticizing him. Some said that he played too independently and didn't know how to pass the ball, while others directly said that his passing ability was not good.

There was also a group of people arguing on the forum, and the topic of the argument was - what is the value of the European Youth Federation.

One side believes that Jiang Yuan’s winning of the UEFA Youth League is worth bragging about, while the other side believes that the UEFA Youth League is just a youth team competition and there is nothing to be proud of in winning a youth team competition.

Jiang Yuan was very calm about the criticism, just watching without lashing out. But when he saw some fans praising him...

[Question: How does Jiang Yuan's talent compare to Ronaldo and Messi? I feel that the talents of the three are about the same. What about you? ]

【Highlights: Detailed technical analysis of Jiang Yuan, will the young Chinese player become the best player after Messi and Ronaldo?】

[Question: If Transfermarkt's valuation is updated now, can Jiang Yuan's value exceed 10 million euros? ]

【…】

"Unrealistic, unrealistic!"

Jiang Yuan shook his head, but the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously.

Everything was fine until Jiang Yuan saw a comment from a user with the ID Fan 123, which said: I think Jiang Yuan's talent has surpassed that of Messi and Ronaldo, and I will not accept any rebuttal.

Damn it?

Jiang Yuan opened it and saw that this was a comment from 3 minutes ago. He guessed that he would be criticized by domestic fans within half an hour, so he directly registered a Tieba account, named it "Strange Forward", and replied below the comment.

[Strange forward: Brother, you are too much. Jiang Yuan is okay, but he is definitely not comparable to Melo! ]

After finishing the work, when Jiang Yuan was about to exit the webpage, a red "1" popped up next to his avatar.

When I clicked on it, I saw that it was a fan replying to me 123.

[Fans 123: Identified as football blind]

Ok? ? ?
Jiang Yuan's face was full of question marks. How could he be a football blind if he said he couldn't beat Messi and Ronaldo?
[Strange forward: There’s no need to praise Jiang Yuan like that. You’ll put a lot of pressure on him.]

This time, Fans 123 responded even faster. It took only 20 seconds from Jiang Yuan's comment to his reply. Excluding network delays at home and abroad, Fans 123 basically replied within seconds.

[Fan 123: Let me tell you, Jiang Yuan is the perfect modern winger, with two feet + right foot outside + header + direct free kick + super running + speed. Tell me who is better than Jiang Yuan. Now Jiang Yuan only needs to add a little more physical confrontation to be basically invincible. His peak value is definitely not inferior to that of Messi and Ronaldo! ]

"..."

Jiang Yuan, who was sitting in front of the mobile phone screen, was startled by the fans’ reply of 123. Wow, can you type so fast?
I like it when you praise me, but aren't you bringing bad luck to me?

So, Jiang Yuan held his cell phone and started fighting back.

[Strange forward: perfect winger, what is a perfect winger]

[Fans 123: The tip of the pyramid is the solution to the equation. You may not believe it, but this is the truth! ]

Jiang Yuan touched his head.

I actually have fans like this? This must be crazy, right?
In his era, such fans would be criticized as "crystallized", meaning brainless fans who purify the shortcomings of stars.

Compared to crystal fans, Jiang Yuan hopes that his fans can be more rational, so he advised.

[Strange forward: Brother, Jiang Yuan is not as strong as you think. Don’t call him a perfect winger. He is still young.]

As a result, fan 123 broke down and posted two comments in a row.

[Fans 123: No, what do you know about football? How dare you yell at me? Jiang Yuan and C Ronaldo are the most perfect templates of wingers in today's football world. What do you know, you idiot! ]

[Fans 123: I tell you, next time Transfermarkt updates Jiang Yuan’s value, if it’s less than 1500 million euros, I’ll go live and chop him off]

"Forehead……"

No one expected that Jiang Yuan would be criticized by fans for discrediting himself.

"Crystallized powder looks like this"

……

(End of this chapter)