After the pre-match warm-up, players from both teams returned to their respective locker rooms to make final preparations.

When Gu Ran entered the locker room, physical therapist Gregory immediately asked Gu Ran to sit down and massaged him to relax his leg muscles.

You know what...Gregory's physical therapy techniques are indeed professional.

But if Gu Ran were given a choice, he would still vote for Teacher Maria.

After all...Teacher Maria knows something else.

At this time, Coach Carter began his pre-game speech: "Kids!"

"Congratulations on reaching the semi-finals!"

“Whether we win or lose today’s game, you are already heroes of Southampton High School!”

"So first of all, I would like you to close your eyes and think back to the journey you have taken—"

Each player closed their eyes quietly, recalling moments from previous games and training.

The south locker room was quiet.

Coach Carter looked around and made sure that every player had excitement on their faces, then he continued, "Okay, everyone can open your eyes now."

"Please look at your teammates around you and tell me, what do you see?"

The players looked at each other.

Minato bravely said, "...a bunch of idiots?"

"Fuck! Fuck him!"

"You are the idiot!"

The bad friends surrounded Minato and prepared to beat him up -

Coach Carter frowned and shouted, "Okay, stop messing around! Be serious!"

Bread then said, "Coach, what I see is hope! Hope is written all over our faces! We can win this game!"

The other players nodded in agreement, "Well said, you really deserve to be our captain."

Coach Carter smiled with satisfaction, "Very good, any more?"

The blind man raised his hand and said, "Coach! I, I...didn't see anything."

The teammates burst into laughter.

“If that’s the case—” The glider also raised his hand and said, “Coach, I think I saw my cell phone!”

Coach Carter frowned and said, "I don't understand what you are saying. Next one."

Rusty raised his hand enthusiastically, "Coach! I saw Gu Ran!"

Holy shit…

This answer is quite cool!

I really didn't expect that a fool like Rusty could come up with such a profound answer.

——Not only Gu Ran was surprised, but other teammates also felt incredible.

What? Ever since Gu Ran fed him a goal, Rusty finally came to his senses?

Coach Carter frowned, "Very good, Rusty, tell me in detail."

Rusty said seriously, "Coach, when I looked around at my brothers, the first person I saw was Gu Ran, and then I thought of Gu Ran... He has several girlfriends! He has several!"

Gu Ran: ...

Why are you complaining about me? The other players laughed and pounded the floor! I thought Rusty was a bronze player, but he turned out to be a bronze player.

"Alright, alright, be serious! I'm giving you a lecture!" After saying that, Coach Carter couldn't help but be amused by the rusty bars.

After a while of regaining control, Carter asked Gu Ran, who had not yet spoken, "Gu, tell me, when you look around at your brothers, what do you see?"

I saw a bunch of idiots and a PUA master...

Of course, I can't say what's in my heart! Gu Ran thought for a moment and said in a deep voice: "Coach, I saw...parting."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire locker room fell into silence.

The atmosphere, which was bustling just now, suddenly became gloomy.

What Gu Ran said was not nonsense, it was exactly what he thought.

He has signed a professional contract, which means that he will leave the "Newbie Village" and officially enter the cruel society.

It will be difficult for these teammates from the Bucks Steelhorns to play together in the future.

Coach Carter sighed and said with emotion: "I have coached so many players, but the only one who can be on the same wavelength with me is Gu Ran."

Coach Carter paused for a moment and continued, "Yes, Gu Ran is right."

"When you look around at your brothers, you see the separation that is coming."

“I dare say that we may not be the strongest team, but the atmosphere in our locker room is better than any school team, and even better than the atmosphere in the locker room of a professional club.”

"Children, take a good look at the brothers around you! Each of them is a witness to your eternal youth!"

"Think about the time you trained together, think about the time you fought together on the field, think about the time you beat others up together!"

"But in the end, you, and I, will part ways."

“Everyone has a different path.”

"We were brought together by fate, but we must go our separate ways."

"Life..." Coach Carter said with a sob: "Youth is short!"

“What is youth? Youth is not age or appearance, but a pure friendship during the time of youth and an unpolluted life experience.”

"Even if you can live to be 100 years old, your true youth will only last for a few short years, and the people who are related to your youth will only be this group of people."

"The moment you step into society, the moment you part ways with the brothers who trained, struggled, and fought with you, your youth is gone."

"Especially when you enter a professional club, it will be very difficult to find such a pure brotherhood as we have today."

“There’s a saying that everyone has to grow up. But what it really means is that everyone has to lose.”

"Today's game may be the last game between you and your brothers."

"So, I don't ask you to win - whether you win or lose, I can accept it! Because to me, you are already the best class!"

"I only ask you to play this as if it were your last game!"

When Coach Carter said this, tears were already flowing uncontrollably.

This is indeed his rhetoric to motivate the players, but it is also his true feelings.

He really couldn't bear to leave these children.

But these children have really grown up, and like young eagles, they need a bigger and broader world.

The boys in the locker room also started crying.

These guys normally wouldn't shed a tear even when they were bleeding or injured!

Men don't shed tears easily, but they do when they are moved.

Brotherly love, farewell to youth... How could it not be emotional? Even Gu Ran, who had experienced it, couldn't help but burst into tears at this moment.

Coach Carter wiped away his tears and asked in a deep voice, "So, tell me, are you all ready?"

“Ready!”

Gu Ran took the lead and shouted: "For the brothers!"

"For my brother!!!"

“For youth!”

“For youth!!!”

Gu Ran shouted with his blood boiling: "This is definitely not our last game! Let's go on the field and beat the Golden Fleece! We beat them once, no, twice, but they still refuse to admit defeat! Then let's beat them a third time! Let them be convinced!"

“Roar, roar, roar! Destroy the Golden Fleece!!!”

The entire south locker room was filled with excitement, and the roof was almost blown off!

Coach Carter waved his hand and said, "Go, my children! Follow the tactics we formulated before and defeat them! God will be with you!"

"roar!!!"

The players of the Bucks Steelhorns walked out of the locker room with murderous intent and lined up in the player tunnel.

Gu Ran took the opportunity to pull goalkeeper Tyrannosaurus Rex to the corner and said in a low voice: "In today's game, the Golden Fleece will definitely attack wildly. Don't panic. Just remember to pay attention to Jolly's fake shot."

The Tyrannosaurus Rex was startled, then nodded vigorously, "Okay!"

At 2:55! Under the guidance of the referee, the players from both teams officially took to the court! The fans in the south stand cheered crazily for the Bucks Steelhorns!

When the handshake ceremony began, players from both teams gnashed their teeth and sparks flew in each other's eyes.

After the handshake ceremony, the two captains came to the referee to toss a coin.

The captain of the Bucks Steel Horns, Bread, guessed the front and back sides and got the priority to choose the side.

And Jolly got the priority kick-off right for the Golden Fleece.

Players from both sides began to take their positions.

The Golden Fleece team changed its formation from 442 to 4231.

This formation is the one that the main players of the Golden Fleece Team usually use.

Their captain Jolly was the lone striker, standing at the front. Gavin was one of the two defensive midfielders, and at this moment he was staring at Gu Ran with a ferocious face.

The guy named "Adama Jeffries" stood in the right forward position opposite Gu Ran.

Looking around, at least half of the Golden Fleece Team's starting lineup this time are not the players who started in the last group stage.

This time, the Golden Fleece team started with an absolute full main lineup!

The Bucks' formation is still the classic diamond 442.

Captain Bread moved back to play as the defensive midfielder, while Minato rushed forward and played as the number 9.

Gu Ran's position was not to move forward like he did in the previous game against Angel Wings, but to stand at his left back position.

——If you don’t have the right to kick off, you can’t use the 15-second blitz tactics.

Moreover, as a strong team, the Golden Fleece Team is not so easy to launch a surprise attack even when they are at full strength and in full condition.

There is no universal tactic in this world. In fact, any powerful tactic relies entirely on human wisdom.

The Golden Fleece team is characterized by being physically strong, fierce in tackling, having a fast passing and receiving rhythm, and fast coordination between triangle offense and zone defense.

The confrontation in the first 10 minutes of the game is definitely the most fierce and the one that tests the defensive strength of the Bucks Steelhorns the most.

Gu Ran took a deep breath, concentrated his mind, and directly added 3 talent points to the strength attribute.

As a result, there are only 7 talent points left from the previously accumulated talent points, and the strength attribute is directly increased from 62 points to 65 points.

With this strong attribute, there is no problem fighting against semi-professional players.

beep--

At 3 o'clock, the referee blew the opening whistle and the game began! The Golden Fleece team kicked off first.

The fans in the south stand booed the Golden Fleece.

At the beginning of the game, the Golden Fleece Team launched a sharp offensive.

Jolly pulled to the right to get the ball, made a short pass with the No. 9 central midfielder, and passed the blind man who was intercepting him.

Minato immediately filled in the position, defending closely and preparing to support Jolly's No. 7 left midfielder.

The blind man accelerated back and kept a close eye on the No. 9 central midfielder.

Minato and the blind man teamed up to isolate Jolly on the right.

Hua Luo also came up from the right back position to intercept Jolly.

The entire Bucks Steel Horns team formation quickly formed a chain reaction, and everyone was actively running to fill in the positions.

During the confrontation, the blind man and the No. 9 central midfielder collided with each other and both fell to the ground. They quickly got up and continued to collide.

Minato continued to use small moves to defend the left midfielder No. 7.

With no support around him, Joly could only dribble the ball and break through Hua Luo.

Hua Luo was not used to Jolly's bad habits, so he directly pulled Jolly's jersey.

Qiao Li also reached out and pushed Hua Luo.

The confrontation between the two sides was extremely fierce and aggressive.

Under the double-team defense of Hua Luo, Bread and the Painter, Jolly failed to control the ball and the football rolled out of the baseline.

The Bucks Steel Horns relied on physical confrontation and cooperation to resolve the Golden Fleece Team's first wave of attack.

During the entire first wave of defense, Gu Ran just ran diligently to the middle of the penalty area to fill the position, blocking the Golden Fleece Team's support, and doing the job that a left-back should do.

The tacit understanding between the players of the Bucks Steelhorns has improved a lot compared to their first game of the group stage.

Coach Carter sat on the bench, looking at his growing disciples with satisfaction on his face.

Just like he said in his pre-match speech, winning or losing this game really doesn’t matter to him, every one of his children is a hero.

On the other side, Coach Wilkinson stood on the sidelines with his arms folded across his chest, staring at the scene with a frown, and a hint of nervousness revealed in his stern expression.

In this kind of game where the strength of the teams is obvious, everyone will forgive the weaker team if they don't play well, but if the strong team doesn't play well... even God cannot forgive it.

In the first five minutes of the game, the area of ​​competition between the two sides was basically in the Bucks Steelhorns' half.

The Golden Fleece team launched a high-pressure defense throughout the court against the Bucks Steelhorns.

This tactic is fierce, but also very physically demanding.

The strategy of the Golden Fleece team is to use high-pressure confrontation to directly defeat the Bucks Steel Horns team.

But if they can't defeat the Bucks Steelhorns, then when the fatigue window appears, the Golden Fleece will be in danger.

——The Golden Fleece team has a deep understanding of the counterattack of the Bucks Steel Horns team.

Now, it is very difficult for the Bucks Steelhorns to hold the ball. As soon as they get the ball, at least two Golden Fleece players will come up and press fiercely.

All the veteran fans at the scene could see that the overall level of the Bucks Steelhorns was indeed far behind that of the Golden Fleece Team.

Whether in terms of overall formation coordination, the success rate of passing and receiving the ball, or physical confrontation, the Bucks Steelhorns were at a disadvantage.

However, the Bucks Steelhorns were very tenacious, and every player was trying their best to defend and fight back.

Players from both sides also collided and fell to the ground several times during the scramble.

The rhythm of the game was interrupted many times by fouls.

In the first 10 minutes of the game, the Golden Fleece team showed a strong attack, but they only had two shots, one on target and one off target.

In the most fierce 10 minutes at the beginning, the Bucks Steelers performed well.

The Golden Fleece team's tactical thinking was fully exposed in the first 10 minutes.

Their offensive was basically concentrated on the right side of the Bucks Steelhorns team, trying to avoid the left side where Gu Ran was.

This was also the tactic that Wilkinson, the head coach of the Golden Fleece team, emphasized before the game: Gu Ran is a tough guy, try not to touch him! Gu Ran was targeted by the Golden Fleece team's tactics from the beginning of the game! Therefore, in the first 10 minutes, Gu Ran only touched the ball twice.

If we look at this data alone, Gu Ran's technical score in the first 10 minutes was at most 6 points.

However, Gu Ran completed two crucial clearances in the penalty area with these two touches of the ball.

Gu Ran was not in a hurry either. Instead, he actively moved to help defend in the middle. At the same time... he was patiently reading the game and waiting for an opportunity.

In the south stand, those Southampton fans who had never seen Gu Ran play football began to get anxious: "This is too passive!"

"Yeah, it's been ten minutes since the start of the game, and the Bucks Steelhorns have only attacked twice! And they were both long passes that were out of touch in the midfield and backcourt."

"Fuck! If we keep fighting like this, our right side will be destroyed!"

"What is Gravedigger Carter doing? He's still sitting on the bench at this hour and he's not saying a word? Get up and rant!"

"And that Chinese kid Gu Ran. Before he came here, you guys praised him as the black-haired Bale, the black-haired Beckham, the black-haired Lampard, but now he's just acting like an ordinary guy! He's just like a tool!"

"I really don't understand why Southampton Club actually gave him a promising star contract! And they even need to apply for a work permit for him!?"

"Ah, amateur matches are really unwatchable. I really shouldn't have come."

There were also fans who had watched Gu Ran play football and argued with them:

"What do you know?"

"Didn't you see that the opposing coach deliberately used tactics to target Gu Ran?"

"Gu Ran can't just abandon the left side and run to the right side to defend!"

"Football is played by 11 people. Why do you blame Gu Ran if the game is not good?"

"Just wait and see. As long as you give Gu Ran a chance, he will make you kneel down and call him daddy!"

In the west stands, Cardiff's neutral fans were also yawning and drowsy.

Although from an amateur perspective, the confrontation between the two sides was very intense, but for Cardiff fans, this level of intensity was far less than that of the professional league.

Watching such a boring game, even if it's free, is a waste of time.

Some Cardiff fans were already feeling bored and were ready to leave.

The scouts from the small clubs in the main stand shook their heads:

"The Bucks Steelhorns are no good."

"Yes, this is an overall problem. Gu Ran alone can't withstand the fierce attack of the Golden Fleece Team."

"Golden Fleece's head coach Wilkinson is a man with some brains. He treated Gu Ran as his number one enemy from the start. His right-side attack strategy and full-court pressing strategy were obviously aimed at Gu Ran. Especially the full-court pressing tactic, which was mainly intended to cut off Gu Ran's chances of getting the ball from the middle."

"I bet that in less than 20 minutes, the Golden Fleece will be able to break down the right side of the Bucks Steelhorns."

"After the Bucks Steelhorns' right side collapsed, there was no suspense or excitement in this game."

"Yes, yes, I think so too."

Scouts from other small clubs also agreed.

Only Emenalo, who was sitting in the third row, calmly recorded his scout notes: […So, this is the biggest problem that Gu Ran faces in this game. He will definitely encounter this problem many times in his future professional career - as long as he is the core of the team, it is impossible for him not to be targeted by tactics.

I think that with Gu Ran's basketball IQ, he seems to have realized that he is being targeted tactically.

So, the question now is, can he crack it?] Having written this, Emenalo stopped writing and stared at the situation on the field in a trance.

13th minute:

The Golden Fleece team's midfielder gained the upper hand in the physical confrontation with Minato, pushed Minato away directly, and passed the ball to the right side of the Bucks Steel Horns team.

Jolly ran into position early, stopped the ball beautifully sideways while running, and dribbled the ball straight into the right rib of the Bucks Steel Horns.

The blind man chased after Jolly, and Hua Luo also charged forward fiercely.

Jolly saw a gap in the middle and immediately dribbled the ball into the middle.

Bread blocked the loophole in the middle in time, and took the lead to stick to Jolly with his body to prevent Jolly from speeding up.

Jolly directly reached out and pushed Bread, and Bread pulled Jolly's jersey with his backhand! Both sides made big moves!

But the referee did not intend to stop the game.

At this time, Gu Ran, who was in the left flank area, suddenly left his position and went to the middle to provide support - a large empty space appeared behind him.

Gavin from the Golden Fleece Team rushed directly towards Gu Ran to intercept and cut off Gu Ran's support for Bread.

Today, Gavin's task is to keep a close eye on Gu Ran. As long as Gu Ran leaves his position, Gavin will immediately rush up and harass him.

On the left side of the Bucks Steel Horns, Adama, the right forward of the Golden Fleece, suddenly accelerated, got rid of Ximei, and ran out of space! Jolly glanced at Gu Ran's position, then used his hand to forcefully push away the close defense of Bread, and passed the ball directly to Adama! The timing of this ball pass was very good! And the tactical application was also very smart!

When Ximei lost his defensive position and Gu Ran was about to be entangled by Gavin, the ball directly penetrated the left defense line of the Bucks Steel Horns!

The fans in the south stand were all nervous! The scouts from the small club were also talking and laughing, as if their prediction had come true.

Emenalo was excited, and quickly wrote two words in his scout's notebook: [Set up! Hunt!] Sure enough, just as Jolly kicked the ball, Gu Ran suddenly stopped and turned around, and instantly accelerated back to defense! The young scouts in the main stand were stunned! Those Cardiff fans who originally thought the game was a bit boring also widened their eyes at this moment!

Such a turning speed... If you say you haven't prepared it long ago, who would believe it? Wilkinson, the head coach of the Golden Fleece, also felt a thump in his heart at this moment! Gu Ran turned as fast as lightning, and his starting speed was so fast that it blurred people's vision!

The frequency of Gu Ran's legs instantly reached the peak speed of violent aesthetics!

After 13 minutes of silence, Gu Ran suddenly exploded! Everyone was caught off guard! Gavin was about to hit Gu Ran, but in an instant, Gu Ran threw him two steps away! Gavin was dumbfounded! Gavin subconsciously grabbed Gu Ran's jersey——

He couldn't even get close to him! In Gavin's eyes, Gu Ran seemed to have used the "flash skill" and disappeared in an instant!

Gavin gritted his teeth and sped up, but with every second he passed, he was left behind by Gu Ran! The speed gap became more and more obvious! The fans at the scene became agitated!

Coach Wilkinson, who was standing on the sidelines, couldn't help but rub his nose anxiously.

At this time, Adama, the right forward of the Golden Fleece, had just stopped Jolly's pass.

(End of this chapter)