'So, you've run out of patience…'
Hiro rolled his pupils, tracking Eric as he dropped deeper into his own half. Until now, the towering striker had been lurking in their territory, anchoring himself to the defensive line—making it difficult for those around him to operate.
But now, Eric was sprinting into his own half to collect the ball himself.
And Tonali, who had been holding his position firmly alongside Hiro's support, was forced to chase him.
Until this moment, they had been locking down Eric's movement together—a coordinated stranglehold. But now that Eric had dropped deep, Tonali had no choice but to follow.
Hiro considered providing support, but he knew he wouldn't be much help in this situation. He could maintain pressure from a distance, but standing directly against Eric? That wasn't his battle.
So he didn't close the gap.
Instead, he decided to operate in the space he had identified—a much better option.
