"That new kid is really good. I think he's a lot like Inzaghi."
"Look at his sense for positioning and his knack for finding the right spot in front of the goal. It's like every time I get to work, I always hit the right spot to get a rise out of my boss."
In the stands, the scouts from PSG and Tottenham are once again in a silent battle. The Tottenham scout, Rodgers, makes the first move. He has already received a message from his club's head coach, telling him to contact the handsome No. 7 as soon as possible and make some promises. Rodgers thinks the other scout must have also received orders from his club since he just left to make a phone call.
"He's very good, but I'm more interested in the winger with glasses. His technique isn't flashy, but it's very practical and much more mature than Cristiano Ronaldo was at his age."
The PSG scout immediately counters. The two of them lavish praise on Yukimiya and Ryusei Shidou. As for Tendou? He's treated like a weed on the side of the road. They don't mention him at all, trying their best to lower Tendou's presence in the other person's eyes.
Some of the fans nearby are fluent in English and are listening to the two Europeans' conversation, not really understanding what's going on. With all the talk of Ronaldo and Inzaghi, could those two players really be as good as the scouts say? The fan scratches his head and thinks he must not understand football well and can't see how good Ryusei Shidou and Yukimiya are. Because he feels that Sae Itoshi and Tendou are much better than those two.
The two scouts are, of course, unaware of what the surrounding fans are thinking. They're both secretly calling the other an "old fox." Little do they know, even a fan can see what's going on, so how could they fool each other? It serves them right for being low-level scouts.
But compared to the "spectating" fans, they obviously understand football better and have a deeper understanding of the situation on the field. The situation does indeed look unfavorable for the Blue Lock team right now. Yukimiya and Ryusei Shidou, under Sae Itoshi's command, have created several dangerous situations. But these attacks that are all thunder and no rain are nothing. The only real threat so far was Sae Itoshi's long shot from 28 meters out. The rest of the attacks are just average and have limited threat.
The Blue Lock team is currently being pressured, but their defensive line is still solid and has no obvious flaws. Their biggest weakness is on the right side, where their wingback clearly can't handle Yukimiya's one-on-one skills. But this problem has been resolved by Tendou's timely interventions. Until Tendou's attention or stamina drops, the Blue Lock team's defense, while seemingly in crisis, is actually relatively safe.
"What a tantalizing little monster." Rodgers, the Tottenham scout, looks at the well-organized Blue Lock defense under Tendou's command, and his evaluation of Tendou goes up another notch. This is a real, bona fide free man on the field. His positioning and his ability to direct his teammates constantly show his big-picture awareness and his reading of the game. And he's only 17 years old. In time, he's going to be unstoppable. Combined with his athletic ability, it's no wonder that Adam, the other scout, was so anxious and repeatedly urged the team to act fast.
Rodgers believes that Tendou's physical talent is somewhere between Loki and Erling Haaland. Last year, when he was still in the Norwegian league, Haaland had already attracted the attention of European clubs. His abnormal physical abilities were already impressive. This year, Haaland, a year older, is even more explosive. This makes him feel at home in the penalty box. With a flexibility that doesn't match his body size, Haaland has become a complete goal-scoring machine. In July, in a match against the Austrian powerhouse Brann, he played for Molde and scored an incredible four goals in just 21 minutes. This feat has attracted widespread attention from European clubs, and it's believed that he will be seen in one of the top five leagues soon. Many clubs have already sent people to Austria to persuade this unique genius of a center forward.
And Tendou? His physical strength and speed are right in between Loki and Haaland. While he doesn't reach the extremes of either, this isn't a bad thing. Many people can see that while Loki's speed is incredible, his technique can't keep up with his innate talent, and his future is still an unknown. Haaland has a similar problem, but Tendou does not. He's perfectly in the middle of the two.
That solo goal earlier, the footwork Tendou showed, made Rodgers's eyes light up. This puts Tendou on the same level as Haaland and Loki.
"After the Messi-Ronaldo era, is talent about to explode?" Rodgers thinks to himself. Compared to Asia, European football is more superstitious about talent. For years, they have believed that every once in a while, a few chosen ones will emerge and lead a new era. The last generation was Messi and Ronaldo. But as their dominance wanes, Loki and Haaland have begun to emerge. These signs lead Europeans to believe that football is about to enter a new era. Currently, the people considered most likely to take the baton from Messi and Ronaldo are Haaland and Loki.
And now, there's a third one. Thinking about it, Asia has been quiet for so many years, it's about time a monster showed up. Son Heung-min is excellent, but he's not excellent enough. So Rodgers believes that this fated son of Asia is Tendou.
Getting back to the point, the match has entered the 40th minute, with only four minutes left in the first half. With the flow of this match, injury time will likely not exceed three minutes. So, the national youth team doesn't have much time left.
The national youth team's offense is like a raging tide. The Blue Lock team is on the passive defensive. Jinpachi Ego has not given any instructions, choosing to let Tendou and the others handle the situation on their own. If they concede a goal and get tied before halftime, it would be a major blow to the Blue Lock team's morale. In the second half, they could easily fall apart, making it very difficult to score a single goal. So he has no complaints about Tendou's choice to play defensively. In contrast, Jinpachi Ego believes his own all-out attack tactic is even more reckless and aggressive, and more prone to errors.
In front of the Blue Lock goal, Gin Gagamaru takes a short pass and kicks it off. The entire Blue Lock team runs and exchanges quick passes, avoiding the opponent's high-pressure marking. They are not in a hurry and are playing very patiently, having decided to maintain their lead until the second half.
Tendou doesn't think so. He has been observing the entire field, constantly looking for an opportunity. He has never given up on the idea of a counter-attack. Hard work pays off. In the 44th minute of the match, the national youth team finally can't stand the passive defense anymore, and their two defensive midfielders start to push up. Tendou spots this opportunity, and his brilliant eyes light up. He has been waiting for this moment!
Tap!
After receiving a pass from a teammate, Tendou doesn't pass the ball as he has been. To everyone's surprise, the Blue Lock No. 1 suddenly turns into a flash of light and rushes towards the other half of the field. This change in pace catches the national youth team off guard, and even his own Blue Lock teammates are surprised.
Whoosh!
Tendou's explosive move takes him past Sendou Shuto. With the help of the animation team, his movement looks as if it instantly jumped from 0 to 100. His eyes are just a flash of white, and his white hair flies back in the wind. The powerful imagery instantly re-energizes the audience, who had been bored for a while listening to protagonist Isagi Yoichi's inner monologue.
"Oh no!"
"Stop him, fast!"
The first person to notice something is wrong is Sendou Shuto, who is in the back. He loudly warns his teammates. After lying in wait for over ten minutes, that monster is once again baring his sharp fangs.
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