CHAPTER 306: CHAPTER 97: YOU GUYS ARE THE REAL SISSIES

"Crush them!"

"Screw their whole family!"

"Kill! Kill!"

Sampdoria is all riled up.

Can this be tolerated?

Fine!

Then let you feel the intensity of Serie A!

Although Serie A is not known in the Five Major Leagues for its intensity, it is still a top league, and if you want intensity, you can have it!

In the next few minutes, San Remo’s players clearly felt the trouble.

They’re no longer receiving the ball easily.

Especially turning, which was almost impossible.

Sometimes even after passing the ball, they’d still get knocked over or taken down by the opponent.

And the opponents were just committing minor fouls.

Under such intensity, San Remo’s ball movement became difficult.

"Move!"

Morici loudly shouted repeatedly, signaling teammates to expand their running range and provide passing options.

Even in ball control and passing, the degree of teammate responsiveness greatly affects control strength.

For example, if Morici passed to and didn’t move, Becher’s return pass point to him is easily blocked, which is the opponent’s instinct.

But if Morici keeps moving, opponents need to take extra steps to intercept the ball.

If Morici has a larger movement range, the opponent must move over a larger area.

Meanwhile, Morici can also create distance between himself and Becher, providing space for overhead passes.

Talking about ball control sounds easy, but doing it is actually very hard.

Moreover, the hardest part of ball control is the two aspects ordinary players find difficult.

The first is that high-level ball control demands very high footwork skills from all players.

This is why only top-tier clubs usually employ ball control as their main tactic.

Because ordinary teams struggle to equip many technical players.

The second is high-level ball control requires each player to have strong insight and thinking skills.

Many panic facing pressure, have narrow vision and can’t find teammates; even if they find them, lack the creative imagery to make seemingly impossible passes using the outside foot, dragging the ball slightly or intentionally being slow.

These aspects involve not only technique but also thought.

Players meeting these criteria are usually not ordinary players.

Meeting one of them means that even if not in a top club or league, they stand out in their own level of competition against ordinary players.

Of course, does it mean ordinary teams can’t play ball control?

No.

What’s discussed is top-level ball control.

General ball control, while demanding lots of players, can be achieved with enough teamwork if players play together long enough.

I lack vision, but I understand your running.

I lack pass imagination, but you have it. I focus on receiving, okay.

My passing skills aren’t great, but your movement’s slick, and any gap falls within your control.

These "yous" are ordinary teams’ ball control points - the organizational core!

As long as the core is top-notch and solid, not-so-wealthy teams can support ball control tactics.

San Remo’s current low-quality ball control tactic is supported by their core, Morici.

How to sustain it?

First, extensive running.

Don’t be fooled by Lu being the Perpetual Motion Machine.

Morici’s actually quite the runner too; otherwise, with Lu’s initial passing levels, he couldn’t frequently weave magical plays with Morici.

It’s fair to say before Lu played CAM, Morici was accommodating him.

Of course, when Morici was injured, Lu began to blend with the entire team successfully.

Now, it’s basically Morici accommodating Lu, and Lu accommodating the whole team.

Second, insight into the situation.

Third, complex calculations.

The second and third must be discussed together, starting with understanding most dynamics on the field and choosing whom to pass to.

If a team member has too many defending players nearby or could get surrounded, even if it’s easier to pass to them, preferably don’t choose them.

Some players offer safe receptions, but obstacles in the middle or distance challenges make passes tough.

Then, Morici must prioritizes the latter, as he has the techniques to overcome difficulty.

Unless his teammates are top-tier, he must also consider their receiving environment.

Samp’s pressure is heavy.

Morici struggles alone.

But... the current San Remo has more than just Morici as a ball-handling point.

Becher can also handle the ball elegantly.

Simultaneously, Lu’s omnipresent running gives San Remo an additional passing option.

Plus Morici’s previous strategies.

Even if Samp’s using physical play, causing whistles, San Remo holds the advantage in ball control.

"This is incredible!"

"A team averaging less than forty-two percent ball control in the last fifteen matches now has sixty-seven percent against Serie A teams!"

"Crucially, Samp isn’t a defensive counterattack team; in Serie A their average ball control is nearly fifty percent."

"Even if today’s setup plays a part, it’s still staggering."