The perfect center forward: Becoming a soccer king from the corner of Chuanu Chapter 034

“Lucia, do you know what a striker needs most?”

“A desire to score and confidence! Don’t be afraid to waste opportunities; show the same confidence you had in the Europa League qualifiers!”

At first, Lucia was a bit confused as to why Bilic wanted to talk to him. It turned out the coach was reminding him that hesitation leads to defeat!

Football is not a purely rational discipline; there is no formula for maximizing efficiency. His choices between shooting and passing should be based on his judgment on the field, not on the number of Misses displayed by the system.

In the blink of an eye, following the instinctive reactions honed by countless hours of practice is the correct way to play.

As for controlling the game and making good use of the “Push Nudge Corner” (推努角) trait, that should only be considered when the score is leading and the match is nearing its end.

Lucia glanced at the trait on his interface, which showed 3 Misses remaining for shots inside the box. He shook his head, remembering his hesitant shot earlier.

How he used it was key; deliberately pursuing a pass would inherently reduce its threat.

Shoot when you should shoot, share when you should share. When you can both pass and shoot, share more. Use the tool effectively, don’t let the tool control you!

The second half began, and Lucia immediately made a brilliant run, this time without any hesitation.

“A beautiful run, Lucia went diagonally after faking out Kaboul!”

“Payet’s pass is incredibly precise, the ball threaded through the defenders and arrived in front of the goal!”

“What an opportunity!!”

The live commentator, ready to shout “Goal” with a long drawn-out sound, suddenly stopped, as if all the ingredients and utensils were ready, but the main course had burned.

For a moment, he didn’t know how to describe such a scene.

Lucia, who had observed his teammate’s position in advance, decisively took the shot. His tap-in from the edge of the box unfortunately scuffed, adding new material to the online compilation of “Grandma Shots.”

The middle-aged man in Shanghai, waiting for his oysters, felt like the “Benzema Cat” from his early days at Real Madrid had emerged in his mind!

“He couldn’t score that?” “He could still shoot wide?”

He’s at the same level as those boss-type strikers from our Pudong Sanlin team who often turn one-on-ones into cashier encounters!

The most bizarre thing was that the stupid coach actually burst into laughter after seeing a player waste such an opportunity. He really didn’t know what was wrong with him!

A sudden thought struck the man, and he opened his betting group to check today’s odds. Good heavens, do the “Betway” logos on your chests want to devour people?!

Leading 2- 0, then conceding two goals, and then playing like this on purpose in the second half—aren’t they luring people in to kill them?

Luckily, he didn’t gamble. Even if he did, he’d only buy sports lottery tickets, 2 yuan for a two-leg accumulator!

In reality, Bilic wasn’t as exaggerated as the guys on the betting forums thought. As the super-prospect he had discovered, it was more important for the player to regain his normal mindset.

After all, skills can be trained gradually, but a broken mindset is truly disastrous. Haven’t we seen players like that? For example, in the 2009- 10 season, he contributed 12 goals and 14 assists in 36 games, but after Dunga didn’t call him up for the South Africa World Cup, he completely lost his spirit.

The rock-and-roll coach, who actively praised Lucia’s run, drew the attention of the substitute players on the sidelines. Fletcher, who was glued to the bench, already wanted to go home and write a little essay complaining about the coach and his favorite son!

Back on the field, after Lucia took a shot at the start, Watford took control of the game.

In the 53rd minute, the score was changed again. Pereyra delivered a chipped pass from the ribs, and Capoue, who had surged forward, unleashed a long-range shot from the edge of the box!

From a 2- 0 lead at the start to a 2- 3 deficit in the second half, West Ham United fans’ iron hearts felt a bit sore!

But unwavering loyalty is the bedrock of the Hammers’ devilish home ground. In the team’s difficult period, the sound of “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles” grew even louder.

West Ham, trailing by a goal and not dominating the play, became the besieged side. This time, Ighalo’s low shot from the left nearly resulted in an own goal from Collins’ clearance.

However, this reminded Lucia that taking a shot immediately, besides charging up, could also pose a threat to the opponent’s defense, leading to own goals or clearance errors!

So, even if the shot doesn’t go in, it’s crucial to shoot decisively. Not only is it satisfying to shoot, but there’s also a chance to create chaos in the opponent’s defense, and with good luck, even an own goal.

After all, the Golden Boot winner of Euro 2024 was that man named Own Goal!

Watford, having completed a great comeback, was on a roll. In the 63rd minute, Ighalo provided an assist, and Holebas scored again, making the score 2- 4!

With thirty minutes left and a two-goal deficit, especially after a comeback, the Hammers players were a bit dispirited.

With a wave of his hand, Bilic directly withdrew a midfielder and added a forward to strengthen the attack.

And Lucia, who had briefly hesitated in the first half, was no longer overly concerned about gains and losses. In the 65th minute, he took another shot.

“It seems the young player today is a bit out of form. After hitting the post, three consecutive shots failed to pose a threat.”

“But this doesn’t diminish West Ham United fans’ love for him. In the 66th minute, a Tifo made for player number 66 was raised at the London Stadium!”

“A beautiful image of his first league goal. Fans spontaneously stood up and applauded to encourage this super-prospect.”

The broadcast camera kept showing Lucia and the fans on the sidelines. Although he had wasted a few shots so far in this match, it still didn’t affect his standing in the fans’ hearts.

Indeed, for anything and anyone, the first impression plays a decisive role.

Lucia, who joined on a free transfer, was discovered, and then single-handedly created three goals in his league debut, clearly held a prince-like status in the hearts of the fans.

Oh, this damned sense of belonging! No wonder some people choose to stay with one club for their entire career because of the fans!

Lucia, feeling a surge of emotion, directly shrugged off Cathcart during a challenge. His vigorously running legs felt full of power, and adrenaline sparked an even stronger burst of explosiveness.

Kaboul and Britos quickly converged, trying to ensure the ball went past him but not the man.

His powerful thighs, like a twelve-cylinder powertrain, took three long strides and completed a ‘raw eat’ (生吃, meaning overpowering an opponent directly) before the two defenders could close him down. Once inside the box, facing the goalkeeper, he had no other thoughts, just a powerful blast!

“The best response, a touching moment! After the fans presented the giant Tifo, Lucia scored with his formidable individual ability!”

“This is perfect interaction between fans and player. Lucia proved with his goal that he is still that unstoppable super-prospect!”

The fans’ fervor and the players’ relentless effort unfortunately couldn’t create a miracle. At the end of the match, the Hammers lost 3- 4 to visiting Watford, leaving them with two wins, one draw, and one loss for a total of 7 points after four rounds.

Eight shots, three on target, one goal, and one hit post—such statistics indeed looked a bit like ‘wild shooting’.

However, after the match, Bilic was very happy, patting his proud protégé’s head. Besides praising his role as a pivot and attracting defenders on the field, he especially commended Lucia’s decisive shooting and goal in the second half.

Lucia looked at his trait interface: [Push Nudge Corner (推努角): Next shot inside the box Miss ( 2), Next shot outside the box Miss ( 8)].

He became even clearer about the rules for using it: shoot when you should shoot, pass when you should pass. He couldn’t make passes just for the sake of passing during a draw, like he did today.

Maybe hitting the post and rebounding could also create a threat, or a “Push Nudge Corner” could lead to an own goal!

He would only consider maximizing efficiency when an advantage was secured!

Even if the trait reaches 100% progress and still results in a “nudge corner,” Lucia would be “No Longer Hesitating,” just like the classic Beyond song.