Football: My AI System Provides Max-Level Predictions-Chapter 657 - 454: C Luo is shocked! Besides Messi and Suarez, is Tang also competing with me for the European Golden Boot?
Chapter 657: Chapter 454: C Luo is shocked! Besides Messi and Suarez, is Tang also competing with me for the European Golden Boot?
The paused image shows Tang Long facing goalkeeper Jiwen. His initial touch was made with the inside of his foot, hitting horizontally.
"Ah, he initially wanted to push the shot!" exclaimed shooting coach Van Buren.
Adams shook his head, smiling. "No, Tang wants Jiwen to initially think he’s going to push the shot."
Adams clicked the mouse, Tang Long continued at 0.3x slow motion, and at almost the very instant of contact, suddenly twisted his ankle!
Even in slow-motion replay, this ankle adjustment was extremely quick. Someone with poor eyesight couldn’t see clearly, especially at normal speed.
Suddenly, Tang Long’s ankle twisted, changing the touching part from inside foot to toe.
A deft flick like a dragonfly touching water, the ball soared over Jiwen’s head, landing securely in the net.
Clap clap clap——
An applause erupted at the scene!
Everyone applauded Tang Long’s dummy feint!
Seated in the main seat, Guardiola felt a chill in his heart, secretly astonished: "So Tang added a feint with the inside foot before the chip shot, confusing the goalkeeper completely, then instantly converted to a flick shot, chipping it into the net. These details are invisible during my field command."
Guardiola couldn’t help but praise: "Good! Many forwards feint before shooting, but for someone like Tang to make it so convincing, and change suddenly at the last moment, is rare indeed."
Everyone said that forward like Tang, perfectly combining movement and shooting skills, is rare in Europe, comparable only to players like Lewandowski, Kane, Suarez, and C Luo.
Assistant coach Chiwo remained silent, just kept watching Tang Long on the screen.
He was new here, still familiarizing with first-team colleagues.
Guardiola worried Chiwo felt neglected since Tang Long’s first goal stemmed from Stoke City’s offense, based on Stones’ successful defense against Arnautovic, intercepting the ball for a pass forward.
Guardiola decided to let Chiwo speak about Tang, then steer the conversation towards Stones.
"Christian, how do you evaluate Tang’s movement and shooting skills as a forward?"
Chiwo turned to Guardiola, shook his head, "As a forward, Tang’s movement and shooting are strong, but his real strength is not these; you all missed the key point."
These words drew everyone’s attention.
Video analyst Adams thought: "Newcomer with a big mouth! Do you think all of us aren’t as perceptive as you? Let’s hear your key point."
Others too murmured, showing discontent.
Guardiola was intrigued, as he agreed with Chiwo, and was curious if Chiwo’s answer would align with his own thoughts.
Chiwo borrowed Adams’s computer, asking the video analyst: "Did you record the replay for the third goal, the penalty rebound?"
Adams paused, shaking his head dismissively: "It’s just a penalty rebound, luck isn’t worth analyzing."
Chiwo frowned: "Then you missed the most important part, but it’s not your fault; you’re not familiar enough with Tang yet."
He clicked into the website, smoothly finding Agüero’s penalty replay.
"You all think it’s a simple rebound, right? The ball hit the post, bounced back to Tang’s foot, and then he scored? It’s not like that."
"Otherwise, did Tang attract the ball?" Adams joked, causing a round of laughter.
Surveying the room, Chiwo noticed only one person did not laugh—Guardiola.
Once the laughter died down, he calmly said: "It’s not about Tang attracting the ball; he actively moved towards the ball. If I told you that when Agüero took the shot and Jiwen started to dive, Tang Long had already predicted the ball would hit the post and bounce back, and he sprinted in the rebound’s direction—would you believe it?"
"I believe!"
Before others could respond, Guardiola shouted loudly, raising both hands, a joyful smile on his face.
Prediction—this morning’s discussion, he finally heard this succinct yet powerful word!
...
...
Spain, Madrid.
C Luo was in his suburban villa.
Agent Mendes was discussing renewal terms with him.
Real Madrid President Florentino intended to renew C Luo’s contract until 2021, at which point the Portuguese star would be 36, possibly retiring at the Bernabéu.
"Cristiano, this is a good opportunity. You’ve just won the European Cup; we can leverage this for an even more lucrative contract than now."
"Cristiano?"
"... Are you listening to me?"
C Luo was distracted, playing with his phone.
His screen showed the top scorers list from the five major leagues.
In the European Golden Boot competition, league goals in these leagues had a point allocation of two points per goal.
C Luo muttered: "Six, this Chinese guy scored six goals in two Premier League rounds, isn’t that too easy? I’ve been away from the Premier League for seven years, has the defending level dropped so much?"
Though he said this, C Luo knew it wasn’t true.
The Premier League’s competitiveness had only strengthened since he left Manchester United to join Real Madrid in La Liga!
After Ferguson left, Manchester United’s dominance vanished, welcoming a competitive era where powers like Manchester City, Tottenham, Everton grew significantly stronger. Even lower Premier League teams like Wolves and West Brom could spend tens of millions of British Pounds to improve their squads in the transfer market.
Two seasons ago, in 2014-2015, when Tang Long led Inter Milan to win the UEFA Europa League, C Luo heard of this Oriental name.
But then he was engrossed in his goal rivalry with Messi, not caring about emerging stars in Serie A.
In C Luo’s eyes, Serie A was already a declining league;
The center of European football was only La Liga and the Premier League!
At season’s end, C Luo scored 48 league goals, and Messi 43. Although Barça achieved a treble that season, dominating Real Madrid in club honors, C Luo at least outscored Messi, winning La Liga Golden Boot and European Golden Boot!
C Luo was very proud of his performance that season.
"Comparing me to Messi? This season, I won La Liga Golden Boot, European Golden Boot, and Champions League Golden Boot; I am the best player in the world!"
But last season, 2015-2016, C Luo was dissatisfied with his performance!
Playing 36 matches and scoring 35 goals maintained an amazing one goal per game average;
But unexpectedly, the European Golden Boot went not to him or to Messi, but to Suarez!
With 40 goals in 35 games, not only surpassing C Luo’s efficiency but also breaking Messi and Ronaldo’s near six-year monopoly on the European Golden Boot!
C Luo was furious!
"Competing for the top scorer title with Messi is one thing, but why is Suarez also involved?!"
Yet agent Mendes reassured him: "Don’t worry, the only one sharing your level is Messi. As for Suarez, he’s strong but far inferior! This Uruguayan won’t be a long-term rival."
C Luo thought the same, entering the new season full of confidence, already having won four European Golden Boots, one more than Messi, aiming for a fifth to surpass Messi, defending the award symbolizing the world’s best striker.
When the first round of the five major leagues began and Tang Long scored a hat-trick, C Luo didn’t care much since such sporadic bursts from young players happen all the time in football; they lack consistency, posing no threat.
Having scored once himself, he was more concerned that Messi scored two goals in La Liga’s first match, one more than him!
In the five major leagues’ second round, while neither he nor Messi scored, Tang Long scored another hat-trick—C Luo was shocked!
What is this monster? Two matches in the league, a hat-trick each game?
Having played two games, his goal count surpassed mine by four!
C Luo couldn’t help thinking about the worst-case scenario:
"Is this season, besides Messi and Suarez, going to involve a Chinese guy competing against me for the European Golden Boot?"
(Work was pretty busy today, had no time to write during lunch, only managed after work at night, so couldn’t finish writing, thus updated just one Chapter with four thousand words.)
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