Chapter 44: The Fighter’s Determination!
"Steven, if this continues, I'm afraid this kid's body won't be able to hold on. After all, he's only 16 years old."
McAllister took the PAD given by the technical analyst and said to Gerrard.
"It's only been 55 minutes, and he has already run 10,000 meters."
Gerrard didn't answer, he knew McAllister was right.
His former teammate Michael Owen, at the age of 18, broke through Argentina's goal in the World Cup and became famous overnight. At the age of 21, he won the Golden Ball, the highest honor in European football.
At that time, everyone thought that Irving's peak was far from coming, but they did not expect that increasingly frequent injuries would gradually drag him down.
Later, many people, including Sir Alex Ferguson said with regret that participating in competitions too frequently and overloading in his youth laid the seeds for Owen's subsequent injuries.
But he couldn't replace Chen Xiaoliang now. If he did, as Chen Xiaoliang said at halftime, this game would become his lifelong nightmare.
However, this kid must be rotated and rested in the next games.
Although he is only a loan player, he can be used without restraint according to the team's needs, and he will not stay until next season anyway.
But Gerrard's professional ethics will not allow him to do so, not to mention this kid's character and self-discipline, which coach would not like it?
He still has a long future ahead of him, and Gerrard really wants to see how high he will reach in the future.
On the field, the Rangers’ running did not slow down at all.
Leicester City gradually adapted and began to shrink its formation to give the players who received the ball more points to pass the ball.
Tavernier's departure made Davis Sr. the core of the team, and he began to direct his teammates to attack the right side.
On the right side there are new players Patterson and Morelos, as well as Chen Xiaoliang and Aribo who can cover the area and have an advantage in speed.
On the left, he and Barisic focused more on defense and pressing.
Leicester City goal kick.
Schmeichel made a half-high pass to Tielemans on the right, but the pressure from Chen Xiaoliang and Roofe on the two central defenders forced him to do so.
Tielemans took advantage of Davis's chance to catch the ball, and just as he looked up, Kent pounced on him.
He passed the ball directly to the retreating Madison, and Goldson, who was standing in a high position, chased closely!
Madison kicked the ball with his heel and it changed direction and rolled towards Vardy!
From the second half on, Balogun's eyes almost never left Vardy. From time to time, he held his hand, hugged his waist, pulled his clothes, tugged his pants, and used all the tricks he used to pursue his girlfriend.
He knew very well that when facing the Premier League Golden Boot winner, he could only physique and strength. Once he got an opening and started running, there was no way he could catch up.
At this time, the ball rolled over and Balogun pulled Vardy's jersey, but the referee had already observed both of them, so he did not use too much strength.
Vardy took a step forward to receive the ball, then turned around and dribbled the ball, trying to leave Balogun behind.
Balogun was blocking for position while pulling with his hands, and the referee's whistle was in his mouth, but the attack was in his favor and he would not interrupt this pass.
Seeing that Balogun was about to lose his position, Patterson, Barisic, Goldson, and the entire defense line began to run back desperately.
They were all praying in their hearts, praying that Balogun could delay Vardy's speed so that they could rush back to help defend.
However, Balogun was already the last defender. If he committed a foul and deliberately blocked the opponent at this time, he would definitely get a red card.
With a height of 190cm, he stretched out his long legs and squeezed Vardy's side hard!
Vardy is already used to this kind of confrontation.
From the start of the second half until now, he hasn't even touched the ball once. This is the opportunity he has been waiting for!
The Premier League Golden Boot skillfully shook off Balogun's arm with his hand, created a gap in space, and chased after the ball he had kicked.
“It’s over!”
Just when the four defenders were crying out in their hearts, goalkeeper McGregor rushed up!
He was telling his teammates with his eyes, don’t forget that he is the last line of defense!
Zhan Jun: "This is a fifty-fifty ball! It's right between the two of them! It depends on who can touch the ball first!"
Seeing that McGregor, who had rushed out of the penalty area, could no longer use his hands, Vardy immediately fell to the ground and slid to make a tackle. As long as the ball rolled towards the goal, even if he couldn't get it in, he could still score a goal by getting up and kicking it again!
McGregor did not flinch at all when faced with Vardy's studs.
As a true Scotsman, he was the only player on the team who could make old Davis speak politely.
He won five Scottish Premier League titles, four Scottish FA Cup titles, six Scottish League Cup titles, and also played in the Premier League for several seasons with Hull City .
Looking at the European football scene, although these honors cannot be called brilliant, they are exciting enough.
The 38-year-old remains one of Scotland's best goalkeepers.
Unlike the ferocious old Davis, he is very kind to the players, especially the young players.
As the team's second captain, he was the first to stand behind Chen Xiaoliang, who was wearing the captain's armband, without hesitation when he came on the field at halftime.
He had already become indifferent to everything. Having made his debut in the Rangers youth training, he just wanted to dedicate his last moments to the team that had nurtured him.
In that instant, Vardy, who was sliding on the ground, and McGregor, who was raising his right foot to clear the ball, looked at each other.
With just one glance, the two fighters understood each other's determination.
"Even if you break his legs, I'm still going to kick him out!"
This is the Veteran's Declaration!
Vardy slightly bent his outstretched left leg and buried his studs in the grass.
McGregor kicks the ball out of bounds with a big kick.
Then he reached out and pulled Vardy up from the ground.
Vardy stood up and patted McGregor on the butt.
One of them returned to the penalty area, while the other continued to run to receive the out-of-bounds ball. Everything happened so naturally as if nothing had happened.
However, the applause that echoed throughout the audience was a tribute to the sportsmanship of the two!
Thomas kicked the ball from the sideline, and Patterson was wandering around in front of him as if he had a cramp.
Thomas hesitated for a long time before throwing the ball to Ndidi who came forward to receive the ball. Aribo didn't give his Nigerian fellow countryman any face at all and intercepted the ball with a single move!
Same height, same age, same position, same body shape, both are main players in the national team. Ndidi is more defensive while Aribo is good at both offense and defense.
Like other fields, there is no absolute fairness in the world of football.
Some people were born in Argentina, and in order to cure a disease that prevented them from growing taller, they went to Spain to join the youth training of a top club. At a young age, they were regarded as key training targets by the club until they conquered Europe and won many honors.
Some people come from the most remote and impoverished islands in Portugal. They practice football hard to change their fate. In a friendly match, they are spotted by a talent scout and given the No. 7 jersey. They eventually become unprecedented football killers.
However, some people work just as hard and have just as much talent, but because of injuries, family, birth, or even because the football field is occupied by people playing Frisbee, they end up being mediocre and unknown.
Now, the opportunity is in front of Aribo. He does not want to prove that he is better than Ndidi, but to let the world remember that his name is Joe Aribo!
