Volume 1: Playing football with me will break your legs Chapter 59: Are you the top scorer in English League One?
"Wozhi!"
This was Li Polo’s first sigh after the game started.
Phillips, who was not far away, understood his feelings very well and even said:
"How about we switch places?"
Because...standing opposite Li Polo was a tall and strong man over 1.9 meters tall!
"Aaron Webham, 191cm tall and 82kg, joined Bristol City on a free transfer from Premier League team Crystal Palace in the summer. He has made 11 league appearances this season and scored 9 goals, making him the team's top scorer. He is good at aerial headers, scoring goals himself or heading the ball. As a striker, he has a wide range of movement and is also very good at counter-attacking on the spot..."
Basic information about the opponent flashed through Li Polo's mind.
This is not a special service provided by the system, but information prepared by the coaching team for everyone a week ago. You can see it by just going to the official website of the English League One or their club.
Scoring 9 goals in 11 games, without a single penalty, the efficiency of 0.82 goals per game is really amazing!
After all, in 2014, the only players who could achieve an average of more than one goal per game were probably the two aliens Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, plus Suarez who was at his peak.
On the other hand, Li Polo, who played football with the help of plug-ins, only scored 6 goals in 8 league rounds, with an average efficiency of only 0.75!
Most importantly, League One and League Two are obviously not of the same level of difficulty…
Webham also heard what Phillips said, of course. He lowered his head slightly, looked down at Li Polo, and smiled amiably:
"Young man, your teammates are worried about you! I advise you to listen to his advice!"
This is a rare scene.
Li Polo has always been the one provoking his opponents, but this time his opponent actually came to him on his own initiative?
Li Polo also laughed:
"I heard that you are the best goal scorer in the English League One?"
Webham smiled conceitedly:
"I started out playing in the Premier League, so shouldn't I be able to cut through the clutter in League One?"
Li Polo laughed even harder:
"Excuse me, can I ask you one more question? How many goals have you scored in the Premier League?"
The smile on Webham's face froze.
In the summer of 2013, he successfully helped Crystal Palace advance to the Premier League, but in the following season, he didn't even get a single chance to play!
Because the Crystal Palace team, which was promoted to the Premier League, had many younger and more promising new stars. In that season, the main strikers were "Zaha the King", Chamakht, "Van Persie's successor" from Arsenal, the team's transfer king Dwight Gayle, and the talented winger Thomas Ings from Liverpool.
For a relegation team, such a forward lineup is already bloated enough, where can they keep him?
Webham, who was born in 1979, can’t even guarantee a starting position in a Championship team, let alone play in the Premier League!
[Negative emotions from Webham, +6! ]
Li Polo was surprised when he received the message.
[Fuck, I just asked casually...]
He didn't know how miserable his opponent had been, but such cases were all too common in football. Players who were very successful in lower-level leagues would find it difficult to maintain their form after entering higher-level competitions.
Even if they play in the Premier League and are able to be the main or even core players in a team like Crystal Palace, and transfer to giants like Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, they often find in despair that even if they try their best to train, they still cannot get a proper chance to start!
However, Li Polo had no intention of sympathizing with his opponent. He would only press on to further disrupt his opponent's emotions:
"Aren't you good at heading the ball? Don't worry, you won't be able to score a single header in this game!"
[Negative emotions from Webham, +10! ]
…
“Boom!”
In the 6th minute of the game, Phillips heard a muffled sound.
As he receives professional training every day, he certainly knows that this is the sound of two bodies colliding.
And it was the sound of a collision in the air!
He was a little worried about the young teammate and quickly turned his head to look.
But Li Polo landed steadily on the ground, and then took the lead to clear the football out of the penalty area!
The tall center who was competing against him lost his balance and fell on his back!
Phillips breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed like he had worried for nothing!
…
Li Polo also breathed a sigh of relief.
He was slightly relieved.
The words he said before the game were somewhat provocative. Without actual confrontation, he did not have absolute confidence that he could defeat his opponent.
But after this all-out fight, he is now full of confidence!
He glanced at Akinfenwa who was forty meters away and suddenly wanted to say thank you to him.
If Akinfenwa hadn't "forced" himself to train his upper body muscles every afternoon, his core strength would never be so strong! Nor would he be able to keep his center of gravity so stable in the air!
…
【Webham, +2! 】
【Webham, +3! 】
【Webham, +5! 】
【Webham, +10! 】
After failing to grab the ball again and again, Webham's expression became more and more desperate.
He is not a young man like Ivan Toni. At the age of 35, he has long lost his speed and flexibility, and his footwork has never been his strong point. The only thing he can rely on is his height!
Now that my headers are completely restricted by the opponent, I am like a waste!
And that young opponent, after restraining himself, actually still had the energy to rush forward and join in the attack? !
This is such a humiliation!
…
Bristol City were in a tough battle.
Although they had over 60% of the ball possession, their attackers were helpless against Wimbledon's iron defense.
In particular, the aerial striker who was invincible in the English League One was completely restricted in the one-on-one defense. Not only did he not pose any threat, but he was counterattacked many times by the opponent. In the 27th minute, Dubis took advantage of a quick counterattack and scored a goal!
Bristol was in a more passive position after falling behind by one goal, but what good solution could they have?
They continued to intensify their offensive, but exposed their greater weaknesses:
Physical fitness!
The average age of Wimbledon's starting 11 is less than 25 years old, while half of Bristol's semi-rotation lineup is over 32 years old!
Similar to the Wimbledon schedule, they had just finished the first round of the FA Cup three days ago, and the veterans' physical fitness has not yet fully recovered.
Especially the 36-year-old Webham, his physical fitness is simply unable to keep up with Li Polo's speed!
For example, after this nearly 30-meter full-speed sprint, Li Polo only needed to take two breaths of fresh air to get back into the fight, but Webham felt stiffness and cramps in his calves...
When I was young, how could these two steps of sprinting make me feel tired?
Looking at Li Polo rushing to the front court after stealing the ball, Webham once again lamented the ruthlessness of time.
Then he watched as Wimbledon's winger made a cross, and the tireless young player jumped high near the penalty spot, overpowering the home team's defender and heading the ball into the goal!
"It's jumping... really high!"
The 1.91-meter-tall Webham uttered a final sigh and then accepted the arrangement to be substituted.
Less than an hour into the game, his team was two goals behind.
And it seems... there is absolutely no hope of reversal!
Webham sat on the bench, watching his teammates on the field struggle, but still unable to change the result.
But in the end, Bristol City, from the coach to the players, gave up.
[It’s just an unimportant cup match anyway, so I should save my energy because I still have to play in the league in two days! ]
"Drip, drip, drip~~~"
With three whistles, the Bristol City players were finally freed.
There didn't seem to be much resentment about losing on their faces, but instead an expression of relief.
Someone else ran over and patted Li Polo on the back, offering him praise:
"Boy, that header you made was so cool!"
Some even help worry about his future:
"We're going to play in the Championship next season, don't you consider transferring here? You definitely have what it takes!"
Li Polo ignored them and turned away.
[Although victory and defeat are common in the military, are these guys who have no sense of honor after failure qualified to talk about my future? ]
…
After posting, I can watch the last 10 minutes of Manchester United's game...
