Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

The light from the projector illuminated Mr. Yamamoto’s wrinkled face. All the players present were concentrating on what he was saying, because they knew that the quarter-final was not going to be a game like any other.

Lucas Tanaka was sitting in the second row, with his elbows resting on his knees and leaning forward slightly.

"Nishikawa High School are known for their tactical strength and the technical quality of their players, but what really makes them a challenge is their attacking duo, Luke and Klaus Ivanov."

Upon hearing those names, a brief murmur spread around the room. Luke and Klaus. The Russian-Japanese twins. Two players who seemed destined for greatness. Lucas had heard of them, of course. Anyone who followed grassroots soccer knew who they were - legends in the making.

"These two are unlike any opponents we’ve faced so far. I’d venture to say they’re as monstrous as Shinto Ishikuno." He signaled for Kuwabara to change the image on the screen.

A video then began to play, showing Nishikawa High’s last match.

"Luke, the number 10, is a natural dribbler. He has the speed and skill to get past any defender, and his ability to shoot from outside the box is a constant threat."

The screen showed Luke receiving the ball in the middle of the pitch, turning quickly with an elegant touch and leaving two defenders behind as if they were training cones. He advanced at speed, swaying his body from side to side, mesmerizing his opponents before, with a touch that looked silly, firing the ball towards goal from outside the box.

"And Klaus... The number 9. A natural goalscorer. He has a sense of positioning and a coolness in his finishing that we rarely see in players of this age." Yamamoto pointed at the screen again.

Klaus was in the center of the box, waiting for a cross from his brother. With an impressively high leap, he headed the ball into the top corner of the goal with force.

The combination of Luke and Klaus was fatal. Luke created the chances and Klaus finished them with frightening efficiency. It was almost as if they moved in perfect harmony, two bodies sharing one mind. No wonder some people called them the "Russian Cristiano Ronaldo & Messi". Nishikawa High School had built its team around them, and rightly so. They were the heart and soul of that team.

"I know what you’re thinking," said Yamamoto. He paced back and forth. "If these two are so good, how can we beat them?" He stopped and looked at his players.

"Double marking." said Yugga after raising his hand.

"And use four players to mark two? We’ll be exposed."

"Individual marking then?" Another said.

Yamamoto nodded. "It could work, but that would create holes in our defense."

Surprisingly, Nishida raised his hand to answer and, with a serious tone, said:

"Goals. We’ll only beat them if we score goals."

Kuwabara was the first to break the silence that followed Nishida’s speech. He raised an eyebrow, slowly turning towards his teammate.

"Goals? Is that really what you said? Goals?"

Yugga, sitting next to him, let out a muffled laugh, trying to cover it up. "I think he’s definitely just evolved into a Pokémon," he commented, squinting at Kuwabara. "He can only say one word."

Toshinori, the goalkeeper, shook his head as a low laugh escaped his lips. "Goals... Goals... Goals." he repeated, imitating a robot or, perhaps, an early-stage Pokémon. "Nishida! Use Goal Attack!"

Nishida, who until that moment had kept a serious expression, narrowed his eyes, clearly annoyed by the mockery. Even Lucas, who was usually more introspective, couldn’t help but smile at the joke.

"You’re a bunch of idiots," muttered Nishida, crossing his arms. "I was serious. The only way we can win is if we score more goals than them. It’s that simple."

"Oh, of course, it’s that simple," replied Kuwabara, sarcastically. "We just need to score more goals than the opposing team to win a match. I never thought of that."

"Okay, okay, guys, enough with the pleasantries. Nishida is right on one point: we need to be offensive. But let’s also not forget that Nishikawa High School has a solid defense and only conceded one goal in their previous match. They don’t just rely on their attacking duo."

As Yamamoto spoke, Lucas looked back at the screen where the Ivanov twins were still frozen in a victory pose after yet another goal.

Lucas knew his limitations, but he also knew that soccer was unpredictable. It was often the small decisions on the pitch, the unexpected moments, that decided a match. What’s more, Lucas liked playing with these more skillful players, because he could copy them.

Yamamoto walked to the whiteboard at the front of the room, picking up a pen. "It’s not just about scoring goals. The key is to control the midfield. If we can block the lines of passing and interrupt Luke and Klaus’ connection with the other players, we can neutralize much of the danger they offer.

For this reason, I want to use a different tactical formation today, something we’ve practiced in the past."

"In the past?"

"Do you remember the friendly against Nagatura High School a month and a half ago?" Mr. Yamamoto asked as he drew a tactical formation on the board. "On that occasion, what formation did we use?"

Kenji raised his right hand. "It was a 4-3-3. We had Kuwabara, Hidefumi, Jun and Yuuga in defense. In midfield, it was me, Tanaka and Tsukada. In attack, there was Nishida, Yukihiro and that other kid who left the team."

"Exactly, and do you remember why we lost?"

"Because our midfield was completely dominated that time." Lucas replied.

"Exactly. We had three players in midfield, while they had four because they played with a pair of strikers. What does Nishikawa High School have in common with Nagatura High School?"

"The attacking duo." This time, the players answered all together.

Yamamoto smiled with the corner of his mouth, "Exactly. So we’re going to use a 4-4-2 formation, and our attacking duo to rival their monster attack will be a pair of players who have a lot of synergy too. I’m talking about you, Nishida and Tanaka. You’ll be responsible for scoring all the goals in our victory against Nishikawa High School."