Chapter 256 - 249: Van Basten’s Shot

Among the many Star Skills, quite a few could improve a player’s goal-scoring ability. However, the one Yang Yang had always liked most was [Van Basten’s Shooting]. This wasn’t just because Van Basten was his idol, but also because Van Basten was the most complete scorer.

He remembered Ibrahimovic once complaining to him that Ajax wasn’t good at praising players, always trying to mold them into the perfect image they had in their minds.

When it came to goal-scoring technique, Van Basten was absolutely perfect.

When Yang Yang pointed to Van Basten’s starry silhouette without hesitation, the legendary superstar quickly coalesced into a beam of light and, in the blink of an eye, shot into Yang Yang’s forehead.

In an instant, countless brilliant moments of Van Basten’s shots flooded Yang Yang’s mind. They played out scene by scene, like watching a movie, allowing Yang Yang to see every single detail with perfect clarity.

Drawing from his previous experience with [Bergkamp’s Ball Control], Yang Yang quickly realized that [Van Basten’s Shooting] wasn’t a skill that directly improved a player’s shooting technique. Instead, it was a Star Skill that guided a player on how to assess situations and apply their shooting technique appropriately.

Especially after watching the complete demonstration of the Star Skill, Yang Yang gained an even more comprehensive understanding of scoring, because it involved much more than just the final shot.

"Now you see why I never let you practice this Star Skill before, don’t you?" Old Ice asked faintly.

Yang Yang pulled himself away from the shock of the Star Skill’s demonstration and couldn’t help but nod repeatedly.

"Soccer is a systematic process. Everyone focuses their attention on the goal scorer, but they don’t realize that while the scorer gets all the glory, they are supported by the teammates who silently pass them the ball and the players who defend against the opponent’s attacks."

"Shooting is also a systematic process. If you only think of shooting as that final kick, then you’re underestimating both soccer and defenders. No matter how good your final shot is, if the other supporting techniques aren’t done well, it’s completely useless on the highly tactical professional stage."

Yang Yang nodded hurriedly. He understood what Old Ice meant, especially after watching the Star Skill’s demonstration.

If you were to break down a shot, it could be roughly divided into three parts: getting into position, controlling the ball well, and finally, shooting well. But everyone tends to focus only on that last part—shooting well.

Positioning goes without saying; some players even rely on their positioning to create deadly opportunities.

The most famous example is Big Inzaghi of AC Milan. Ferguson praised him as an assassin who lived on the offside line. His positioning ability was so strong it was second to none in the world at the time.

Once you’re in position, you have to be able to control the ball.

The reason the "King of the Six-Yard Box," Van Nistelrooy, could score goals in torrents was largely due to his ball control.

A smart striker can always control the ball into a position that’s best for them to shoot from, and at the same time, the hardest for the opponent to defend and block.

Experience shows that even in the most densely defended penalty area, as long as you can control the ball well, you can still create a deadly chance.

Of course, to control the ball well, you also have to factor in another point: physical strength and confrontation.

Without outstanding physical strength in confrontations, you can forget about controlling the ball well under tight marking from an opponent.

Get into position, control the ball well, and only then can you shoot well.

Making the most rational judgment at the most opportune moment, choosing the most appropriate shooting method, while also using feints to deceive defenders and the goalkeeper—these are all important components of shooting well.

It wasn’t that Yang Yang hadn’t received training in this area before. Both John van Schip and Luther Carroll had taught him these things during one-on-one special training sessions, but never in such a deep and thorough way as today.

To put it bluntly, shooting is a vast and complicated systematic process.

"My ball control wasn’t solid enough before. Even if I had forced myself to practice [Van Basten’s Shooting], I would have been biting off more than I could chew. It might have even caused my ball control training to stagnate," Yang Yang said, now understanding Old Ice’s intentions.

"Yes. But now, your ball control is on the verge of reaching the [Reflex] level. Combined with your current situation on the team, I also agree that you can start practicing your fourth Star Skill. However, you still can’t neglect the other three, especially ball control."

"Don’t worry, Old Ice. I know how important ball control is."

Ball control could be said to be the foundation of all teamwork on the soccer field, and Yang Yang’s long-term hard practice was already starting to show results.

After persisting for so long, he was on the verge of reaping the rewards and entering the reflex stage. If Yang Yang slacked off now, causing his ball control to regress instead of improve, the loss would truly outweigh the gain.

"Alright then, let’s start practicing."

......

......

「The next afternoon.」

After the team finished a full day of training, the coaching staff began to pack up the training equipment.

As usual, Yang Yang stayed behind for extra practice with Maicon, Filipe Luís, Niklas Bendtner, and the others.

The drills for the extra session were the same ones Luther Carroll had given him before: a one-on-one drill within a square, where one player attacked and the other defended. It was primarily designed to improve Yang Yang’s ball control under high pressure.

This training was indeed very effective. Over the past six months, Yang Yang’s ball control had improved by leaps and bounds. Besides the training in the Super Training ground, this extra practice was also a major contributor.

Originally, it was Vermaelen, Heitinga, Maxwell, and De Jong who practiced with Yang Yang. But later, Maicon and Filipe Luís voluntarily took over the duty and became his regular training partners.

The two full-backs also intended to improve their own defensive abilities by training one-on-one with Yang Yang.

After all, Yang Yang was now a renowned winger in the Eredivisie.

According to the coaching staff’s assessment, Maicon’s defensive improvement over the subsequent period was largely due to his extra training sessions with Yang Yang. The Brazilian right-back had gradually solidified his position on the right flank and made great progress.

Watching them do extra practice every day had also become one of Luther Carroll’s duties.

After John van Schip left the team, he became the coach in charge of Yang Yang’s special training.

But today, after finishing this drill, Yang Yang also took the initiative to suggest another one: shooting.

The drill wasn’t complicated. It mainly involved Maicon and Filipe Luís crossing the ball from the wings for Yang Yang to shoot.

But because their crossing styles were different, Yang Yang needed sharp judgment and clever positioning. Finally, when it came time to shoot, he couldn’t control the ball first; it had to be a direct, one-touch shot.

This kind of training was still quite intense for Yang Yang. After all, he was more accustomed to controlling the ball before shooting, as it gave him more confidence. But in Luther Carroll’s words, a match situation changes in an instant, and often there wouldn’t be time for Yang Yang to take a touch.

As for all the shots that went flying over the bar, Niklas Bendtner was responsible for retrieving the balls.

Who could he blame but himself for constantly losing bets to Yang Yang?

He was forced to continue playing the roles of ball boy and training partner.

The wings frequently fed him the ball, while Yang Yang was responsible for his positioning and attacking the cross. The Super Training ground would record the entire session, and at night, it would be reviewed and analyzed, helping Yang Yang improve step by step.

Towards the end of the training session, Niklas Bendtner also joined in. He mainly played the role of a center forward, responsible for winning the first ball. After winning it, he would knock it down for Yang Yang, who was responsible for attacking the second ball and shooting directly.

Vermaelen, meanwhile, was temporarily roped in as an extra body to defend against Bentner.

"Yang, what’s your league goal target for this season?"

"What do you guys think?"

"Fifteen goals?"

"Douglas, are you crazy? He’s already scored eleven goals."

"Fifteen is too few."

"Yeah, at least twenty."

"Twenty still seems a bit low. I think twenty-five is about right."

"Twenty-five goals?"

"It’s been many years since anyone at Ajax scored more than twenty goals, right?"

"Yeah, it’s been a while."

"Looking back at the last ten years, only the Georgian striker Suta Avilaze in the ’97-’98 season scored more than twenty league goals. He scored twenty-five goals in thirty-one league matches. The players before and after him, like Cruyff, Ibrahimovic, and Van der Vaart, never surpassed twenty."

"Yang Yang already has eleven goals now. If he pushes a little harder and scores nine more, it’s entirely possible for him to become the club’s first player in recent years to surpass twenty goals."

"Yang, we all have faith in you. Keep it up!"

Hearing his teammates’ words, one after another, made Yang Yang feel a surge of bravado. Recalling what Van Gaal had said about having courage, he immediately laughed heartily and said, "Alright! If my goal count for the season exceeds twenty, I’ll definitely treat you all well to repay you for the hard work of training with me."

The moment they heard this, his teammates all burst out laughing.

"You said it. We’ll hold you to that."

"That’s right. We’ll see how you repay us then."

"Haha, then let’s get back to practice! Here comes the ball!"

......

......

The cheerful laughter on the training ground was naturally noticed by Ronald Koeman and the others, who hadn’t left yet.

"Yang Yang really has a kind of personal charisma that’s hard to describe," Jan Kruitenberg said admiringly.

Ronald Koeman nodded. "He doesn’t have a natural domineering presence or leadership, but he’s the type of leader who gradually wins over his teammates with his diligence and hard work, making everyone willing to follow him without even realizing it."

Jan Kruitenberg was a bit surprised to hear this. He noticed that the word Ronald Koeman used was "leader."

’Does this mean he’s already acknowledged the shift in Yang Yang’s role on the team?’

"Winston Bogard told me he’s never met a player as hardworking and diligent as Yang Yang, not even at Juventus. He believes this player is destined for great things."

Ronald Koeman smiled and nodded. He had made the same judgment long ago.

Promoting Yang Yang was a long-standing consensus among the Ajax technical team and coaching staff. It was just that no one had expected him to rise so quickly and progress so rapidly that even the coaching staff had trouble keeping up with him.

In the coaching staff’s view, with Galasek and De Jong both being defensively oriented, having Sneijder alone in midfield to organize and pass was definitely not enough. This was also the reason the team wanted to bring in another midfielder.

But now, it seemed there might not be enough time to bring in a suitable player.

Yang Yang, the most sensational player of the first half of the Eredivisie season.

’Can you continue to shine so brightly in the second half of the season?’ Ronald Koeman murmured expectantly.