Chapter 8 The Invisible Pass

Leicester City is only 4 points ahead of second-placed Burnley with a game in hand.

Tuesday's game against Reading is crucial.

Reading is currently ranked 7th in the league, only 3 points behind the top two.

Every game is about the team competing for third place and overtaking the quota, and the whole team is prepared to do so.

After losing to Brighton 1:4, Pearson was furious after the game and determined to rectify the front line.

At this time, Craig once again pushed Rossi in front of him.

What Pearson needs is a center with an iron will and a strong body to destroy the city, and a violent aesthetic with powerful volleys.

But Rossi, who has a soft body, has some differences between his playing style and Pearson's tactics.

Whether it can survive in the fiercely competitive British Championship is still unknown.

But his determination could not be changed. After just ten minutes of thinking, the head coach, who looked like an old-school British movie star, issued a call-up order for Rossi.

"Luo, I have always been very optimistic about you and recommended you to Coach Pearson. Now the opportunity has come."

Craig did recommend Rossi, but he didn't do it that hard and just brushed it off.

Rossi was eating steak at the last restaurant to replenish his energy, but he ignored his words.

He knew in his heart that the current situation of the team was not good. In the three rounds of the league, they only scored 5 goals but conceded 7 goals.

From a statistical point of view, there are an average of 25 shots per game, and the goal rate is only 0.6. The offensive efficiency of the striker is very low.

Among the second-tier teams, only Rossi, who plays in the British Championship, is the best candidate.

Moreover, during the last meal, Rossi inadvertently revealed the idea of ​​switching to another team. Once there was an opportunity, the first thing Craig thought of was Rossi.

Although he can enter the first team as he wishes, the most important thing is whether he can be included in the 18-man roster for the game.

Rossi has already used two "Highlight Moment Cards", and they are still in the cooldown period.

Only one "Slalom Marseille" is available.

This is an auxiliary function and it is difficult to score goals during the game.

Could it be that when he was alone in the penalty area, he used the "Marseille roundabout" to get past the goalkeeper?

That head must have been kicked by a donkey.

There are only three days until the next game. Excluding the rest time, the team only has one chance to practice together.

Rossi must gain the trust of the head coach within a limited time.

Sunday morning, Leicester City's Belvoir training ground.

This football base has grown with the team since 1964 and has witnessed the hard work of the players.

Ding ding!

Rossi rang the bicycle bell to signal the base security to open the door.

"Isn't the game over? Your U21 team still has training?"

"I'm here to train with the first team."

The security guard looked at him with slight surprise, opened the base railing, and said excitedly: "Come on, we are the champions."

champion!

This is the closest Leicester City has come to the trophy. Not only the whole team, but also the staff are full of expectations.

In such an atmosphere, pressure naturally comes.

After Rossi arrived at the training base, many players had already arrived. Mahrez and Konokat saw their former teammates and came forward to say hello warmly.

However, there is also someone who does not welcome him, Chris Wood.

The youngster has been involved in professional leagues for a long time and has played for English Championship teams such as West Brom, Brighton and Millwall.

In January last year, Wood moved to Leicester City for 1.2 million euros to train the team's future forward force.

After joining the team for one and a half seasons, he played 50 times in various competitions and scored 19 goals, which was a good performance.

Vardy is injured, which is an excellent opportunity for him.

But after three games, not only did they not score any goals, but their performance on the field was also a bit mediocre.

Otherwise, head coach Pearson would not have promoted Rossi to the first team.

Although Wood is not worried that he will be squeezed out by this rookie, after all, there are two veterans on the team's front line.

If there is a substitution, it must be one of the two.

However, Rossi's appearance made him very uncomfortable.

The training program in the morning is individual training, and the afternoon is intra-team competition.

In the 6-man match, the pace of the game was fast. Team C's striker was Rossi partnering with veteran Kevin Phillips.

The opponent is Team A with Mahrez partnered with Chris Wood. Obviously, this pairing is more impactful.

Phillips, who is 40 years old, joined Leicester City from Crystal Palace as a free agent in January this year. He played in 9 games and scored only 1 goal.

He has long lost his speed and explosive power, and more often relies on his back to get the ball, attract the defense, and create space for his teammates.

Or maybe he relies on his excellent sense of smell in front of the goal and his movement to get opportunities.

However, Leicester City lacked an excellent passer, and his performance was mediocre.

After the season, he chose to retire. If he could leave as a champion, it would be the best farewell.

Chris Wood naturally did not take this pair of old and young strikers seriously.

The two of them want speed but not speed, and they want impact but not momentum.

Especially Rossi, as long as there is some physical confrontation, he will immediately appreciate the softness of the turf at the Belvoir training base.

In the midfield, Team C consists of teenagers Drinkwater and Schlupp, who were also promoted from the U21 team at the beginning of this season.

The A team has Andy King and Hammond as the team's core midfielders this season.

At the beginning of the game, Rossi's C team showed the vitality and sprinting power of young people. Drinkwater, who was born in the Manchester United youth team, dribbled well and frequently completed the stunt of getting rid of the defense on the spot.

Ghanaian youngster Schlupp can attack and defend, and has good speed and endurance.

Compared with Team A, after the two experienced midfielders adapted to the rhythm, they slowly slowed down Team C's rhythm by controlling the ball and followed their own rhythm.

But Team A not only played at a slow pace, but once the ball was distributed to Mahrez on the wing, the accelerated pace caught Team C off guard.

Although captain Morgan was at the back, the frequent changes in rhythm caused Team C to frequently encounter threats in front of the goal.

Five minutes later, Mahrez passed in and Chris Wood beat the full-back Konchesky and succeeded with a header.

Although veteran Konchesky has rich experience, his height disadvantage and slow reaction allowed Wood to grab the front spot and score.

Young people don't care about martial ethics.

Chris Wood also clenched his fists after scoring the goal. He needs to perform well in the team and gain the trust of the head coach.

The lagging team C was not discouraged, and with the encouragement of captain Morgan, they served again.

Rossi retreated to get the ball, acting as an attacking midfielder, and his kick greatly accelerated the overall tempo, surprising his teammates.

Drinkwater was surprised. They hadn't seen each other for a few months. Rossi had changed from a rough guy to a center forward with a lot of work at his feet.

Just after a few passes, Rossi suddenly sent a through ball that hit the defender behind.

There are no teammates here and the ball is confiscated by the goalkeeper.

Bad pass.

Chris Wood secretly covered his mouth, and it was normal for him to make a passing error, but when the ball was passed to a position where there were no teammates, his technique was simply appalling.

"Luo, pass it when you're sure!"

Captain Morgan shouted at him, not to blame, but to use his voice to boost morale.

After the mistake, Rossi also let out a long snort.

Veteran Phillips trotted over, patted him on the shoulder and said: "Pass the ball boldly, I will catch it."

Due to the strong control of Team A's midfield, Team C's Drinkwater and Schlupp were forced to return to defense, thereby limiting the speed of the counterattack.

Rossi's passing is particularly crucial.

He is not a center now, but a No. 9 and a half player who drops back to get the ball.

Can Rossi do both offense and organization?

The head coach's face was expressionless, and under his broad, eagle-like nose, his body was moving faintly. He was obviously not optimistic about it.

In his opinion, Rossi is a center who "doesn't do his job properly". Instead of using his body to help his teammates with the ball, he becomes an organizer in the frontcourt.

Moreover, the slow back pass from a standing position will have a very high passing success rate in terms of statistics.

But it made no contribution at all to the team's offense.
To be continued...